"Isaac Sowed"

by D. Smith, Lerwick | Category: General | Nov 1974

When famine came to the land in the days of Isaac, he and his family moved to Gerar in the land of the Philistines. His intention was to proceed into Egypt, but God forestalled him, saying, "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" (Gen. 26:2,3). Isaac obeyed God and did not go into Egypt, but unhappily while in Gerar he was overtaken by a danger that is ever present with the god~. Trouble and spiritual declension will follow when citizens of heaven settle down in and turn their affections to a world through which they are passing as pilgrims on their way to heaven to receive an inheritance of glory.

Trouble soon followed for Isaac. Out of fear for the men of Gerar he lied regarding his wife Rebekah, saying, "She is my sister". His concern was not for Rebekah but for himself, as is evident from his confession, "Lest I die for her". Isaac had thus sowed to his own flesh, and "he that soweth unto his own flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption". Our "own flesh" is the potential evil which each one of us carries in his body of flesh. A harvest of corruption which such sowing produces is inevitable, and only by God's mercy was Isaac saved from such an experience.

The grace and tact of Abimelech king of Gerar are commendable and his knowledge of the folly which Isaac had wrought is clear from his reproof, "thou shouldest have brought guiltiness upon us". The consequences of evil can soon spread beyond ourselves. One lie from the lips of Isaac could have resulted in the judgement of God descending on the citizens of Gerar. Beloved, "Speak ye every man the truth with his neighbour" (Zech. 8:16), "Putting away falsehood" for "whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap", and, "He that soweth iniquity shall reap calamity" (Prov. 22:8).

Having recovered from this bitter experience, "Isaac sowed in that land, and found in the same year an hundredfold". It proved more successful to sow to the soil than to sow to sin. No doubt Isaac had learned much this hard way, although he was yet to know the contention and enmity of the herdmen of Gerar (Gen. 26:20,21).

Isaac then left the land of the Philistines and went up to Beersheba. That night the Lord appeared to him and confirmed His presence with him and His blessing upon him; there he pitched his tent and built an altar and called on the name of the Lord. Although he was now away from Gerar, he had left behind a remarkable impression, which moved the king of Gerar and his two advisors to seek out Isaac in an endeavour to gain an assurance that peace would obtain between them. It was not mere flattery that moved them to say, in the process of their talks, "We saw plainly that the LORD was with thee" (Gen. 26:28). They had clearly seen something they could not ignore nor forget.

What is carried to the mind by that which the eye sees is often more impressive than what is heard by the ear. In this case it was not what they had heard of Isaac or even heard him say, but they had seen, clearly, that the Lord was with him.

This is a tribute that every saint should merit. But the Lord will not be with those who disobey His word or foolishly sell themselves to work unrighteousness as did Samson, who treated his separation so lightly and allowed Delilah to deceive him. Thus he lost his strength when the Philistines shaved off the seven locks of his head. He thought that he could do a~ on other occasions but "he wist not that the Lord had departed from him" (Judg. 16:20). So that great man was brought down to grind in the prison house. Disobedience and disregard for the truth of separation can bring one down to a very low level.

Equally tragic was the experience of Saul who rejected the word of the Lord and was therefore rejected by the Lord from being king over His people. His last night on earth he spent in the house of a witch and there confessed "God is departed from me, and answereth me no more". Surely the most chilling admission that a man could make, and a salient warning to the child of God to seek eagerly the work and presence of Him who said, "If a man love Me, he will keep My word: and My Father will love him, and We will come unto him, and make Our abode with him" (John 14:23).

Beloved, the question comes to our hearts: How do men see our relationship with the Lord? Is it clear and plain, or obscure with the shadows of inconsistency dividing between our life and our confessions? May it be said of every one of us, "We saw plainly that the Lord was with thee" ! For we too are sowing in the land of our sojourn. What will the harvest be?

We are sowing ever sowing

Something good or something ill;

In the lives of those around us

We are planting what we will.

Not a word we say lies fruitless

Not a deed we do decays,

Every thought and word and action

Will be found in future days.

D. Smith, Lerwick | Nov 1974
General