Who is our God? What is He like?
He is a God of specific instruction.
As we enter into Genesis chapter twenty-six we get a glimpse into that details of the life of Isaac. It is an interesting contrast to the previous chapter where we beheld the grand vision of God through the offspring of Isaac, his twin sons, Jacob and Esau. The vision presented there was grand in its scope. It was a plan of national proportions. “Two nations are in thy womb…” were the words spoken by the Lord to Rebekah. The plan of God unfolding on a large scale before their eyes. God was truly at work in an almost incomprehensible way with this faithful family.
This chapter, however, reveals another aspect of God’s providence that many times gets overshadowed by our enamor with His grand design. What stands out in this chapter, at least to me, is the specific nature of God’s direction in their life. Consider the words of God:
And there was a famine in the land, beside the first famine that was in the days of Abraham. And Isaac went unto Abimelech king of the Philistines unto Gerar. And the LORD appeared unto him, and said, Go not down into Egypt; dwell in the land which I shall tell thee of: Sojourn in this land, and I will be with thee, and will bless thee; for unto thee, and unto thy seed, I will give all these countries, and I will perform the oath which I sware unto Abraham thy father; And I will make thy seed to multiply as the stars of heaven, and will give unto thy seed all these countries; and in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; Because that Abraham obeyed my voice, and kept my charge, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws.
Genesis 26:1-5
We have come from the grand design of “two nations” to the specific instruction about where Isaac is not supposed to flee to, and where he was specifically supposed to dwell with his family. The circumstances of the environment around him were irrelevant. He was to trust God about his dwelling place.
I wonder how many Christians seek the counsel of God about where they are supposed to dwell? How many Christians make the decision about their home based on the circumstances surrounding them, instead of the direction of God? Finances, environment, convenience, comfort, pleasure, and the like, are more often than not the determining factor in our decision making. All the while we seem to forget the promise of a good and caring heavenly Father…
The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD: and he delighteth in his way.
Psalm 37:23
Have you heeded the direction of God in the specifics, the details? Do you trust Him with the next step? Or, has your decision been made out of expedience? He is a God of specific instruction. Do you want to hear it?
Behold our God!