God Honors Peacemakers | Genesis 26:17-33 | Pastor Daniel Batarseh

I'd like to take this time in preparation for the Lord's

Supper to share a few thoughts from the Scriptures.

Obviously that's been brewing in my heart for the past few weeks.

You know, one of the beauties of walking with the Lord Jesus

Christ is that His Word can grip you in such a way, especially a

passage. It can be sometimes even a word

that you find yourself returning to it time and time again in

your thoughts and meditations. And that's what's been happening

recently from a recent morning reading in the book of Genesis,

as I revisited the story of the man whose name is Isaac, the son

of Abraham and the father of Jacob.

And what's interesting about Isaac is that out of all the

patriarchs, the three main ones, he lived the longest, 180 years

to be exact. That's a lot of life.

And yet the Holy Spirit, out of all the stories that he could

have preserved about Isaac, chose to give us the most

extensive chapter of his story regarding him digging wells.

I'm sure that in our culture today, cultivating wells has

very little to offer us in terms of practical or even spiritual

inspiration. But it's not about the wells

necessarily. It's what happened to Isaac

around those wells that deserve some attention.

What you'll find when you read Genesis chapter 26 is that Isaac

Genesis 26 · chapter mention

around his possessions and how he was treated by outsiders

turned out to be a wonderful model for a godly peacemaker.

Isaac was a peacemaker, and more importantly, what you discover

in that chapter is that the Lord loves, honors, and blesses

peacemakers. The Bible has a lot, a lot to

say about peace and has a reasonable about to say about

peacemakers. And even as I'm speaking about

this subject, perhaps the famous words of the Lord Jesus Christ

is flashing in some of our minds from Matthew chapter 5, the

Matthew 5 · chapter mention

Sermon on the Mount, where he said blessed are the peace

makers, for they shall be called sons of God.

I think most of us in here memorize that verse.

I'm afraid that those who are very familiar with it aren't too

sure what it actually implies. It's weighty.

Just by looking at Christ's words in that single statement,

we know something about peacemakers.

Whatever that is, whatever a peacemaker is.

It's an attitude that affirms 1's relationship with God, and

it is a testimony that relays and conveys to others that his

holy character is reflected in US.

Christians are to be peacemakers, and when we gather

all the scriptural data of what it means to be peacemaker, I

think you can come to this definition.

It's very simple. A peacemaker is someone who

actively seeks to reconcile and restore relational harmony,

somebody who actively seeks to reconcile and restore relational

harmony both with God and man. You see, in a very real sense,

we as Christians are peacemakers because we preach the gospel.

The gospel is a message of reconciliation.

And as the Lord sends us out to go and reach others with this

news, what we're essentially doing is calling those who stand

as enemies of God to be restored to the God of peace through his

Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, who is known as what, the Prince of

Peace. So the fact that we have this

gospel in our hearts, in it leaves our mouths, makes us

peacemakers. You know, there's this wonderful

little statement or way of description that Peter gives

when he was preaching to the household of Cornelius, and he

describes the gospel in the following way.

Let me just quote it to you from Acts 1036.

You don't have to turn there. Just listen carefully.

Listen to how Peter describes the gospel.

As for the word that he sent to Israel preaching good news of

peace through Jesus Christ. He is Lord of all the King.

James I believe would say preaching peace.

When you witness to a Co worker, when you're sitting at the

dinner table, maybe around Thanksgiving, and are leaning

towards your cousin and telling you about the gospel, you're

preaching peace. You're telling them how they can

have peace with God. Isn't that remarkable?

We're peacemakers as Christians, but it's not limited to that

glorious calling. Being a peacemaker also includes

someone who seeks to mend relationships between men, and

that emphasis isn't primarily about us inserting ourselves

into every strained marriage or fractured relationship between

friends to try to bring resolution.

We have to be careful there. There's a proper time and

protocol and place for when and how we get involved with

conflicts that do not immediately involve us now.

Instead, the the primary meaning of us being peacemakers

horizontally is that we are called to be initiators in

receiving peace and accepting peace and granting peace when

there is animosity between US and others, when we know that

there's some kind of tension between people and us, being a

peacemaker means that we have that primary responsibility.

We should be the ones who take the first step in building

bridges. And I want to tell you that

Matthew 59 is not the only passage that highlights just how

essential this is. Can I ask you something?

How many of us in this place consider the call to be

peacemakers? As Christians, we know that

there are many things that we are responsible for as

Christians, but I want to remind you that there is a great

premium. There is a high observation in

the Scriptures for us as followers of Jesus Christ to not

just preach the gospel, but to also see relationships healed,

especially the ones that we are involved in.

You and I understand that one of our identities as Christians is

to be salt, right? The salt of the earth.

And that's a wonderful picture, right?

But I always love to ask the question, what does that

practically look like? What does it mean for me and

you, because of our faith in Christ, to be agents of healing

and preservation in a society that is slowly decaying because

of sin? Well, there are many

ingredients, but I want to present to you at least one in

relation to what we're speaking about today that I think is

often overlooked. Let me just ask you this again.

When you think salt of the earth, what comes to mind in

terms of practical relational responsibility or duty or

discipline? What?

What right? You don't have to answer out

loud, but I'm just asking. Let me tell you what Jesus made

so clear. Now I ask you to go to Mark

Mark 9 · chapter mention

Chapter 9 and your Bibles and look at verse 50 because I want

you to see it with your own eyes.

Mark 950. I'll wait for the wrestling of

the leaves to settle before I read it.

I'll read it slowly now. Salt is good, Jesus said.

But if the salt has lost its saltiness, how will you make it

salty again? Have salt in your cells and be

at peace with one another. This is astounding.

Jesus is teaching that if you and I want to secure our

distinct Christian flavor and witness in this rotten world, we

must strive to be at peace with one another.

Our spirit empowered efforts to achieve and maintain harmony in

relationships is imperative to our witness.

And wherever there is a weakened community due to a lack of

tranquility and peace, you have a deficiency in their

effectiveness to testify to the world of why we're different and

how powerful this gospel is. Here's another verse to

consider, Hebrews chapter 12. Let's turn there now.

Hebrews 12 · chapter mention

I believe in my experience, at least 90% of the time when this

verse is quoted, people cut out the first part.

Hebrews 12 verse 14 Strive for peace with everyone and for the

Hebrews 12:14

holiness without which no one will see the Lord.

In my experience again growing up in the church and even being

in ministry, when people come to this text, they usually quoted

in the following ways. Strive for a holiness without

which no one will see the Lord. Is that true of you?

You can't leave out the first part.

Before he says strive for holiness.

He says strive to be at peace with everyone, with everyone.

I wish I can expand on this first, but we got to stay on

track. You know what the word strive

means to pursue aggressively. It conveys the idea of running

towards the finish line, to be chasing something until you

catch it. It's an intense word.

Strive, strive to be at peace with everyone.

And the Holy Spirit through this wants us that that kind of

ambition for achieving enmity with everyone, everyone.

Your husband, your wife, your children, your coworkers, the

members of your church, the neighbors on your street, I can

go on. Let me just summarize with this

anyone who still has a pulse. You and I as peacemakers, so

strive to be at peace with them. And I want to examine this

further, but I have to 1st ask you to extend grace to me from

this point on, please. I'm fully aware that whenever a

preacher speaks on relationships, there are

countless situations that listeners may be facing, each

one requiring unique instructions.

And sometimes the example shared in a message may not directly

apply to your unique case. So let me be clear.

This sermon today will not attempt to cover every possible

scenario of strife complexities. Instead, I'm simply offering a

few insights from one single account.

And I ask that you would take it upon yourself to ask the Lord

how, in this brief message, one or most or all of these points

could apply and resonate with you.

And these will be quick looks for now.

We won't be able to cover these things at length, but I want, I

want to tell you is that Isaac is a wonderful illustration in

Genesis 26 of what peacemaking entails, what it looks like,

what it doesn't look like. And so let me give you the

background of Isaac's story. In Genesis 26, there was a

famine in the land, and so he felt the need to leave and to

plant him and his family in a place called Garar.

And while in Garrard, there were things that happened that

compromised his witness, and we don't have time to get into that

now. But Isaac chose to establish

himself in Garrard, and he decided to invest in land and to

build his resources. And what you find following that

decision is nothing short of a miracle from the Lord.

Now let's turn to our main text in Genesis 26, beginning in

verse 12, to see what I mean here.

It says here in Genesis 26, verse 12.

Genesis 26:12

And Isaac sowed in that land, and reaped in the same year a

hundredfold. The Lord blessed him, and the

man became rich and gained more and more until he became very

wealthy. He had possessions of flocks and

herds and many servants, so that the Philistines envied him.

Now the Philistines had stopped and filled with earth all the

wells that his father's servants had dug in the days of Abraham.

His father and Abimelech said to Isaac, go away from us, for you

are much mightier than we. We might think that this is

where the story ends, but I'm here to tell you it's just

starting. And from this point on, for the

rest of this chapter, we're going to consider 5 insights of

Peacemaking, 5 clues, 5 marks of being a peacemaker.

Consider this just as discipleship time from heart to

heart. Number one, to be a peacemaker

sometimes requires us to surrender our rights.

We need to be very wise with this point because the truth of

the matter is there are times when we need to fight for our

rights and not be passive with troublemakers.

The apostle Paul at times appealed to his legal

entitlements for the sake of the advancement and the integrity of

the gospel, right? He would often say, hey, I'm a

Roman citizen, you can't treat me this way.

And that's legitimate. However, there are also moments

where he did not wield his citizenship.

He did not appeal to his Apostolic prerogatives for the

same goal. So it's a case by case

situation. And there are times where we

also have to, especially in personal conflicts, choose to

walk away instead of choosing to fight, resist.

We're not told why Isaac gracefully dismissed himself at

the confiscation of his wells, but whatever his reason was, he

thought it to be the better option than digging his heels in

the ground and potentially getting into a war with the

Philistines. He refrained from retaliation.

And that's incredibly difficult for us to do, especially when we

are being mistreated, especially when we sense that we are being

treated unfairly. But choosing silence, refusing

to retaliate, and not wasting time or energy with something

that doesn't seem worth it can at times be the more righteous

path. And if you need any motivation

to trust in God's wisdom with that option, I believe Isaac

gives us the secret. You know why?

I believe Isaac could do this with great humility and

consistency. He believed in God's Providence.

So I want you to see this in verse 17.

Look what happens. So Isaac departed from there and

encamped in the valley of Gerar and settled there.

And Isaac dug again the wells of water that had been dug in the

days of Abraham his father, which the Philistines had

stopped after the death of Abraham, and he gave them names

that his father had given them. But when Isaac's servants dug in

the valley and found there a well of spring water, the

herdsmen of Gerard quarreled with Isaac's herdsmen, saying

the water is ours. No, it's not.

That's my commentary. No, it's not.

It's not yours. So he called the name of the

well Isaac, because they contended with him.

Then they dug another well, and they quarreled over that also.

So he called its name Sitna. And he moved from there and dug

another well. And they did not quarrel over

it. So he called its name Rehoboot,

saying, For now the Lord has made room for us, and we shall

be fruitful in the land. The Lord.

I'm recognizing God's leadership in this.

I'm recognizing God's provision in this.

I'm recognizing that even though this is unfair, God has blessed

me. And listen, you have to remember

here that these repeated offenses were beyond Isaac's

control. What did we read earlier?

The Philistines envied him. Have you ever tried to build a

meaningful relationship with somebody who envies you?

It's nearly impossible. Why?

Because they feel this anger and this bitterness towards you.

For what reason? Because God's blessing.

You're using you in a certain way.

It's very difficult to work with somebody like that.

What am I supposed to change? The Philistines envied him.

Despite that, Isaac realized that the Lord was able to lead

him to a broad place. Because the Scripture tells us

that even the wrath of man can praise God.

God can turn the wrath of man to a testimony in your life.

And that's what this man believe.

The Lord has made room for us. I recognize God in this.

I'm trusting God in this. And listen, if if anyone ever

unfairly takes something that belongs to you, could be a piece

of your reputation, it could be a possession, it can be even a

position. A peacemaker will step back,

calculate, pray, and consider the possibility of just walking

away and trusting God to deal with it.

This is a call for wisdom. How do I know when to stand and

to fight? And how do I know when that I

should just leave and let God deal with it directly?

You might think this sounds unrealistic.

It's not. It's found in a New Testament.

You remember what Paul told the Corinthians?

These Christians were taking each other to court.

And what did he say there in First Corinthians 6-7?

Hey, why don't some of you choose to rather be defrauded?

Why don't some of you just surrender?

Why don't you just give up for the sake of being salt?

You're going out to the world and you are bearers of names of

of Christ, and you're fighting with each other over temporal

things. This is a defeat for you.

Paul said suffer wrong. Surrender.

Your right. Sometimes to be a peacemaker

means that you have to do just that.

Isaac did that. We come to the second point of

what it means to be a peacemaker.

To be a peacemaker does not mean that we don't feel the pain or

the frustration caused by people's aggravations.

So again, you might feel like this is a tall order.

This seems unrealistic. You're asking me to walk away.

You don't understand. OK, look in verse 20.

I want you to notice that with each well that was taken from

Isaac, he named it something and in verse 20 we read that he

named the 1st wall Isec. You know what Isec means?

Contention and the next one sit now which means enmity.

So as much as we we can say Isaac was impressive in walking

away, he was also not living in denial.

It was painful. He did sense the injustice, he

was bothered, and he recognized that these interactions for what

they were. And I'm sure that there was some

kind of emotional processing when he named these wells.

Here's why this is important. You need to be free that you are

not harboring unforgiveness or you are not qualified to be a

peacemaker just because your heart is still bruised by the

carelessness or the selfishness caused by somebody else's

action. Just because it hurts doesn't

mean that you are not in the right.

It doesn't mean that you are not walking in faithfulness, doesn't

mean that you're not walking in faith.

It's a bruise, it's a wound, and sometimes bruises last longer

than others. So the presence of emotions that

are hurtful, memories that are painful does not mean that you

are not in the will of God, does not mean that you're outside of

Christ. Like character.

The Bible's so realistic. At the same time, you got to be

careful that painful memories don't blind you to potential

opportunities to be reconciled with those who have caused pain

in your life. There's a very fine line, right?

You can revisit those scenes and those words to the degree that

it calluses you to the point where it numbs you from your

calling to be a peacemaker. It should the opportunity arise.

If you've allowed your heart to become Diamond Hard, it'll

become much more difficult to be the initiator of reconciliation.

Isaac was realistic with how this whole thing made him feel.

But we come to point #3 to be a peacemaker does not mean you

abandon or ignore the truth for the sake of harmony.

So Isaac moves on and we read here.

We're going to skip a couple verses.

We'll look at them in a second, but look down at verse 26.

This is interesting. When Abimelech went to him from

Garrar without who's that? His advisor and Fee Cole, the

commander of his army. Isaac said to them.

Why have you come to me seeing that you hate me and have sent

me away from you? So we see here that Abimelech

and his top advisors pay Isaac a visit.

They learned about his new address and they thought, let's

go visit him and let's try to make a truce.

Let's try to make an oath with this man but the past behind us,

and to promise to never go to war with each other from this

day forward. But what I find so interesting

is that with this unannounced arrival, Isaac, before

entertaining any other conversation, confronts these

philistines for their behavior. What are you doing here?

Don't you hate me? You drove me away from you.

Now you might be wondering. I thought we were looking at

Isaac as model for peace. We are, and he is no less a

peacemaker here than when he walked away from his own wells.

Because, you see, a biblical peacemaker does not try to

appease others or excuse unrighteousness for the sake of

relational tranquility. A true peacemaker will invite

God's truth into a conflict and will surrender to what the

living God asks of both parties involved.

So we have to be reminded of this fundamental truth.

We never do away with the truth in the name of peace.

There are a lot of people who are tolerating evil and sin in

the name of being a peacemaker. That's not biblical peacemaking.

That's compromised calm. Now, this model here showing us

that we should never accept or rationalize evil so that someone

can feel accepted, That's unloving and deceptive.

You know, it was Jesus who said that I had not come to bring

peace to the world. What?

You're the Prince of peace? No, I did not come to bring a

certain type of peace of the world.

I've actually come to bring a sword.

What did he mean by that in Matthew 10?

He meant that he was coming into the world with a saving message

that carried the potential of bringing division in different

circles because of one or more than one party accepting that

saving message. And in Christ's mind, if that

division occurs because of the truth being embraced, then that

division is worth it, because true peace can only come from

accepting the truth. James speaks about godly wisdom,

and he actually describes what it looks like in detail, the

qualities of godly wisdom, what godly wisdom, when somebody

possesses it, what does it look like?

And in it you have this wonderful equation, this

wonderful principle of even what true peace is all about in James

317, James says, But the wisdom from above is first pure, then

peaceable. What comes before peace, Purity,

purity, The renouncing of sin, the renouncing of compromise,

the renouncing of anything that compromises or contradicts the

truth. There can't be true peace unless

there is the honouring of purity.

What gave Isaac the courage to speak up in this way?

It's found in the verses that we didn't read when Isaac went up

to Beersheba. In verse 24 of Genesis 26 it

says this. And the Lord appeared to him the

same night and said, I am the God of Abraham your father, fear

not frying with you, and will bless you.

Multiply your offspring for my servant Abraham's sake.

Sometimes it's a fearful thing to forsake peace for the sake of

the truth. Sometimes it's difficult, just

as a general rule, to approach anybody and to confront them for

their wrong or to stand for that which is right.

And I see that following this, Isaac was able to speak up

because God promised him his presence and God promised him

his reward. And you and I need to find the

same courage from that same place that when there are

situations in your family, at your workplace, where you have

to choose the truth, even if it means inviting turbulence, the

Lord is with me. The Lord sees me, He sees my

heart. He sees that I want to please

him above everything else. And He will honor you for that.

And we're told in Romans that as far as it depends on you, be at

peace with all men teaching us what it's not always possible.

Even though you're the peacemaker, it doesn't mean that

you're going to have guaranteed peace with everybody.

And one of the reasons why it's not always possible is because

there are many people who don't want purity.

They don't want to admit they're wrong.

They don't want to repent of their sin.

And so you've done your part by upholding the truth and yet

still trying to be a peacemaker, even though the results don't

come out the way you desire #4 to be a peacemaker means you

will do your part to achieve peace.

Let's read back in Genesis 26 what happens after Isaac

confronts the Philistines. And this is what I read a few

weeks ago in Genesis that made me realize how much Isaac shined

as a peacemaker. Are you there?

In verse 28 they said, this is the Philistines.

We see plainly that the Lord has been with you.

So we said, let there be a sworn pact between us, between you and

us, and let us make a covenant with you that you will do us no

harm, just as we have not touched you and have not done to

you nothing but good and have sent you away in peace.

Read that last part again. Have done to you nothing but

good and I've sent you away in peace.

So when I read this, I don't know if it was this last time or

a previous time. I put a green marked question

mark beside that phrase. What do you mean?

You've done nothing wrong? OK, I, I see here that you did

not touch him. That's true, but there's an

incomplete approach here. We've done nothing wrong to you.

Be honest. How would you react to that?

What kind of confession is that? To our surprise, to our

amazement, Isaac doesn't even address it, doesn't even comment

on it. He chooses to move on with the

proposal, which in principle means that he does not insist on

the faults of his offenders. And now we have to be very

careful of not miss applying this part, because Isaac is not

accepting reconciliation without repentance as he prepares to

make a deal with these men. That's not what he's doing here.

If you're carefully reading, you'll understand that he

acknowledges the effort of the Philistines and is willing to

bypass the weakness of their attempt for the sake of his own

conscience and the promise of peace.

And this is someone who recognizes the opportunity to

resolve something with his neighbors.

He does his part, and he leaves the details to God.

You and I can't be stubborn and expect to flourish as

peacemakers if we're truly peacemakers.

Then again, it depends on the nature of the relationship and

the dynamics of the problem. But a peacemaker will be on the

lookout for any opportunity to infuse peace in that strained

relationship. So in some cases it, it will

only look like this whenever you cross paths with somebody that

is at odds with you, that has maybe mistreated you with

unresolved conflict, your responsibility as a peacemaker

is to extend a greeting according to Jesus words in

Matthew, the extended greeting, because if you only greet your

brothers, you know, different than the Gentiles.

I quoted to you earlier what Paul said in Romans 1218.

If possible, it's not always possible.

If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably

with all, just live at peace with people.

And in that same passage you have an insight of what that

might look like. This is this is the problem of

taking verses out of their context.

You, you miss out on the full meaning.

So most of us know Romans 12/18 and most of us know Romans

12/20, but have we ever considered how they're married?

What does it say in Romans 12/20 to the contrary?

If your enemy is hungry, feed him.

If he is thirsty, give him something to drink for.

By doing so, you'll heap burning coals on his head.

That's in context of being a peacemaker.

So peacemaker like Isaac will recognize opportunities to

sprinkle peace, maybe even on a person who's caused problems in

your life. That might look like an awkward

hello or may look like visiting somebody who is very sick, may

not have another day to live. This man convicted me.

He didn't get into a shouting match.

Oh, you did nothing to me. He just, he sees what this

relationship will entail. He's not marrying the

Philistines, He's not going to be working with the Philistines.

He's just agreeing on these terms of peace.

There'll be no retaliation, I'll give you that.

I accept your incomplete confession.

Lastly, being a peacemaker opens heavenly blessings.

Look at verse 30. So he made them a feast, and

they ate and drank. In the morning they rose early

and exchanged oaths, and Isaac sent them on their way, and they

departed from him in peace that same day.

I underlined those 3 words twice.

That same day, Isaac's servants came and told them about the

well that they had dug and set them.

We have found water. Stop.

Coincidence. Coincidence that on that very

day he made peace with his enemies.

Fresh water sprung from that land, shot out from the earth.

No, and Isaac knew it was in coincidence.

Look at verse 33. He called it Sheba.

Therefore, the name of this city is Beer Sheba to this day.

What does Sheba mean? Oath.

He memorialized as well and made a connection between its

arrival. It's a blessing, God's provision

and the oath that he made with the Philistines, you and I,

making the decision to be peacemakers, to be agents of

reconciliation and relational harmony will open God's favor in

your life, will win his smile. I give those insights to you.

They are now in your lap. And now I ask you, as we reflect

on the God of peace, who has made peace with us, who

initiated reconciliation with us, who in a sense surrendered

his rights so that he can reach down to us to ask how what we

just scratched may apply in your life.

I'll tell you, you convicted me. You did convicted me.

I'm not sure how much thought I've given as a Christian to be

a peacemaker. Yeah.

Living free from sin? Sure.

Reading my Bible? Absolutely.

Serving in the church. But peace making?

Strive for it. Pursue it if possible.

Be at peace with everyone you know.

Lord, we ask that you help us in this moment.

With all the unique predicaments, maybe the

intensity of the pain makes it even difficult to digest any of

these thoughts. Whatever the case may be, we ask

that you would give us the spirit of wisdom to know how to

apply what you have given to us through Isaac's life.

And now, though, we ask that you give us eyes to see if we lack

any motivation, the God of peace, who is our God, who did

not allow us to have our own way and to walk in our own way

without making an attempt to reconcile, to restore us.

We pray for our enemies as you commanded us to, Lord, even if

they were in the wrong, that you would forgive them, that you

would convict them, that they would see their errors so that

they can be ultimately reconciled to you and Lord.

We also ask that should the opportunity arise to extend

peace, it may look different. Show us with these different

options, different limitations, how to do that.

We want to please you. You are a reward, we love you,

we honor you in Jesus name, Amen.

If the praise team can join us and prepare us through your

gifts to sing to the Lord and reflect on these truths

together. If you're more comfortable

remaining seated so that you can better receive the truth that we

will sing, or maybe you're still dealing with the message and you

want to pray about it, you can do that for those who would like

to stand. Let's stand and let's sing to

the Lord before we partake.