Isaac diggeth the wells; maketh peace with the Philistines. 18 And Isaac digged again the wells of water, which they had digged in the days of Abraham his father; for the Philistines had stopped them after the death of Abraham and he called their names after the names by which his father had called them. 19 And Isaac's servants digged in the valley, and found there a well of springing water. 20 And the herdmen of Gerar did strive with Isaac's herdmen, saying, The water is our's and he called the name of the well Esek; because they strove with him. 21 And they digged another well, and strove for that also: and he called the name of it Sitnah. 22 And he removed from thence, and digged another well; and for that they strove not: and he called the name of it Rehoboth; and he said, For now the LORD hath made room for us, and we shall be fruitful in the land. 23 And he went up from thence to Beer-sheba. 24 And the LORD appeared unto him the same night, and said, I am the God of Abraham thy father fear not, for I am with thee, and will bless thee, and multiply thy seed for my servant Abraham's sake. : 25 And he builded an altar there, and called upon the name of the LORD, and pitched his tent there and there Isaac's servants digged a well. him from Gerar, and Ahuzzath one of his friends, and Phichol the chief captain of his army. 27 And Isaac said unto them, Wherefore come ye to me, seeing ye hate me, and have sent me away from you? : 28 And they said, We saw certainly that the LORD was with thee and we said, Let there be now an oath betwixt us, even betwixt us and thee, and let us make a covenant with thee; 29 That thou wilt do us no hurt, as we have not touched thee, and as we have done unto thee nothing but good, and have sent thee away in peace thou art now the blessed of the LORD. 30 And he made them a feast, and they did eat and drink. 31 And they rose up betimes in the morning, and sware one to another: and Isaac sent them away, and they departed from him in peace. 32 And it came to pass the same day, that Isaac's servants came, and told him concerning the well which they had digged, and said unto him, We have found water. 33 And he called it Shebah : therefore the name of the city is Beer-sheba unto this day. 34 And Esau was forty years old when he took to wife Judith the daughter of Beeri the Hittite, and Bashemath the daughter of Elon the Hittite : 35 Which were a grief of mind 26 Then Abimelech went to unto Isaac and to Rebekah. 10 LECTURE 52. The duty of searching for, and communicating, the truth. In a country where the climate is much warmer than ours, and where there is also much less rain, springs and wells would be of great value. Like other valuable things, they appear to have been the cause of strife. Strange, that one man will not allow another to enjoy in peace the fruit of his own labour! How much more strange, that one should bear such malice to another, as to destroy if he cannot appropriate another's property; that the Philistines should fill up the wells of Abraham! This is one of the most offensive features in corrupt human nature, for a man to grudge his brother what he cannot enjoy himself. And this spirit is not unfrequently manifested in respect to the consolations of religion. They who try to undermine the truth of the Gospel, because they are strangers to its power, they who being averse to its wholesome doctrines, endeavour to make out that they are false, what are these but Philistines stopping the wells of Abraham? May it be our joy to work with Isaac's servants in opening them afresh! May it be our work to dig continually, for ourselves, and for our brethren, to find the springs of everlasting life! May we be protected, in the search of truth, from the strife of controversy; and as we retire rather than contend with them that persecute, may we at length find room in that heavenly country, where they strive no more! There we shall see the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob. There we shall have no fear, but perfect love. There the blessing of the Lord will be shared amongst the countless multitude of his children. And they will there unite to call upon his name for evermore. Áfter several removals, Isaac at length enjoys peace with Abimelech and the Philistines. Nay they send and seek to enter into covenant with him; because they see that the Lord is with him of a certainty. And on this occasion he makes them a feast, and swears unto them, as they proposed; not insensible to the wrongs which they had done him, but being willing to overlook them, and forgive. Peace being made with the Philistines, and water found at Beer-sheba, Isaac might suppose that now he would have unmingled prosperity. But it is good for him to be afflicted; and lo, Esau takes two wives of the Hittites. Trouble in his own family succeeds to trouble from his adversaries. Grief of mind for the misconduct of a son, is worse that all the strife of the Philistines about the wells. And it was the son whom "Isaac loved." Ch. 25. 28. Let parents take warning, and make no favourite in their family. Let all that enjoy any of God's blessings here, watch that they set not their hearts upon them. Our most lively affections, if unduly indulged, expose us to the deepest distress. And our only way of perfect peace is, if we are servants of Christ, and love neither husband nor wife, brother nor sister, parent nor child, more than Him. Isaac designing to bless Esau, Rebekah planneth to thwart him. 1 And it came to pass, that when Isaac was old, and his eyes were dim, so that he could not see, he called Esau his eldest son, and said unto him, My son: and he said unto him, Behold, here am I. 2 And he said, Behold now, I am old, I know not the day of my death: 3 Now therefore take, I pray thee, thy weapons, thy quiver and thy bow, and go out to the field, and take me some venison; 4 And make me savoury meat, such as I love, and bring it to me, that I may eat; that my soul may bless thee before I die. 5 And Rebekah heard when Isaac spake to Esau his son. And Esau went to the field to hunt for venison, and to bring it. 6 And Rebekah spake unto Jacob her son, saying, Behold, I heard thy father speak unto Esau thy brother, saying, 7 Bring me venison, and make me savoury meat, that I may eat, and bless thee before the LORD before my death. 8 Now therefore, my son, obey my voice according to that which I command thee. 9 Go now to the flock, and fetch me from thence two good kids of the goats; and I will make them savoury meat for thy father, such as he loveth : 10 And thou shalt bring it to thy father, that he may eat, and that he may bless thee before his death. 11 And Jacob said to Rebekah his mother, Behold, Esau my brother is a hairy man, and I am a smooth man: 12 My father peradventure will feel me, and I shall seem to him as a deceiver; and I shall bring a curse upon me, and not a blessing. 13 And his mother said unto him, Upon me be thy curse, my son only obey my voice, and go fetch me them. 14 And he went, and fetched, and brought them to his mother: and his mother made savoury meat, such as his father loved. 15 And Rebekah took goodly raiment of her eldest son Esau, which were with her in the house, and put them upon Jacob her younger son: 16 And she put the skins of the kids of the goats upon his hands, and upon the smooth of his neck: 17 And she gave the savoury meat and the bread, which she had prepared, into the hand of her son Jacob. LECTURE 53. Glory redounding to God even from that which is our shame. Isaac, in his old age, desires to give his solemn blessing to his first born son Esau ; and designs thereby to secure to him the birthright, which Esau had improvidently and profanely sold. He proposes to Esau that he should go out to the field, to get some venison, and dress it, and bring it for him to eat, that he might have a more lively sense of his son's kindness, and so more heartily give him his blessing. Rebekah, who "loved Jacob," ch. 25. 28, overhears Isaac speaking thus to Esau, and lays a plan for beguiling her husband, and securing the blessing to her favourite Jacob. She accordingly tells him what has passed, instructs him to go to the flock, and to bring two kids, for her to make savoury meat for his father; and for him to take it as though he were Esau, and so obtain from his aged father the blessing intended for his brother. Jacob suggests the risk which he must run of being detected, and bringing a curse upon himself, instead of a blessing. Rebekah bids him obey her, and she will run all the risk of the curse. acts upon her injunction. And Rebekah having dressed the meat, to her husband's taste, by way of avoiding the risk of detection, puts the skins of the goats upon the hands and neck of Jacob, that he might feel hairy, like his brother. If to these particulars we add that Isaac was now above one hundred years old, and had lost his sight, and that his sons were above fifty, we shall have before us a correct view of a transaction, which in whatever light we view it, redounds to the shame of man; and which St. Paul has shewn to redound no less clearly to the glory of God. Jacob And these First the transaction, in its result, redounds to God's glory, because it helps to teach us, that "it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that sheweth mercy." Rom. 9. 16. Isaac might will, and Esau run, Isaac might determine to give the blessing to his favourite son, and Esau hasten to get the venison at his father's bidding. But God had said, "The elder shall serve the younger;" ch. 25. 23; and man in vain sought to change what God had ordained. Secondly, it all along redounds to the shame of man; because there is something of sin seen in every party concerned; in Isaac resisting or forgetting the will of God, in Esau forgetting or violating his bargain with Jacob; in Rebekah planning deceit, in Jacob consenting to practise it. were all members of that family, which was in covenant with God; all bound by the most strict obligations to walk before Him in holiness and righteousness all the days of their lives! How much more is their misconduct apt to scandalize the beholders, in proportion as they are considered to be servants of the Lord! And what an argument is this for us, seeing that we profess to honour and obey Him, what an argument for us never thus to offend! How much more ought we to grieve, rather than take offence, in proportion as we consider them our brethren in the Lord! what an argument is our spiritual brotherhood, for us, in every case of sin we meet with, to be slow to censure, and quick to intercede, averse to find fault either with the living or the dead, and apt to esteem all others better than ourselves! And Jacob, personating Esau, obtaineth the blessing. 18 And he came unto his father, and said, My father: and he said, Here am I; who art thou, my son? 19 And Jacob said unto his father, I am Esau thy firstborn; I have done according as thou badest me: arise, I pray thee, sit and eat of my venison, that thy soul may bless me. 20 And Isaac said unto his son, How is it that thou hast found it so quickly, my son? And he said, Because the LORD thy God brought it to me. 21 And Isaac said unto Jacob, Come near, I pray thee, that I may feel thee, my son, whether thou be my very son Esau or not. 22 And Jacob went near unto Isaac his father; and he felt him, and said, The voice is Jacob's voice, but the hands are the hands of Esau. 23 And he discerned him not, because his hands were hairy, as his brother Esau's hands: so he blessed him. very son Esau? And he said, I am. 25 And he said, Bring it near to me, and I will eat of my son's venison, that my soul may bless thee. And he brought it' near to him, and he did eat: and he brought him wine, and he drank. 26 And his father Isaac said unto him, Come near now, and kiss me, my son? 27 And he came near, and kissed him: and he smelled the smell of his raiment, and blessed him, and said, See, the smell of my son is as the smell of a field which the LORD hath blessed : 28 Therefore God give thee of the dew of heaven, and the fatness of the earth, and plenty of corn and wine: 29 Let people serve thee, and nations bow down to thee: be lord over thy brethren, and let thy mother's sons bow down to thee: cursed be every one that curseth thee, and blessed be he 24 And he said, Art thou my that blesseth thee. LECTURE 54. Encouragements to watch, repent, and pray. If any doubt could remain as to the character of Rebekah's plan, whether or no it was inexcusable deceit, there can be none as to Jacob's conduct, when he put the plan into execution. Hear him saying, "I am Esau thy first born." Hear him accounting for his speed in finding the venison, "Because the Lord thy God brought it to me." See him approaching his father with the pretended "hands of Esau." Observe Isaac asking him, with affecting earnestness, "Art thou my very son Esau? And he said, I am.' Conceive these answers made to one who "could not see." Ver. 1. And note how also the sense of smell is taken advantage of by the son, to beguile his wary father. And then consider, not only how manifestly Jacob herein did wrong; but also how pointedly we are instructed never to do likewise. There |