Title: We shall prosper (Genesis 26:12-22)
Content The text records the reason why Isaac, whom he had met until the famine, prospered while he suffered through envy (verse 14). Today, we hope that through Isaac's life of faith, Isaac's prosperity will be transformed into ours.
1. Because Isaac believed the promise. (Verses 12, 22) In verse 12, it says that Isaac farmed in that land, and in verse 22, it said that he would prosper in this land. To understand this verse, we need to look at verses 1-4 at the beginning of the text. When Isaac was in a famine and made plans to flee to Egypt and was preparing to flee, he believed in the promise that God would give this land a blessing and prosper, as well as give him this land.
2. It is because Isaac obeyed the command (verses 12, 13). The reason Isaac cultivated in the land was because he obeyed God's command. As a result of rejection, the Bible speaks of finally being rejected. Verse 5 reminds us that Abraham was blessed when he obeyed the command. Isaac was recognized for his obedience from Mount Moriah.
3. It is because Isaac was at peace with his neighbor. (verses 15-22) The Philistines, jealous of Isaac, who had received the 100-fold blessing and rejected him, filled the well three times and started fighting. But Isaac always yielded and never quarreled. When the Lord spoke of the Beatitudes in the Sermon on the Mount, He said, "Blessed are the peacemakers." Proverbs 16:7 says that if a man's ways please the LORD, he makes even his enemies to be at peace with him.
4. It is because God has blessed you. (Verses 12, 22) All blessings belong to God. Therefore, only when God grants blessings can we prosper. Isaac was blessed 100 times. No one can hinder those who God blesses and prospers, and wherever they go, everything they do will be successful.