City Life Starter

Written by Aisha Darwesh

The Word

⁶ So Isaac settled in Gerar. ⁷ When the men of the place asked him about his wife, he said, “She is my sister,” for he feared to say, “My wife,” thinking, “lest the men of the place should kill me because of Rebekah,” because she was attractive in appearance. ⁸ When he had been there a long time, Abimelech king of the Philistines looked out of a window and saw Isaac laughing with Rebekah his wife. ⁹ So Abimelech called Isaac and said, “Behold, she is your wife. How then could you say, ‘She is my sister’?” Isaac said to him, “Because I thought, ‘Lest I die because of her.’” ¹⁰ Abimelech said, “What is this you have done to us? One of the people might easily have lain with your wife, and you would have brought guilt upon us.” ¹¹ So Abimelech warned all the people, saying, “Whoever touches this man or his wife shall surely be put to death.”

–Genesis 26:6-11 (ESV)

Therefore, having put away falsehood, let each one of you speak the truth with his neighbor, for we are members one of another. 

–Ephesians 4:25 (ESV)

¹⁵ Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, ¹⁶ from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.

–Ephesians 4:15-16 (ESV)

Aisha’s Analysis

In today’s verses, Isaac settles in the land of Gerar because there was a famine in the land. It is here that Isaac follows the pattern of his father and lies about his wife, saying she was his sister. 

The verses reveal Isaac lied because he feared for his life because he thought the men of Gerar would kill him to get his beautiful wife, Rebekah. While it is normal to be afraid in a new place with unfamiliar faces, God promised to be with Isaac in the preceding verses:

² And the Lord appeared to him and said, “Do not go down to Egypt; dwell in the land of which I shall tell you. ³ Sojourn in this land, and I will be with you and will bless you, for to you and to your offspring I will give all these lands, and I will establish the oath that I swore to Abraham your father. ⁴ I will multiply your offspring as the stars of heaven and will give to your offspring all these lands. And in your offspring all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, ⁵ because Abraham obeyed my voice and kept my charge, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws.”

–Genesis 26:2-5 (ESV)

What’s interesting about the above verses is God acknowledges Abraham’s obedience (not his blunders). What’s also interesting is that Isaac does the exact same thing his father did with Sarah years earlier. 

Despite his best efforts, Isaac wasn’t very good at lying. The truth surfaces when Abimbelech catches Isaac and Rebekah flirting as husband and wife. As it turned out, once Isaac was found out, Abimbelech guaranteed Isaac’s safety and protection. 

Isaac had no reason to fear. He didn’t have to hide who he was. The truth actually had the opposite effect of what he initially feared.

However, regardless of the consequences, honesty is an important principle to live by. No matter what the reason for lying, lies are generally harder to live with. Lies take a lot of work to keep up and are very flimsy. The truth has a way of surfacing and can usually stand on its own.  

The verses from Ephesians 4:15-16 above show us that speaking the truth in love causes us to grow. As a son of the promise, there was no place for falsehood in Isaac’s life. Likewise, falsehood has no place in the body of Christ. 

Application

When God is with us, we have no reason to be afraid. His presence gives us peace. We shouldn’t have to compromise who we are because of what others might say or do. 

Take this moment to examine yourself. Is there any way in which you are living a lie or believing a lie? Open yourself to God in prayer and ask Him to expose the lies. There is nowhere for the lies to hide as the truth surfaces and sets you free.

Prayer

Lord, I thank You that You are my Father and You speak the truth. I choose to believe the truth about who You say I am. In the Name of Jesus, I lay down all the lies. I am not living for the approval of anyone else. I pray for boldness to proclaim the truth of Christ. May I glorify Your name everywhere I go. In Jesus’ name, amen.