23 And he went up from thence to Beersheba. 24 And the Lord appeared unto him the same night, and said, I am the God of Abraham thy father: fear not, for I am with thee, and will bless thee, and multiply thy seed for my servant Abraham's sake. 25 And he builded an altar there, and called upon the name of the Lord, and pitched his tent there: and there Isaac's servants digged a well. 26 Then Abimelech went to him from Gerar, and Ahuzzath one of his friends, and Phichol the chief captain of his army. 27 And Isaac said unto them, Wherefore come ye to me, seeing ye hate me, and have sent me away from you? 28 And they said, We saw certainly that the Lord was with thee: and we said, Let there be now an oath betwixt us, even betwixt us and thee, and let us make a covenant with thee; 29 That thou wilt do us no hurt, as we have not touched thee, and as we have done unto thee nothing but good, and have sent thee away in peace: thou art now the blessed of the Lord. 30 And he made them a feast, and they did eat and drink (Genesis 26:23-30).
The wording in verse 24 is interesting. Notice that it is for Abraham’s sake that God was with Isaac. The original promise of God was to Abraham, and remember righteousness was credited to Abraham. Righteousness therefore was also credited to the heirs of the covenant; in this case Isaac. God’s covenant is for the purpose of saving a people for Himself. Contrast this with the covenant made between men (Isaac and Abimelch). Covenants of men are dependent on the faithfulness of often unfaithful men. Covenants of men therefore change, are broken, and often result in failure. Not so with God.
The wording in verse 24 is interesting. Notice that it is for Abraham’s sake that God was with Isaac. The original promise of God was to Abraham, and remember righteousness was credited to Abraham. Righteousness therefore was also credited to the heirs of the covenant; in this case Isaac. God’s covenant is for the purpose of saving a people for Himself. Contrast this with the covenant made between men (Isaac and Abimelch). Covenants of men are dependent on the faithfulness of often unfaithful men. Covenants of men therefore change, are broken, and often result in failure. Not so with God.
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