Genesis 26 NLT
Isaac’s servants also dug in the Gerar Valley and discovered a well of fresh water. 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”). Isaac’s men then dug another well, but again there was a dispute over it. So Isaac named it Sitnah (which means “hostility”). 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.” (19-22)
There is a time and place to stand up for what you believe and “fight” for what is “right,” but then there is a time to entrust everything to the Lord and bow out of a conflict. I find that people are typically of one bent or the other. They either “dig in” and stubbornly refuse to budge, preferring to argue over every detail of a dispute… or they are the type that avoids conflict at all cost and looks for the path of least resistance. There is a middle ground. The most important thing is to lean on the leadership of the Holy Spirit to know when to stand and when to let go.
In Isaac’s case, the Philistines had treated him poorly because they were jealous of him. They had filled in all the wells his father had dug and left to him. Furthermore, they claimed every well that he had dug and said it was theirs by right. In this case, it seems Isaac was on the right side of things and was doing his best to be a good neighbor—even though God had told him that everything was already his. Rather, than fight because he had dug the wells or because God had made him a promise, Isaac chose to take a step back and trust the Lord to sort out the rest. By the end of this chapter, Isaac has found his open space, he has prospered and the Philistines have come back to him seeking peace and mutual respect.
Rather than throw all of the past in their face, Isaac chooses to be the bigger man and to enter into a covenant of peace with them. I am reminded of Proverbs 16:7, “When a man’s ways please the Lord He makes even his enemies to be at peace with him.” When God tells you to stand, you must and never give in… yet, there are times when instead of “standing up” He wants you to “stand back” and let God fight the battle for you. In those cases, peacemaking and reconciliation are the hard work that leads to a brighter future. It might mean that you have to concede some things that are yours by all that is right, and it might mean that you have to swallow your pride and practice humility. Just remember that humility is always a good thing we have no “rights” as believers anyway—only responsibilities.
