Isaac has been living and planting crops in Gerar while there's a famine in his hometown. The Philistines of Gerar kept harassing him due to envy over his success, so the king ordered him to move out into the valley and away from the center of Gerar. Now even in the valley Isaac is vexed by herdsmen.
"Isaac's servants dug a well in the valley and discovered a well of fresh water there. But the herders of Gerar quarreled with those of Isaac and said, 'The water is ours!' So he named the well Esek, because they disputed with him." (Genesis 26:19-20) Wells were dug by hand in those days and it was backbreaking work. Imagine doing all this work and finding water and then having someone come along to tell you that you can't use it. Evidently Isaac let the herders have it, for he named the well a name that means "dispute".
"Then they dug another well, but they quarreled over that one also; so he named it Sitnah." (Genesis 26:21) The name for this well means "opposition". It appears as if Isaac had to abandon this well also.
Isaac moves even further out into the valley. "He moved on from there and dug another well, and no one quarreled over it. He named it Rehoboth, saying, 'Now the Lord has given us room and we will flourish in the land.'" (Genesis 26:22) The name of this well means "room". But the Lord is leading Isaac further and further away from Gerar and the Philistines for a reason. It could be that He never wanted Isaac to go there in the first place. Or it could be that He doesn't want him associating too closely with the Philistines. The hardships Isaac endured in Gerar slowly led him back to Beersheba.
"From there he went up to Beersheba. That night the Lord appeared to him and said, 'I am the God of your father Abraham. Do not be afraid, for I am with you; I will bless you and will increase the number of your descendants for the sake of My servant Abraham.'" (Genesis 26:23-24) Isaac may be feeling discouraged right now. He needs the Lord to remind him of the promise He made to his father.
There is such a thing as a generational blessing and we see it at work in verses 23 and 24. Isaac is benefiting from his father's faith and from his father's prayers even though Abraham is already dead and buried. You may not live to see all the prayers answered that you've prayed for your children and grandchildren and great-grandchildren, but those prayers will still pay off even after you're gone. My mother and my grandmothers prayed many prayers for me, and they've all been gone from this life and in the presence of the Lord for a long time now, but their prayers are still benefiting me. I still feel covered by them. Their prayers are like a warm, comforting blanket over me.
Because the Lord spoke to him at Beersheba, Isaac commemorates the occasion by placing an altar there. "Isaac built an altar there and called on the name of the Lord. There he pitched his tent, and there his servants dug a well." (Genesis 26:25) Setting up his tent and digging a well indicates that he intends to dwell here where the Lord spoke to him. Are there places that are special to you because the Lord spoke to you there? You may not have built a literal altar to commemorate the occasion but in your mind that spot is holy ground, isn't it? There's a place on the floor beside my bed that's holy ground because the Lord has met with me there in prayer. I received the Lord Jesus as my Savior while kneeling in the floor in a house in Virginia that no longer exists, but I think if I went to that empty ground I could pretty much point out the spot where the Lord met with me because that spot is holy ground.
"Meanwhile, Abimelek had come to him from Gerar, with Azzuhath his personal adviser and Philcol the commander of his forces. Isaac asked them, 'Why have you come to me, since you were hostile to me and sent me away?'" (Genesis 26:26-27) He says, "I thought you wanted me out of your sight. You allowed your citizens to harass me so much that I finally had to move away. I thought you wanted nothing to do with me, so why have you followed me to Beersheba?"
The Philistines have noticed that the Lord is with Isaac wherever he goes. The more they pestered him, the more the Lord blessed him. This has caused a reverent fear to enter their hearts. They don't want to get on the bad side of Isaac's God, so they decide to come and make peace with him in hopes of placating any wrath the Lord may feel toward them for Isaac's sake. "They answered, 'We saw clearly that the Lord was with you, so we said, 'There ought to be a sworn agreement between us'---between us and you. Let us make a treaty with you that you will do us no harm, just as we did not harm you but always treated you well and sent you away peacefully. And now you are blessed by the Lord." (Genesis 26:28-29) Abimelek is trying to rewrite history in his little speech. Although he did not personally bully Isaac, he didn't stop anyone else from doing so. He merely made a decree that no one was to "harm" Isaac and Rebekah, meaning no one was allowed to physically accost them in any way. And his people didn't lay hands on them, but they did make living anywhere in Gerar terribly unpleasant for them. Now Abimelek regrets not doing more to make Isaac feel welcome. He's personally and politically afraid of the God who keeps blessing Isaac. He wants to smooth things over so that no harm comes to him or to his kingdom.
I'm reminded of what King Solomon said in Proverbs 16:7, "When a man's ways please the Lord, even his enemies will be at peace with him." Isaac isn't perfect and he sometimes makes mistakes, but he does believe in and serve the Lord. Because of this, those who have made themselves his enemies come crawling to him, (in a sense), begging him to be their friend. Even unbelievers can recognize blessings. Even unbelievers can tell that God's merciful and protective hand is upon us. They may not decide to serve the Lord themselves, but they may become filled with a reverent fear that tells them not to get on His bad side by persecuting us, and many times in life we find those who don't really like us wanting to be at peace with us. They may never come to actually care for us personally, but they will be courteous to us out of fear of the living God.
Isaac doesn't point out the problems with Abimelek's assertion that he and his people have done Isaac no harm. Instead he decides to let bygones be bygones. Many centuries before the birth of Christ, he "does what Jesus would do" and breaks bread with these men and shows them friendship and forgiveness and mercy. "Isaac then made a feast for them, and they ate and drank. Early the next morning the men swore an oath to each other. Then Isaac sent them on their way, and they went away peacefully." (Genesis 26:30-31) He feeds them a fine meal, provides lodging for the night, and sees them safely on their way the next morning, likely providing them with food and water for their journey home.
The Lord is pleased with how Isaac handled the matter and He blesses him by providing another well of fresh water. "That day Isaac's servants came and told him about the well they had dug. They said, 'We've found water!' He called it Shibah, and to this day the name of the town has been Beersheba." (Genesis 26:32-33) This name means "oath". This name marks the occasion when Isaac could breathe a sigh of relief knowing that the Philistines won't keep filling up his wells. He can enjoy this water knowing no one is going to take it from him.
The Lord has given us living water that no one can ever take from us. (John 4:10, John 7:38) He refreshes us when we need it. Isaac was in need of refreshment in today's passage and the Lord provided it, both spiritually and physically. When we are feeling down and discouraged, or when we are feeling at odds with the world around us, we just need to go to the Lord for the drink of living water that refreshes our souls.
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