When Isaac was between 60 and 80 years of age there was a famine in the land and he brought his family to Gerer, which was under the leadership of Abimelech (Avi-melech), king of the Philistines. We saw in a previous sermon regarding Abraham and Abimelech that the name/title Avimelech means “my father is king.” This very well could be the same Avimelech that Abraham met with and lied to. Since Abraham lived 175 years it is possible that Avimelech was much younger than Abraham when they meet, and that he could still be alive at the time of this account with Isaac. There is also another indication in this chapter that gives credence to the very real possibility that this is the same Avimelech.
Avimelech as an example:
We saw in the sermon regarding Abraham and Avimelech that while Avimelech was a human who lived at that time, some of his actions prefigured those of the Messiah (Whose Father is King). We see some of that in this chapter with Isaac as well.
Isaac followed Abraham’s bad example of lying to Avimelech.
In the second part of Genesis 26, in spite of how Isaac acted, Avimelech sought Isaac out to make a peace treaty with him. Isaac’s reaction to Avimelech is very telling of Isaac’s mindset at that point and a good mirror for us to see ourselves in.
There is much we can learn about Yeshua, and our own lives, from Avimelech’s example.
Our example:
Have you ever felt distant from God? Have you ever felt God is working against you? Have you had troubles with neighbor’s, work associates, family, or friends? Have you made wrong choices and acted out of fear? If you answered even a partial yes to any of those questions, then this week’s sermon has meaning for you to help you in your current situation.
In this week’s sermon Rabbi Jeff Zaremsky elaborates on how Avimelech foreshadowed the Messiah and how our lives can also glorify God.
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