May 20th, 2022 – Written Friday Morning
“The LORD appeared to him and said, ‘Do not go down to Egypt; stay in the land of which I shall tell you. Sojourn in this land and I will be with you and bless you, for to you and to your descendants I will give all these lands, and I will establish the oath which I swore to your father Abraham. I will multiply your descendants as the stars of heaven, and will give your descendants all these lands; and by your descendants all the nations of the earth shall be blessed; because Abraham obeyed Me and kept My charge, My commandments, My statutes and My laws.'” ~Genesis 26:2-5
Have we already covered the faithfulness, mercy, and goodness of God? Ha ha! We certainly have! Yet, we must continue to talk of it because our memories and our hearts often forget and we go astray; thankfully, the LORD has given us MANY examples of His character and unfailing nature.
Here in this passage we see the LORD’s mercy towards Isaac in that He stops him from going to Egypt and tells him of the great promises that He has given to him and his descendants. We see the LORD’s goodness in His abundant promised blessings towards Isaac and those who come after him. And, we see the LORD’s faithfulness in how He reiterates the promises that He had made to Abraham to Abraham’s son, Isaac. He had been faithful to Abraham again and again and He is signifying His future faithfulness to His covenant with Abraham with Isaac and his descendants. The LORD is merciful, the LORD is good, and the LORD is faithful.
Besides the constant reminders (that we so desperately need) of the LORD’s character, what else can we take from this passage? Notice the end of it: “Because Abraham obeyed Me and kept My charge, My commandments, My statutes and My laws.” Isaac and his descendants would be blessed by the LORD and the LORD would be faithful to His covenant because Abraham had obeyed Him and kept His ways. Not only did Abraham reap the benefits of a right relationship with the LORD, but now his son and grandchildren and future generations (and through them all the families of the earth) would also be abundantly blessed because of his faithful trust in and obedience to the LORD.
We can never know the full impact of our choices, but we can see the consequences of our decisions – both of our sin and of our obedience. This too is a reminder of the LORD’s faithfulness, righteousness, and justice: He faithfully pours forth grace and blessing upon those who fear Him and walk in His ways; and, He faithfully brings about the consequences of our sin – both upon ourselves and those who follow after us. He forgives those who repent and He gives grace to the humble, but to those who rebel and refuse to obey, He resists and rejects.
My beloved brethren, let us not be of a stubborn heart that repels the grace and mercy of our faithful God. In addition, let us not give in to despair and regret; it is possible that your family is reaping the consequences of your own sin even now, but remember the mercy, goodness, faithfulness, justice, and righteousness of the LORD. He can use our humble obedience now for His glory, our good, and the future blessings of our children and future generations – regardless of what has transpired in the past – as we walk in His ways by the power of His Spirit.
Thank You, Father, that You are always faithful! Help us to constantly cultivate our dependence on You and respond to Your discipline and instruction.