And Isaac sowed in that land and reaped a hundredfold. The Lord blessed him, and the man became rich, and gained more and more until he became very wealthy. (26:12–13)
We need to be reminded that we do (Isaac sowed), and God blesses (or withholds blessings). Success does not depend entirely on us—it is God who blesses. But neither do we simply do nothing.
Isaac became so wealthy that the Philistines envied him. God blessed him with great wealth, but he still had troubles. A life of blessing is not trouble free. King Abimelech said to Isaac, “Go away from us, for you are much mightier than we” (Genesis 26:16). Isaac did go from there but had problems with the Philistines quarrelling over various wells that his servants dug.
Isaac ends up in Beersheba where “the Lord appeared to him the same night and said, “I am the God of Abraham your father. Fear not, for I am with you and will bless you and multiply your offspring for my servant Abraham’s sake” (Genesis 26:24). Isaac responds by building an altar there and calling on the name of the Lord. This is the first time we see Isaac performing an act of worship (it doesn’t mean he hadn’t previously, but we don’t know either way).
Note that King Abimelech, after sending Isaac away, comes to him in Beersheba (along with his adviser and his army commander) because they have “plainly seen that the LORD has been with you” (Genesis 26:28) and that he has been “blessed by the Lord” (Genesis 26:29)—they call God by His actual name, and they are asking for a covenant to ensure that Isaac won’t harm them. As we saw earlier with Abraham, when God blesses, God blesses, and often even the pagans take note.
All the cultures in that day had a spiritual awareness—they all believed in gods and thus, were able to connect Isaacs’ blessings as from the god he followed. In our day, we often have to be intentional in giving God the glory He deserves. When people have remarked over our family, I have often said, “Yes, I am really blessed,” but upon reflection as I write this, I ought to say, “Yes, God has really blessed us!” I need to give credit where credit is due, and God, from whom is every good gift, deserves the honour and glory.
Prayer: God, may I be aware of all your blessings in my life, and may others take note as well, so that they know that You are good. I remind myself that Your blessings aren’t always things like wealth, but they are vast—children are blessings from Your hand, as are relationships, jobs, and so much more. Help me not to complain about my trials, but to know that even those will be used for good in my life. Amen.
