Re-Digging The Wells

Re-digging the Wells

TEXT: Genesis 26:12-22 New Living Translation, “When Isaac planted his crops that year, he harvested a hundred times more grain than he planted, for the Lord blessed him. 13 He became a very rich man, and his wealth continued to grow. 14 He acquired so many flocks of sheep and goats, herds of cattle, and servants that the Philistines became jealous of him. 15 So the Philistines filled up all of Isaac's wells with dirt. These were the wells that had been dug by the servants of his father, Abraham.

16 Finally, Abimelech ordered Isaac to leave the country. "Go somewhere else," he said, "for you have become too powerful for us." 17 So Isaac moved away to the Gerar Valley, where he set up their tents and settled down. 18 He reopened the wells his father had dug, which the Philistines had filled in after Abraham's death. Isaac also restored the names Abraham had given them.

19 Isaac's servants also dug in the Gerar Valley and discovered a well of fresh water. 20 But then the shepherds from Gerar came and claimed the spring. "This is our water," they said, and they argued over it with Isaac's herdsmen. So Isaac named the well Esek (which means "argument"). 21 Isaac's men then dug another well, but again there was a dispute over it. So Isaac named it Sitnah (which means "hostility"). 22 Abandoning that one, Isaac moved on and dug another well. This time there was no dispute over it, so Isaac named the place Rehoboth (which means "open space"), for he said, "At last the Lord has created enough space for us to prosper in this land."

Introduction: Anywhere in the Bible you see a well, there is something significant attached to it. Think about John 4 with Jesus and the Samaritan woman. Think about Isaiah 12 which speaks about the Wells of Salvation. And then, there is this scripture here which is the story of Isaac.

When I met your pastor in Canon Beach at our Minister's Retreat earlier this year, and I began to hear his story about how this church came to be, I began to think about this scripture and knew that God was giving me a word to speak to this church.

Let’s take a look at these things.

1. Isaac received a hundred fold return for his planted seeds, and the blessing continued to grow.There is no question that the principles of sowing and reaping are spiritual laws that are active in the dimensions of the world we live in.

Gal 6:7-10 Don't be misled—you cannot mock the justice of God. You will always harvest what you plant. 8 Those who live only to satisfy their own sinful nature will harvest decay and death from that sinful nature. But those who live to please the Spirit will harvest everlasting life from the Spirit. 9 So let's not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don't give up.

2. This blessing and prosperity stirred up trouble with the enemy who messed with him by filling in the wells that Abraham’s servants dug.

You would think that when God blesses a person or a church that everyone around would be absolutely excited and happy for the person. Not True! Envy, jealousy, and such like are revealed as character flaws of others.

Hebrews 12:15" Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled; Be careful of bitterness which comes from failing the grace of God. It is a terrible thing that causes defilement and is a spring of trouble. You cannot always help how others are acting, but you can control how you react and respond to situations."

3. Gen 26:17-18 “So Isaac moved away to the Gerar Valley, where he set up their tents and settled down. 18 He reopened the wells his father had dug, which the Philistines had filled in after Abraham's death. Isaac also restored the names Abraham had named the wells.”

There is a generational blessing, inheritance and legacy which The Lord wants to give to us in this present generation. This is true of the family blessing as well as the organizational inheritance.

There are those who have been this way before us. Yes, it was a different day, a different style, a different structure but it is there nonetheless to re-dig. How do you tap into this? Through honor. We receive the fruit of their labor though honoring them and the hard work and the price they paid for our freedoms and anointing.

We are not necessarily trying to replicate a move of God that happened in the past, that isn't what we mean by re-digging the well. Re-digging the well means we acknowledge what our fore-fathers have done and we honor that fact. We must also identify with the understanding that we are part of the new or next generation and as such we must identify with what God is doing today.