Genesis 26:1-2 And there was a famine in the land, beside the first famine that was in the days of Abraham. And Isaac went unto Abimelech king of the Philistines unto Gerar. And the LORD appeared unto him, and said, Go not down into Egypt; dwell in the land which I shall tell thee of:
In the days of Isaac, there was famine in the land of Israel. It appeared then, that the right thing to do was to go to Egypt where there was plenty. But the Lord instructed Issac not to go, and instead cling to the promise that He made with His father, Abraham.
When we moved to Israel fifteen years ago, there were quite a few people saying, “Aren’t you concerned about all the terrorist attacks? What if there’s war? What about your children (Rivka was seven months pregnant with our first at the time)?” The only thing we could reply was that “It’s far more dangerous to live out of the will of God than to live to Israel!”
It was probably hard for Issac to trust that God was truly speaking to him, but he did it. He obeyed the Word of God and stayed put where God told him. And what happened because of his obedience in the midst of a famine? He was blessed a hundredfold! (Genesis 26:10)
Let’s prepare ourselves to obey the Lord, even if it’s difficult! There are blessings to be received — but it all begins with obedience!