Our journey of faith is filled with many obstacles and challenges. When the challenges are caused by nature or sickness or any other natural cause we will somehow swim through the challenges. But when the challenges are raised by people, that is when most of us call it a quit by backing of from pursuing further the promises of God in our life.
Whenever you 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 you. But that doesn’t need to stop you from doing what you know God has called you to do.
The question is: What do you do, as people of faith, when opposition comes? What do you do when the critics try to shut you down? What do you do when your opposition tries to frustrate or discredit what God wants to do through you? Well, I invite you to turn with me to Genesis 26, Genesis 26, where Isaac, a man of faith, faces opposition from the Philistines.
Genesis 26:1 – tell us that Isaac had to move to Gerar due to a famine. Famine is a very big challenge of the nature for mankind during those days because they solely depended on agriculture and livestock. Without water everything will literally die.
Vs. 2-3: God commands Isaac not to go to Egypt despise their prosperity there but to sojourn at Gerar (the Philistines territory) until God blesses him and fulfill his promises to Abraham.
Genesis 26:12 And Isaac sowed in that land and reaped in the same year a hundredfold. The LORD blessed him.
Now, the normal yield in a good year was 25 to 50-fold. Isaac reaped 100-fold – i.e., 100 times what he planted! Humanly speaking it’s an impossible harvest to achieve. This is surely Divine intervention!
Genesis 26:13-14 ...and the man became rich, and gained more and more until he became very wealthy. He had possessions of flocks and herds and many servants, so that the Philistines envied him.
Because God was with Isaac and blessed the labor of HIS hands, he prospered in the foreign land to a point that the Philistines became absolutely jealous of him.
Vs.15 Now the Philistines had stopped and filled with earth all the wells that his father’s servants had dug in the days of Abraham his father.
Now remember, these are days of drought and famine (vs.1). Water is very rare commodity, so these wells are very important! The Philistines are trying to starve Isaac out of existence, because they are envious of his success. They knew the only way to stop Isaac’s growth was to cut the water supply. The crops will die and Isaac will have to leave the place or starve to death.
Eventually we read in vs. 16 that Abimelech chased Isaac of the land because in a land with limited resources, there is not enough to sustain both Abimelech people and Isaac’s vast and growing household. The one who once supported Isaac, now chases him away after seeing God’s blessings in Isaac’s life – isn’t this common to us as well? Jealousy!
Vs.17-19 tells us that Isaac without any argument with Abimelech moves on to the Valley of Gerar and settled there. And Isaac dug again the wells of water that had been dug in the days of Abraham his father, which the Philistines had stopped after the death of Abraham. And he gave them the names that his father had given them.
Because the Lord was with Isaac, he prospered wherever he went.
Genesis 26:19 But when Isaac’s servants dug in the valley and found there a well of spring water. The locals stopped digging the well after the death of Abraham because they could not find water there. But when Isaac dicked it, he found a spring water. Why? Because God was with Isaac and His promises was before Isaac. Our God is a promise keeping God. What is impossible for others, will become possible for His promise people.
Literally, a well of living water. This was a new well with running water – a very valuable and important find in the midst of drought. The source was never established by the locals until Isaac’s men discovered it, but the moment the new and fresh source of water was established, locals picked a fight with Isaac’s people and claimed ownership over the well and the water source (Esek). What was Isaac’s response in the midst of this second opposition? Did he fight for his legitimate rights to the well and the water? No, he moved on trusting God.
Vs. 21 – He moved on and got back into another round of hardwork to dig another well (Sitnah). And there again the locals came a picked a fight against Isaac and his people!
Opposition after opposition, challenges after challenges and the root cause of all is jealousy. But what was amazing in this story is Isaac response when he kept on facing one after another opposition in pursuing what the Lord has promised him in vs. 2.
Isaac set his focus on God’s promise than the blessings that came along the way (water supply and his livestock) and his opposition. That is why he never fights for his rights or his blessings but moved on in peace because he knew his God will bless him beyond measures and not with fights and troubles. 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. Vs 22 – he called the place Rehoboth.
God was watching all that Isaac was doing. How he faired in the midst of much opposition and evil plans of his enemies by being just focused on God’s promise. Finally in vs. 24 God appeared again to Isaac for the 2nd time and reassures him of great blessings in his life.
Reflection:
1. When Isaac faced opposition, he dug another well. 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. End of the day it’s not about us and our battle, but its all about God fulfilling HIS plans through you and me. Since, its HIS plan, HE will surely give you Rehoboth (make room for you) in the midst of your enemies. I am reminded the words on the Psalmist in 23rd Psalms vs. 5 “You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows…….”
2. What’s interesting is God never appeared to Isaac during his crisis at Gerar, Esek and Sithnah – but God appeared to Isaac after he overcame his challenges by focusing on God instead of his problem. God watches everything. He is more interested in His children than their enemies (Psalms 33:18). How do we respond in times of crisis? Be mindful, God is watching over us.
