A Blessed Mess

O.T. #50 "A Blessed Mess" May 20, 2013
Genesis 26-Part 1
Then Isaac sowed in that land, and received in the same year an hundred-fold: and the
LORD blessed him.  Genesis 26:12 KJV


LET IT GLOW

Saturday night my guys did a traditional father-son thing-they went to see the new Star Trek movie
on its debut, first appearing. Mind you, they have been doing this for umpteen years now. I'm glad they spend some fun time together because they also work together five days a week in our
business. (Sometimes they go to the local college ballgames.) Besides, I don't care for those kinds
of shows and it gives my husband someone with whom he can discuss them.

You've heard of the old adage, Like father, like son? Not only does it apply to my guys' taste in movies, but it seems to apply to Abraham and his son Isaac as well. Are you ready to peek into the human side of Isaac?

I think the glowing part of our chapter is that God blessed Isaac so much that the Philistines envied him. We see it in verses 12-17. Although Isaac disobeyed God, he sowed crops in their land and and reaped a hundred fold, or he harvested 100 times more times than he had planted. The Philistines recognized that God had blessed Isaac. Their king Abimelech (probably a different one than in Abraham's day 97 years earlier) told Isaac to leave them because the Israelites were much mightier than they were. (verse 16)

Can we look around us and see how God is blessing us? Do we give God the glory for all we have?
Do others realize that we are God's servants and He is blessing us? What am I sowing? Is the fruit
that I am harvesting good or bad? Am I allowing the fruit of the Spirit to be in me?

LET IT GROW

Here's where Isaac repeated his father's sin (verses 6-11).
Abraham was not told what to do when the famine hit his area, yet Isaac was. The Lord
specifically told Isaac to not go down into Egypt.

God forced Isaac to trust in His ability to provide, not to do the natural thing that everybody else would be doing.  (Falwell)

So even though we see Isaac's disobedience. God still blessed him to God's glory and honor. Abraham's son received the same promises as his father. In spite of all of that, Isaac became afraid
for his life,  worried that his enemies might want Rebekah, and thus killing him to get her, so he thought. Isaac told them that Rebekah was his sister, like his father had done about his mother.

Life's events took a turn for the worse (in Isaac's eyes). One day, Abimelech saw Isaac caressing his wife Rebekah and confronted Isaac about the situation. Isaac admitted that he was afraid of loosing his life on the account of his wife. (verse 9) Some husband! So the Philistine men were forbidden
to molest Isaac or Rebekah or they'd die. (verse 11)

What a mess! Amidst the mess, God blessed. Isn't that a blessed mess!
Don't we sometimes get ourselves into a mess like Isaac? Then we cry out to God to help us, and
He does. Why can't I just seek God's will before jumping in with both feet? How much better it would be to do things His way instead of my own.

LET IT GO

Be thankful for what I have and give God the credit for providing it.

Bless other with God's blessings upon me.

Seek God's will first, then obey.

Stop rushing out ahead of God. Wait for an answer.

Let go of the flesh and live in the spirit.

Grow spiritual fruit.