Genesis 26 begins with a famine in the land and Isaac being directed by God to remain in Gerar and trust in Him for provision, rather than going down to Egypt. God reminds Isaac of the promises He made to his father to bless his descendants. So Isaac obeyed the Lord and stayed in Gerar, but he made the same mistake that Abraham twice made before. Rather than having faith in God, Isaac lies about his wife, saying she is his sister, in order to protect himself from any harm from other men in Gerar. The king, Abimelech, discovers the truth and becomes very angry and orders Isaac and his people to move away. Isaac had become very wealthy with his harvests, herds and flocks, so they moved away into the Valley of Gerar where they dug out and used the same water wells that Abraham had previously used. King Abimelech "saw clearly that the Lord was with Isaac" and made a treaty with him to avoid any future threats from Isaac's people.

Genesis 25 is the account of Abraham's death and the continuation of God's blessings and promises through his son, Isaac. Isaac's wife gave birth to twins, Jacob and Esau, whom the Lord had told her would become two separate nations. At the conclusion of the chapter, there is an account of Esau selling his birthright to Jacob for some food.

In Genesis 24, Abraham sends his chief servant to his native homeland to find a wife for his son, Isaac. With God's help and guidance, he returned with Rebekah and she became Isaac's wife.

Genesis 23 is about the death and burial of Abraham's wife, Sarah. Abraham wanted to honor Sarah with a proper burial and humbly asked to purchase a suitable place in the foreign land that he was living. He didn't assume that he had rights to the land, even though God had promised it to him, but humbly asked and paid the full price to Ephron.

Genesis 22 is the account of Abraham's faith being tested by God, who asks him to sacrifice his son. When Abraham had obeyed God and did not withhold even his beloved son, God said again, " I will bless you richly..multiply your descendants into countless millions.. they will conquer their enemies..through them all the nations of the earth will be blessed --- all because you have obeyed me." Abraham had gone to the mountain and was going to sacrifice his son as God had told him, but the Lord had stopped him, saying "Do not hurt the boy.. for now I know that you truly fear God" . The Lord then provided a ram as a substitute sacrifice instead, so Abraham named the mountain "The Lord Will Provide". This chapter not only demonstrates the amazing faithfulness of Abraham, but more importantly reminds us again of God's vast love for His children in the way he provides and cares for them. This account nearly brings me to tears every time I read it, as I try to imagine the emotional struggle Abraham must have experienced as he decided to obey God and demonstrate his commitment to God above all else, even to give up his precious son. We can't help but see the parallel with the sacrifice of Jesus, whom God gave up for us -- what amazing love !

Genesis 21 begins with the birth of Isaac, a promise fulfilled that God had made to Sarah and Abraham..."The Lord did exactly what He promised.. all happened at the time God had said it would". Isaac was then circumcised just as God had commanded. Later, Abraham became distressed when he learned that Sarah wanted to send Hagar and Ishmael away, but the Lord told Abraham it would be all right and Ishmael would still be blessed and made into a great nation also. Abraham , following God's guidance , provided Hagar with food and water and sent her on her way. Hagar became discouraged as she wandered in the wilderness and God spoke to her, comforting her and reminding her that He had not forgotten her and would still make a great nation from Ishmael's descendants. At the conclusion of this chapter, king Abimelech made a treaty with Abraham. Since Abimelech knew that Abraham's God was with him and blessed him in everything, he asked Abraham to always show kindness to him and his country. Abraham settled in the land of the Philistines and remained there for a long time.

Genesis 20 gives the account of Abraham's encounter with the king of Gerar, Abimelech. Here again, Abraham did not have faith in God to protect himself and his wife , so he told yet another king that Sarah was his sister. But, God in His mercy did not allow the king to take Sarah and God came to him in a dream and told him the truth. Upon learning about Abraham's lie, Abimelech was surprisingly gracious to Abraham and gave him gifts of sheep and cattle and offered to let him live anywhere in his land. Abraham prayed to God for healing for Abimelech and his wife and family and God restored their fertility.