Nepaug Bible Church - http://www.nepaugchurch.org - Pastor's Sermon Notes - http://www.nepaugchurch.org/Sermons/zz20040118.htm

SAMPLING GOD'S "FEAR NOTS"
Part III: God's Directive In The Face Of Destructive Competition
(Genesis 26:12-33)

Introduction: (To show the need . . . )

Everyone it seems eventually faces destructive competition. This week, I witnessed evidences of the need to address this concern:

(1) Last Sunday in our fellowship hall, I spoke with two men in our Church who are concerned about the "outsourcing" of so many jobs that used to be in our country. Since large corporations find it easy to hire workers in other nations with lower salary scales to do the same work American workers used to do, our country is continuing to switch from being a producing nation to being a service oriented one. However, doing so leaves the American worker wondering how he is to earn his keep when he can not afford to keep going to school just to keep informed on how to function in the latest new job!

(2) Teens especially seem to face destructive competition: this week we heard of decisions in a Pennsylvania court case where vicious hazing activities were done by senior members of a high school football team on its rookie players! The hazing has left deep emotional scars on the victims to where one of the afflicted was not able to attend the sentencing due to the hurt he still feels over the abuse!

(3) A young Christian man I know was recently stopped in his car this week by an area town police officer and was written up a series of charges dealing with his vehicle. The officer who wrote the ticket reportedly threw it at him, saying in an curt way, "Have a nice day!"

The young man was frustrated, knowing he was helpless to counter the officer who had the muscle of the law behind him, and struggled to remain nice and just politely drive away!

[(4) After preparing this message, I started to work on the Adult Sunday School lesson out of Isaiah for today only to be surprised to see both messages dealt with the need to offset destructive foes! I recalled this sermon series on God's "fear nots" was initially done as a Sunday School lesson series 12 years ago, and our current lessons out of Isaiah were produced in a Sunday School format nearly 13 or 14 years ago, and they just happen to coincide today on this same subject! Apparently, the Lord has AGAIN led us to address a need, that of adjusting to destructive opponents!]

How may we respond EFFECTIVELY to unfair, godless competition when it is wrong either to flee or attack, but there seems to be precious little room to do anything ELSE?

(We turn to the sermon "Need" section . . . )

Need: "How may I respond to a competitor who habitually threatens my welfare, and I can neither run away' from him nor fight him?"
  1. Isaac faced a potentially, perpetually destructive competition from the godless inhabitants of the Promised Land of Canaan:
    1. After Abraham died, God began to bless his son, Isaac with material blessings in accord with the Abrahamic Covenant, Gen. 26:12-14b.
    2. However, this blessing began to threaten the land's inhabitants, for Isaac's wealth increase meant he could become a military threat in the land, so Isaac tried easing tensions by moving around, 26:14-17.
    3. However, Isaac's moving did not stop God's increase of blessing, so the land's inhabitants became even more hostile to Isaac, 26:18-20:
      1. In Gerar, Isaac found some of his father's wells that others had stopped up, so he opened them to water his livestock, Gen. 26:18.
      2. Needing an additional well for his increasing numbers of animals, Isaac dug a new well in the valley to find a spring of water, 26:19.
      3. Well, the inhabitants of Gerar argued the new well belonged to them, so Isaac named it, "Esek," meaning "contention," Genesis 26:20; Ryrie Study Bible, KJV , ftn. to Gen. 26:20.
    4. This trouble mirrored tension that was a generation old: Abraham had problems with the land's inhabitants over water, and now his son, Isaac faced the same tension in his generation, cf. Genesis 21:25-31.
  2. This crisis coupled with God's will for him put Isaac into a bind: he could not LEAVE the land NOR ATTACK his competitors, but had to STAY in the LAND and STILL PROVIDE for his HERDS:
    1. God had informed Isaac that he, like Abraham, was to stay IN the land, cf. Genesis 26:2-5. Isaac could not flee from his competitors.
    2. However,God did NOT want Isaac to attack his competitors: God had revealed to his father, Abraham that the inhabitants of the land would live another 400 years there since their sin was not yet great enough to warrant God's removing them by war, Genesis 15:13-16.
    3. Yet, ISAAC still had to provide for the servants and animals God gave him, for God had indicated Isaac was to possess them by His giving Isaac a huge grain harvest to feed them all, Genesis 26:12.
  3. Accordingly, Isaac searched for the ROOM God would HAVE to SUPPLY him IN the LAND of PROMISE so he could fulfill ALL THREE of these seeming CONFLICTING assignments:
    1. When confronted by the herdsmen of Gerar about the well of Esek, Isaac did not leave the land or attack his competitors, but withdrew to dig another well in the land to take care of his livestock, Gen. 26:21a.
    2. However, the land's herdsmen claimed this second well was also theirs, so Isaac named it, "Sitnah," meaning, "enmity," and moved again to dig a third well, Genesis 26:21b-22a; Ibid., ftn. to 26:21.
  4. God BLESSED Isaac's effort to look for ROOM for his possessions rather than FLEE or ATTACK his competitors, and thus made his COMPETITORS RESPECT Isaac and be at PEACE with him:
    1. When Isaac dug the third new well, his competitors gave up trying to vie with him, so he named it, "Rehoboth," or, "Plenty of Room," Ibid., ftn. to Gen. 26:22. Isaac realized God had made ROOM for him in the land in reward for seeking God's will, Genesis 26:22b.
    2. God then encouraged Isaac, telling him to "fear not" problems with the land's inhabitants; God promised to be with Isaac as He had with Abraham and to multiply his seed, 26:24. This message condoned what Isaac had done in graciously looking for room IN the land!
    3. Isaac worshiped God in response to this insight, Gen. 26:25a, and had his servants dig a fourth new well in faith he would gain increases in livestock in accord with God's latest promise, Genesis 26:25b.
    4. The land's inhabitants then realized God caused Isaac's prosperity, so they made a treaty with him out of respect for God, Genesis 26:26-31.
    5. With the treaty, that fourth new well was named "Sheba," or "Oath," to commemorate this peace, Genesis 26:32-33; Ibid., ftn. to 26:33.
    6. The name "Sheba" also recalls the well, "Beer-shebah" or "Well of the Oath" where, a generation before, Abraham made peace with these same Gentiles over a well dispute; God was faithful through time to provide for His people who faced potentially perpetual, destructive competition , cf. Genesis 21:25-34; Ibid., ftn. to Genesis 21:31.
Application: If we face potentially, perpetually destructive competitors where we can neither rightly "flee" nor "attack" them but where we STILL have to minister or make a living, (1) we must trust in Christ to become a child of God who, like Isaac, comes into God's care, Jn. 3:16; Rom. 8:32. Then, (2) we choose NOT just to REACT to our COMPETITORS, but FOCUS on HEEDING God's Word (1 John 2:3-6) and (3) God will make ROOM for us so we can DO His will! (4) God will BLESS us!

Lesson: By FOCUSING on doing GOD'S WILL versus MERELY REACTING to his COMPETITORS, Isaac responded well to potentially, perpetually destructive competitors and enjoyed God's blessing!

Conclusion: (To illustrate the sermon lesson . . . )

 When John Unitas came to Baltimore, Maryland to play football for the National Football League's Baltimore Colts, his coach felt he lacked the skills to play first string, and assigned him to sit on the bench indefinitely as a back-up quarterback. Accordingly, John Unitas would dress up for practice and football games, but at the games, spend a lot of time doing nothing but looking at other people play the game!

Lots of players in that position would give up trying to make a living in the NFL -- either that or carry on a running feud with the first string quarterback in hope he could persuade the coaches to put him into the game. However, John Unitas decided to make the most of his assignment -- that of looking at others play the game in order to get to know the game so well that were he ever given the chance to play, he would excel simply because he was usually better prepared than anybody else on the field to know what to do in a given situation!

Eventually, when an emergency arose and the coaches called for John to take the quarterback position on the field, his meticulous preparation served him well: John Unitas brilliantly excelled for the Baltimore Colts in spite of his physical limitations! In fact, John Unitas is now in the NFL Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio, celebrated as one of the best quarterbacks ever to play the game!



If we trust in Christ as believers, and BUSY ourselves focusing on God's "play book" of what we are SUPPOSED to think and do, and look for the ROOM God makes for us to DO His will, when GOD opens the door of opportunity for us to FUNCTION "first string," we can excel without having sinfully to flee or fight our competitors.



Like Isaac, we can enjoy God's blessing by focusing on our calling, not allowing ourselves to get bogged down in reacting unwisely to our competition.