Isaac - The next generation

Genesis 25 - 26

The story of Isaac always feels to me a little bit like the second "Back to the Future" movie...just a link really between part one and part three, cool bits to the story but not a great deal of stand alone value on the surface of it.

There seems to be a great deal of strife and conniving in today's reading.

You do have to love Abraham having 6 more sons AFTER his 100th birthday. Would have had a potential career as a spokesperson for certain pharmaceutical companies...

We get to see Jacob's early career as a schemer...selling a bowl of stew for his brother's birthright. Esau seems to be a "live for the moment" kind of guy and if this story is meant as any indication that approach to life doesn't seem to work out to well, at least not in this instance.

Abimelech doesn't appear to be the sharpest tool in the shed either. There is no reason to believe that this is anyone other than the same Abimelech that Abraham fooled with the old, "my wife is really my sister" trick. Isaac has learned from his family lore that this trick works out well so when he moves to Gerar to ride out the famine he pulls the same ploy.
One has to wonder where the whole "Abimelech king of the Philistines looked down from a window and saw Isaac caressing his wife" scene happened. Because obviously Isaac let his cover down at that point.
Abimelech's reaction though is interesting. He doesn't 'punish' Isaac in anyway but rather he tells his people to give Isaac and Rebekah a wide berth or die.
Does he do this because he recognizes that Isaac has a tight relationship with God?
Does he do this because Isaac has a lot of servants / associates who represent a significant military force?
I can't pictue him reacting that way towards a poor nomadic run of the mill shepherd no matter how many flocks the guy has.
In any event Isaac becomes rich while in Gerar much as his father did before him.
Eventually he is asked to move away because he has "become too powerful"...this leads me to believe that the disputes over wells were no overt agression but covert persuasion done within the bounds of culturally accepted norms. Isaac seems to behave in confidence that the land will be his based on God's promise to his father and doesn't exert his own power or immediate influence even though the text seems to hint at the fact that he could have taken that approach.
The military prowess argument seems to be supported when Abimelech brings out his advisor and military commander to make a treaty with Isaac.

So we get a picture of a shrewd man who builds up his strength seemingly walking in the ways of his father and trusting in god for what He has promised. A real salt of the earth kind of guy.
Maybe his bumper sticker read..."Things will work out great so long as I don't screw it up."
And it seems he managed to avoid screwing it up.
Kudos.