16 “And Abimelech said unto Isaac, Go from us; for thou art 17 much mightier than we. And Isaac departed thence, and encamped in the valley of Gerar, and dwelt there. And Isaac digged again the wells of water, which they had digged in the days of Abraham his father; for the Philistines had stopped them after the death of Abraham: and he called their names 19 after the names by which his father had called them. And Isaac’s servants digged in the valley, and found there a well 20 of springing water. And the herdsmen of Gerar strove with Isaac’s herdsmen, saying, The water is ours; and he called the name of the well Esek; because they contended with him. 21 And they digged another well, and they strove for that also: 22 and he called the name of it Sitnah. And he removed from thence, and digged another well; and for that they strove not; and he called the name of it Rehoboth; and he said, For now the Lord hath made room for us, and we shall be fruitful in 23 the land. And he went up from thence to Beer-sheba. And 24 the Lord appeared unto him the same night, and said, I am the God of Abraham thy father; fear not, for I am with thee, and will bless thee, and multiply thy seed for my servant 25 Abraham’s sake. And he builded an altar there, and called upon the name of the Lord, and pitched his tent there; and there Isaac’s servants digged a well.”
Golden Text.—“Blessed are the peacemakers; for they shall be called the children of God.” Matt. 5:9.
SUGGESTIVE QUESTIONS.
(1) What request did Abimelech make of Isaac? Why did he make this request? Verse 16. Note 1. (2) How did Isaac respond to the king’s request? Verse 17. Note 2. (3) How did Isaac obtain a water supply in his new location? Why did he have to reopen these wells? By what names did he call them? Verse 18. Note 3. (4) How did he get a further supply of water? Verse 19. Note 4. (5) What new trouble now arose? What name did Isaac give to this well? Verse 20. Note 5. (6) What then did Isaac do? What was the result of this work? What name did Isaac give to this well? Verse 21. Note 6. (7) What course did Isaac next pursue? What was the result of this effort? What name was given to this well? Why was it so named? Verse 22. Note 7. (8) Where next did Isaac go? Verse 23. Note 8. (9) Who appeared to him that same night? What assurance did Isaac receive? What promise was given him? Verse 24. Note 9. (10) In what way was Isaac’s religious character still manifested? What further provision was made for water? Verse 25.
NOTES.
1. A famine in the region of Hebron, after the death of Abraham, caused Isaac to seek relief in the land of the Philistines. The Lord told him to dwell there, but the Philistines were jealous of his prosperity. However, the king warned his people to do Isaac no harm, but in order to certainly avoid trouble he urged Isaac to go away.
2. Isaac departed from Gerar, where Abimelech lived, but evidently did not go very far, as he encamped in the valley of Gerar.
3. Abraham had sojourned in this country before, and the Philistines had been jealous of him, as they were now of Isaac. This is shown by their having filled up the wells which he had dug. And they were no doubt aggravated by Isaac’s reopening the wells, and giving them the same names that Abraham gave them.
4. The “well of springing water” was what we would call an artesian, or flowing well, and a valuable accession to Isaac’s possessions.
5. “Esek” means contention, or strife.
6. “Sitnah” means hatred, or spite. It is from the same root as Satan, an adversary, or hater.
7. “Rehoboth” means room. Isaac would not contend for his rights, yet in yielding he found room and prosperity away from his tormentors. There is no need of contention about particular localities in the world; for there is plenty of room for all. Because of Isaac’s meekness, the Lord had guided his judgment. Ps. 25:9.
8. “Beer-sheba” was an old camping-ground of Abraham. Abimelech had made a covenant with him concerning the well at this place, and the name (“well of the oath”) was in commemoration of the agreement. See Ch. 21:22-34.
9. The Visit of the Lord.—After Isaac had shown his faith in God’s care by yielding to the unjust demands of the Philistines, the Lord appeared to him, and renewed the promise made to Abraham. “The ‘Lord is nigh unto all them that call upon Him, to ‘all that call upon him in truth.” Ps. 145:18.
