Come To The Well Part 1 of 2
Gen. 26.18-26
Chester FBC Chester, IL Dr. Mike Fogerson, Speaker
Introduction:
A The players (Abraham & Isaac) we learn about today were pioneers of this thing we call faith.
1 In about 2091 B.C., God told Abraham to leave Haran & go to Canaan, promised land.
a It was there that God would make him the father of a great nation
"I will give to you and to your descendants after you, the land of your sojournings, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession; and I will be their God." 9 God said further to Abraham, "Now as for you, you shall keep My covenant, you and your descendants after you throughout their generations. Gen 17:8-9 (NASB)
aa He was about 75 when he, Sara, and his nephew Lot left for Canaan.
bb His pitched his tent between Bethel (w) and Ai (e), where he lived (for all but a brief period in Egypt) for 14-15 years.
b When he was 99 an angel appeared to him announcing that Sara was going to have his son and that Sodom & Gamorah would fall under the judgement of God.
aa Shortly after destruction of S & G, Abraham went south to the Negev Desert, Gerar. (Map Figure)
bb Gerar was in Philistine territory, behind enemy lines; means to “bring up cud.”
cc When a cow eats it chews, swallows, brings it back up, chews on it some more. (Rolling something around your mouth: Chewing the cud)
dd Gerar was a place to ruminate, roll something around in your mind, meditate, reflect, ponder.
c While here at Gerar, Abraham dug several wells.
aa Some time later, Sara would give birth to Isaac.
bb The well became a point of hatred, conflict, strife for Abraham.
2 Gen. 21, Short account of the “Treaty of Beersheba.”
a Abraham’s neighbors were jealous of his well, blessing.
aa Wells were gold, locked to keep thieves out, act of war if you messed with a man’s well.
bb Abraham’s enemies take possession of the well.
b The King of Gerar shows up and he and Abraham to enter into a peace treaty
24 Abraham said, "I swear it." Gen 21:24 (NASB)
aa 27 Abraham took sheep and oxen and gave them to Abimelech, and the two of them made a covenant. Gen 21:27 (NASB), “With this ring . . .”
bb Seven lambs, split in half, walked between them . . . cut covenant. In stone!
c Abraham calls the well (location) Beersheba (21.31)
31 Therefore he called that place Beersheba, because there the two of them took an oath. Gen 21:31 (NASB)
aa Beer= Well Sheba=Oath/Seven.
bb Planted a Tamarisk tree(s) to remember the promise, covenant that was made there.
cc Isaac saw all this through his lil’boy eyes.
B Some years later (after mom & dad passed), Isaac is living Beer-lahai-roi (The Well of the Living One Who Sees Me)
1 A famine breaks out & Isaac goes to Gear.
8 It came about, when he had been there a long time, that Abimelech king of the Philistines looked out through a window, and saw, and behold, Isaac was caressing his wife Rebekah. Gen 26:8 (NASB)
a Isaac planned on going to Egypt when God reconfirms the covenant He had made with Abraham now belonged to Isaac.
2 The Lord appeared to him and said, "Do not go down to Egypt; stay in the land of which I shall tell you. Gen 26:2 (NASB)
b When one of the persons of a covenant agreement died, the terms of the covenant was again made clear tot he next of king (enforce the covenant).
c 3 "Sojourn in this land and I will be with you and bless you, for to you and to your descendants I will give all these lands, and I will establish the oath which I swore to your father Abraham. Gen 26:3 (NASB)
The promise I made your daddy . . . I make now to you
4 "I will multiply your descendants as the stars of heaven, and will give your descendants all these lands; and by your descendants all the nations of the earth shall be blessed; Gen 26:4 (NASB)
2 While Isaac stayed @ Gerar (6 So Isaac lived in Gerar. Gen 26:6 (NASB))
he experienced great favor, increase & the Philistines got jealous of Isaacs blessing (26.14).
a 15 Now all the wells which his father's servants had dug in the days of Abraham his father, the Philistines stopped up by filling them with earth. Gen 26:15 (NASB)
Because of the jealousy the Philistines had for Isaac’s blessing, his enemies began to fill his wills with dirt, riff raff, trash to get rid of him.
b Jealousy is a dividing point that kills nations, people, churches, families.
aa You wonder why God blesses that person and not you.
bb When your tempted to fill in someone well out of jealousy, thank God for their good fortune
1 After Abraham had witnessed the destruction of Sodom & Gomorrah
27 Now Abraham arose early in the morning and went to the place where he had stood before the Lord; Gen 19:27 (NASB) He wound up in a place called Gerar
1 Now Abraham journeyed from there toward the land of the Negev , and settled between Kadesh and Shur; then he sojourned in Gerar. Gen 20:1 (NASB)
a Gerar was a sentinel city of the Philistines. (King had a residence there.)
b “Gerar” means “to bring up the cud.”
c In Gerar, Abraham had dug water wells that sparked a conflict.
21 He lived in the wilderness of Paran, and his mother took a wife for him from the land of Egypt.22 Now it came about at that time that Abimelech and Phicol, the commander of his army, spoke to Abraham, saying, "God is with you in all that you do;23 now therefore, swear to me here by God that you will not deal falsely with me or with my offspring or with my posterity, but according to the kindness that I have shown to you, you shall show to me and to the land in which you have sojourned."24 Abraham said, "I swear it."25 But Abraham complained to Abimelech because of the well of water which the servants of Abimelech had seized.26 And Abimelech said, "I do not know who has done this thing; you did not tell me, nor did I hear of it until today." 27 Abraham took sheep and oxen and gave them to Abimelech, and the two of them made a covenant.28 Then Abraham set seven ewe lambs of the flock by themselves.29 Abimelech said to Abraham, "What do these seven ewe lambs mean, which you have set by themselves?"30 He said, "You shall take these seven ewe lambs from my hand so that it may be a witness to me, that I dug this well."31 Therefore he called that place Beersheba, because there the two of them took an oath.32 So they made a covenant at Beersheba; and Abimelech and Phicol, the commander of his army, arose and returned to the land of the Philistines. Gen 21:21-32 (NASB)
aa Water in the desert in more valuable than gold (you can’t drink gold.)
bb If you had a well you protected, guarded, kept care of it.
cc If someone seized your well or plugged it up it was tantamount to a declaration of war.
dd That’s what the King Abimelech’s servants had done without his knowledge to Abraham’s well.
d A covenant was cut between King Abimelech & God’s man Abraham.
aa Seven lambs were slain & a tree was planted to mark covenant.
bb I believe that Abraham’s small son, Isaac had watched his daddy dig the wells, cut covenant w/ the king, and knew his daddy walked in the favor of the Lord’s blessing/promise.
2 Abraham named the well “Beer-sheba,” which means “The Well of Oath or Seven”
a Abraham called on the name of the Lord as “The Eternal, or Everlasting God.”
b 19 So Abraham returned to his young men, and they arose and went together to Beersheba; and Abraham lived at Beersheba. Gen 22:19 (NASB)
after Abraham encounters God on Mt. Moriah, he and the boy Isaac set off together for Beersheba.
C 18 Then Isaac dug again the wells of water which had been dug in the days of his father Abraham, for the Philistines had stopped them up after the death of Abraham; and he gave them the same names which his father had given them.19 But when Isaac's servants dug in the valley and found there a well of flowing water,20 the herdsmen of Gerar quarreled with the herdsmen of Isaac, saying, "The water is ours!" So he named the well Esek , because they contended with him.21 Then they dug another well, and they quarreled over it too, so he named it Sitnah .22 He moved away from there and dug another well, and they did not quarrel over it; so he named it Rehoboth , for he said, "At last the Lord has made room for us, and we will be fruitful in the land. 23 Then he went up from there to Beersheba.24 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 the sake of My servant Abraham."25 So he built an altar there and called upon the name of the Lord, and pitched his tent there; and there Isaac's servants dug a well. Gen 26:18-25 (NASB)
32 Now it came about on the same day, that Isaac's servants came in and told him about the well which they had dug, and said to him, "We have found water."33 So he called it Shibah; therefore the name of the city is Beersheba to this day. Gen 26:32-33 (NASB)
1 Isaac re-opened two wells that his daddy had dug years ago.
a They had been filled up by enemies (out of spite).
b The water, fountaing, spring was already there but it took the leadership/vision of a man to tap into the abundant waters.
c As the dirt was cleared, well was unstopped, not everyone was happy, content pleased when the well were opened up.
d When you open up a fresh fountain of truth you must expect some strife, hatered, constranation, contention, hatred.
2 How Abraham and Isaac dealt with people who messed with their well.
a Isaac had every right to fight for his rights to the well when the Philistines ruined his weels . . . he chose to keep the peace.
aa If Abraham had a problem he’d get up in your grill and get the matter saddeled.
bb Nephew Lot, invading kingsw, Hagar & Ismael, Philistines.
b Isaac wasn’t a confronter by nature, but rather a peacemaker.
c Three times Isaac and his men dug new wells (actually old man’s wells)
aa When the first disputes arose Isaac moved on.
bb Rather than start a huge conflict, Isaac compromised for the sake of peace.
3 It can be a difficult decision to discern whether God wants you to be a confronter like Abraham or peacemaker like Isaac (God can/does bless both approaches)
a Not every problem is solved with a hammer (sometimes, but not always).
b Discernment is required to know when to use the hammer or the feather.
aa 18 If possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all men.
Romans 12:18 (NASB)
bb Sometimes it isn’t possible but @ least we should try.
cc We must depend on wisdom from above that is “pure” and “peaceable”
17 But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, reasonable , full of mercy and good fruits, unwavering, without hypocrisy. James 3:17 (NASB)
dd Ask God when to withdraw, or when to stand & fight.
c Would you be willing to forsake an important position, valuable possession to keep peace?
D How do we get out of Esek & Sitnah? (Must find Rehoboth)
1 The third well Isaac dug, the Lord made room for him (“Rehoboth” means broad places, room for all.)
a The land was the promised land and the Philistines didn’t even try to get the well...God kept them away.
b Rehoboth is a land of promise, inheritance, that only God can give you and the enemy can not steal from you.
2 Sometimes it takes a while to get/find our Rehoboth, our well of love & mercy.
a Takes patience, perseverance to get beyond the walls of strife, hate, competition, jealousy, hostility to the well of Rehoboth.
b Rehoboth reminds us of the place God brought King David in Ps. 18.19
19 He brought me forth also into a broad place; He rescued me, because He delighted in me. Psalms 18:19 (NASB)
c Prophecy to you: Keep going!
aa Don’t camp at the wells of the hate, contempt.
bb Rehoboth is just down the road! (Spiritual fulfillment, intimacy with God.)
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