I am humbled today by Isaac’s patience and humility. This starts in the beginning of Genesis 26 when there was a famine in the land. To continue providing for his family, Isaac needs to relocate. As he is deciding where to go, God has an interesting message for him. In effect, he says, “Don’t go to Egypt. Don’t leave. Stick around here and hang out in this land. If you stay, I will be with you and bless you. In fact, remember the promise that I gave your father, Abraham? I told him that he would be the father of nations. If you hang out with me here, you will be the one who helps me establish my promise to him.” That is a serious honor. Isaac does what any of us would do with such huge prospects ahead of us. He stays, settling in Gerar, the land God suggested.
God kept his promise. He blessed Isaac making him very wealthy, very quickly. But this causes a problem. King Abimelech and the Philippines don’t like it. They demands that Isaac and his family leave the valley. How would you respond? Think about it. You find land to work and you work hard. The land produces and you are successful. Then, your competitor comes along and says, “Leave.”
“No way,” I would insist. “It’s mine. In fact, God gave it to me.” Not Isaac. He doesn’t seem to mind. Without delay, he packs up and moves on, displaying incredible patience. Where does this patience come from? Perhaps Isaac has bolstered his patience with the prospect of using his father’s old wells. Surely he considered these to be part of God’s provision. I certainly would have. Unfortunately, he quickly discovers that the old wells were no longer useful. Out of spite, the Philistines filled them in. Isaac was not deterred. He rebuilt the wells. Then, he gave thanks. It seems to be an odd response for getting kicked around.
As I read through this story of Isaac, God reminds me that His promises are good, trustworthy, and guaranteed. That does not mean that the path will be easy. Isaac faced trouble everyday, never taking God’s promises for granted. He worked hard and gave thanks. God took care of the rest.