Genesis 26:6-10 "And Isaac dwelt in Gerar: And the men of the place asked him of his wife; and he said, She is my sister: for he feared to say, She is my wife; lest, said he, the men of the place should kill me for Rebekah; because she was fair to look upon. And it came to pass, when he had been there a long time, that Abimelech king of the Philistines looked out at a window, and saw, and, behold, Isaac was sporting with Rebekah his wife. And Abimelech called Isaac, and said, Behold, of a surety she is thy wife: and how saidst thou, She is my sister? And Isaac said unto him, Because I said, Lest I die for her. And Abimelech said, What is this thou hast done unto us? one of the people might lightly have lien with thy wife, and thou shouldest have brought guiltiness upon us."
According to the scripture, both Isaac’s mother (Sarah) and Isaac’s wife (Rebekah) were exceptionally beautiful women. Prior to Isaac’s birth, Abraham spent time in Gerar (Genesis 20:1-16) and had dealings with their king, Abimelech. We cannot know for certain if this was the same Abimelech. According to numerous scholars, Abimelech was a term used as a title by the Philistines in much the same way as Pharoah was used in Egypt.
Isaac proved once again the weakness of our carnal nature. Even though God had just recently spoken to Isaac and assured him of His blessing, Isaac turned almost immediately to his own understanding. Just as Abraham had done with Sarah several years before, Isaac lied about who Rebekah was. In trying to save himself, he failed to consider the impact that might have on Rebekah’s life or how much this demonstrated his lack of trust in God.
Whether this was the same Abimelech from Abraham’s day, or this Abimelech had just heard the story of Abraham and Sarah, it would appear that he had exercised more restraint concerning Rebekah than was shown with Sarah. Even though they had been in Gerar for some time, neither he nor the men there had tried to lay claim to Rebekah. While it might seem coincidental, I am sure that God caused Abimelech to look out his window at just the right time to catch Isaac and Rebekah in an unguarded moment. He saw something in their affection for each other that revealed their true relationship.
We clearly see in this that man’s carnal nature remains from generation to generation. We repeat the same mistakes time and time again. Yet, God is always faithful and righteous in His dealings. He protects us from ourselves by His mercy and His power. We also see in this clear evidence that Isaac was NOT the “seed” that God had promised.
Isaac denied his true relationship with Rebekah because he was not willing to die for her (verse 9). The promised Seed has never denied His love for or His relationship to His Bride. While Isaac was afraid to die for Rebekah, Jesus came knowing that it would require Him to die for His Bride. Still, He came and declared His love for us in His life, His death, and His resurrection. Thank God for the promised Seed!