This week's Bible Study - April 20, 2008
Exploring Perseverance
 Background Scripture:
Genesis 26:1-22
Quote of the Week:
“Failure is the path of least persistence”
-- Source Unknown
What is perseverance? When life is going good, you don't hear much about perseverance, but when things start going bad - you hear it a lot. Perseverance can be thought of as being patient and able to endure. There are some people who much prefer one season of the year to another. For example, for those who love spring, they have to endure winter to get to spring. They know it is coming, so that helps things a lot. How much does that play into your ability to persevere? I think that a lot of people go through hardships and would continue to be faithful, if they thought that the hardship would end (and they knew when). When we lose hope, many people tend to look for the way out, rather than the way through.
There are many people throughout history that have had to persevere, though disabled or handicapped. Ray Charles and Stevie Wonder have had to learn to deal with blindness. Beethoven was deaf. Thomas Edison and Albert Einstein both had learning disabilities. There are others who spent their life to accomplish something. Susan B Anthony worked to give the women right to vote. Amelia Earhart worked to become the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean. Wilma Randoph was an Olympics Gold medalist in track, although she was not able to walk properly as a child. Martin Luther King endured much, including death, to lead civil rights movements.
We've all heard the phrase - If at first you don't succeed, try and try again. Many young athletes learn about having to keep on trying to master a skill. After years of coaching kids to play basketball, I have seen some kids who pick up the skills and become adept at their sport quickly. I've also seen others that try and try, but they just don't seem to get it. Usually, there comes a point where there is a breakthrough so that they learn what to do and start enjoying the game. Sometimes, the kid gives us before they hit that breakthrough. (Most of us can relate to this at some point in our lives)
Most of us aren't kids anymore. We've been around the block a few times. We've seen the seasons come and go - we can endure winter. We have probably seen successes and failures in life - sometimes with or without our support. I feel sure that many of us have failed in the perseverance category - at least in some area of our lives. What does it mean for us to persevere? And perseverance really based in us or something (or someone) else?
In the Old Testament, you can read of several famines that occurred. These still happen in different places around the world, but most of us can't really relate to a famine. Although prices may rise, we generally have access to the products and goods that we need. However, how did the Old Testament folks deal with famines? They didn't have the large grocery chains and fast food restaurants. They were directly dependent on the crops that they and others around them could raise. So, when a famine hit these people, it could have a huge impact. There was no guarantee of how long the famine would last - in some cases, a few weeks or a few months. In other cases, famines last several years. How would you handle several years without …. ? Your famine may not be food, but it may be financial or health or relationship related.
Isaac was the son of Abraham. In fact, he was the promised one that Abraham and Sarah had in their old age. God had directed Abraham to take his one and only precious son to the top of a mountain and to offer a sacrifice - Isaac. Can you imagine how that impacted Isaac? I'm sure he was glad that it all worked out, with the provision of a lamb at the last possible second, but what impact would that have on his life? You could argue that it increased his faith or you could perhaps argue that it left him a little jilted. Certainly it wasn't the way that he would have scripted that scenario.
At any rate, there was a famine and Isaac went to Abimelech, the king of the Philistines, in Gerar. Gerar was a Philistine town in what is today south-central Israel. This was also the place that Abraham had gone (Genesis 20). As the famine became worse, I'm sure that Isaac was ready to pack up and go to greener pastures, such as in Egypt. The Lord appeared to Isaac and told him to stay where he was. Rather than leaving for Egypt, he was to stay where he was and God would bless him, just as God had promised all of this land to Abraham in an oath, this was confirmed to Isaac. The descendants of Isaac would be as numerous as the stars and they would have all of these lands. Through Isaac, all nations would be blessed - as the oath to Abraham had said. So, Isaac listened to the Lord and stayed in Gerar.
One of the interesting things about the Bible is that it doesn't really pull any punches to protect the 'heroes of our faith'. When Abraham was in Gerar, something had happened that was going to be repeated. From all accounts, the men of Philistine must have been larger than life. In retrospect, Goliath the giant was a Philistine - and just as the Israelites were scared of Goliath, it appeared that the Israelites (at least Abraham and later Isaac) were intimidated as well. To protect himself, Abraham had told people that Sarah his wife was his sister. He was afraid that he would be killed if the Philistine men wanted his wife, so he took matters into his own hands (for self preservation). Abimilech took Sarah, but in a dream, he learned that Sarah was Abraham's wife - and Abimilech was not happy with the deceit. Rather than helping his cause, Abraham's scheme backfired. You have to wonder - did he ever tell this story to Isaac? Why do I ask? Read on.
As Isaac was at Gerar, among the Philistines, he told the men that Rebekah his wife was his sister - again to protect himself. In verse 7, Isaac thought "The men of this place might kill me on account of Rebekah, because she is beautiful." That's an interesting word - might. How many times have we gotten ourselves in trouble or given up on something because of the word 'might'? 'Might' implies indecision and a divided mind. It implies that we are often working out of fear, rather than confidence.
After Isaac had been there for a long time, Abimilech saw Isaac caressing his wife (his sister?). Abimilech called for Isaac and asked why Isaac said she was his sister. Isaac explained that he was afraid he might lose his life on account of her. Abimilech was very upset with Isaac - because he knew that if anyone had slept with Rebekah, not knowing she was Isaac's wife - guilt would have come upon them. Abimilech ordered that if anyone bothered Isaac or his wife - they would be put to death. Do you think Isaac would have had more problems if he had been truthful at the start?
Just as the sin of Abraham was recreated in the life of Isaac - this should make us think about what our children may one day face. We all make mistakes - some of them are more major than others and have more potential for negative consequences. However, if those mistakes are hidden and never discussed with our children, there is a large likelihood that those mistakes will be repeated in the lives of our kids. Sins of a generation are often repeated, but maybe it wouldn't be that way if we were a bit more open with our children.
In this case, Isaac had listened to God and stayed where he was, but he ending up doing what he thought he had to do to protect his own interests. If Abraham had shared what had happened earlier, Isaac disregarded or didn't believe it. Regardless, Isaac showed more faith in himself to handle the situation and less that God would continue to bless him. At this point, there were no children to Isaac. God had promised that there would be many descendants. You can infer that if Isaac had been killed by the Philistines, that promise of God would not have come to pass. When God speaks to us, we need to listen - and maybe we can save ourselves from some major setbacks in life.
Isaac stayed in the Philistine territory and had the protection of the king. So, as the famine ended, Isaac planted crops in the fields and the Lord blessed his interests. In the same year he planted, he reaped a hundredfold. Isaac became rich, and his wealth continued to grow until he became very wealthy. He had many flocks and herds and servants. The Philistines saw his great successes and were very envious. They didn't appreciate the vast success of Isaac and all that he did. So, they began to work against him, filling up his wells with earth. Abimilech approached Isaac and told him that he had to move away from them. This 'foreigner' had become too powerful and was no longer welcomed in this area.
So, Isaac moved away and settled in the Valley of Gerar, away from the others. He reopened other wells that belonged to Abraham, as they were stopped up by the Philistines after Abraham died. He continued in what his father Abraham had started. Isaac's servants dug other wells and discovered fresh water in the valley. The ownership of the water was disputed by the herdsmen of Gerar. Isaac kept moving until a well that was dug was not in dispute. Then, he named it Rehoboth, meaning that the Lord has given us room and we will flourish in the land.
Closing
This lesson is about perseverance. In one vein, if you think that the perseverance is on the behalf of Isaac, it seems pretty far fetched. The true picture of perseverance is that of God and his promises. God had promised Abraham that he would bless him and generations to follow. Even though Isaac made similar mistakes, God's hand was still upon him - not because of the goodness of Isaac, but because of the goodness and perseverance of God.
There was some perseverance shown by Isaac as he moved from Gerar and dug wells that continued to be in dispute. Rather than fight over them, he moved and tried again. And, in the end, he saw that God had given him the land and he acknowledged that they would flourish in that land.
What has God promised in your life and will he persevere? Where has the word "might" caused you problems? When we take our focus off of God and focus on the what we "might" encounter, we are showing a lack of confidence in God to provide what he has promised. Stick with the promises of God.
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