Isaac begins his new vocation by digging up his father’s old wells, a good place to start. Always start with the familiar. Gen. 26:17-18 says, “And Isaac departed from there and pitched his tent in the valley of Gerar and dwelt there. And Isaac digged again the wells of water, which they had digged in the days of Abraham, his father; for the Philistines had stopped them after the death of Abraham: and he called their names by which his father had called them.” Isaac began to dig up his father’s wells which the Philistines had stopped up. Arabs believe, ‘Destruction Shows Possession!’ (Go Figure!) Question, has God dragged you off my friend? Are you discouraged, distressed, down in the dumps? Have you lost all hope? Then maybe, just maybe, you need to roll up your sleeves and do something for God, like dig a new well or an old one to refresh yourself and others. Maybe that’s what Yeshua/Jesus meant when He said, “Occupy till I come!” Luke 19:13. The word in Greek is (pragma) where we get pragmatic from, or practical. In other words, do something practical, don’t just occupy space or a pew in church.

The ‘Interpreters Bible Commentary’ says, “Isaac turned back to what were proven wells.” He could have looked for a new oases, but why bother? Solomon said, “There is nothing new under the sun.” We are heirs of our ancestors whether we like it or not. I see pictures of my father and sometimes it’s scary. We are ancestors in culture, customs, character, features, knowledge, nature and experience. In fact those lessons of life teach us about man, God, duty, prayer, worship, sacrifice, etc. In fact I am amazed at 67 just how much my parents did teach me about life. But many times the only thing we learn from life, is that we don’t learn anything from life and we have to keep repeating our mistakes. Benjamin Franklin once said, “Experience is the best teacher, but fools learn from no other method.”

Isaac was dragged out of Gerar and cast out into the desert and he needed water, and a lot of it, and he needed it right away! So his servants dug a well in the valley v.19 and found a, “well of springing water.” (Beer-Chay-Mayim) fresh, flowing, running water, an artesian well. However, there was contention with the Philistines, and they said it was theirs, so he named it ‘Esek‘ contention and moved on. Then they dug another well and this time there was strife and fighting over it, so they named it ‘Sitnah‘ strife and moved on again. What problems are facing you today? Are there contentions and strife in your life? Have you lost your spiritual joy? Maybe, just maybe you need to put those old Philistines behind you and move on. Let them have that old well, it may not be worth the fight, but sometimes it is. So, weigh the odds, count the cost, and make your choice, but choose wisely and always on the LORD’s side. God has a place of rest and enlargement just for you, Jabez!

In v.22 Isaac left Sitnah and dug another well and for that one the Philistines strove not and he named it ‘Rehoboth‘ and said, “For now the LORD has made room for us, and we shall be fruitful in the land.” The common interpretation for ‘Rehoboth‘ is “wide places or streets.’ However, when you look at the root in ‘Paleo-Hebrew,’ the Hebrew prior to the Babylonian captivity, the (Resh-is a head; the Chet-is a fence or inner-room; and the Beth-is a tent or house). So, you have the ‘Head person of the private, inner-room, of the house or family.’ Or, the ‘Head, offering security to the family.’ Rehoboth is more beautiful and picturesque in ancient Hebrew than just a wide place and I believe that is what Isaac is offering his family. Finally he is far enough away from the Philistines to obtain peace from without, but not peace from within! Peace from his enemies, yes! But not from himself, nor from his God! You see there is peace with God, Romans 5:1; there is peace from God, Romans 1:7; and there is the peace of God, Phil. 4:7; and one day there will be, peace on earth, Luke 2:14. Do you possess the first four?

So, Isaac’s unrest causes him to move again, or is it the Spirit of God moving him, v.23? “And he went up from there to Beer-sheba.” He went home, to the place where he grew up, Gen. 21 and 22. Where his father, dug a well, built an altar, planted a grove, and called on ‘El-Olam’, “The Everlasting God.” That night the LORD appears to Isaac and speaks to him v.24 and makes a covenant promise to bless him and his seed for Abraham His friend’s sake. Do you get the impression that God was leading him along the whole time to get him to the place where God could bless him and use him for His glory? Beer-La-Hai-Roi, Gerar, Ezek, Sitnah, Rehoboth, Beer-Shebah! God had a plan for Isaac as He does for everyone of us if we will just trust Him and obey His word. (How does that old hymn go, “Trust and obey, for there’s no other way, to be happy…”

Six things happen in Gen. 26:24-25 and it is important to note their sequence: ONE – v.24, Isaac had a personal encounter with the LORD! Have you? Before you can know God’s will and direction you must know, ‘YADA’ God. Ps. 46:10. (That’s, spiritual intimacy) To do this, you must be willing to spend time in prayer, alone with Him, seeking His divine direction and intervention. Isaac was in the habit of communing with the LORD, Gen. 22; and meditating on the LORD, Gen. 24; and entreating for the LORD, Gen. 25. Are you in the habit of doing those three things on a regular basis? Remember, ‘A person’s prayer life should encompass much more than a person’s prayer list.” Prayer is a two-way street: TWO – v.24, God promises Isaac divine assurance and divine blessings; “I am with thee, I will bless thee, and I will multiply thy seed.” A three-fold blessing, assurance, blessing and multiplication.

Then Isaac does four things as a result of this encounter, note them in v.25: First – He builds an altar for family and corporate worship. He worships his Creator, Jehovah-Elohim. Second – He calls upon the name of the LORD in prayer, he asks for protection and provision. Third – He pitches his tent and establishes his homestead, he settles in for a long winters night, about 80 years. Fourth – He digs a well to provide his family refreshment and remuneration, and he takes possession of his area. Where are you today? On the back-side of some desert? Has God dragged you out from among the Philistines? Is there contention and strife among your peers? Do you have more to bear than you can bear? Then you need to build an altar; You need to call on the LORD; You need to pitch your tent; You need to dig a well. But first you may need a Bible, a blanket, a canteen and a cabin and Psalm 46:10, “Be still and know (yada) God.” The “I am” is in italics which means it’s not in the Hebrew text, so can you do that? Just be still and ‘yada‘ God, have spiritual intimacy with Him, some one on one time with God, it’s not as easy as you think. Adam had ‘yada‘ with Eve in Gen. 4:1 and she gave birth, God is looking for that same kind of intimacy but on a spiritual level, Hos. 6:3. Isaac found it but he had to come full circle and so do we, Rev. 2:4, “We have left, not lost, LEFT our first love!” We have stepped out of the circle and the ‘Head is waiting in the Inner-Room of our Tent’ our, Rehoboth, with open arms, wooing; “And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst Come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.” The God of heaven and earth wants to know, is there room in the Bethlehem of your heart today for the Son of God to be born afresh? “He who testifieth these things saith, “Surely I come quickly.” Amen. Even so come Lord Jesus.”       “Between The Lines”

“Portraits of Prayer in Genesis” ‘Isaac The Welldigger-2’