Genesis 26:12 Commentary and Bible Study

After this event Isaac remained living in the region, and cultivated land which was assigned for his use. God’s hand was with him in this foreign land and his prosperity increased greatly. We should not develop limited ideas of God’s power as if he could only bless us in our familiar surroundings. If he sends us far away from our home to serve him, he can provide for you just as well there. We may associate blessing with a certain place, or a certain circle of friends, or a certain lifestyle, but God is the God of the whole earth and is able to bless us wherever he causes us to go. The Lord blessed Isaac materially in the same way that he blessed all the patriarchs. The physical nature of the promise to Abraham’s descendants required physical blessing to prove that it had been fulfilled. That was important for them in a way that is not true today. God’s promises to us are spiritual and not material. In their case, part of the blessing of God came in the form of this world’s goods. God was teaching the world that he is able to make a covenant with a nation and honour it. Abraham’s descendants were promised that they would inherit the land of Canaan. These blessings were earthly, material, but they represented the saints’ future eternal inheritance – for the meek shall inherit the earth. Material prosperity should not be made a rule for God’s people in all ages since we are not under the same covenant. Many of the Lord’s people suffer hardship and poverty in this life. It is true that the greater industry and diligence which comes into the life of a believer at conversion tends to bring its own reward, but many nevertheless remain poor because they are disadvantaged for Christ’s sake in some way. Among those who are called there are ‘not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called. But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty’ (1 Corinthians 1:26-27).Nevertheless, property brought its problems for Isaac for the Philistines began to envy him when they saw how he was enriched. No doubt they grumbled that he was a foreigner living amongst them and was by his increase taking away from what would otherwise have been theirs. This may well have been a delusion because hard work and honest labour is able to generate wealth where there would have been none without it, but the world will not judge things accurately.