The Encourager
“Triumph over Opposition”
Triumph over Opposition
by Jeff Curtis
The confident faith of God’s people often leads them to triumph over worldly opposition. After all of the conflict with the Philistines over wells, Isaac returned to Beersheba, where the earlier Abimelech and Phicol came looking for a non-aggressive treaty with his father Abraham, because they realized God was with him (Genesis 21:22-32). At this point, because the Lord appeared to Isaac to offer confidence that He was with him and would bless and multiply his descendants for the sake of His servant Abraham (Genesis 26:24). Out of gratitude for this divine reassurance, Isaac built an altar and worshiped the Lord.
Not long after this theophany, Isaac was approached by Abimelech and his men, who wanted to make a treaty with him. The arrival of the Philistines surprise Isaac because he thought that they hated him and had intentionally driven him away to the fringes of their territory (Genesis 26:27). In truth, they had decided Isaac was growing so strong that he posed a real threat to them. They pretended ignorance of any wrongdoing and replied, “We see plainly that the Lord has been with you” (Genesis 26:28). This last statement indicated that the Philistines realized Isaac’s prosperity and strength were due to the God’s blessing him in spite of all that they could do to hinder him. Therefore, they wanted a sworn oath and a mutual nonaggression treaty (covenant), so they could live in peace with this foreigner and his people (Genesis 26:28-29). With the Philistines’ desire expressed, Isaac was obviously relieved. He shared a feast with them, and it concluded with an exchange of covenant oaths. Then the Philistines left and returned to Gerar (Genesis 26:30-31).
Some might criticize Isaac’s behavior as cowardly with regard to the Philistines, since he didn’t stand up for his rights. Several times, they stopped up his wells or seized wells that his men had recently dug. The natural response might have been to strike back at these Philistines. However, Isaac didn’t retaliate; rather, he turned the other cheek, as was much as was taught by Jesus in Matthew 5:39. By not paying back evil for evil, he actually overcame evil with good (Romans 12:17-21). The wise man affirmed that there is “a time for war and time for peace” (Ecclesiastes 3:8). Isaac proved that this was definitely not the time for war; his peaceful actions resulted in a treaty that guaranteed him, his people, and his animals the right to the wells and pasture without the Philistines interfering. The Lord blessed them so they could maintain a peaceful existence in the land of Canaan. Because Isaac sought peace, his ways were “pleasing to the Lord,” (Proverbs 16:7). In this way, Isaac’s response to his antagonists was a precursor to the teachings of Jesus and Paul.
Forgive Without Limits
by Joe R. Price
21 Then Peter came to Him and said, “Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Up to seven times?” 22 Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven.” (Matthew 18:21–22, NKJV)
Repeatedly forgiving one who has sinned against us is not easy. It requires faith to do as Jesus said (limitless forgiveness). He went on to describe God’s forgiveness is driven by compassion, not withheld due to wearisome repetition. Such unceasing forgiveness means our hearts must be filled with the love, mercy, and longsuffering of God. It requires a generous, sympathetic heart toward the sinner and the struggles against sin to repeatedly forgive when wronged. Oh, the magnitude of God’s repeated forgiveness of us and our sins against Him! As God forgives us, we are to forgive others (Matt. 6:12, 14-15; 18:32-35). The numbers Peter proposed were literal. He thought seven was a perfectly generous amount of times to forgive repeat offenders. Jesus used numbers figuratively (“seventy times seven” does not make the four hundred ninety-first sin beyond our need to forgive). In another place Jesus said, “And if he sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times in a day returns to you, saying, ‘I repent,’ you shall forgive him” (Luke 17:4). Ready, willing, abundant forgiveness is our task of faith when sinned against. We want and need God’s unending compassion and forgiveness (Matt. 18:23-27). Let us not withhold the same from those who sin against us (Matt. 18:28-35).
