INTRODUCTION
One of the meanings of the word "Well" is hole, literally a pit. David at some point considered it so and said in Psalm 40:2: "He brought me up also out of an horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings."
The pit of despair is a biblical metaphor describing a situation of extreme spiritual, emotional, or physical distress from which one cannot escape alone. There are people who literally live sunk in every sense of the word for many reasons. David knew that God would pull him out of that situation. The story of Isaac is known as that of an "expert well digger."
Abraham had left him a legacy, not only of Faith in God but the ability to get into problems, into complicated situations, but he also had to learn to trust God, because this is where all our problems lie. If there is anyone who is an "expert digging wells," I think it's us, getting into many situations time and time again. Let's see what Isaac had to learn:
1. Isaac came from a Legacy of problems
a. Family inheritances of problems are daily bread, generations imitate what their parents do, and it is in difficult moments that we tend to fall into pits, by distrusting God.
Vs 1 "And there was a famine in the land, beside the first famine that was in the days of Abraham. And Isaac went unto Abimelech king of the Philistines unto Gerar." - Genesis 26 NIV
- A crisis of hunger wanted to lead him to Egypt. Egypt is returning to the past, to sin, it is living under disobedience, distrust looking for wrong paths, foolish decisions, doing things under one's own opinion "without counting on God."
- God appears to him and says "do not go down to Egypt", go towards the land of the Philistines and there I will bless you.
b. Isaac inherits promises, but also conflicts
Vs 12-14: "Then Isaac sowed in that land, and received in the same year an hundredfold: and the LORD blessed him. And the man waxed great, and went forward, and grew until he became very great: For he had possession of flocks, and possession of herds, and great store of servants: and the Philistines envied him."
- God never left Isaac; although scarcity came, God's power was glorified.
- People believe that living in freedom is doing whatever I want, that is called debauchery. But "Freedom" is living without greed, covetousness, envy, without even being afraid of losing.
- True freedom is a pure detachment from materialism, preoccupations, and stop looking for problems.
2. Opening the same wells
"And Isaac departed thence, and pitched his tent 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 after the names by which his father had called them."
a. There are those who live committing the same mistakes over and over again, searching in the past, looking for already dry wells, wanting to live submerged. If anyone wants the blessing, they must let go of the wells that lead them to despair.
1) The Well of "Contention" (Esek)
Vs 19-20: "And Isaac's servants digged in the valley, and found there a well of springing water. And the herdmen of Gerar did strive with Isaac's herdmen, saying, The water is ours: and he called the name of the well Esek; because they strove with him."
- Esek means contention, displeasure, anger, fight. The blessing is not fought for, it is earned with obedience. Grace is not fought for, it is earned with obedience.
- Fighting with people because they do not love you, or envy you, is falling into contention. Isaac had to let go of all that.
2) The Well of Enmity (Sitnah)
Vs 21: "And they digged another well, and strove for that also: and he called the name of it Sitnah."
- There are homes where God cannot prosper, they are battlefields, harsh lawsuits, wounds, offenses... all of that drags curses.
- The Philistines, since they could not have them, sealed them; that is what an envious person does. Are you capable of yielding rights to be free?
- Let go of that well and leave it to them, perhaps someone needs it. You have God.
3) The Well of Room (Rehoboth)
Vs 22: "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 the land."
- In this well God blessed him superiorly because Isaac learned to let go and not hold back. "Rehoboth" means Room or Freedom.
- From there came the greatest blessing, the supreme blessing, true Freedom.
- If the enemy closes a door on you, God opens another because freedom consists in trusting Him.
John 4:14 — "But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life."
Conclusion
Full trust in God guarantees total freedom in what we have. The life of the altar causes greater doors to open than you believe. Some live on crumbs, there are others who learn to look to God for greater exploits.
The blessing is not bondage, growing is not an excuse, freedom is Power. Do not dig any more wells where you will be stuck, you will not advance. Seek God and you will see His glory.