Scared Altars and Holy Offerings - Isaac Calls on the Name of the Lord (Genesis 26:24-33)

During the summer months, we're exploring worship, sacrifice, and offerings. On Sundays, at 9:00 a.m. we’ll be looking at the following themes:

The Genesis of Altars and Sacrifices

• The Offerings of Cain and Abel (Genesis 4:1-16) - June 1
• Noah Builds an Altar (Genesis 8:13-22; 9:11-13) - June 8
• Abraham Makes an Offering (Genesis 22:1-14) - June 15
• Isaac Calls on the Name of the Lord (Genesis 26:24-33) - June 22

Jesus and the Temple

• The Boy Jesus in the Temple (Luke 2:41-52) - July 6
• Lord of the Sabbath (Matthew 12:1-8) - July 13
• Cleansing the Temple (John 2:13-25) - July 20
• Jesus Predicts the Temple’s Destruction (Matthew 24:1-14) - July 27

Christians and Sacrifices

• Christians as God’s Temple (1 Corinthians 3:10-23) - August 3
• Our Bodies Belong to God (1 Corinthians 6:12-20) - August 10
• The Two Made One (Ephesians 2:11-22) - August 17
• Sacrifices of Praise (Hebrews 13:9-21) - August 24
• Living Stones in a Spiritual Temple (1 Peter 2:1-12) - August 31

On Sunday, June 22, we looked at Isaac calling on the name of the Lord. (Genesis 26:24-33). The discussion and passage is below. 

Genesis 26:24-33 [New International Version]

That night the Lord appeared to him and said, “I am the God of your father Abraham. Do not be afraid, for I am with you; I will bless you and will increase the number of your descendants for the sake of my servant Abraham.”

Isaac built an altar there and called on the name of the Lord. There he pitched his tent, and there his servants dug a well.

Meanwhile, Abimelek had come to him from Gerar, with Ahuzzath his personal adviser and Phicol the commander of his forces. Isaac asked them, “Why have you come to me, since you were hostile to me and sent me away?”

They answered, “We saw clearly that the Lord was with you; so we said, ‘There ought to be a sworn agreement between us’—between us and you. Let us make a treaty with you that you will do us no harm, just as we did not harm you but always treated you well and sent you away peacefully. And now you are blessed by the Lord.”

Isaac then made a feast for them, and they ate and drank. Early the next morning the men swore an oath to each other. Then Isaac sent them on their way, and they went away peacefully.

That day Isaac’s servants came and told him about the well they had dug. They said, “We’ve found water!” He called it Shibah, and to this day the name of the town has been Beersheba.