A Lamp Unto My Feet Bible Study Website
GENESIS 26
Lesson #41
GENERATIONAL SIN PATTERNS AND WELLS OF BLESSINGS
- Memory verse: John 8:36
- Isaac lived longer than any of the other patriarchs in the Old Testament.
- Less is recorded about him than any of the others.
- Evidently, the overall importance of Isaac and his life is to demonstrate the prefigures of New Testament truth that we have discussed.
- However, there are some truths about Isaac we can discover.
- Isaac represents sonship. Remember Abraham gave Isaac “all that he had” in inheritance (24:36 25:5)
- Read Heb 1:2
- Isaac never left the Promised Land like Abraham did.
- Isaac’s character was quiet and retiring. We don’t see him breaking out in new directions, blazing new trails for God as Abraham did. (26:18-19)
- Isaac faithfully followed in Abraham’s footsteps as a true son.
- Read Gen 26:1-5 The covenant confirmed to Isaac
- What was the test of Isaac’s faith?
- A famine in the land.
- Would Isaac and his family trust God, or would he do what Abraham did and go down to Egypt?
- Evidently Isaac was headed for Egypt.
- He got as far as Gerar when God appeared to him.
- God told him specifically not to go to Egypt.
- There is a confirmation of the promises given to Abraham.
- God told Isaac to sojourn (vs.3) in Gerar, but Isaac stayed there a long time (vs.6,8).
- It was while he was in God’s permissive will that he committed the generational sin.
- What was the test of Isaac’s faith?
- Read Gen 26:6-16 Isaac’s generational sin
- Isaac and Abimelech
- Remember the two similar incidents with Abraham in Gen 20:1-18 and Gen 12:10-20.
- Do you see any reason why this incident is repeated with Isaac?
- We have a generational sin pattern passed down from father to son.
- We do not know whether Abraham learned deception from his father, but his son Isaac certainly learned it from Abraham.
- Abraham and Sarah had started out from their home in Ur with the understanding that she would pose as his sister and not his wife whenever Abraham decided it would be beneficial.
- Isaac saw this trait modeled by his parents.
- We have already seen Isaac pass the character trait of deception to his son Jacob who took advantage of his brother Esau by defrauding him out of the birthright.
- We will see later how Jacob further develops this character trait of deception.
- Is there such a thing today as generational sin patterns?
- Read Exo 20:5 Exo 34:7 Num 14:18 Deu 5:9
- As human parents we are all sinners who fall short of being the perfect models of righteousness.
- We teach our children not only by what we say but more by what we do. Children learn sin patterns from watching their parents and then pass them on to the next generation.
- Can generational sin patterns be broken?
- Absolutely, yes!! But there is only one way. Joh 8:36
- Only through a life changed by Jesus Christ, can you begin to model righteousness to your children.
- Why did God bless Isaac so abundantly despite this generational sin?
- The passage points out to us that believers are not without sin, but when a person is committed to God, God fulfills his promises even though the believer often fails God.
- God made the promise to bless Isaac before Isaac committed the sin.
- Read Gen 26:17-33 Isaac, the well-digger
- Isaac re-dug a number of wells that were originally dug by his father, Abraham. Isaac is associated with wells 7 times. (7 is God’s perfect number.)
- A well is different from a cistern.
- A well has running water (26:19) at the very bottom.
- Running water was often called “living water“.
- It was the most desirable because it was fresh and pure. It is therefore, a picture of the Holy Spirit.
- Remember that Isaac is often a prefigure of Christ.
- The same is true for this section of chapter 26.
- Read Joh 4:10-15 The well of eternal life
- We see a progression in the wells of Isaac that patterns our own walk with the Lord and provides us with spiritual truth.
- For example:
- Wells in scripture are an indication of God’s manifestation of His presence and His faithful supply of blessings to those who trust Him.
- Water in scripture is a symbol of the life-giving Holy Spirit. (Joh 4:10-15)
- A well is different from a cistern.
- There were 2 wells made originally by Abraham and 4 made by Isaac.
- Isaac re-dug a number of wells that were originally dug by his father, Abraham. Isaac is associated with wells 7 times. (7 is God’s perfect number.)
| The Well | The Meaning and the Scripture | Isaac’s Action | Spiritual Significance | |
| Well #1
Lahai-roi between Kadesh and Bared |
The well of “him that liveth and seeth me”
Gen 16:14 Gen 24:62 Gen 25:11 |
Isaac did not stay there but left because of famine.
Gen 26:1 |
When we first come to the Lord we realize there is a God who cares for us. | |
| Well #2
Shebah At Beersheba |
Gen 26:19
The well of the oath or covenant Gen 21:25-33 Gen 22:19 Gen 26:23-25, 33 Gen 46:1-5 |
Isaac relied upon Abimelech to supply his needs instead of God. He fell into God’s permissive will and sinned.
Gen 26:6-15 |
We do not always stay close to the Lord but tend to fall away into God’s permissive will. | |
| Well #3
Esek |
Gen 26:20The well of dispute or contention |
A dispute with the Philistines over the well. | When we are in God’s permissive will, life does not go smoothly because God is trying to get our attention. | |
| Well #4
Sitnah |
Gen 26:21
The well of opposition or hatred |
Continued opposition with the Philistines over the well. | If we do not quickly move back to God, He increases the opposition. | |
| Well #5
Rehoboth |
Gen 26:22
The well of enlargement or God has made plenty of room |
The Philistines did not contest this well. Isaac began moving back to God. | Pressure lets up as we find ourselves moving back to God. | |
| Well #6
(the well with no name) |
Gen 26:25 | Isaac seems content to be a little closer to God but not where God would want him to be. | God will wait to see how serious we are in our relationship to Him. | |
| Well #7
Shebah (same as well #2) |
“oath”
Gen 26:32 |
Because of an oath made between Isaac and Abimelech, Isaac has moved back to Beersheba. God has made his enemies at peace with him. | As we move from God’s permissive will to His perfect will, and we re-commit our lives to Him,. He makes our enemies at peace with us. | |
Other wells of interest in Genesis |
||||
| Well #8
Nahor At Haran |
Gen 24:12-51“piercer” Gen 29:2-10 |
The place where Isaac got his wife, Rebekah.
The place where Jacob got his wives, Leah and Rachel. |
Through Jesus Christ, the pierced one, we are the blessed bride of Christ. | |
| Well #9
(the well with no name and no water) |
Gen 37:22-24 |
The well where Joseph’s brothers put Joseph before selling him to Egypt. ( a symbol of the world system) | True believers in Jesus Christ suffer persecution at the hands of ungodly men and the world system. | |
Homework
Genesis 27
- Application of Gen 26
- Breaking generational sin patterns:
- Recognize the sin patterns in your parents’ lives that have been repeated in your own family. What are they?
- Look for the same pattern in the lives of your children and grandchildren. How do they manifest themselves?
- Pray and ask forgiveness for the sin patterns in your own life. Ask God to show you how to model a new pattern of righteousness to your children.
- If you no longer have authority over your children, ask God to open the doors to discussing generational sin patterns with your children and grandchildren.
- Breaking generational sin patterns:
- Preparation for Gen 27
- Read Gen 26:34-35
- Read Gen 27:1-46 and Heb 12:14-17 The stolen blessing
- What does this passage teach you about inter-personal relationships?
- Mother / son:
- Father / son:
- Husband / wife:
- Brother / brother:
- What does this passage teach you about inter-personal relationships?
- Fill in the following chart:
| Isaac | Rebekah | Esau | Jacob | |
| What was lost to this person as a result of this incident? | ||||
| What was gained by this person as a result of this incident? |
- If God is moved by repentance, why did Esau find none?
- Memory verse: 2Corinthians 7:10
