Abimelech left Gerar and traveled to Beer-sheba to visit Jacob. He brought with him a friend and the captain of the army.
"It is important to note that people who were hostile to you will not try to make peace with you until you get your healing. They know all you would do is try to kill them if they came to you before you got your healing. You are waiting on your enemies to show up so that you may get your just due. But they are watching you, knowing that they are not coming anywhere until they see that your behavior has changed and your temper has subsided. "
The bottom line is to work on yourself and when you are right, your enemies will come. It is part of the process of restoration and order. The Lord did not ask us to bring order to our life. He asked us to do the right thing and He will bring order to our life . Isaac's enemies did not come back to him because Isaac appealed to them, but they came to make peace because Isaac did what was right before the eyes of the Lord and the Lord bought his enemies to him.
At Beer-sheba, Isaac's enemies are standing before him. Before negotiations, he had to deal with the issue of rejection. Their response is interesting. Abimelech said, "We saw certainly that the Lord was with thee." (Genesis 26:28). In other words, when we took a close look at you we saw God directing your life. This settled an important matter with Isaac. When folk reject us, it is a great put down. It never dawns on us the problem is them. The scar and blight is not in me but it is in them. Isaac can now shake the last bit of doubt off his own self-image.
He now realized that what made them reject him was not what they saw, but what they felt. When you're around weak people, their weakness will be their driving force and if you are not careful it can become yours. I am sure Jacob was saying to himself Am I glad I got away from them! After you're away from that kind of company for a while you will be able to look back and appreciate God for separating you from destructive factors in your life. However, there is a catch!
There is usually some kindred spirit that is shared by people who keep the same company. Any soul tie, no matter how insignificant, can be a powerful knot. You cannot just blame them for all of the problems and walk away.
Usually the Lord is breaking you to heal you from what you see in them. Thus, your old company becomes a reflection of stuff you were delivered from. Isaac, being content that the rejection he received during his stay in the land of the Philistines was not due to him and that they recognized the change that had come over his life and received their offer for a covenant!
