A Journey Through The Old Testament - Elmer Towns

Though Isaac left the city, he did not go very far away. He again pitched a tent, but
initially there is no evidence of an altar. He dug wells, a necessity of life in a nomadic camp, but
the names of his wells reveal the poverty of his spiritual life.
As the first well was completed, it was claimed by the herdsmen of Gerar and named
Esek, which means “contention” (Gen. 26:20). A struggle was waged over the second well which
Isaac dug also, and that well was named Sitnah, meaning “hatred” (v. 21). Though the wells were
named in the context of conflict with the Philistines, they might also have described Isaac’s own
spiritual conflict. He was trying to have the best of both worlds. He was once again living in
tents, a symbol of the faith of the patriarchs, but he was still “dwelling” (v. 17) rather than
“sojourning.” He had chosen to dwell in the Valley of Gerar where he could count on the defense
of the city, rather than depending on the Lord to be his defense. Those who try to satisfy two
worlds are torn apart inside with the contention that results from the enmity between the carnal
and spiritual mind.
The digging of a third well apparently coincided with a change in Isaac. The well was
named Rehoboth, meaning “enlargement,” because there was no struggle associated with this
well (v. 22). The naming of this well includes Isaac’s first mention of the Lord since he began
dwelling in Gerar. Also it is followed by his decision to return to the Promised Land, where he
built an altar to the Lord. It was there that the Lord also appeared to Isaac to encourage him again
with the promise of His presence and continued blessing. And it was there that Isaac stopped
“dwelling” and “pitched his tent.” Finally, Isaac was leaving Gerar, the halting place. The
journey was not only physical; it was a refreshing spiritual experience.
When Isaac had completed his separation from the world, he found the world was coming
to him. Abimelech traveled to his camp with a friend named Ahuzzath and the chief captain of
his army, Phicol. The Hebrew word mere’ehu translated “friends” (v. 26) was also the title of the
counselor to a political leader. The visit to Isaac was apparently an official “state visit” in which
Abimelech sought to establish a treaty with Isaac. Understandably, he was accompanied by his
chief military and political advisors.
According to their testimony, the leaders of Gerar attributed the success of Isaac to the
blessing of Jehovah. This does not mean they necessarily had adopted the worship of Jehovah
themselves or even had a clear understanding of who Jehovah was. They probably used the term
loosely to refer to the “god” of the camp of Isaac much as an unsaved person might make an
occasional positive reference to “the good Lord” in an effort to demonstrate his respect for a
Christian friend’s personal religious beliefs. The Philistines were willing to believe the gods of
other tribes would bless those tribes as their own gods would bless them.
Isaac agreed to some sort of treaty before he sent them away the next morning. It was
later that day that water was struck by those digging a well. Isaac named it Shebah, meaning
“oath or commitment.” It was now known as Beersheba, the southern limit of the Promised
Land. It was a reminder of his agreement with the leaders of Gerar, but it was more than that. It
was also a reminder of his greater commitment to the Lord.
Still, all was not well in the household of Isaac. His failures as a father bore fruit in the
rebellion of a son. Just as Isaac had married Rebekah at age forty, so his favored son Esau married.
But Esau’s choice of a wife was Judith, the daughter of a Hittite. Separation was supposed
to characterize all members of the household of faith and that vow of separation was clearly
violated by Esau in the taking of Judith as his wife. The Scriptures reveal something of the
tremendous family tension which must have surrounded this rebellious act in the record of the
“grief of mind” experienced by both Isaac and Rebekah (v. 35). But it was only the beginning of