Genesis 26:12 When Isaac planted his crops that year, he harvested a hundred times more grain than he planted, for the Lord blessed him. 13 He became a very rich man, and his wealth continued to grow. 14 He acquired so many flocks of sheep and goats, herds of cattle, and servants that the Philistines became jealous of him. 15 So the Philistines filled up all of Isaac’s wells with dirt. These were the wells that had been dug by the servants of his father, Abraham.
16 Finally, Abimelech ordered Isaac to leave the country. “Go somewhere else,” he said, “for you have become too powerful for us.”
17 So Isaac moved away to the Gerar Valley, where he set up their tents and settled down. 18 He reopened the wells his father had dug, which the Philistines had filled in after Abraham’s death. Isaac also restored the names Abraham had given them.
19 Isaac’s servants also dug in the Gerar Valley and discovered a well of fresh water. 20 But then the shepherds from Gerar came and claimed the spring. “This is our water,” they said, and they argued over it with Isaac’s herdsmen. So Isaac named the well Esek (which means “argument”). 21 Isaac’s men then dug another well, but again there was a dispute over it. So Isaac named it Sitnah (which means “hostility”). 22 Abandoning that one, Isaac moved on and dug another well. This time there was no dispute over it, so Isaac named the place Rehoboth (which means “open space”), for he said, “At last the Lord has created enough space for us to prosper in this land.”
Water! One of the most precious commodities in all the earth. When water is sufficient, life is sustained. When water fails, crops, animals, and people wither and die. These verses prove that disputes over water rights are as old as the human race. Isaac is living near the Philistines, and God is blessing him abundantly, so abundantly that the Philistines are both frightened and jealous. To make matters even worse, Isaac’s servants appear to be geniuses when it comes to finding springs of water while digging wells. These water sources have been sitting there all the time, and the Philistines themselves could have discovered them for themselves. Now after Isaac’s servants have done all the grunt work of digging the wells, the Philistines come along to claim them. Isaac is in a precarious position, for the land he is on belongs to the Philistines; therefore, all he can do is to abandon the wells, letting the Philistines have them. Isaac memorializes the first two wells by naming them “Sitnah,” for “hostility,” and “Esek,” meaning “argument.” Finally, Isaac’s men dig another well and this time the Philistines don’t cause problems, so Isaac names the well “Rehoboth,” meaning “open space.”
Why don’t the Philistines trouble Isaac over the third well? Perhaps the Philistine shepherds now have enough water or perhaps God honors Isaac’s willingness to give up the first two wells without an argument by giving him a third well. Perhaps God allows a tiny bit of His glory to be revealed so that the Philistines realize Isaac is under the protection of a mighty deity. The “fear of God” is not an abstract concept but a real entity, and God might have thrown the fear of God into the hearts of the Philistines. Ancient peoples might have been more sensitive to the supernatural than we are in this age.
23 From there Isaac moved to Beersheba, 24 where the Lord appeared to him on the night of his arrival. “I am the God of your father, Abraham,” he said. “Do not be afraid, for I am with you and will bless you. I will multiply your descendants, and they will become a great nation. I will do this because of my promise to Abraham, my servant.” 25 Then Isaac built an altar there and worshiped the Lord. He set up his camp at that place, and his servants dug another well.
Beersheba is the site of one of Abraham’s wells which the Philistines might have filled in with dirt. Why anybody would fill in a well in a water-starved land boggles the imagination; however, when people want to be vicious, they are willing to go to all kinds of ridiculous lengths. Notice that God appears to Isaac as soon as he arrives at Beersheba, and Isaac’s response is to build an altar, set up camp, and then dig another well.
26:26 One day King Abimelech came from Gerar with his adviser, Ahuzzath, and also Phicol, his army commander. 27 “Why have you come here?” Isaac asked. “You obviously hate me, since you kicked me off your land.”
28 They replied, “We can plainly see that the Lord is with you. So we want to enter into a sworn treaty with you. Let’s make a covenant. 29 Swear that you will not harm us, just as we have never troubled you. We have always treated you well, and we sent you away from us in peace. And now look how the Lord has blessed you!”
30 So Isaac prepared a covenant feast to celebrate the treaty, and they ate and drank together. 31 Early the next morning, they each took a solemn oath not to interfere with each other. Then Isaac sent them home again, and they left him in peace.
Hmm. OK, so King Abimelech of the Philistines has driven Isaac off his land, presumably at the spear points of his soldiers. Abimelech’s men have previously filled in wells dug by Isaac’s father and have fought over most of the new wells Isaac has dug. Now suddenly Abimelech gets the bright idea to make a covenant with Isaac. At this point, Isaac might be wondering if Abimelech has a hidden agenda with his army hiding somewhere, ready to pounce on Isaac’s camp. But no, Abimelech truly wants peace with Isaac. What’s the key here? Proverbs 16:5-7 tells us, “The Lord detests the proud; they will surely be punished. 6 Unfailing love and faithfulness make atonement for sin. By fearing the Lord, people avoid evil. 7 When people’s lives please the Lord, even their enemies are at peace with them.”
While Isaac might be a very impressive guy, he’s still a stranger; Abimelech could attack Isaac slaughtering his servants and seizing Isaac’s possessions, including grain, flocks, and herds, plus wells. But Isaac is under God’s protection, and Abimelech recognizes that fact. Abimelech might be a pagan worshiping Dagon, but Abimelech is no dummy and realizes that some great God must be protecting Isaac. Abimelech doesn’t want to get crosswise of a God who can bless so abundantly.
The word “peace” appears 429 times in the King James Version of the Bible, with 230 occurrences in the Old Testament and 199 in the New Testament. God is a God of peace and one of His names in Hebrew is Jehovah Shalom, the God of Peace. In this story, God moves men who were previously rejecting Isaac to make peace with him for their own sakes. Notice that all Isaac does is to graciously give up two wells without arguing over them. If we fail to appreciate just what a great sacrifice this is, we have never struggled to provide water for our livestock or our families. Giving up those wells means Abraham must trust God to give him more water sources somewhere else. Simply giving up those two wells represents a major sacrifice. If Abraham cannot find any more water, his wealth will mean nothing.
God uses these disputes to move Isaac back to Beersheba, a spiritually safe place. We know nothing of the circumstances of the countryside of the first two wells; however, it’s important to realize that there are no spiritually neutral places on earth. Perhaps God is protecting Abraham by moving the Philistines to demand those wells. If this is the case, then God is not only giving Abraham peace with his enemies but also providing spiritual protection and peace, even in the midst of this conflict.
Perhaps you feel that you are in a position similar to that of Abraham’s. You have done the best things possible and yet, others have driven you away. Then when you have discovered new resources, the very people who first drove you away show up to claim those new resources as well. You feel used and abused, frustrated and depressed. But don’t give up. God has many Beershebas, and He can provide new and peaceful resources for you. And God can give you peace with your enemies.
PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and caring for us. Lord, we praise You for Your provision and Your watch care. Thank You for providing the things we need even before we realize we need them. Help us to trust You forever. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.
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