SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSON 4 ,JANUARY 24, TOPIC- ISAAC, THE PROSPEROUS PEACEMAKER

Memory verse: Matthew 5:9

Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the children of god (KJV).

TEXT -GENESIS 26 V 1-33, ROMANS 12 V 17-19

Central Truth

Christ’s followers are to be peacemakers.

The lesson outline

1. Isaac deceives Abimelech

A. Isaac stays in Canaan

B. Isaac lies to Abimelech

2. Conflict over water rights

A. Prospered by God

B. Opposed by Men

3. Isaac Makes Peace

A. Making peace

B. Living peaceably

Teaching goals

1. Impart and reinforce knowledge: examine how God enabled Isaac to live a godly and peaceful life among the idolatrous inhabitants of Canaan.

2. Influence Attitudes: Help students appreciate that when they life in obedience to God’s favour in all circumstances of life.

3. Influence Behaviour: Appeal to students to live for God in this sinful world, to be witnesses for Christ, and to live peaceably with others as much as possible.

Introducing the Lesson

Note that the title of this lesson is “Isaac, the Prosperous is Peacemaker.” Ask: Would you say that the work of peacemaking is usually easy, or is it more likely to be difficult? Explain.” Note the peo0l often think of peacemaking as merely avoiding, ignoring or denying

conflict. However, real peacemaking often involves being honest about the reality and nature of conflict, and doing what is necessary to resolve the conflict in a wholesome way that results in peaceful relationships.

1. Isaac deceives Abimelech

A. Isaac stays in Canaan

Note: Abimelech in this chapter, king over the philistines, is a different person from the Abimelech of Abraham’s day, mentioned in Genesis 20.

In Bible times it could be difficult to store adequate food for future needs. Thus a prolonged drought would likely bring famine. When a famine occurred in Canaan soon after Abraham arrived there from Mesopotamia, he moved to Egypt until the famine was over. A century later, when another famine came to Canaan in the time of Isaac, he also considered moving to Egypt until the famine ended.

But God spoke to Isaac, telling him not to go to Egypt but instead stay in Canaan. Isaac therefore settled in Gerar, a town in territory occupied by the philistine in the coastal region near the Mediterranean Sea. In the face of a life-threatening famine, God promised life and blessing to Isaac. (God made the same promises of blessing to Isaac and his descendants that he had made to Abraham, including the promise that all nations would be blessed through his seed.) in obedience to God, Isaac remained in Canaan his whole life.

Questions for Application

Why do you think god restated to Isaac his promise to Abraham in these verses?

What can we learn from Isaac’s example of staying where God wanted him to stay, even amid a terrible famine?

B. Isaac lies to Abimelech

Abraham was a man of great faith, yet he acted unwisely while in Egypt, and later among the Philistines. Abraham pretended that Sarah was his sister, fearing the Egyptians and Philistines would kill him to take Sarah if they knew she was his wife.

Isaac engaged in the same deception with the Philistines regarding Rebekah. Abimelech was furious when he realised that Isaac’s

behaviour toward Rebekah was that of a husband not of a brother. The Philistine king feared the judgment of God that might have fallen on him and the Philistines had someone among them brutalised Rebekah, a married woman.

Questions for Application

How is it possible that Isaac, like his father Abraham, can be regarded as a great man of faith despite his act of deception?

What might you observe or conclude about Abimelech in reading this account? Why might it be significant that a Philistine would be concerned with the judgment of God?

Response to the word

Trusting the lord was a lifelong learning experience for Isaac, just like his father Abraham. Sometimes even the patriarchs had difficulty trusting God to do what he said he would do for them.

As we progress along our Christian journey, obeying Christ our Lord, we too should learn to trust him more. We learn by experience that Christ is faithful, he does not leave nor forsake us, and his faithfulness to us makes possible our faithfulness to him. Is there an area where you need to trust the Lord more today?

2. Conflict over water rights

A. Inspired by god

God only protected Isaac and Rebekah from being harmed by the Philistine. He also prospered Isaac. While the drought affected the rest of Canaan, it seems there was sufficient rain in Gerar, where he dwelt

among the Philistines. In the first year of his stay, Isaac reaped a hundred times more than he planted. The hand of God was upon him. Soon Isaac enjoyed so much material prosperity that he becomes the envy of the Philistines. Their is will toward him erupted into aggressive completion with Isaac for use of the land.

Two activities of Abraham had been signs of his belief that God would give Canaan to his descendants. Everywhere Abraham camped in Canaan, he built altars to the Lord and he dug wells. The envy of the Philistines toward Isaac become so hostile, they sought to force him off the land by plugging the wells that his father Abraham had dug. Ehen this did not persuade Isaac to move elsewhere, Abimelech ordered Isaac to depart. So Isaac moved from the vicinity of the town Gerar to the nearby, but sparsely settled, valley of Gerar (near present-day Gaza).

Even though they had moved, Isaac and his servants returned to the places where the Philistines had filled the wells of Abraham with dirt, and reopened them. Isaac was willing to leave the Philistines for the sake of peace, but he refused to abandon the wells his father had dug. By reopening these wells, Isaac took a stand against his enemies and asserted his inheritance of Canaan.

Questions for Application

Isaac’s prosperity, a blessing from God, became a source of trouble for him because the Philistines envied his success. How would your account for the fact that blessings we receive from God may provoke some people to hate us?

Isaac’s relocated away from the Philistines to make peace, but he refused to abandon his father’s well. How do we draw the line as to what

we will and will not do in order to keep peace with our enemies, as well as the enemies of the gospel?

B. Opposed by men

Isaac not only reopened Abraham’s well, but he also had his servants dig new wells. In the valley of Gerar he was blessed with a well that poured out abundant fresh water. Immediately, the philistine herdsmen in the area began to strive with Isaac’s herdsmen for possession of the well. Isaac named the well “strife” (Hebrew: esek) but in a spirit of peace gave it to the philistine herdsmen this happened again, and the well was named “accusation” (Hebrew: sitnah, from the dame root as the word “satan”).

Finally Isaac’s servants dug another well and the philistines did not claim it (verses 21-22). Isaac was relieved to be free from strife with the philistine, and he named this well “wide open spaces” (Hebrew: Rehoboth), signifying that the lord had given him room to flourish in the land.

Then, remembering his father’s conflict with the philistines and his peace covenant with them, Isaac decide to go the Beersheba was about twenty miles northeast of Isaac’s camp at Rehoboth.

During Isaac’s first night at Beersheba, the lord appeared to him in a dream or vision, commanding him not be afraid of the philistines or any other inhabitants of Canaan. The lord promised to be with Isaac, to bless him, and to multiply his descendants.

Imitation what his father did at Beersheba, Isaac built an altar to the Lord. Isaac made his camp and his servants dug a well there. By these actions, Isaac demonstrated his faith in the promises of God. This also asserted his determination to walk in the ways of his father and to inherit

all the promises of God made to his father. Isaac claimed the God-given right for his descendants to inherit Canaan.

Question for Application

Because he humbly trusted God, Isaac gave up his rights lands and well for peace. What part does humility play in peacemaking? Isaac remembered Abraham’s covenant of peace with the philistine, and he was determined to follow his father’s example. What examples of peacemaking have you observed?

Response to the Word

In order to live in peace with others, sometimes we must not demand our rights, but instead defer to others. We must be discerning about what is truly worth fighting for, and what is not. We can find direction from God in prayer and the word, and then be confident that God will be with us and His blessings are far better than any loss we may sustain.

3. Isaac Makes Peace

A. Making peace

The scene described much like what had happened between Abraham and the philistine’s decades earlier. When the king of the philistines at Gerar heard about Isaac camping at Beersheba, he was reminded of the covenant of peace Abraham had made with previous rulers of the philistine. Ahuzzath, probably a chief counsellor, encouraged Abimelech to renew the peace covenant with Abraham’s son. And so, they went to visit Isaac at Beersheba.

The underlying motive behind this peace covenant with Isaac was their fear of Isaac’s God. The philistines did not fear Isaac, and they

certainly did not worship Isaac’s God, but they could not deny that his God had blessed and protected him.

It appears they feared vengeance from Isaac’s God for their mistreatment of Isaac. By entering into a covenant of peace with Isaac, the philistines hope to escape divine wrath.

Isaac, ever the man of peace, prepared a feast for his visitors. Over a meal (a sign of friendship), the covenant of peace between Abraham and the philistines was confirmed by pledges of fidelity between the parties, and the philistines returned home.

The same day, Isaac’s servants dug a new well at Beersheba. Now there were two wells there, one dug by Abraham and the second by place Beersheba (well of the oath), and Isaac reaffirmed that name. Therefore, the name Beersheba signifies the good work of peacemaking.

Questions of Application

Isaac followed the example of his father in making peace with the philistines. In whose lives will we bring a good example by being peacemakers?

How is the life of a Christian enriched by bringing peace into a situation? How is life of unbeliever enriched when a believer seeks peace even when wronged?

B. Living peaceably

The Lord desires Christians to live at peace with those around them. However, it is also important to note the specific instruction of Roman 12:18:’’If it is possible, as far as it depend on you’’ (NIV).we may-and indeed are instructed to – make every effort at maintaining peace. But sometimes our efforts are rejected.

Especially in times when peace is not possible, we are not to take vengeance into our own hands by rendering to others evil for evil vengeance belongs to God, and the administration of justice against evildoers rest in the hands of civil authorities, to whom God has granted the authority to punish evildoers(Roman 13:1-4). Instead of seeking revenge or holding grudges, we are called to offer forgiveness and practise godly love to all, and especially to love those who lives our enemies (Matthew 6:14-15).

Question and Application

Some people hold strong animosity toward God and His people, and they voice their feelings seemingly at every opportunity. Do you think it is possible to live peaceably with them? Explain.

There is strong human temptation toward revenge. What does it mean to leave vengeance in God’s hand?

Response to the word

To live a peaceably with even our enemies we need first to be at peace with God. Our calling as Christians

To live peaceably with others is based on reality that we have been reconciled to God by Jesus Christ. As we live at peace with one another as Christians, for all believers are children of God. What do you need to do make peace with God and fellow believers? How will such peace impact your life?

Call to Discipleship

As disciples of Jesus Christ, we are called to be His witness to the world. Jesus himself indicated that doing these things can result in conflict and

strife (see Matthew 10:34-36).while the gospel reconciles people to God, and to one another as believers and unbelievers.

Does your life reflect the necessary separation that should exist between a sinful world and the children of God? How do you reach the lost world with the gospel while maintaining this separation?

Ministry in Action

It can be a challenge to live in peace with another. Such a relationship often requires that we show love to our fellow believers. Take time as a class to think of practical ways you van demonstrate love and unity in your congregation. Then put that plan into action in coming days.

SUNDAY SCHOOL LESSON 4 ,JANUARY 24, TOPIC- ISAAC, THE PROSPEROUS PEACEMAKER