Genesis 26:6 - Meaning and Application

Isaac had now given up all thoughts of going to Egypt. In obedience to the vision from heaven, he settled in Gerar, the land where he had been born (Genesis 26:6). But even there he fell into temptation, the same temptation that had once and again caught and defeated his father, Abraham. He tried to deny his wife and say that she was his sister.

Here is how he sinned in Genesis 26:7. Because Rebekah was beautiful, he feared the Philistines would find some way to kill him so one of them could marry her. So he told people she was his sister. It is hard to understand how both of these great and good men could be guilty of such a strange lie. By it, they put both their own reputation and their wives’ reputation at risk. Still, we see two important lessons. First, very good people can sometimes commit very serious sins and foolish acts. So anyone who stands should be careful not to fall, and anyone who has fallen should not give up hope of being lifted up again. Second, we are often quick to copy even the weaknesses of people we admire. Because of that, we must watch ourselves closely, lest we try to walk in the steps of good people and end up following their wrong turns.

Then the king himself exposed the lie. Abimelech, not the same man who lived in Abraham’s time in Genesis 20, but a later Philistine king who carried the same name, saw Isaac acting more freely and affectionately with Rebekah than he would have with a sister (Genesis 26:8). He saw him laughing or enjoying himself with her. The same word is tied to Isaac’s own name. He was delighting in the wife of his youth (Proverbs 5:18). It is fitting for husband and wife to be kind and cheerful with each other, since they are meant to take joy in one another. There is hardly any place where a man may be more freely and harmlessly cheerful than with his own wife and children.

Abimelech rebuked Isaac for the deceit (Genesis 26:9). He showed him how weak his excuse was, and how bad the results might have been (Genesis 26:10). Then, to show that his fear of them was unjust, he put Isaac and his family under special protection. He warned that anyone who harmed Isaac or Rebekah would die (Genesis 26:11). From this we learn that a lie lasts only for a short time. Truth is like a daughter of time, in time it will come out. We also learn that one sin often opens the door to many more, so the first steps into sin should be avoided. The sins of God’s people bring shame on them before outsiders. Yet God can make even those who are angry with his people, when they seem to have some reason on their side, understand that it is dangerous to harm them (Psalm 105:14, 15).