Genesis 26:28
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; 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;
Abimelech came with Ahuzzath and Phichol and his officers to Isaac in the land of the Philistines after his differences with them, confessed that the Lord was certainly with him as the blessed of the Lord, and sought an oath and covenant of peace that he would do them no harm. The covenant was a mutual agreement in which the parties sought an oath and made an arrangement with each other. Isaac had yielded more than justice required over wells that were his by inheritance from Abraham and by redigging, refusing to strive or contend for his rights but committing his cause to God, and God in special providence as his place among the progenitors of the promised Seed made room for him and blessed him. His faithful life and visible success and prosperity showed his neighbors that his God was greater than their gods, so their coming to make peace further acknowledged that superiority. Even those living in darkness could plainly see that the Lord was with him, and believers are to show the same visible presence by letting the light of truth so shine through good works before men of this last sinful generation that they see the works and glorify the Father in heaven, with families living out the truth so neighbors inquire about God.
Setting and Wording
Isaac was in the land of the Philistines, carried there by famine, where he received abundant blessing from God. The covenant follows his differences with the Philistines, in which his willingness to yield more than justice required brought God's blessing in consequence.
Those who came to him were Abimelech with Ahuzzath and Phichol. They were accompanied by his officers and companions. The word covenant here means a mutual agreement, in which the parties sought an oath and made an arrangement with each other.
The visitors confessed that they saw certainly that the LORD was with Isaac and that he was now the blessed of the Lord. The Philistines recognized God's presence and blessing with him. On that basis Abimelech and his companions sought an oath and covenant with him. Their recognition is evidence that knowledge of the Lord existed among people beyond the righteous.
What they sought was a covenant of peace, asking him to do them no harm. The account of God's covenant renewed stands with the deception of Isaac, the flight of Jacob, and the vision of angels. Together they call for thought on the constancy of angel guardianship.
Why Enemies Saw Blessing
Isaac's differences with the Philistines were followed by abundant blessing because in those differences he was willing to yield more than justice required. The differences were over wells that were his by every right through inheritance from Abraham and through his own redigging, yet he let the Philistines have what they claimed without striving, and by that refusal to strive the Lord made room for him. Because he refused to contend for his rights but committed his cause to God, God worked for him with special providence as one of the progenitors of the promised Seed.
His faithful life and visible success and prosperity led his neighbors to acknowledge God's blessing and to seek an oath and covenant with him. That prosperity had already shown Abimelech and his officers that his God was greater than their gods, so their coming to make peace was a further acknowledgment of that superiority. By making His presence and blessing visible to his enemies in Abimelech with Ahuzzath and Phichol confessing that they saw certainly the Lord was with him and that he was now the blessed of the Lord, the Lord revealed Isaac's lamb-like, non-striving disposition in contrast to Ishmael's striving. That contrast marks the difference between the child of promise and the child of the flesh, which are the two covenants.
Doctrine and Present Application
Abimelech and his companions recognized that the Lord was with Isaac and sought a covenant with him on that basis, and their recognition is evidence that knowledge of the Lord existed among people beyond the righteous. The blessing given to Isaac was connected with Abraham's obedience to God's laws, which shows the importance of parents directing their children to follow the same faithful course. Abraham kept God's commandments and laws, and these were not limited to the three actions of leaving his people, traveling through the land, and offering Isaac. Compared with Genesis 12, Genesis 26 makes clear that those actions do not replace the law, and that the cause and effect in the opposing argument are reversed.
Isaac's faithful way of life made God's presence visible to neighbors and to the Philistine ruler who did not know the truth, leading them to seek a covenant with him, and families who live out the truth in the same way can lead others to inquire about God. Even people living in darkness around Isaac could plainly see that the Lord was with him. The same visible presence of God shown in Christ going about doing good is to be shown in believers, by letting the light of truth so shine through good works before men of this last sinful generation that they see the works and glorify the Father in heaven. Abimelech and his companions recognized that Isaac was blessed by God and sought a covenant of peace, asking him to do them no harm, and Isaac agreed because he already lived by a spirit of peace toward all people.