On Saturday, May 21, 1927, a New York evening paper contained an expert’s elaborate demonstration of the impossibility of flight across the Atlantic Ocean. The funny thing is, on the first page of that very same paper, was the headline flung across the top in gigantic letters: “LINDBERG HAS ARRIVED!” And underneath was an article describing the first transcontinental flight by Charles Lindberg. When the “experts” were saying it can’t be done, Charles Lindberg did it. He flew across the Atlantic Ocean.
Whenever we attempt anything worthwhile, there will always be those critics who say, “It can’t be done.” There will always be those who oppose. There will always be those who fight us. But that doesn’t need to stop us from doing what we know God has called us to do.
The question is: What do we do, as people of faith, when opposition comes? What do we do when the critics try to shut us down? What do we do when our detractors try to thwart or discredit what God wants to do through us? Well, if you have your Bibles, I invite you to turn with me to Genesis 26, Genesis 26, where Isaac, a man of faith, faces opposition from the Philistines.
Genesis 26:12 Isaac planted crops in that land and the same year reaped a hundredfold, because the LORD blessed him. (NIV)
Now, the normal yield in a good year was 25 to 50-fold. Isaac reaped 100-fold – i.e., 100 times what he planted!
Genesis 26:13-15 The man became rich, and his wealth continued to grow until he became very wealthy. He had so many flocks and herds and servants that the Philistines envied him. So all the wells that his father’s servants had dug in the time of his father Abraham, the Philistines stopped up, filling them with earth.
Now remember, these are days of drought and famine (vs.1). Water is very scarce, so these wells are very important! The Philistines are trying to starve Isaac out of existence, because they are envious of his success.
Genesis 26:16 Then Abimelech said to Isaac, “Move away from us; you have become too powerful for us” (NIV) – i.e., too numerous.
In a land with limited resources, there is not enough to sustain both Abimelech’s people and Isaac’s vast and growing household.
Genesis 26:17-18 So Isaac moved away from there and encamped in the Valley of Gerar and settled there. Isaac reopened the wells that had been dug in the time of his father Abraham, which the Philistines had stopped up after Abraham died, and he gave them the same names his father had given them. (NIV)
Instead of fighting, Isaac simply moves on and reopens the wells his father had dug years before. You see, Isaac is trying to establish his presence in the land, claiming his father’s wells by right of inheritance. That’s why he gives them the same names. Then he goes on to dig another well.
Genesis 26:19 Isaac’s servants dug in the valley and discovered a well of fresh water there (NIV) -- Literally, a well of living water.
This was an artesian well with running water – a very valuable and important find in the midst of drought.
Genesis 26:20 But the herdsmen of Gerar quarreled with Isaac’s herdsmen and said, “The water is ours!” So he named the well Esek (which means contention or dispute), because they disputed with him. (NIV)
Genesis 26:21 Then they dug another well, but they quarreled over that one also; so he named it Sitnah (which means enmity or opposition). -NIV
Actually, the name, Satan, comes from this very word. For you see, he IS the adversary. He IS the hostile opposition to every believer. But not even Satan can stop God’s people from accomplishing God’s will in their own lives.
Genesis 26:22 He moved on from there and dug another well, and no one quarreled over it. He named it Rehoboth (which means room), saying, “Now the LORD has given us room and we will flourish in the land.” (NIV)
Isaac doesn’t fight back. He just moves on and digs another well until the Philistines finally give up and let him have his space.
I like the way Paul Overstreet put it in a song nine years ago (2001) – (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b9X6XQUChMQ)
Ike had a blessing from the Lord up above,
Gave him a beautiful woman to love,
A place to live, some land to farm,
Two good legs and two good arms.
The Devil came sneaking around one night,
Decided he would do a little evil to Ike.
Figured he hit ole Ike where it hurts so he
Filled up all Ike’s wells with dirt
Ike went out to get his morning drink,
Got a dip full of dirt and his heart did sink
He knew it was the Devil so he said with a grin
God blessed me once, he can do it again
So when the rains don’t fall, and the crops all fail,
And the cow ain’t putting any milk in the pail,
Don’t sit around waiting for a check in the mail,
Just pick up your shovel and dig another well,
Pick up your shovel and dig another well.
That’s what Isaac did, and that’s what we need to do when opposition comes. We don’t have to fight back or get frustrated. Just pick up a shovel and dig another well. Even when the resources are scarce, even when the critics oppose, even when the enemy tries to shut you down, by faith just keep on going.
BY FAITH PERSEVERE.
By faith dig another well and God will make room for you.
In his book, 131 Christians You Should Know, Mark Gali talks about Johann Sebastian Bach, who after several jobs and moves finally settled down in Leipzig in 1723. There, he became music director and choirmaster at Saint Thomas’s church and school, but he faced a lot of opposition. The town council was fighting him all the time, and no one appreciated his musical genius. They said he was a stuffy old man who clung stubbornly to obsolete forms of music. As a result, they paid him a miserable salary and even tried to take away the meager inheritance he left for his wife after he died.
Even so, those years in Leipzig were Bach’s best years musically. Despite the opposition, he kept writing cantatas, nearly one each week! Contemporary composers do well to write one cantata a year, either for Christmas or Easter, and most write just a few in their entire lifetimes. But Bach was writing one cantata a week, and 202 of them are still being performed today. Most of them conclude with a chorale based on a simple Lutheran hymn, and all of them are closely bound to biblical texts.
In Leipzig, Bach also composed his epic Mass in B Minor, The Passion of St. John, and The Passion of St. Matthew – all for use as worship services. The Passion of St. Matthew has been called “the supreme cultural achievement of all Western civilization.”
Even so, after Bach’s death, some of his music was sold, and some was reportedly used to wrap garbage. For the next 80 years, his music was neglected by the public. It’s as if people seemed glad to wipe their ears of his music.
Then in 1829, the German composer, Felix Mendelssohn, arranged a performance of The Passion of St. Matthew, and “the rest is history,” as they say. Finally, people around the world began to appreciate the musical genius of Johann Sebastian Bach. (Mark Galli, 131 Christians You Should Know, Broadman & Holman, www.PreachingToday.com)
I read an article not too long ago about people who are still coming to faith in Christ through his music today nearly 300 years later!
When Isaac faced opposition, he dug another well. When Bach faced opposition, he wrote another cantata. When people of faith are opposed, they keep on going, knowing that God will make a way for them.
How about you? Are you feeling the sting of criticism and rejection? Are there those who want to trip you up? Is the enemy trying to stop your forward progress in the Lord? Please, don’t give up on the Lord. By faith, just dig another well. By faith, just keep on going until God makes room for YOU! When opposition comes, by faith, just persevere.
But somebody says, “Pastor, I don’t want to persevere. I’m too tired of fighting. Instead of going on, I want to give up. How can I persevere when I don’t have the strength or energy to take even one more step?” Have you ever been there? I have… many times. That’s when we need to stop for a while and…
REMEMBER GOD’S PROMISES.
Recall what God has said and rely on His commitment to us. For you see, God’s commitment to us is more important than our commitment to Him. We often waver in our own commitments, but God never does in His commitments to us. God will keep His promises to us no matter what, and we can count on His resolve even when our own resolve has shriveled up to almost nothing under the heat of the struggle.
That’s what Isaac does. In the heat of opposition and drought, he counts on God’s promises. He relies on God’s commitment to him.
Genesis 26:23-24 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.” (NIV)
God is just reminding Isaac of the promise He made to him when all of this started (vs.4-5). So…
Genesis 26:25 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. (NIV)
Isaac worships the Lord, pitches his tent and digs another well. Only this time it is a well of promise. Up until now he has been digging wells of opposition with names like “contention” and “enmity.” Now, he digs a well that will remind him of God’s promise, and every time he drinks from that well or passes it by, Isaac will remember what God has said. Isaac will remember God’s commitment to him, and that will help him in his commitment to God.
My dear friends, when opposition comes, we need to do what Isaac did. We need to worship the Lord, pitch a tent for a little while, and dig a well of promise. In other word, we just need to stop and remember God’s commitment to us so we don’t give up on our commitment to Him.
In the beginning of the year of 1856, David Livingstone, the first missionary to the interior of Africa, found himself surrounded by hostile, angry Africans. In his 16 years in that continent, he had never faced such hostility. He was in danger of losing his life, and he contemplated running away. Then something happened that changed his mind and gave him peace. He recorded the incident in his diary on January 14, 1856.
“Felt much turmoil of spirit in prospect of having all my plans for the welfare of this great region and this teeming population knocked on the head by savages tomorrow. But I read that Jesus said, ‘All power is given unto Me in Heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, and lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world.’ It is the word of a gentleman of the most strict and sacred honor, so there’s an end to it! I will not cross furtively tonight as I intended. Should such a man as I flee? Nay, verily, I shall take observations for latitude and longitude tonight, though they may be the last. I feel quite calm now, thank God!”
In his worst moment, Livingston remembered the word of Christ, and he remembered that it was the word of a Gentleman, who never goes back on His word. That’s what kept him going. That’s what gave him peace and helped him persevere, and that’s what will keep us going, as well. So when opposition comes, don’t quit. Just remember the promises of God and persevere. Then…
EXPERIENCE THE BLESSING OF GOD.
Enjoy the presence and peace of God in your life, so much so that others will notice it too. That’s what happened to Isaac.
Genesis 26:26-29a Meanwhile, Abimelech had come to him from Gerar, with Ahuzzath his personal adviser and Phicol the commander of his forces. Isaac asked them, “Why have you come to me, since you were hostile to me and sent me away?” 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 molest you but always treated you well and sent you away in peace. (NIV)
Oh really? They only stopped up his wells, chased him off their land and gave him trouble ever since he entered their territory; but other than that, they treated him well? Who are they kidding?
“And now,” they say (vs.29), “you are blessed by the Lord.”
Despite all the harassment, they can clearly see that God has blessed Isaac, that God has been with Isaac all this time, giving him water every place he dug a well. They couldn’t stop God’s blessing on Isaac’s life as hard as they tried.
Genesis 26:30-33 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 left him in peace. 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 (which means "oath"), and to this day the name of the town has been Beersheba (or "well of the oath"). -NIV
Isaac has dug wells of opposition. Then he dug a well of promise. Now, he digs a well of peace. Isaac’s opponents have recognized God’s blessing on his life so they make a treaty with him. They realize that they are not fighting Isaac; they are fighting God, so they stop fighting and leave him in peace. And that kind of thing can happen to us, if we don’t quit, if we keep trusting God and don’t give up.
The first American steamboat took 32 hours to go from New York City to Albany, New York. People laughed. The horse and buggy passed the early motorcar as if it were standing still (because it usually was). People laughed. The first electric light bulb was so dim, people had to use a gas lamp to see it. They laughed. The first airplane came down 59 seconds after it left the ground. People laughed, but where are those critics today?
Many times, people criticize our attempts to serve the Lord. Maybe they laugh, or maybe they just leave. My friends, let’s not waste our time wallowing in self-pity, arguing about it, or trying to prove ourselves. Instead, let’s just keep on doing what we know God wants us to do, and eventually, God will vindicate us. For you see, there is coming a time when even our enemies will come to recognize God’s unmistakable presence in our lives. And who knows? Some of them might even join us someday.
That’s what happened in North Vietnam not too long ago. In 2005, local authorities told a Vietnamese pastor, named Silas, that he could expect to see trouble if his church continued to operate without a permit. “Be careful,” one official told him. “Watch out.”
It was a threat as much as a warning. In Vietnam, as in many Communist countries, governments commonly deny or delay church permits, then jail Christians for meeting without a permit.
Well, Silas shot back: “I don’t have to watch out or be careful; God will care for us.” He then went on to thank the official for the harassment and opposition, because he felt it had unified the country’s Christians.
“Your persecution has made us stronger,” he told the officer. Then Pastor Silas told the officer that he loved him. “You can shut down our churches, jail us, torture us. It doesn’t matter, because we’ll still love you,” he said. “We’ll love you, because God loves you and wants to see you come to know Christ’s salvation.” Then he asked the official if he didn’t feel badly about mistreating Christians. Silas told him he suspected it was tearing him up inside.
The official stalked away, but late one night, he came back. Silas assumed he was going to be hauled off to jail, but the official said he needed to talk. He was depressed.
Silas invited him in, and in tears the officer told him how he did, indeed, feel badly about forcibly restraining Christians from worship. Most upsetting, though, was that he feared for his job if he did not beat and otherwise harm Christians. He himself felt mistreated at the office; peers who were lesser officers than he looked down their noses at him, advancing through the ranks by purchasing successively higher positions. Such corruption was pervasive in the force.
Silas told him that God had a wonderful plan for his life and that God would care for him and guide him if he would only follow his son, Jesus. Before the night was over, the official trusted Christ as his Savior. Sometime after that, he was promoted to a high position – without bribes. In fact, he advanced high enough to know when church raids were about to take place, so he could tip off Silas.
Silas reported, “He would tell us on Saturday that the police were coming on Sunday morning, so they’d come and find nobody there. Then we’d meet for worship in the afternoon.” (Jeff Sellers, Cure for the IDOP Holiday Blues, www.ChristianityToday.com, 11-16-05; www.PreachingToday.com)
Proverbs 16:7 says, “When a man’s ways are pleasing to the LORD, he makes even his enemies live at peace with him.”
My friends, we can silence our critics, and even win some of them to the Lord, if we don’t give up.
So when trouble comes, just remember the promises of God and persevere. Keep on doing what you know God wants you to do until the presence of God becomes so evident in your life that even your enemies recognize it. Or to put it more simply: When somebody throws dirt in your well, just trust God and dig another well.
