He Dug Again his Father's Wells (More Conflict)

11/23/2006

SPIRITUAL DIARY

My Worship Time      Focus: He Dug Again His Father’s Wells (More Conflict)

Bible Reading & Meditation             Reference:  Genesis 26:34-35

            Message of the verse:  “34 ¶ When Esau was forty years old he married Judith the daughter of Beeri the Hittite, and Basemath the daughter of Elon the Hittite; 35 and they brought grief to Isaac and Rebekah.”

            Isaac was forty years old when he got married and it runs in my mind that he was sixty years old when his sons were born, so that would make him one-hundred years old when Esau married Judith who was a Hittite, and this brought grief to Isaac and Rebekah.  Esau was the worldly son of Isaac and Rebekah and so this brought trouble to their family.  Isaac has just gone through struggles with his neighbors and now he is having struggles with his family.  Later on in the story of Isaac we see that Jacob tricks Esau again and this time it is over the patriarchal blessing and this upsets Isaac, and I guess the question to be asked is why, when he is so grieved over the marriages that his son had made with these heathen women.  Isaac knew that his father, Abraham went back to his family to get a wife for him, and this was the Lord’s will, and yet when his son Esau goes directly against this principle he is still grieved over the fact that he is tricked out of this blessing.  There is not a lot written about Isaac in Genesis compared to Abraham, Jacob and Joseph, and this is perhaps because of the quality of his life, but that is only speculation on my part.

           

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  I have chosen to copy a paragraph from Dr. Wiersbe’s book that I use to aid in my devotions for this portion of my devotions, as it seems to pertain to some of the things that are going on in my life at this time.

            “All of us would like to find our ‘Rehoboth’ (enlargement) where we have plenty of room and on contention, but Isaac’s Rehoboth was found only after he endured conflict.  It’s through difficulties that God enlarges us for the larger places He prepares for us.  ‘Thou hast enlarged me when I was in distress’ (Ps. 4:1, KJV).  When the troubles of our hearts are enlarged and we trust God, then the Lord can enlarge us (Ps. 25:17) and bring us ‘into a large place’ (Ps. 18:19 KJV).  If we want ‘room,’ we have to suffer, because that’s the only way we can grow and feel at home in the larger place God gives us when we’re ready for it.”

Psalm 25:17:  “The troubles of my heart are enlarged: O bring thou me out of my distresses.

Psalm 18:19:  “He brought me forth also into a broad place; He rescued me, because He delighted in me.”

The Word of God has been refreshing to my heart as I read and studied God’s Word this morning.

My Steps of Faith Today:  To believe these promises from the Psalms.