Genesis 26:26-33

Genesis 26:26-33

[26] Then Abimelech  went  to 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  [28] And they said,  We saw  that the LORD  was with thee: and we said,  Let there be now an oath  betwixt  us and thee, and let us make  a covenant  [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,  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 Beersheba  unto this day. 

What does Genesis 26:26-33 Mean?

Contextual Meaning

Abimelech again testified to God"s blessing of Isaac and gave God glory ( Genesis 26:28-29).
Isaac and Abimelech made a parity covenant of mutual non-aggression. They sealed it by eating a meal together. Eating together was often a sacred rite in the ancient Near East. This covenant renewed the older one made between Abimelech and Abraham ( Genesis 21:31). The exchange of oaths and Isaac"s naming the town Beersheba again (cf. Genesis 21:31) also strengthened this agreement.
". . . this account of Isaac"s dealings with the Philistines portrays Isaac as very much walking in his father"s footsteps. He receives similar promises, faces similar tests, fails similarly, but eventually triumphs in like fashion. Indeed, in certain respects he is given more in the promises and achieves more. He is promised "all these lands [1]," and by the end of the story he is securely settled in Beersheba and has a treaty with the Philistines in which they acknowledge his superiority." [2]
God"s people must maintain confident trust in God"s promise of His presence and provision in spite of the envy and hostility of unbelievers that His blessing sometimes provokes.