# 245 A Picture of Peace Between Gentile and Jew

The Book of Genesis

Day 245

Ge 26:26 Then Abimelech came to him from Gerar with Ahuzzath, one of his friends, and Phichol the commander of his army. 27 And Isaac said to them, "Why have you come to me, since you hate me and have sent me away from you?" 28 But they said, "We have certainly seen that the LORD is with you. So we said, 'Let there now be an oath between us, between you and us; and let us make a covenant with you, 29 'that you will do us no harm, since we have not touched you, and since we have done nothing to you but good and have sent you away in peace. You are now the blessed of the LORD.'" 30 So he made them a feast, and they ate and drank. 31 Then they arose early in the morning and swore an oath with one another; and Isaac sent them away, and they departed from him in peace. 32 It came to pass the same day that Isaac's servants came and told him about the well which they had dug, and said to him, "We have found water." 33 So he called it Shebah. Therefore the name of the city is Beersheba to this day.

Is this some sort of a test for Isaac? God had just told him to fear not because He would be with him and into the camp comes Abimelech, one of his friends, and the commander and chief of his army! Seems a little intimidating to me!

Isaac wants to know why he is getting this visit in light of the way Abimelech and his tribesmen have pushed him out of their country!

Abimelech and his contingent tell Isaac, that they want peace between Isaac and their country. Isaac is on their border and they want to keep him that way. In short, they are the ones in fear! They rightly remind Isaac, that while he was in their country they did him no harm, and now they want him to promise not to harm them as well.

Gotta give these guys credit, they recognize that the Lord is with Isaac and therefore, not a good idea to mess with him.So as was the custom they had a feast, they ate and drank. The next morning the peace treaty was finalized and Abimelech and his entourage went away assured of peace.

As I read this, I am reminded of the early church and the olive branch offered to the Gentiles (represented here by Abimelech) and the Jewish Christians (represented here by Isaac.)  The Lord’s Supper opening up  to Gentile and Jew alike to remind both parties of God’s covenant through the Body and Blood of Jesus!

Peace with God and men through faith in Jesus!

That same day, Isaac’s servants come to him and say, “We have found water!.” (Water reminding me of the Living Water, the Holy Spirit who shows up here when peace is made between Jew and Gentile, just like He showed up in the house of Cornelius in the Book of Acts..  Ac 10:45 And those of the circumcision who believed were astonished, as many as came with Peter, because the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out on the Gentiles also.

This account of Isaac and Abimelech is not just an insignificant story in the Old Testament, I believe it is a picture of the eventual peace between Jew and Gentile that would come about through the death, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus, as proclaimed in the gospel!