Sowing in tears

Genesis 26:1-35

Key Verse Psalm 126:5

Those who sow in tears will reap with songs of joy.

Isaac, in Genesis, is known as a man blessed by God. Why was he blessed? When we study his life, we learn that it was not just because he was a “lucky guy” born to be blessed by God, but rather because he followed the principles which were preordained by the Lord. So let us think about how the Lord enabled him to live a life that bore lots of good fruit, to the glory of God, so we too would bear good fruit that lasts forever. 

First, a famine in the land

Look at verse 1. “Now there was a famine in the land—besides the earlier famine of Abraham's time—and Isaac went to Abimelech king of the Philistines in Gerar.” This passage describes two famines: the famine during the time of Isaac and the famine of Abraham’s time. The Bible says that God never forsakes the righteous nor their children (Psalm 37:25). Why then did God send a famine (or, allow famine to occur) in the land of Isaac, the son of Abraham, the righteous one? The answer is this: God sent the famine to demonstrate that God is the God of providence, providing for his children even in times of a severe famine. When the night is dark the Christmas lights becomes brighter. So it is in times of famine that the Lord God makes his power of provision more clearly seen. 

When the New Year comes, people desire only good things to happen. Some secretly pray saying, “Lord, in this year may all the good things happen to me; please make it sure that all the bad things never come my way.” But we know that things do not work that way. When we look around ourselves, we see all kinds of miserable things happening. Due to the recent rainfall coupled with high winds, from the outset of the New Year a lot of Californians suffered losses. Aside from natural disasters, such as mudslides, we suffer from bad things like more numbers of people in the family catching colds, the prospect of landing decent jobs becoming darker, California traffic situations becoming worse, insurance premiums going up, (thank God gas prices came down, but you never know) etc. Add to these what Jesus said would happen in the last days: “Because of the increase of wickedness the love of most will grow cold” (Matthew 24:12). How scary! Also remember what the Prophet Amos said concerning the condition of the people in the last days: “‘The days are coming,’ declares the Sovereign LORD, ‘when I will send a famine through the land—not a famine of food or a thirst for water, but a famine of hearing the words of the LORD.’” (Amos 8:11).

When things get worse it is so easy for us to despair, resign to our own world and become increasingly self-seeking. But we should not do that. Rather, we must remember that bad times are good times for us to do God’s will and experience the Lord’s blessed providence. 

Second, so Isaac stayed in the land

At first Isaac did not understand the Lord’s will to demonstrate His power to provide for his children. So he was seriously considering going down to Egypt. But what did the Lord do for Isaac? Look at verses 2-5.  “² The LORD appeared to Isaac and said, ‘Do not go down to Egypt; live in the land where I tell you to live. ³ Stay in this land for a while, and I will be with you and will bless you. For to you and your descendants I will give all these lands and will confirm the oath I swore to your father Abraham. ⁴ I will make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and will give them all these lands, and through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed, ⁵ because Abraham obeyed me and kept my requirements, my commands, my decrees and my laws.’”

How did Isaac respond? Look at verse 6. “So Isaac stayed in Gerar.” Isaac obeyed. It was not easy for him to obey. But he believed in God’s words of promise. So he could obey. 

This obedience enabled Isaac to experience God’s providence. Our missionaries in overseas countries set good examples in staying in their own lands of promise. Each of their mission fields has its own challenges. Yet despite these challenges they keep their ground and continue to pray to pioneer the college campuses in their own countries. Some of the coworkers found it too hard to withstand. So a lot of them left. The same thing happened in Kiev, Ukraine. On April 25-26, 1986, the world’s worst nuclear power accident occurred at Chernobyl in the former USSR (now Ukraine). The Chernobyl nuclear power plant, located 80 miles north of Kiev, had four reactors and, while testing reactor number four, numerous safety procedures were disregarded. At 1:23am a chain reaction in the reactor became out of control, creating explosions and a fireball which blew off the reactor’s heavy steel and concrete lid. The Chernobyl accident killed more than 30 people immediately, and as a result of the high radiation levels in the surrounding 20-mile radius, 135,000 people had to be evacuated. As a result, all the missionaries working in Kiev, Ukraine left, one by one, except one family: Missionary Dr. Peter Kim and Hanna Kim. Of course, Dr. Peter Kim was worried that he and his wife might die of the exposure to radiation. But he could not leave the land of mission. His sheep were still there. How could he leave his sheep behind? So he decided to suffer martyrdom. But he did not die. Mysteriously, the Lord God not only protected his family but also made them healthier than ever. Furthermore, empowered by the power of resurrection, Dr. Peter Kim worked hard to pioneer the college campuses. As a result, he came to build one of the most powerful student ministries worldwide. In my opinion, among all CIS UBF chapters, the spirit of the students in his chapter is by far the best.  

Third, he thought, “The men of this place might kill me on account of Rebekah”

In order to live a fruitful life in the New Year and beyond, we need to discipline our thoughts according to what the Bible says. In verses 7-11 we see Isaac repeating the mistake his father Abraham made, that is, he told a lie to local people about his wife Rebekah. Like Sarah, his mother, Rebekah was beautiful. So he thought that on account of her, people in the land of Abimelech might kill him. So he introduced her to the local people as his sister. Because of this sin, he almost lost his wife. 

Why did he commit such a grave sin? Why did such a man of faith end up committing such a shameful sin even after having received so much training under his father Abraham? Verses 7-11, especially the expressions, “He thought,” and, “I thought,” answers the question. “He thought, ‘The men of this place might kill me on account of Rebekah, because she is beautiful.’” “Because I thought I might lose my life on account of her.” Here the word “thought” indicates that he did not have the “things of God” in his mind but the “things of men” in his mind. “Things of men” include the things of the people in the land of Abimelech, the things of Isaac himself, the things of his wife. Factually, what he thought might have a grain of truth to it. But his thought was NOT God’s thought. In the previous passage, the Lord God expressed His thoughts, that is, to protect Isaac and his family. The Lord God made it clear that just as the Lord had protected and blessed Abraham and Sarah, so also the Lord would protect and provide for Isaac and his family. But Isaac conveniently forgot the promise.  

One person I know is 57 years old. But his stomach is kind of strong so he has no problem in digesting food even if he eats five meals a day.  But, you know, no one’s stomach is disease-free. The other day he felt a dull pain in the left hand side of his abdomen. Then he remembered a story his wife shared with him about a month ago. The story was about a hairstylist. His wife used to frequent a hair salon and get a perm. The hairstylist is a 52 years old lady. She used to be kind, positive, talkative, and bright all the time. But about a month ago she had a dull stomach pain. She went to a doctor. The doctor examined her and said, “You’ve got stomach cancer. It is in its final stage. It is of no use for you to go through an operation.” The memory of the story he heard from his wife flashed in his mind. [At that time he was writing a Sunday message.] Then he thought, “Look. Finally you’ve got stomach cancer. Stop doing what you are doing; let someone else deliver the Sunday message, but you go and see a doctor right now.” But he shook off the idea and kept writing the message. Then, the next Monday the pain disappeared. This episode is a small example of the way any human being thinks incorrectly.

From a Biblical standpoint the problem of “incorrect thinking” is as serious a problem as a pilot seated in the cockpit thinking incorrectly in regard to the destination he is heading. Suppose you are a passenger of United Airlines flying from LAX to Chicago O’Hare. You, a passenger, rely on the pilot to think correctly. If the pilot however is drugged up with drugs like cocaine, and misreads the signals, and starts landing on the surface of the Pacific Ocean thinking that he is landing at the O’Hare airport, what will happen to you?  But as we read the Bible we learn that it was the first man Adam thinking incorrectly about God the Father, especially his love for men, that his boat sank. 

Thinking biblically is a lot more difficult than one might think. One of the reasons for it being so difficult is because of our fallen nature. Since the fall of the first man Adam we came to think incorrectly about God, the world, people, events, and everything else. Once upon a time when I was rummaging through a bookstore, I came across a book entitled “The Dictionary of Misinformation” [by Tom Burnam]. I liked the title, so I now own the book. In reading this book it occurred to me that after man is born as innocent and ignorant as he is, sooner or later thoughts are sown inside of a man, and virtually all thoughts that are planted in him are inconsistent with what the Bible teaches that a fallen man can be described as a WDOM (Walking Dictionary of Misinformation). This is not a new discovery, for about 2000 years ago Jesus said, “For from within, out of men’s hearts, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly” (Mark7:21-22). Psalm 10:7 also describes the same truth saying, “His mouth is full of curses and lies and threats; trouble and evil are under his tongue.” 

Incorrect thinking can be far more costly than one might think. In the case of Isaac, his unbiblical thought caused him to almost lose his wife. Ultimately, unbiblical thoughts can cost his salvation. In the final analysis it is this unbiblical thought that one will even forfeit salvation and cause him to fall into eternal condemnation in the fiery lake of burning sulfur. 

What is the remedy for the habit of unbiblical thinking? The answer is simple: we need to discipline ourselves to think biblically. For example, the Bible says that life here in the body is the only period in which we prepare ourselves for the eternity to come. It also teaches us the existence of judgment. It teaches us that it is only through clinging to Jesus Christ that one can be saved from falling into the fiery lake of burning sulfur. The Bible also teaches us that Jesus is going to come back again. If anyone thinks differently on any of these thoughts that person is already in danger of falling into hell, where their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched. (cf. Mark 9:47,48)

For this reason the Apostle Paul says, “Therefore, holy brothers, who share in the heavenly calling, fix your thoughts on Jesus, the apostle and high priest whom we confess.” Similarly, in 2 Co 10:5, the Apostle Paul says, “We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.”

Fourth, Isaac planted crops in that land

Look at verses 12-17. Here we see Isaac planting crops in the land, and the Lord blessed him so much that his neighbors grew jealous. It is like two people going to Las Vegas and playing slot machines, seated right next to each other. One person continually hits the jackpot, but the one next to him gets nothing. Why did God bless Isaac so much, while Abimelech got nothing? Was it because God is such a bigot, discriminating unbelievers from believers? No. God loves all. Then what made the difference? The difference is this: Isaac planted crops, Abimelech did not. 

Let us then consider what Isaac did – planting crops. For our own purpose, what Isaac did does not mean that we all should go out and become farmers. God’s word is “God-breathed,” so it has not just physical meanings but spiritual meanings. What are the spiritual meanings? Two words provide an answer: plant and crops. Planting is planting a garden, a perfect paradise, as in Genesis 2:8 where it reads, “the Lord God had planted a garden in the east.” Crops refers to sowing seed (i.e., the word of God) as was suggested in Jesus’ parable of a sower. Overall, planting crops in the land of famine refers to planting the kingdom of God in a man’s heart where spiritual famine is raging. 

It has been said, “A man with a ten year plan plants a tree, but a man with a hundred year plan invests his life in building a man of God.” But when you think about it, because God’s kingdom is eternal, a man with an eternal plan works to plant the eternal kingdom of God in a man. However, it is not easy for one to plant God’s kingdom in a man. Yet what Isaac did inspires us how. In times of famine everyone shrugs their shoulders and says, “Look! We do not know when the drought will be finished. For now there is nothing we can do now.” But a man of faith sees differently. He sees God who is living. He seeks God working hard to save souls. Then by faith he works in a man. He diligently plants God’s word in a man expecting that the Lord God would send showers of blessing, especially the anointing of the Holy Spirit. 

What Mother Barry and Dr. Samuel Lee did during the early 1960’s in Korea serves as a powerful example. At that time the heart soil of the Korean college students was like the land of famine. They suffered from a long famine of hearing the words of God. Right after the Korean War, the political and economic condition of Korea was devastated. College students ditched school, came out to the streets, and demonstrated against the government. The government responded with guns and tanks, killing students to break the barricades. What then was the problem of the students? At first glance it looked as if they were demonstrating against the government because of political or economic reasons. But from a spiritual standpoint it was because inside of them was no kingdom of God. Instead of God’s kingdom, the kingdom of demons was raging. That was why day in and day out they ditched school, went out to the streets and demonstrated against the government. At that time Mother Barry was in the U.S. studying theology at a divinity school. On hearing the news that students were being killed, Mother Barry decided to go back to Korea. Then she met Dr. Samuel Lee. Together with Dr. Samuel Lee, beginning at Chun-Nam University, she invited students first to English studies, then to English Bible studies, and then to Bible studies. Then she and Dr. Samuel Lee hit a golden jackpot. As Dr. Samuel Lee and Mother Barry worked together to invite students and plant God’s words, the work of the Holy Spirit began to work powerfully; soon the number of group Bible studies at Chun-Nam University grew a hundredfold. In this way, within ten years, the pioneering work began to spread even to Seoul.  

From a spiritual standpoint, the hearts of college students are increasingly becoming like the land of famine. Due to the increase in wickedness their souls are famished.  “‘The days are coming,’ declares the Sovereign LORD, ‘when I will send a famine through the land— not a famine of food or a thirst for water, but a famine of hearing the words of the LORD,’” says Amos 8:11. And the days are here and now. And the Lord is calling us to work in the hearts of college students the living word of God. 

Fifth, Isaac reopened the wells that had been dug

Look at verses 18-24. In this passage we see two interesting patterns: one in Isaac’s camp, and two in the Philistines’ camp. Isaac and his servants kept reopening or digging new wells, but the Philistines kept stopping up whatever was opened or quarreling over what was made open. This reminds us of what Christians are trying to do in the land of spiritual famine and what their enemies are trying to do against the work of Christians. 

When Christianity first came to the Land of Morning Calm, that is, Korea, the rulers of Korea severely persecuted missionaries. When the gospel went into the land of Papua New Guinea people found missionaries as edible, so they ate them up live. This kind of conflict however began from the very outset of the gospel being preached to all nations. Remember what Jesus said: salvation comes from the Jews. But when the Lord Jesus came to offer himself as a living sacrifice and thereby open the way of salvation, the true wellspring of life, it was not just Jews but the Gentiles who banded and tried to stop Jesus from doing what he came to do. Didn’t the devil from the outset argue with Jesus, tempting Jesus not to go to the cross? Didn’t even Simon file a violent objection to Jesus saying, “No. You never, never, never do that!”? When early Christians were diligently trying to spread the gospel, wasn’t it a man named Saul who menacingly chased after them to arrest and put them in jail? When Jesus miraculously changed Saul to Paul, and commanded the Apostle Paul to preach the gospel, wasn’t it the Jews who made a vow to kill Paul so Paul would never share the gospel with the Gentiles? 

“Isaac reopened the wells that had been dug in the time of his father Abraham, which the Philistines had stopped up after Abraham died…” Nowadays Missionary Joseph and Maria Sohn are working to pioneer Hebrew University. What they are trying to do is exactly what Isaac did in the Bible passage and what Jesus prayed to do each time he visited Jerusalem. Imagine Jesus walking in the Jerusalem temple court area, teaching the Bible from the early hours of the day. What did the religious leaders try to do? They tried to stop up the wellspring of life which Jesus worked to open. 

After the 2005 European Summer Bible Conference we had a missionary seminar. There a lot of missionaries shared their testimonies with tears. I cannot forget Missionary Joseph Sohn sharing his testimony while shedding tears. And he shed tears, not because of any personal reason, but because of the stubbornness of the sheep who, despite his many efforts and prayers to invite them to Bible studies, still closed their hearts. So he shed tears, just as Jesus did when Jesus visited Jerusalem the last time saying, “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing” (Matthew 23:37).

To this date, we have been praying to pioneer all 561 U.S. College campuses. When we try to open a Bible fellowship where students can come, feed themselves on the living word of God and get their thirsts quenched, we always run into Philistines of our own day who appear, trying to stop what we are trying to do or quarrel with us saying, “This is our territory; go away.” In this hostile environment what should we do? Instead of fighting with those who are carnally minded, we must follow the example of Isaac. What did Isaac do? It is all written in verses 18-24. Mainly, he trusted in the Lord God. He, along with his servants, kept digging wells. Then each time he ran out of strength or was overcome with fear and anxiety, the Lord appeared to him and encouraged him. Then with many thanks he built an altar of thanks to the Lord. Likewise, as we keep doing what we are called to do eventually even those who are hostile will come to us and ask for our prayers.

In conclusion, let us read Psalm 126:5, “Those who sow in tears will reap with songs of joy.” As the Psalmist says in the passage, let us all love one another, join our hands of prayer and work together to pioneer all 561 American college campuses, sowing the seed of the gospel even in tears. 

One word: sowing in tears