Bible Thoughts April 16, 2000
"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 after the names
by which his father had called them"(Genesis 26:18).
Isaac knew the location of the wells that would supply the needs for his family and his flocks. It was only proper(and right) that he reclaim those wells and benefit from the labors of his father Abraham. However, the herdsmen of Gerar contended with Isaac and claimed the first two wells belonged to them. Rather than cause a conflict, Isaac removed himself from the contested waters and went to find another source. When he dug the third well those who would take his water "strove not."
Isaac recognized that the "room"(Rehoboth) he now had for his family and flocks came from God. "For now Jehovah hath made room for us, and we shall be fruitful in the land"(Genesis 26:22).
The importance of water in an arid land can be best appreciated by those who have experienced its dryness. The land in which Isaac lived was not abundant with water as is true in many places on our continent. One had to be persistent in order to find and claim the wells that would be needed. How glad was Isaac when he found a source that would sustain the lives of his family and flocks..
Isaac is an example of patience. He continued to search for water until he could supply what was needed. Many would have given up after the first(or second) well, but not Abraham's son. He cared about his family; he cared about his God. He would not stop hunting for what was needed.
James expressed it for Christians, "Be patient therefore, brethren, until the coming of the Lord. Behold, the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, being patient over it, until it receive the early and latter rain. Be ye also patient; establish your hearts: for the coming of the Lord is at hand"(James 5:7-8). It is not easy to be patient. When one is surrounded by cares or by those who would mistreat others, patience can wear thin.
Another word for patience is endurance. There are many things that Isaac endured in order to follow Jehovah. There are many things that must be endured by the Lord's people at present. It is not easy to make sacrifices; however, Isaac did. Would you have enjoyed digging a well and someone else claim it? And have it happen again? And dug the third one in the hope no one would claim that one? You see, this man of God endured and, then, God blessed him.
Isaac is an example of endurance. A lesser man might have given up. Have you ever said, or heard someone say, "It was more than I could stand"? To be a wanderer after his father had been promised this land of milk and honey might have caused many to just give up. But not Isaac. He knew of his father's trials and he was strong enough to face those heaped upon him. Isaac was not going to let the inconvenience of digging more wells interfere with his determination to endure for Jehovah.
Isaac faced the jealousy of those who lived around him. As his father prospered, so did Isaac. Do you know why he was redigging those wells? The Lord had blessed him abundantly and those who lived in the land feared him and told him, "Go from us; for thou art much mightier than we"(Genesis 26:17). The jealousy of Abimelech had reached such a state that he wanted Isaac away from him. Isaac departed from them in a search for peace. Isaac never indicated, in any way, that he would want to be a threat to the other citizens of this land.
Isaac was not a perfect man. He persuaded Rebekah to pose as his sister rather than acknowledging her as his wife. After "a long time" the deception was discovered. Isaac's view of what might happen did not occur. In fact, Abimelech threatened anyone who would touch Isaac's wife with death.
We are not perfect. We have been redeemed by the death of a perfect man, but we are only human and tend to make mistakes as did Isaac. It is not easy to have patience when we believe we have been wronged. It is not easy to endure when it seems difficult to move forward. We see our own failures daily. And yet, we can learn the lessons of Isaac and make up our minds that we will let nothing stand in the way of doing what God commands. We can resolve that we will have the patience to endure whatever be our fate. As Isaac's descendants would reach the promised land in the days of Joshua, through patient endurance we can enter the promised hope of heaven. To reach that goal, we need patience and endurance. If Isaac had quit after the first well was taken by the herdsmen of Gerar, he would never have enjoyed the future blessings of Jehovah. If we quit at the first failure, we lack the patient endurance that is required to make heaven our home.
Is it possible that Isaac remembered the care of God that touched him in the past? When Abraham was willing to sacrifice Isaac to Jehovah and Isaac was spared by the power of God, he learned of the providence of God. This evidence would have been enough to cause Isaac to realize that God's hand was in it all. What a lesson for each of us.