We thank the Lord that in the Old Testament He has given us a wonderful and clear picture of the experience of life. In the New Testament we have the revelation of the experience of life, but we do not have as clear a picture of it as we have in the Old Testament. We are all familiar with the proverb which says that a picture is better than a thousand words. Although we have spent many years considering the experience of life as revealed in the New Testament, we cannot be certain about it only by the words in the New Testament. We also need the pictures in the Old Testament. By the Lord's mercy, we have seen through the years that all the stories in the Old Testament depict the various aspects of the experience of life. Deep within, I feel that the Lord has shown us the full picture and has enabled us to understand its real significance.
As we have already pointed out, there are three aspects to every Christian's experience of life — the aspect of Abraham, the aspect of Isaac, and the aspect of Jacob. If we did not have this clear view, we would only consider Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob as three separate individuals. But, after receiving the revelation and understanding it in the light of the New Testament, we realize that these three men are not three separate individuals, but three aspects of one complete person in the experience of life. Some, finding it difficult to believe that Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob represent three aspects of one complete person, may say, "How can you say that Abraham is not a complete person? Abraham is just Abraham, and the same is true for both Isaac and Jacob." If you do not believe that these three people are three aspects of the complete experience of one person, I would ask you this question: Can you see God's selection in Abraham? The first item in our experience of God is His selection, His choice, which was made before the foundation of the world. We see this clearly in the New Testament (Eph. 1:4), but we cannot see it in the experience of Abraham. Thus, as far as God's selection is concerned, Abraham needs someone else to perfect him. The selection which we cannot find in Abraham's life is revealed in Jacob's. In addition to being selected, we Christians are also called. In Isaac we see neither selection nor calling. Hence, in himself, Isaac is not complete. Isaac's calling is in Abraham just as Abraham's selection is in Jacob. By these two examples we should all be convinced that Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob depict three aspects of one complete person in the experience of life. In a sense, we are all Abrahams, for we have been called and have learned to live by faith in God and in fellowship with Him. Since we have also been put into the position of grace, we are also Isaacs. As we shall see in later messages, we are Jacobs as well.
The aspect of Isaac unfolds the matter of grace. We have not only been called and have learned to live by faith in God and in fellowship with Him, but we are daily enjoying something of God. If we do not have any enjoyment in our Christian life, we will not be able to live the Christian life. Rather, we would be very miserable. Praise the Lord that we not only have the aspect of Abraham but also the aspect of Isaac, which is the aspect of grace. Grace simply means the enjoyment of God. It is God Himself becoming our enjoyment in our spirit. Many times we have difficulties which trouble us mentally and emotionally. Nevertheless, while we are suffering in our mind and emotion, there is a sweet sense deep within our spirit. It seems that if we did not have this suffering, we would not have this enjoyment. The Christian suffering brings us the Christian enjoyment. From the moment we called on the name of the Lord Jesus and received Him as our Savior, we began to have these two aspects in our experience. Perhaps the very night you received the Lord Jesus your wife gave you a difficult time, disagreeing with your becoming a Christian and calling it silly. She immediately began to persecute you, and you suffered in your mind, emotion, and senses. But while you were suffering, deep within you sensed something sweet which caused you to be happy. Thus, even at the beginning of your Christian life you had both the aspect of suffering, which is the aspect of Abraham, and the aspect of enjoyment, which is the aspect of Isaac.
In the previous message we saw that Isaac inherited grace. With him, everything was a matter of grace. He was born in grace, was grown up in grace, and was made an heir of grace. In this message we need to see that with Isaac there was also the matter of enjoyment. His life was a resting and enjoying life. The record of Isaac's life does not indicate that he suffered much. Rather, it reveals that he was always resting. This is proved by his meditating in the field (24:63). Could Isaac have meditated if he had not been quiet and restful? No. In order to meditate we must be restful. Whenever we are troubled, we are unable to rest. Isaac was always resting. In Genesis 24, he had lost his mother, did not have a wife, and his servant had gone away from him. Yet, he was not troubled. He went to the field to meditate, not to cry out to the Lord. He did not say, "O Lord, what should I do? I have lost my mother, I do not have a wife, and my servant has gone away. Lord, have mercy upon me!" Isaac did not cry out in that way. Instead, he meditated.
Although we cannot find the word resting in the record of Isaac's life, the fact is there nonetheless. Isaac was a very restful person. In spite of the troubles he encountered with the Philistines over the wells, he was always at rest. Although Isaac faced some troubles, he himself was not troubled. While the Philistines were contending for the wells, he remained restful. Isaac seemed to be saying, "If you don't want me to stay here at this well, then I'll go elsewhere. When you come to bother me there, I'll go to still another place." By this we see that Isaac was truly a restful person. Are you always restful? Consider your experience during the past twenty-four hours. Did anything bother you and cause you to lose your rest? Most of us would have to admit that we have been troubled. This shows that although we are Isaacs, we are not always resting. Recently I was doing some difficult and exhausting work on the book of Revelation. But I can praise the Lord that as I was working, I was very restful and I could say, "I have nothing and I can do nothing. There is no need for me to do anything, because the Lord is doing it all." We all need to be restful people.
Isaac was not only resting; he was also enjoying. His entire life was a life of enjoyment. When he was old, he still had the taste for "savoury meat" and asked Esau to go out to the field and prepare him the meat which he loved (27:1-4). When Rebekah heard this, she called Jacob to fetch her two kids of the goats that she might prepare the meat for Isaac (27:5-10). Eventually, after both Jacob and Esau had come with meat for their father, Isaac got a double portion. Esau, Rebekah, and Jacob were busy, but Isaac just sat there enjoying the meat. By this we see that Isaac was an enjoying person, always enjoying the provision of grace. This enjoyment was his destiny.
Enjoyment is also our destiny. Young brothers, do not worry about finding a wife. If you remain restful and full of enjoyment, the best wife will come to you. In our Christian life there is the aspect of enjoyment. I have been striving since I was twelve years of age. Now, after almost sixty years, I can testify that many times my striving has frustrated the coming of the enjoyment. If I had not striven, the enjoyment would have come much earlier and in a richer way. Why does striving frustrate the enjoyment? Because enjoyment is our destiny. We all have been predestinated for it. Young brothers, forget about your striving. Simply go home, pray, praise, and sleep. The next morning rise up, have a good morning watch, and eat a hearty breakfast. Do not worry about finding a wife. Rebekah will come to you. This is the enjoyment which is our destiny. Are we not the sons of God? How can the sons of God be pitiful people? We must declare, "Praise the Lord that I am a son of God! The almighty, all-sufficient God is my Father!" The word father denotes a rich provision. As long as we have a rich father, we have the provision and have no need to worry. We should simply enjoy this bountiful provision. This is our destiny.
Although enjoyment is our destiny, we must still take care of the place where we have the enjoyment. Let us consider the names of the places where Isaac had enjoyment. Firstly, we have Beer-lahai-roi, which means "the well of the living One who sees me" or "the One who reveals Himself" (Gen. 24:62; 25:11). At Beer-lahai-roi God visits us and reveals Himself to us. Secondly, Isaac had some enjoyment at the well named Esek, which means contention. Esek was a place of contention, fighting, and quarreling. The third place was Sitnah (Gen. 26:21). Sitnah means enmity, hatred, or opposition. The fourth place was called Rehoboth. Rehoboth has a positive meaning — "broad places" or "broad ways." The last place was called Sheba, which means an oath (Gen. 26:22-33). Hence, Beer-sheba means the well of an oath. Isaac enjoyed grace at each of these five places.
Before we consider the significance of these places, we must see where Isaac was grown up. He was grown up in Beer-sheba beside the well and the tamarisk tree. Before he was married, he left Beer-sheba and went to the south country (Gen. 24:62). As we have seen, in the Bible to go southward means to go downward. I do not believe that Abraham left Beer-sheba or Hebron when Isaac did. He remained either in Beer-sheba or in Hebron. After his mother had died and his servant had left, Isaac went downward to the south country. Then he returned. The King James Version says, he "came from the way of Lahai-roi." In Hebrew, it says he "came from going to Lahai-roi," meaning that he returned from Lahai-roi. As he returned from going to Lahai-roi, he gained a wife. If he had stayed in Lahai-roi, not returning to Beer-sheba or Hebron, he would have missed that meeting with Rebekah. When he came back from going to Lahai-roi, Rebekah came. Abraham's servant did not know that Isaac had left the place where Abraham was. It was of the Lord that Isaac return from his downward way. He returned because he was destined for the enjoyment.
We all have had similar experiences. After going downward, we suddenly said, "Oh, I must go back." The time of our return was the exact time that Rebekah came. I have experienced this a number of times. I have gone downward and then suddenly said to myself, "I must go back." As soon as I returned, the enjoyment came.
As soon as Isaac had returned from going away, the enjoyment came. By coming back to the proper standing, he obtained a wife. However, after his marriage, he and his wife journeyed southward again. Genesis 25:11 says that after the death of Abraham, Isaac dwelt by the well Lahai-roi. As a result of going downward, he found himself at enmity with the Philistines.
We need to see a clear picture of Isaac's record. He did not go downward as far as Egypt. He went southward to Philistia, to the land of the Philistines. According to the record in Genesis, God's people have difficulties whenever they go southward. Abraham had trouble in Egypt and in the land of the Philistines. His son Isaac also had trouble when he went to Philistia, for he had contention and enmity with the Philistines. Although he enjoyed the broad ways, the widening, at Rehoboth, he did not have the Lord's appearing there. In Lahai-roi, Esek, Sitnah, and Rehoboth there was no appearing of the Lord. The Lord did not appear to Isaac until he went up to Beer-sheba. The very night that Isaac went up from Rehoboth to Beer-sheba the Lord appeared unto him (Gen. 26:23-24).
Here we must see a crucial point, a point about which many Christians are not clear. As Christians, we are destined for some enjoyment. Wherever we are and whether or not we are right or wrong, we have been destined for enjoyment. Even when Isaac went downward to Lahai-roi, he still enjoyed a well, the well of the living One who sees us and reveals Himself to us. Some might say, "This is wonderful. As long as I have the living One and He sees me and reveals Himself to me, that is good enough." In reading the Bible, however, we must keep the principle of the first mention. Lahai-roi, which is first mentioned in 16:14, was the place where Hagar went after fleeing from Sarah. Since Sarah represents grace, Hagar's fleeing from her meant that she had left the standing of grace. In the wilderness, in a place of suffering, God visited her. Hence, Lahai-roi was a place where one who had left the standing of grace could still have some enjoyment of God's visitation.
In the past we might have questioned whether our standing was right, feeling that we were somewhat removed from the standing of grace. Although we had this doubt within us, we still had some enjoyment and we comforted ourselves, saying, "If I were wrong, I would not have this enjoyment. But here I have the well of the living One who visits me. Since I have such an enjoyment, this place must be all right." But it is not all right. On the one hand, we are destined for enjoyment, and wherever we are we shall have some measure of it. On the other hand, we may have this enjoyment on the wrong standing, not in the place where Abraham planted the tamarisk tree, but in the place where Hagar escaped from grace. Lahai-roi was the place of one who had escaped from grace but who still enjoyed something of God's visitation. Nearly all of us have had this experience. We doubted our position, but we still had some enjoyment and felt confirmed by it. Do not take this enjoyment as a confirmation. Although the enjoyment is our destiny, we may have it on an improper ground, at Beer-lahai-roi, not at Beer-sheba.
A well signifies enjoyment and satisfaction. Throughout his entire life, Isaac never suffered thirst. Wherever he went, to a wrong place or to a right one, there was a well. His life was marked with a well. Some may argue with us, saying, "You say that I am wrong in my position, in my standing. Why then do I have a well here?" Your enjoyment of a well does not justify your standing, for the enjoyment is your destiny. In the past, many of us held the religious concept that if we are wrong, God will give us up and we shall not have any more enjoyment. But however wrong we may be, we are still children of our Father, and He will never give us up. I may be the most naughty child, but each day I continue to enjoy my father's provision. This enjoyment is our destiny, our portion.
When some hear that Isaac had a well wherever he went, they may think that, since this enjoyment is also their destiny, they may go wherever they want. Do not think like this. You may have a well for your enjoyment, but you will miss the Lord's appearing and be unable to fulfill God's eternal purpose. Later we shall see that God's purpose can never be fulfilled in Lahai-roi, Esek, Sitnah, or even in Rehoboth. It can only be fulfilled in Beer-sheba, and we must remain there. If we do, we shall experience the Lord's appearing and have the ground to inherit the promises to fulfill God's eternal purpose. Although we may have wells, even "a well of living water" (Gen. 26:19, Heb.), in other places, those wells cannot enable us to fulfill God's eternal purpose. His purpose can only be fulfilled at the well near the tamarisk tree in Beer-sheba.
Although Isaac had some enjoyment at every place where there was a well, God was not satisfied and used the environment to force Isaac to return to Beer-sheba. God seemed to say, "Isaac, you are settled, but you are not settled in the right place. I shall stir up contention that will force you to go back to Beer-sheba." Isaac had been going down, but God used the circumstances to force him to come up from Beer-lahai-roi to Beer-sheba. Since Isaac did not have the heart to return, God had to force him to return to His place.
Some Christian teachers have encouraged the believers to follow the example of Isaac and not to strive with others. According to this teaching, when we dig a well and others take it, we should simply tolerate it and give it to them. If we go to another place and dig another well and others take it over, we should not fight for it but go to still another place. Eventually, we shall come to the third place, the place of broad ways. But this teaching does not see God's purpose, which was to bring Isaac back to Beer-sheba, the place where God appeared to him. At Beer-sheba, after the Lord's appearing, Isaac built an altar, called upon the name of the Lord, and pitched his tent (26:24, 25). Isaac did not build an altar in any other place. The Lord's appearing with His promise and the testimony were all at Beer-sheba. Only at this place did Isaac receive the promise for the fulfillment of God's eternal purpose. He did not receive it at Beer-lahai-roi, the place of the living One who sees and reveals Himself; nor at Esek, the well of contention; nor at Sitnah, the well of enmity; nor even at Rehoboth, the well of the broad ways. Although Isaac had the enjoyment everywhere, he only had the Lord's appearing (which is different from God's mere visitation) in Beer-sheba. Only in the unique place, in Beer-sheba, could he inherit the promise and have a life of testimony for the fulfillment of God's purpose. It is only at Beer-sheba, the well of the oath, that we can have the Lord's appearing, inherit the promise, build an altar, call upon the name of the Lord, and pitch a tent as a testimony. Here and only here can we fulfill God's eternal purpose.
The enjoyment which we may have everywhere because it is our destiny is not a confirmation or a justification of our standing. The correctness of our standing can only be determined by the Lord's appearing, not merely by the enjoyment. In many places we have had the enjoyment, but when we were there, we had the deep sense that we did not have the Lord's appearing. Moreover, in those places we did not have an altar or a tent, and we did not call upon the Lord's name from deep within our spirit. Although we may have some enjoyment elsewhere, only in Beer-sheba can we fulfill God's purpose.
We have seen that Isaac enjoyed all the wells. Wherever he went there was a well for his enjoyment. This reveals that whether we are right or wrong in our standing there is a well for our satisfaction. In addition to enjoying the wells, Isaac secured a choice bride (Gen. 24:61-67). He gained her without doing anything. As he was meditating in the field, she came to him. Isaac was not a doing person; he was an enjoying person. His father and his servant did everything to secure a bride for him. Isaac did not even go to Rebekah; Rebekah came to him. In all of history I have never heard of another case in which the bride came to the groom. All Christian natural doings are just a type of supplanting, a type of heel holding. Never supplant or hold the heel of others. Rebekah is your portion and she will come. Before the foundation of the world, it was destined that Rebekah would be yours. Do you believe this? Do you dare to claim it? Isaac received his Rebekah simply by meditating in the field, not by doing anything. This is enjoyment.
After twenty years without having a child, Isaac gained twin sons (Gen. 25:20-21, 26b). Did God not say in His promise that Isaac, the only seed of Abraham, would be the one in whom all the nations of the earth would be blessed? Suppose Isaac never had a son. How then could this promise be fulfilled? And if this promise were not fulfilled, how could God's purpose be accomplished? Thus, it was not only Isaac who needed a son, but also God who needed a seed out of Isaac. Because Isaac did not realize this for twenty years, God did not do anything. God had a need and intended to do something about it, but He required the cooperation from the human side. For twenty years Isaac was only enjoying, not caring about his need for a son. But after twenty years, he realized that he had such a need and that his need corresponded to God's need. Once he realized this, he prayed and God answered his prayer.
The same is true with us today. When we realize that our need corresponds to God's need and then pray accordingly, God will answer our prayer. Actually, His answer to our prayer is the fulfillment of His purpose. Our need must be God's need, and the prayer for our need should also be the prayer for God's need. When our need corresponds with God's and when we then pray for our need, God's need will be met also. When Isaac prayed for a child, whose need was greater — Isaac's or God's? Surely God's need was greater. Nevertheless, the greater need of God could only be fulfilled in the smaller need of Isaac. Only when man realizes his need and prays for it does God have the way to come in to fulfill His need. God has a purpose, and we have a need which corresponds to God's purpose. But God cannot do anything until we realize our need and pray about it. Then God will answer our prayer to meet our need for the fulfillment of His purpose. Eventually, Isaac had a son, Jacob, who not only fulfilled Isaac's need but also fulfilled God's eternal purpose. Out of Jacob came Christ, who brings in the church, the kingdom, and the New Jerusalem. All these eternal things came about through the meeting of Isaac's need, a need which corresponded with God's need.
Enjoyment is our destiny, and wherever we go there will be a well. But in the enjoyment of God's grace, we must render Him our human coordination that He may fulfill His eternal purpose through us. This means that our enjoyment of grace will never be in vain, for the enjoyment of grace on our side eventually becomes the fulfillment of God's purpose on His side.
Isaac received a hundredfold harvest and became great (Gen. 26:12-14). The word great in 26:13 means rich. Isaac "became great and continued to grow great until he became very great" (Heb.). He became rich by fulfilling the regular duty of sowing and through the Lord's blessing. This also was a matter of enjoyment, but this enjoyment was not on the proper standing. Isaac might have said to himself, "My standing must be right. If it were not right, how could the Lord have blessed me with all these riches?" But God might have said, "Isaac, you are settled here and have gained great riches, but I do not agree with your standing. I shall raise up the circumstances to force you to leave this place." May the Holy Spirit show us such a vivid picture here. On the one hand, there is the proper enjoyment; on the other hand, there is the improper standing. Even if we lack the proper standing, we may continue to have the enjoyment. But do not think that this enjoyment justifies your standing. As long as we have the enjoyment, our need is met. But for the fulfillment of God's eternal purpose, we need to get on the proper standing. Nevertheless, even if we are not on the proper standing, God still grants us His rich provision. This is wonderful. What a wonderful God! What a wonderful provision! We have been destined for the enjoyment. Even when we are wrong in our standing, we may still have the rich enjoyment. But God will not let us go. He will use our circumstances to bring us back to the proper standing that the fulfillment of His purpose might be realized.
Before Isaac came back to Beer-sheba, he had enjoyment after enjoyment, grace upon grace. After receiving the hundredfold harvest, he found the "well of living water" and came into the "broad places," the "broad ways" (Rehoboth, 26:15-22). Although he had enjoyment in such a rich way, his standing was not right and he was forced to leave the broad ways and to come back to Beer-sheba.
When Isaac returned to Beer-sheba (Gen. 26:23-33), the Lord immediately appeared to him, speaking to him and confirming His promise, saying, "I am the God of Abraham thy father: fear not, for I am with thee, and will bless thee, and multiply thy seed for my servant Abraham's sake" (26:24). Then, here in Beer-sheba Isaac began to have the proper testimony. He built an altar, called upon the name of the Lord, and pitched his tent (26:25). Here in Beer-sheba he had a life for the fulfillment of God's eternal purpose. Eventually, here in Beer-sheba the opposers were subdued (26:26-31). Beer-sheba is the right place, the place where we can have the proper standing, and the proper standing means a great deal both to God and to us.
