Genesis 26:17-35 NKJV
17 Then Isaac departed from there and pitched his tent in the Valley of Gerar, and dwelt there. 18 And Isaac dug again the wells of water which they had dug in the days of Abraham his father, for the Philistines had stopped them up after the death of Abraham. He called them by the names which his father had called them.
19 Also Isaac’s servants dug in the valley, and found a well of running water there. 20 But 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 quarreled with him. 21 Then they dug another well, and they quarreled over that one 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, because he said, “For now the Lord has made room for us, and we shall be fruitful in the land.”
23 Then he went up from there to Beersheba. 24 And the Lord appeared to him the same night and said, “I am the God of your father Abraham; do not fear, for I am with you. I will bless you and multiply your descendants for My servant Abraham’s sake.” 25 So he built an altar there and called on the name of the Lord, and he pitched his tent there; and there Isaac’s servants dug a well.
26 Then Abimelech came to him from Gerar with Ahuzzath, one of his friends, and Phichol the commander of his army. 27 And Isaac said to them, “Why have you come to me, since you hate me and have sent me away from you?”
28 But they said, “We have certainly seen that the Lord is with you. So we said, ‘Let there now be an oath between us, between you and us; and let us make a covenant with you, 29 that you will do us no harm, since we have not touched you, and since we have done nothing to you 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 Then they arose early in the morning and swore an oath with one another; and Isaac sent them away, and they departed from him in peace.
32 It came to pass the same day that Isaac’s servants came and told him about the well which they had dug, and said to him, “We have found water.” 33 So he called it Shebah. Therefore the name of the city is Beersheba to this day.
34 When Esau was forty years old, he took as wives Judith the daughter of Beeri the Hittite, and Basemath the daughter of Elon the Hittite. 35 And they were a grief of mind to Isaac and Rebekah.
Isaac moves to the valley of Gerar after Abimelech tells him to leave. Apparently, this was not far enough away because Abimelech’s herdsmen claim the water of that well as theirs. Isaac allows them to have the well and calls the well Esek, which means “Contention,” as a memorial to their behavior. He digs another well, only to have the same thing happen. Again, Isaac allows Abimelech’s herdsmen to have the well and names it Sitnah, which means “Hostility.” He moves further south, digs another well. This well is far enough away from Abimelech’s territory that his herdsmen have no rightful claim to it. Isaac names it Rehoboth, which means “wide places,” as a testimony to the Lord’s blessing of enough room to tend his flocks. At Beersheba, the Lord appears to him, reiterates His promise to be with him, bless him, and multiply his descendants. Trusting God’s promise, he builds and altar, sets up his home, an begins digging another well.
While in Beersheba, Abimelech visits Isaac, bringing his friend and his military commander with him. Though the Philistines had driven Isaac away and harassed him about the wells, they see that the Lord has blessed him, so they want to make a covenant with him. Isaac could have refused, citing their contentious and hostile behavior towards him, but he agrees to their request. Peace is better than continued animosity. Besides, Isaac trusts the Lord’s promise that He is with him and will bless him. Trusting God’s promise, he lives St. Paul’s words in Romans 12:18, “If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men.”
Living peaceably with others is not always easy and often requires us to sacrifice our pride and at times, even our rights. Isaac is an example of the humility that is only produced by faith in God’s promises. Trusting that God is with us and blesses us with everything we need in this life, we can treat others with patience and forbearance, so that as much as depends on us, we live peaceably with all men. Let us pray: Heavenly Father, bear in us fruit of humility and patience, that, trusting in Your presence and blessing, we may be peaceable people. Amen.