Genesis 26:13 Daily Devotional & Meaning – Isaac Becomes Very Great Through the Lord’s Blessing
- Benjamin Michael Mcgreevy
- Jun 12
- 8 min read
Daily Verses Everyday! Day 129
“And the man waxed great, and went forward, and grew until he became very great:”
This verse is describing the visible increase of Isaac’s life after the Lord blessed him. The previous verse already told us that Isaac sowed in the land and received “an hundredfold,” and then it explained the reason: “and the Lord blessed him” (Genesis 26:12). Now verse 13 shows what that blessing produced over time. Isaac did not merely have one good harvest. He continued increasing. He “waxed great,” then “went forward,” and then “grew until he became very great.”
But to really feel the weight of this verse, we need to remember who Isaac already was before this moment.
Isaac was not starting from nothing. He was Abraham’s covenant son and heir. Abraham had been a very great man. Genesis 13:2 says, “And Abram was very rich in cattle, in silver, and in gold.” Abraham had flocks, herds, servants, silver, gold, and great possessions. He was not only spiritually significant; he was also materially prosperous. By the time Abraham’s servant went to find a wife for Isaac, the servant could say, “The Lord hath blessed my master greatly; and he is become great” (Genesis 24:35). Abraham had become great because the Lord had blessed him.
Then Genesis 24:36 says, “And Sarah my master's wife bare a son to my master when she was old: and unto him hath he given all that he hath.” That means Isaac inherited all of Abraham’s goods. Abraham’s wealth, possessions, servants, livestock, and covenant household passed to Isaac. Genesis 25:5 says the same thing plainly: “And Abraham gave all that he had unto Isaac.”
So when Genesis 26:13 says Isaac became “very great,” we should not imagine that Isaac was a poor man who merely became comfortable. He had already inherited the estate of Abraham, and Abraham was already described as great and very rich. Isaac began with the inheritance of a blessed man. He already possessed the wealth of his father. He already stood in the covenant line. He already had Abraham’s goods.
Therefore, when the text says Isaac “waxed great” and then “became very great,” it is describing an extraordinary level of blessing. Isaac was already the heir of Abraham’s wealth, and then God increased him even more. He did not merely become great in comparison to ordinary men. He became very great even after receiving all that Abraham had. In other words, if Abraham was great, and Isaac inherited Abraham’s greatness, then Isaac becoming “very great” means the blessing had multiplied beyond what was already enormous.
That is why the wording is so strong. The verse does not simply say, “Isaac prospered.” It piles up the language of increase: he “waxed great,” “went forward,” and “grew” until he became “very great.” The picture is of steady, unmistakable expansion. Isaac’s life was moving forward under the hand of God. The blessing was not stagnant. It was growing. It was increasing. It was becoming impossible for the people around him to ignore.
This directly connects to the promise God had just given him. In Genesis 26:3, the Lord said, “I will be with thee, and will bless thee.” In Genesis 26:4, God promised to multiply Isaac’s seed and give the land to his descendants. Now, in Genesis 26:13, we see the visible evidence that God’s word was true. The Lord said He would bless Isaac, and Isaac became very great.
But this greatness must be understood correctly. Isaac’s greatness did not come because Isaac was flawless. The chapter has already shown his weakness. He lied about Rebekah and said, “She is my sister” because he feared for his life (Genesis 26:7). He was rebuked by Abimelech because his deception could have brought guilt upon the people of Gerar (Genesis 26:10). Isaac was blessed, but he was not perfect.
That matters because the greatness of Isaac is ultimately a testimony to the grace and faithfulness of God. Isaac’s life is not saying, “Look how impressive Isaac is.” It is saying, “Look how faithful the Lord is to His covenant promise.” God had sworn an oath to Abraham. God had promised to continue the covenant through Isaac. God had said He would be with him and bless him. And even after Isaac’s fearful failure, the Lord continued to keep His word.
This is one of the great comforts of the passage. God’s blessing is not built on Isaac’s perfection. It is built on God’s covenant faithfulness. Isaac is corrected, exposed, and humbled, but he is not abandoned. God still blesses him. God still increases him. God still carries forward what He promised to Abraham.
At the same time, Isaac’s increase came in the place where God told him to stay. That is important. God told him not to go down into Egypt. He told him to sojourn in the land. Isaac dwelt in Gerar, sowed in that land, and there the Lord blessed him. The place that looked risky became the place of increase. The land of famine became the land of harvest. The place where Isaac feared death became the place where Isaac became very great.
This teaches us that the blessing of God is greater than the appearance of our circumstances. Isaac did not need Egypt in order to become great. He needed the Lord. He did not need to run to the place that looked most secure. He needed to obey the God who promised to be with him. When God’s blessing rests on a man, famine cannot finally prevent fruitfulness. Foreign land cannot cancel promise. Human fear cannot overthrow divine faithfulness.
There is also a beautiful progression in the verse. Isaac “waxed great” means he became great. He “went forward” means he continued advancing. He “grew” means the increase kept unfolding. Then the verse reaches its height: “until he became very great.” This is not a sudden flash of success that disappears. It is growth upon growth, increase upon increase, blessing upon blessing.
That progression can also teach us something about how God often works. Sometimes the blessing of God unfolds gradually. Isaac sowed, received a hundredfold, and then continued to increase. One harvest led into a larger season of prosperity. God’s work in a life may begin with one visible mercy, but then He continues building, deepening, increasing, and expanding according to His will.
For believers today, this does not mean every Christian will become materially wealthy like Isaac. Isaac’s prosperity was tied to his unique place in the Abrahamic covenant and God’s specific promise to bless him in the land. We should not turn this verse into a guarantee that every believer will become rich. Many faithful believers in Scripture suffered poverty, persecution, and loss. The apostles themselves often had little in earthly terms.
But the verse does teach that God is able to bless His people beyond what circumstances seem to allow. It teaches that obedience is never wasted. It teaches that God can bring fruit in famine. It teaches that His promises are stronger than the conditions around us. It teaches that when the Lord determines to bless, no dry field can stop Him.
Isaac’s greatness also points back to Abraham and forward to the rest of Scripture. God told Abraham in Genesis 12:2, “I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great.” Abraham became great because God made him great. Now Isaac becomes very great because the same covenant blessing is continuing. Later, Jacob will inherit the promise. Then Israel will grow from one family into a nation. Ultimately, from that line will come Jesus Christ, the true Seed of Abraham, through whom all nations of the earth are blessed.
So Isaac’s greatness is not merely personal prosperity. It is covenant confirmation. God is showing that the promise given to Abraham is alive in Isaac. Abraham was blessed. Isaac is blessed. The line is continuing. The oath has not failed. The promise is moving forward.
Yet there is another side to this greatness. The next verse will show that Isaac’s prosperity causes envy among the Philistines. Genesis 26:14 says, “And the Philistines envied him.” That means blessing can attract opposition. The more visible Isaac’s increase became, the more others resented him. This is important because sometimes we imagine that if God blesses us, life will become easier. But Isaac’s blessing created new conflict.
Greatness can bring responsibility, visibility, and opposition. God’s blessing does not always make people celebrate with us. Sometimes it exposes jealousy in others. Isaac became very great, and the Philistines envied him. The blessing was real, but so was the conflict that followed.
This reminds us to handle blessing with humility. Isaac’s greatness came from the Lord. He could not boast as though he had created it by himself. He inherited Abraham’s goods, sowed in the land, received a hundredfold, and increased because “the Lord blessed him.” Everything about Isaac’s greatness points back to God’s generosity. If he became very great, it was because God made him so.
That is true of every blessing we receive. Whatever increase, opportunity, fruitfulness, or influence God gives us should lead us to worship, not pride. First Corinthians 4:7 asks, “What hast thou that thou didst not receive?” Isaac had received everything: the covenant, the inheritance, the protection, the harvest, and the increase. His greatness was received greatness.
There is also an encouragement here for anyone who feels like the place of obedience looks too small, dry, or limited. Isaac became very great in Gerar, not Egypt. He became very great in the land of famine, not in the place that seemed naturally secure. God can bless in unexpected places. God can make obedience fruitful in soil that looks barren. God can increase what seems unlikely.
The key phrase behind the whole passage remains Genesis 26:12: “and the Lord blessed him.” That is the explanation of Isaac’s greatness. Abraham was great because God blessed him. Isaac inherited all Abraham had, and then became very great because God blessed him also. The blessing did not stop with one generation. The covenant mercy of God continued.
In a deeper way, Isaac’s greatness points beyond himself to Christ. Isaac became very great as the covenant son of Abraham, but Jesus is the greater Son of Abraham. Isaac received Abraham’s goods, but Christ inherits all things. Isaac became very great among the Philistines, but Christ is exalted above every name. Isaac’s prosperity caused envy, but Christ’s glory brings salvation to the nations. Isaac’s greatness was temporary and earthly; Christ’s greatness is eternal and universal.
Hebrews 1:2 says God has appointed His Son “heir of all things.” Philippians 2:9 says God has “highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name.” So when we see Isaac’s covenant blessing increasing, we are reminded that the promise is moving toward the One in whom all the promises of God are fulfilled.
Genesis 26:13 therefore shows us a man blessed beyond what he already inherited. Abraham was great. Isaac received all Abraham’s goods. Then Isaac himself increased until he became very great. This is not ordinary success. This is covenant blessing overflowing. It is God confirming His promise, preserving His line, and showing that His word to Abraham was still alive.
The famine could not stop it. Gerar could not stop it. Isaac’s fear could not stop it. The Philistines’ envy would not stop it. God had said, “I will be with thee, and will bless thee,” and now the text shows the result: Isaac waxed great, went forward, and grew until he became very great.
If you would like to explore Genesis in a sustained, verse-by-verse way with space to reflect, journal, and trace how these foundational truths unfold through Scripture the Verse by Verse book expands these reflections into a unified reading experience. The book gathers these meditations into a structured journey through Genesis, designed to help readers linger in the text and engage God’s Word more deeply over time.
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