We’d love to see you this week at America’s Keswick. Manny Mill is speaking Sunday night through Thursday night, and Pastor Robert Reidy is speaking Monday – Thursday morning. You can also watch live at: www.americaskeswick.org. We’d love to see you. Check out our new website or call 800-453-7942 for more information.
So Dig Another Well…
“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.” Genesis 26:18 (ESV)
I ain’t no fan of it, but at times I realize that it is something that has to be done. It is called “starting over.” I also aggressively struggle with shrugging off wasted effort. My daughter, Karen, and I share in this idea that if you worked real hard at something there SHOULD be positive results. After all, starting over just isn’t in the equation and whoever thought it belonged there needs to sit down with me, over a good cup of Starbucks, and explain this position to me. So I wonder why Isaac didn’t seem to have too much of a problem with starting over with digging wells when those wacky herdsmen of Gerar simply said…”HEY, that water is ours!!”
Take a look at the 26th chapter of Genesis; it sounds a lot like Abraham don’t it? I mean it has the same command to travel somewhere outta your comfort zone and you will receive the blessing. The only difference here is YHVH promises Isaac that the same oath He had with his father, Abraham, He will continue with him, so we have the promise of continuance, which differs from the promise that Abraham had and that was the promise that’s it starts with you. We also see that Isaac and Rebekah have claimed to be brother and sister to the king of Gerar, who just happened to be king when Abraham and Sarah pulled the same stunt. (Hmm, another Freedom Fighter for another time, perhaps) Anyway, it seems that that the apple hasn’t fallen far from the tree. But there’s the matter of the wells…
Abimelech, king of the Philistines, put’s a warning out among his people saying “Whoever touches this man or his wife shall surely be put to death.” Sounds like a good time to dig a well to me and so it was with Isaac because he goes back and begins to dig up the wells (the Philistines filled them in after the death of Abraham) that his father dug before him. Now here’s where I trip up in the story because the king kinda says leave these people alone but I guess it’s different out in grazing fields. So after the first well is dug up (ESEK—strife and contention) there is an argument over it, “The water is ours!” Isaac settles the argument over it by letting the Philistine herdsmen have it.
Then the second well that gets dug up (SITNAH—hostility and accusation) and the same argument occurs, “The water is ours!” Isaac settles that argument the same way, “Ah let’em have it”, exclaims Isaac. DUDE!!! What are you thinking? It’s not like the backhoe has been invented yet. You’re digging wells, it’s back breaking work and you’re just giving away the fruits of your labor to a people that the Bible say’s envy you. So there’s a third well dug up (REHOBOTH—broad place). Then it was off to Beersheba where an altar was built and another well was dug. (SHIBAH— the well of the oath, covenant) The thing to glean from all this is no matter where Isaac dug there was water. They could take the well from him but they couldn’t keep the water from him.
Enter Jesus at Jacob’s well. The well belonged to the Samaritans now and they weren’t friendly with Israel (Jacob’s name after YHVH changed it) anymore. But here’s Jesus with a Samaritan woman contending over water and as it builds up Jesus says, “Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” And there’s the example for all to see…you may lose the well but you can never lose the water. He made a promise, and that promise is put your trust in Him and He will bless and if you stay with it He will bless continually. I got a shovel (rather have a backhoe but they’re expensive). I’m gonna dig a well. Hope you’re with me. Amen? Chris Hughes is a grad of the Colony of Mercy and is a weekly Freedom Fighter blogger
Think About This: “We must be ready to allow ourselves to be interrupted by God. God will be constantly crossing our paths and canceling our plans by sending us people with claims and petitions.”—Dietrich Bonhoeffer
This Week’s Verse to Memorize: He gives power to the weak and strength to the powerless. Even youths will become weak and tired, and young men will fall in exhaustion. But those who trust in the Lord will find new strength. They will soar high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint. Isaiah 40:29-31
Freedom Fighters 