Isaac and the Wells of Gerar (P5): Esek, Sitnah, Rehoboth and Shiba (Beer-sheba)

Madyafou honored! Taglassad leader! Be gracious, grateful and steadfast. "Do not accept the applause of men and you will not be destroyed by their criticism." (Reinhard Bonnke,1940 - 2019)

"She is clothed in strength and glory, And she laughs at the future. She opens her mouth with wisdom, And kind instructions are on her tongue." (Proverbs 31:25-26, LSG) The virtuous woman / The virtuous man laughs at the future because the future is in the hands of GOD, the one who clothes with strength and glory. May GOD bless you.

5. Esek, Shitna, Rehoboth and Shiba (Beer-sheba, Genesis 26:19-34)

❖ (Genesis 26:19-25, NKJV): " 19 Also Isaac’s servants dug in the valley, and found a well of running water there. 20 But the herdsmen of Gerar quarreled with Isaac’s herdsmen, saying, “The water is ours.” So he called the name of the well Esek, because they quarreled with him. 21 Then they dug another well, and they quarreled over that one also. So he called its name Sitnah. 22 And he moved from there and dug another well, and they did not quarrel over it. So he called its name Rehoboth, because he said, “For now the LORD has made room for us, and we shall be fruitful in the land.” 23 Then he went up from there to Beersheba. 24 And 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 My servant Abraham’s sake.” 25 So he built an altar there and called on the name of the LORD and he pitched his tent there; and there Isaac’s servants dug a well.

We read in the preceding verses (Genesis 26:12-18), that Abimelech the king of the Philistines drove Isaac away, saying "Go from us, for you are much more powerful than we are." (Genesis 26:16). Isaac left the place where he was staying to settle in the valley of Gerar. His servants dug wells, but here again Abimelech's servants sought a quarrel. In addition to the previous wells, Isaac and his servants dug 4 wells:

• The Well Esek (means dispute in Hebrew)

• The Well of Sitna (means struggle, accusation or opposition in Hebrew)

• The Well of Rehoboth (means wide spaces in Hebrew)

• The well Schiba at (means an oath )

🙂 Isaac was a resilient man. Resilience is the ability to rebuild after a trauma, to cope with a difficult or stressful situation, so as not to or no longer live in pain, stress, fear, to rebuild gradually and move forward serenely. In my country, Cameroon, we call people like Isaac " the quiet forces ": people who refuse quarrels, useless battles and prefer to start again elsewhere . These are people who refuse to be continually in conflict. Some conflicts are distractions, opportunities for the devil to exhaust, divert, destroy and slaughter.

Isaac is a blessed man, himself the son of a blessed man. He is rich, I emphasize very rich, and the heir of a rich man. His father Abraham had a personal covenant with GOD. And GOD himself had told Isaac that he would bless him. In addition to that, he is the son of a man famous and honored by many. Who had not heard of Abraham's testimony? Abraham was one hundred years old and Sarah was ninety years old when Isaac was born (Genesis 21:1-3). Abraham was a man to whom GOD not only spoke, but to whom he appeared. Abraham was a man who had won battles against kings with servants born in his own country (Genesis 14:1-24). If he had wanted to, Isaac could have fought with the Philistines and overthrown their king. Isaac had learned from Abram that we fight to save others and not to prove that we are strong . He understood that we do not engage in battles for which GOD has not sent us.

Isaac, the beloved son of Abraham and Sarah. For his sake, his parents drove out Ishmael and the sons of Keturah (Genesis 21:8-19, Genesis 25:5-6). So here is Isaac, going from well to well. Here is a blessed man, but apparently unstable , apparently under a curse. Some wonder: Why does he have to start again and again? Isn't he beginning to get old? His servants and those of his neighbors argue again and again. Could the problem be with him?

🙂 Is your situation similar to Isaac's? You have accepted JESUS as LORD and SAVIOR, but it seems like your life is going from bad to worse. It seems like you are going around in circles. You are being compared to your parents or older brothers who seem to have no problems. Are Philistines picking fights with you? They chased you away. You left quietly, without scandal, and without debt. You asked for nothing. You took nothing from them. They contributed nothing and contribute nothing to your affairs. Instead of building their wells, they waste their time and resources destroying yours.

If this is you, take courage. Do not be intimidated. Lean on the LORD. Remember his promises. GOD is faithful. What you see and what people say do not change what GOD says. They are not GOD's advisors. They want to make you react, make you speak, discourage you. They are too late. GOD has already spoken to you. GOD has already blessed you. They are late. GOD sent his word before their words . Keep moving forward. Keep progressing. You are becoming an expert in digging wells. You are acquiring the ability to dig wells in different types of soil. Your discernment is becoming refined and sharpened. Today, it takes you ten days to dig a well. Tomorrow, you will only need ten hours. You will have the techniques and the tools.

Sometimes, when a person is alone, they don't realize the progress they're making. Precisely because they're alone. No one encourages them. No one congratulates them. Their beginnings are compared to the victories of previous generations. This person therefore feels like they're never doing enough. The problem is other people. They're so comfortable in what they do that they believe the world is limited to them. They project their ideals and limitations onto others.

If you are that person, don't be discouraged. Dig your wells, GOD is with you. That's precisely why GOD told you he would be with you. He knew the Philistines would fight you. He didn't say it would be easy. He said he would be with you. The devil has been defeated, but he's not dead. He uses people to try to stop you. Unlike men, he's been alive for millennia. He knows you're a channel of blessing for others. He couldn't bring down your father or your older brother. He wants to try with you. I hear someone say that his father wasn't Abraham. That he doesn't have an older sister. 🙂 Hmm, you didn't understand. Your FATHER is GOD. Your older brother is JESUS CHRIST. Has the devil defeated GOD? NO. Has the devil defeated JESUS? NO. So you have no reason to listen to him. The closer you get to the final round, the more he insists. Because he knows he doesn't have much time left. Don't stop, dig your wells.

Opposition does not mean absence of GOD. The Philistines drove Isaac out, but GOD did not leave Isaac. They picked quarrels with Isaac, but GOD was at peace with Isaac. I have often written in different articles: " Faith does not just wait for GOD to do. It prepares for what GOD will do. " So, having faith is believing what GOD says, doing what GOD says, continuing to believe, and continuing to do. Having faith is doing your part, despite what people think, say, and do. My question is: where is your faith? What is your rhema word ? What has GOD told you? Are you doing what GOD tells you? Your destiny is in the hands of the Lord (Psalm 31:16). That is why all things work together for your good (Romans 8:29).

Reinhard Bonnke (1940 - 2019) said, " Do not accept the applause of men and you will not be destroyed by their criticism. " Oh, how right he was. Isaac could have been satisfied with the well of Rehoboth. But, he went to Beersheba. He did not fall into the trap of comparison .

🙂 GOD remains GOD. In good times and bad, the last word belongs to Him. Don't stop moving forward because people are cheering you on. Just because you did better than yesterday, better than your neighbor, better than your enemy, doesn't mean GOD is satisfied. As long as we are not where GOD expects us, where GOD sends us, we must continue. We can stop for a while, if we are tired. But then we must get up and continue walking.

❖ (Genesis 26:26-33, NKJV): " 26 Then Abimelech came to him from Gerar with Ahuzzath, one of his friends, and Phichol the commander of his army. 27 And Isaac said to them, “Why have you come to me, since you hate me and have sent me away from you?” 28 But they said, “We have certainly seen that the LORD is with you. So we said, ‘Let there now be an oath between us, between you and us; and let us make a covenant with you, 29 that you will do us no harm, since we have not touched you, and since we have done nothing to you but good and have sent you away in peace. You are now the blessed of the LORD.’ ” 30 So he made them a feast, and they ate and drank. 31 Then they arose early in the morning and swore an oath with one another; and Isaac sent them away, and they departed from him in peace. 32 It came to pass the same day that Isaac’s servants came and told him about the well which they had dug, and said to him, “We have found water.” 33 So he called it Shebah. Therefore the name of the city is Beersheba to this day.

Accompanied by his friend and the commander of his army, Abimelech came to meet Isaac. The Philistines are opportunists. They dare to say, " We have not mistreated you, but have only treated you well and have sent you away in peace . " (Genesis 26:29) Have they forgotten how they treated Isaac? We gave Abimelech the benefit of the doubt when he went to Abraham (Genesis 21:22-34). We see history repeating itself with Isaac. The Philistines are liars and proud . People who don't ask for forgiveness. People who only praise you when it suits them, when they fear that you will associate yourself with their competitors or enemies.

If I had been in Isaac's shoes, I wouldn't have been able to eat and drink with them. I don't associate with people who lie and don't apologize. I would have asked them to leave the agreement document so I could review it with my lawyer. Then, after any corrections, I would have signed it.

🙂 Isaac is better than me. He made them a good feast. Resentment and bitterness only bring ruin to those who hold on to them. The joy of the LORD was his strength. His soul was restored. It wasn't worth it. Isaac had moved on a long, long time ago. He wasn't going to let pointless battles bring him back. GOD had made everything work together for his good.

It is important to note that Isaac only made a covenant with Abimelech after GOD made a covenant with him . Furthermore, Isaac did not receive any gifts from Abimelech. Abimelech and Isaac did not become friends . Being good is not being naive. They made a commitment not to fight each other. A way of saying let us live in peace, each in his own home. Gerar is your home, Rehobat and Beersheba are mine. The boundaries were clearly defined.

So many Christians unfortunately do the opposite. They enter into agreements, partnerships, marriages, make promises, investments, engage in conflicts, without having a covenant, a personal relationship with GOD. They give glory to men and not to GOD. What are the dangers of this way of acting? 🙂 What lessons can we learn from this story? How could we pray?

** Madyafou = Good morning in Tamahaq (Algeria, Libya, Niger)

** Taglassad = Good morning in Tamasheq (Algeria, Mali)