Genesis 26: How Did Isaac Gain a Well Amid Conflict?
In Genesis 26, we look at how Isaac stayed in the land God told him to remain in and made peace after famine, fear, and disputes over wells.
Isaac went through famine and disputes over wells, but he lived in the land God told him to remain in and, when conflict arose over wells, moved away and made peace. Genesis 26 shows this process through Isaac’s stay in Gerar and the reopening of the wells. The question to consider in this chapter is, “How did Isaac gain a well amid conflict?”
The Word Given to Isaac When a Famine Came
A first famine came in Abraham’s time, and in Isaac’s time a famine also came upon the land. Isaac went to Gerar. Then the LORD spoke to Isaac and told him not to go down to Egypt, but to stay in the land that He would show him.
God said that He would be with Isaac and bless him. He also said that He would fulfill what He had sworn to Abraham. Isaac stayed in Gerar. The text first records that Isaac remained in Gerar according to God’s word, rather than going down to Egypt because of the famine.
What He Hid Out of Fear
Isaac was afraid that the men of Gerar would kill him because of Rebekah when they saw her. So he said that Rebekah was his sister. But when Abimelech saw Isaac embracing Rebekah, he realized the relationship between the two.
When Abimelech asked why he had said that, Isaac answered that he was afraid he would be killed because of Rebekah. Abimelech pointed out that because of Isaac’s words, one of the people might have lain with Rebekah. Then he commanded all the people not to harm Isaac or Rebekah.
This chapter says that even after Isaac received God’s blessing, he still hid the truth out of fear. So Genesis 26 does not record only Isaac’s prosperity. It also shows what he said wrongly in fear.
Isaac Did Not Keep Fighting Over the Blocked Wells
Isaac sowed in that land and reaped a hundredfold, because the LORD blessed him. Isaac became greater and greater, and he had flocks and herds and many servants. Then the Philistines envied him.
They stopped up the wells that Abraham’s servants had dug and filled them with earth. Abimelech also said to Isaac, “Go away from us, for you have become much mightier than we are.” So Isaac moved away and encamped in the valley of Gerar.
Isaac reopened the wells that had been dug in Abraham’s time. His servants found a spring, but the herdsmen of Gerar quarreled with them, claiming the water was theirs. Isaac named that well Esek. When they dug another well, there was also a dispute, and he named it Sitnah.
When conflict arose over the two wells, Isaac did not fight to take the place for himself. He moved to another place and dug a well there. At the third well there was no dispute, and Isaac named it Rehoboth. Isaac said that the LORD had made room for them.
Making Peace After Gaining the Well
Isaac went up from Rehoboth to Beersheba. That night the LORD appeared to him and said, “Do not fear.” God again said that He would be with Isaac, bless him, and multiply his descendants.
Isaac built an altar there and called on the name of the LORD. Then he pitched his tent there. His servants also dug a well there.
After that, Abimelech came to Isaac with his people. Isaac asked why they had come when they had hated him and sent him away. They said that they could clearly see that the LORD was with Isaac. And they asked to make an oath and a covenant with one another.
Isaac prepared a feast for them. The next morning they made an oath to one another, and he sent them away in peace. On the same day, Isaac’s servants reported that they had found water in the newly dug well. In Genesis 26, Isaac moved away from the place where conflict had arisen, and after hearing that God was with him, he made a promise of peace.
Today, read Genesis 26:1-33 in Bible Reading and write down one thing I can move away from in order not to keep fighting. This does not mean that I should act the same way in every situation, as Isaac did. Rather, as the passage shows, it is about specifically deciding on one thing I can lay down and one place I can change right now.
Text Basis
- Genesis 26:1-6
- Genesis 26:7-11
- Genesis 26:12-22
- Genesis 26:23-33
- Genesis 26:34-35
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