◄ Genesis 26:31 ►
And they got up early the next morning and swore an oath to each other. Then Isaac sent them on their way, and they left him in peace.
Study Bible
And they got up early the next morning

Isaac and Abimelech acted promptly to confirm the peace they had established. Their early departure reflects the seriousness of the agreement and their desire to prevent further conflict.

Gen 20:8 Early the next morning Abimelech got up…
Gen 22:3 So Abraham got up early the next morning,…
Mrk 1:35 Early in the morning, while it was still dark,…

and swore an oath to each other.

Before God, they bound themselves to live peacefully and to refrain from harming one another. The oath formally ended the tensions that had arisen over Isaac’s growing strength and the disputes over wells.

Gen 21:31 So that place was called Beersheba, because…
Gen 31:53 May the God of Abraham and the God of Nahor,…
Jos 9:15 And Joshua made a treaty of peace with them to let them live…

Then Isaac sent them on their way,

Isaac fulfilled the duties of a host and treated Abimelech and his companions with honor after their agreement.

Gen 18:16 When the men got up to leave, they looked out over Sodom,…
Gen 24:59-61 So they sent their sister Rebekah on her way,…
Act 15:33 After spending some time there, they were sent off…

and they left him in peace.

Abimelech returned to Philistine territory without hostility toward Isaac. God preserved Isaac in the land and gave him peace with those who had feared his prosperity.

2Ki 5:19 “Go in peace,” said Elisha. But after Naaman had traveled…
Luk 7:50 And Jesus told the woman, “Your faith has saved you”…
1Sa 1:17 “Go in peace,” Eli replied, “and may the God of Israel…

Persons / Places / Events
1. Isaac
The son of Abraham and Sarah, Isaac is a patriarch of Israel. In this chapter, he is living in the land of Gerar and dealing with conflicts over wells with the Philistines.

2. Abimelech
The king of the Philistines in Gerar. He seeks a peace treaty with Isaac after witnessing God's blessing on him.

3. Philistines
The people living in the region of Gerar. They initially oppose Isaac by stopping up the wells his father Abraham had dug.

4. Gerar
A region in the land of the Philistines where Isaac temporarily settles and prospers.

5. Oath
A solemn promise or agreement, often invoking a divine witness. In this context, it signifies a formal peace treaty between Isaac and Abimelech.
Teaching Points
The Importance of Peaceful Resolutions
Isaac's willingness to make peace with Abimelech demonstrates the value of resolving conflicts amicably. As Christians, we are called to be peacemakers, seeking reconciliation and harmony in our relationships.

God's Faithfulness in Prosperity and Conflict
Despite opposition, God blesses Isaac, showing His faithfulness. We can trust God to provide and protect us, even when we face challenges.

The Power of a Good Testimony
Abimelech's desire for a treaty with Isaac was influenced by witnessing God's blessing on him. Our lives should reflect God's work in us, drawing others to seek peace and understanding.

The Role of Oaths and Promises
In biblical times, oaths were serious commitments. Today, our words and promises should reflect integrity and truthfulness, honoring God in all our dealings.
Bible Study Questions
1. How does Isaac's response to conflict with the Philistines in Genesis 26:31 reflect the teachings of Jesus in the New Testament about peacemaking?

2. In what ways can we apply the principle of seeking peaceful resolutions in our personal and professional lives today?

3. How does the account of Isaac and Abimelech's treaty encourage us to trust in God's provision and protection during times of conflict?

4. What can we learn from Isaac's example about the importance of maintaining a good testimony before others, especially those who do not share our faith?

5. How do the biblical teachings on oaths and promises challenge us to live with integrity and truthfulness in our daily interactions?
Connections to Other Scriptures
Genesis 21
The earlier covenant between Abraham and Abimelech, highlighting the recurring theme of peace treaties between God's people and surrounding nations.

Hebrews 6
Discusses the importance of oaths and God's unchanging nature, emphasizing the seriousness and binding nature of oaths in biblical times.

Matthew 5
Jesus' teaching on oaths, where He emphasizes the importance of integrity and truthfulness in one's words.
Sermons
Contrasts in CharacterJ. Parker, D. D.Genesis 26:17-33
Generations United by Common Labour and JoyHomilistGenesis 26:17-33
Isaac's Peace-Loving NatureA. G. Mercer, D. D.Genesis 26:17-33
Isaac's WellsJ. Parker, D. D.Genesis 26:17-33
LessonsG. Hughes, B. D.Genesis 26:17-33
LessonsG. Hughes, B. D.Genesis 26:17-33
LessonsG. Hughes, B. D.Genesis 26:17-33
Malice Overcome by ZealW. Hardman, LL. D.Genesis 26:17-33
Old and New Wells to be DugA. Fuller.Genesis 26:17-33
Old Wells Dug OutDr. Talmage.Genesis 26:17-33
The Permanence of the HelpfulGenesis 26:17-33
Line Upon Line, in God's TeachingR.A. Redford Genesis 26
People
Abimelech, Ahuzzath, Bashemath, Basmath, Beeri, Elon, Esau, Isaac, Judith, Phichol, Rebekah
Places
Beersheba, Egypt, Esek, Gerar, Rehoboth, Shibah, Sitnah, Valley of Gerar
Topics
Betimes, Departed, Early, Exchanged, Isaac, Morning, Oath, Oaths, Peace, Rise, Rose, Sware, Swear, Swore
Dictionary of Bible Themes
Genesis 26:31

     5205   alliance

Genesis 26:26-31

     5430   oaths, human
     5922   prudence

Genesis 26:28-31

     1346   covenants, nature of
     5783   agreement

Library
The First Apostle of Peace at any Price
'Then Isaac sowed in that land, and received in the same year an hundredfold, and the Lord blessed him. And the man waxed great, and went forward, and grew until he became very great: For he had possession of flocks, and possession of herds, and great store of servants: and the Philistines envied him. For all the wells which his father's servants had digged in the days of Abraham his father, the Philistines had stopped them, and filled them with earth. And Abimelech said unto Isaac, Go from us; for …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture

"Thou Art Now the Blessed of the Lord. "
"Thou art now the blessed of the Lord."--Genesis 26:29. THESE words truly describe the position of many whom I address at this time. There are hundreds here upon whom my eye can rest, and to any one of whom I might point with this finger, or rather, to whom I might extend this hand, to give a hearty shake, and say, "Thou art now the blessed of the Lord." I need not say it in the same spirit, nor for the same reason, that the Philistines did. They had behaved basely towards Isaac, and now that he …
Charles Haddon Spurgeon—Spurgeon's Sermons Volume 38: 1892

Tithing
There are few subjects on which the Lord's own people are more astray than on the subject of giving. They profess to take the Bible as their own rule of faith and practice, and yet in the matter of Christian finance, the vast majority have utterly ignored its plain teachings and have tried every substitute the carnal mind could devise; therefore it is no wonder that the majority of Christian enterprises in the world today are handicapped and crippled through the lack of funds. Is our giving to be …
Arthur W. Pink—Tithing

Whether Every Lie is a Sin?
Objection 1: It seems that not every lie is a sin. For it is evident that the evangelists did not sin in the writing of the Gospel. Yet they seem to have told something false: since their accounts of the words of Christ and of others often differ from one another: wherefore seemingly one of them must have given an untrue account. Therefore not every lie is a sin. Objection 2: Further, no one is rewarded by God for sin. But the midwives of Egypt were rewarded by God for a lie, for it is stated that …
Saint Thomas Aquinas—Summa Theologica

Elucidation.
The conduct of Father Abraham, although not approved of by Inspiration, but simply recorded (Gen. xxvi. 7), gave early Christians an opinion that the wicked may be justly foiled, by equivocation and deception, for the preservation of innocence or the life of the innocent. In such case the person deceived, they might argue, is not injured, but benefited (Gen. xxvi. 10), being saved from committing violence and murder. The Corinthian maiden was accustomed to be veiled (as Tertullian intimates), and …
Hippolytus—The Extant Works and Fragments of Hippolytus

An Obscured vision
(Preached at the opening of the Winona Lake Bible Conference.) TEXT: "Where there is no vision, the people perish."--Proverbs 29:18. It is not altogether an easy matter to secure a text for such an occasion as this; not because the texts are so few in number but rather because they are so many, for one has only to turn over the pages of the Bible in the most casual way to find them facing him at every reading. Feeling the need of advice for such a time as this, I asked a number of my friends who …
J. Wilbur Chapman—And Judas Iscariot

The Plan for the Coming of Jesus.
God's Darling, Psalms 8:5-8.--the plan for the new man--the Hebrew picture by itself--difference between God's plan and actual events--one purpose through breaking plans--the original plan--a starting point--getting inside. Fastening a Tether inside: the longest way around--the pedigree--the start. First Touches on the Canvas: the first touch, Genesis 3:15.--three groups of prediction--first group: to Abraham, Genesis 12:1-3; to Isaac, Genesis 26:1-5; to Jacob, Genesis 28:10-15; through Jacob, …
S. D. Gordon—Quiet Talks about Jesus

And to Holy David Indeed it Might More Justly be Said...
22. And to holy David indeed it might more justly be said, that he ought not to have been angry; no, not with one however ungrateful and rendering evil for good; yet if, as man, anger did steal over him, he ought not to have let it so prevail, that he should swear to do a thing which either by giving way to his rage he should do, or by breaking his oath leave undone. But to the other, set as he was amid the libidinous frenzy of the Sodomites, who would dare to say, "Although thy guests in thine own …
St. Augustine—Against Lying

Covenanting Performed in Former Ages with Approbation from Above.
That the Lord gave special token of his approbation of the exercise of Covenanting, it belongs to this place to show. His approval of the duty was seen when he unfolded the promises of the Everlasting Covenant to his people, while they endeavoured to perform it; and his approval thereof is continually seen in his fulfilment to them of these promises. The special manifestations of his regard, made to them while attending to the service before him, belonged to one or other, or both, of those exhibitions …
John Cunningham—The Ordinance of Covenanting

Jesus Sets Out from Judæa for Galilee.
Subdivision B. At Jacob's Well, and at Sychar. ^D John IV. 5-42. ^d 5 So he cometh to a city of Samaria, called Sychar, near to the parcel of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph. 6 and Jacob's well was there. [Commentators long made the mistake of supposing that Shechem, now called Nablous, was the town here called Sychar. Sheckem lies a mile and a half west of Jacob's well, while the real Sychar, now called 'Askar, lies scarcely half a mile north of the well. It was a small town, loosely called …
J. W. McGarvey—The Four-Fold Gospel

Appendix ii. Philo of Alexandria and Rabbinic Theology.
(Ad. vol. i. p. 42, note 4.) In comparing the allegorical Canons of Philo with those of Jewish traditionalism, we think first of all of the seven exegetical canons which are ascribed to Hillel. These bear chiefly the character of logical deductions, and as such were largely applied in the Halakhah. These seven canons were next expanded by R. Ishmael (in the first century) into thirteen, by the analysis of one of them (the 5th) into six, and the addition of this sound exegetical rule, that where two …
Alfred Edersheim—The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah

Sundry Sharp Reproofs
This doctrine draws up a charge against several sorts: 1 Those that think themselves good Christians, yet have not learned this art of holy mourning. Luther calls mourning a rare herb'. Men have tears to shed for other things, but have none to spare for their sins. There are many murmurers, but few mourners. Most are like the stony ground which lacked moisture' (Luke 8:6). We have many cry out of hard times, but they are not sensible of hard hearts. Hot and dry is the worst temper of the body. Sure …
Thomas Watson—The Beatitudes: An Exposition of Matthew 5:1-12

The Section Chap. I. -iii.
The question which here above all engages our attention, and requires to be answered, is this: Whether that which is reported in these chapters did, or did not, actually and outwardly take place. The history of the inquiries connected with this question is found most fully in Marckius's "Diatribe de uxore fornicationum," Leyden, 1696, reprinted in the Commentary on the Minor Prophets by the same author. The various views may be divided into three classes. 1. It is maintained by very many interpreters, …
Ernst Wilhelm Hengstenberg—Christology of the Old Testament

Genesis
The Old Testament opens very impressively. In measured and dignified language it introduces the story of Israel's origin and settlement upon the land of Canaan (Gen.--Josh.) by the story of creation, i.-ii. 4a, and thus suggests, at the very beginning, the far-reaching purpose and the world-wide significance of the people and religion of Israel. The narrative has not travelled far till it becomes apparent that its dominant interests are to be religious and moral; for, after a pictorial sketch of …
John Edgar McFadyen—Introduction to the Old Testament

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