IIT UBF - University Bible Fellowship at IIT

Daily Bread

Isaac's Wells

Date: Mar. 17, 2015

Passage

Genesis 26:16-35  (ESV)

16 And Abimelech said to Isaac, “Go away from us, for you are much mightier than we.”

17 So Isaac departed from there and encamped in the Valley of Gerar and settled there. 18 And Isaac dug again the wells of water that had been dug in the days of Abraham his father, which the Philistines had stopped after the death of Abraham. And he gave them the names that his father had given them. 19 But when Isaac’s servants dug in the valley and found there a well of spring water, 20 the herdsmen of Gerar quarreled with Isaac’s herdsmen, saying, “The water is ours.” So he called the name of the well Esek, because they contended with him. 21 Then they dug another well, and they quarreled over that also, so he called its name Sitnah. 22 And he moved from there and dug another well, and they did not quarrel over it. So he called its name Rehoboth, saying, “For now the LORD has made room for us, and we shall be fruitful in the land.”

23 From there he went up to Beersheba. 24 And the LORD appeared to him the same night and said, “I am the God of Abraham your father. Fear not, for I am with you and will bless you and multiply your offspring for my servant Abraham’s sake.” 25 So he built an altar there and called upon the name of the LORD and pitched his tent there. And there Isaac’s servants dug a well.

26 When Abimelech went to him from Gerar with Ahuzzath his adviser and Phicol the commander of his army, 27 Isaac said to them, “Why have you come to me, seeing that you hate me and have sent me away from you?” 28 They said, “We see plainly that the LORD has been with you. So we said, let there be a sworn pact between us, between you and us, and let us make a covenant with you, 29 that you will do us no harm, just as we have not touched you and have done to you nothing but good and have sent you away in peace. You are now the blessed of the LORD.” 30 So he made them a feast, and they ate and drank. 31 In the morning they rose early and exchanged oaths. And Isaac sent them on their way, and they departed from him in peace. 32 That same day Isaac’s servants came and told him about the well that they had dug and said to him, “We have found water.” 33 He called it Shibah; therefore the name of the city is Beersheba to this day.

34 When Esau was forty years old, he took Judith the daughter of Beeri the Hittite to be his wife, and Basemath the daughter of Elon the Hittite, 35 and they made life bitter for Isaac and Rebekah.

Daily Bread

Key Verse: 26:24a

And the LORD appeared to him the same night and said, “I am the God of Abraham your father. Fear not, for I am with you and will bless you and multiply your offspring for my servant Abraham’s sake.”

First, Isaac's well-digging faith (17-22). It wasn't easy to live in the land of the Philistines even though it was God's direction. The Philistines became jealous of Isaac's success and asked him to move away. Isaac did not struggle with them; he moved. When he found fresh water, the herdsmen of Gerar quarreled with Isaac's men. But Isaac did not struggle with them; he surrendered the well and then dug a new one. They again quarreled and Isaac moved again. Finally, Isaac dug a third well and no one quarreled over it so he called the well Rehoboth, which means room. God provided room for Isaac and his household to flourish in the land. Isaac teaches us not to struggle with men but rather depend on God.

Second, the Lord appears to Isaac (23-35). God had blessed Isaac's well-digging faith. But God knew that Isaac was afraid living in the land so he appeared to him and revealed himself as "the God of your father Abraham." He promised to be with Isaac and bless his descendants for the sake of Abraham. God confirmed and rewarded Isaac's faith. Then Abimelek came to make a treaty with him. Faith in God is the secret of victory and peace.

Prayer: Lord, help me to overcome fear and obey you; help me to have well-digging faith.

One Word: Stay in this land for a while

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