Isaac reopened the wells that had been dug in the time of his father Abraham, which the Philistines had stopped up after Abraham died, and he gave them the same names his father had given them.
Genesis 26:18
I’ve always been intrigued by the character of Isaac in the Old Testament. Among the Patriarchs in scripture, his life is quiet, seemingly uneventful. Sure, he has that beautiful romance with Rebecca, and his own birth was miraculous, but there is little of the drama and high adventure that characterizes Abraham or Jacob in his story. So what did Isaac do, besides wander in the wilderness and bask in the blessing that God promised to his father Abraham? What was his legacy, to be numbered among the giants of faith? Why is our Lord still referred to as the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob?
My parents have a well on their property that supplies all the water they need. It taps into the water table deep underground. Living in a rural community, it is not uncommon to hear stories of a family buying a piece of property, making plans to build a home, and running into the great challenge and cost of digging a well. But whatever the cost, a well is the cornerstone to making a life in a semi-arid region like Colorado, or Israel.
Have you ever stopped to think about why people live where they do? Why did Isaac stay in the land of the Philistines, enduring hostility, drought, and uncertainty? Because he listened to the voice of the Lord, and he valued the faith of his father. The faith that, on one level, was expressed by wells that Abraham dug.
Now there was a famine in the land—besides the previous famine in Abraham’s time—and Isaac went to Abimelek king of the Philistines in Gerar. 2 The Lord appeared to Isaac and said, “Do not go down to Egypt; live in the land where I tell you to live. 3 Stay in this land for a while, and I will be with you and will bless you. For to you and your descendants I will give all these lands and will confirm the oath I swore to your father Abraham. 4 I will make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and will give them all these lands, and through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed, 5 because Abraham obeyed me and did everything I required of him, keeping my commands, my decrees and my instructions.” 6 So Isaac stayed in Gerar.
Genesis 26:1-6
Why would a person go through the trouble and expense of digging a well? Because they intend to stay there. When Abraham dug the wells in the land God had promised to him, it was an act of supreme faith, that God would give the land on which he sojourned to his descendants after him. Digging the wells added the salute to his “YES SIR!” to the Lord.
Was not our father Abraham considered righteous for what he did when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? You see that his faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did. 23 And the scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness,” and he was called God’s friend. 24 You see that a person is considered righteous by what they do and not by faith alone.
James 2:21-24
When Isaac re-dug the wells of his father, he made his father’s faith his own. He not only committed to standing on the promises made to Abraham, he also reclaimed the sources of provision that the enemy had blocked. And he gave them the same name his father had given them.
What wells have our fathers dug? How has God provided in the past? I’d love to explore this idea a little further by looking into the workings of God in my family history, and in the history of the whole family of believers. Because a revival is a restoration of life, an awakening, a re-digging of blocked wells.
With joy you will draw water
from the wells of salvation.Isaiah 12:3
How has the Lord worked in your family history? Let me know in the comments. Let’s praise Him together for what He has done and will do.
Till next time,
Emily