Dig Thy Well
Genesis 26:17-33
In OT times, to fill or cover wells was a declaration of war.
The pure water that once flowed was tainted and no longer available once the well was covered.
Isaac was in a place where he had to decide how far he was willing to go.
Many today are in that same place. The enemy has come and covered our source of water/life, and we haven’t drank from the wells for quite some time. This is an opportunity for:
o God to find out what we are made of.
o For us to find out what we are made of.
Each place Isaac found himself presented new opportunities/challenges. Would he keep going?
1. Valley of Gerar.
a. Gerar represents a dry and arid place.
b. Isaac had just experienced the blessing of God, yet he found himself in a dry place, a place without the nourishment he needed.
c. How many of us today are in a place of spiritual dryness?
d. While it may look as though God’s blessing is prevalent, we can still be spiritually dry and thirsty.
2. Esek.
a. Esek represents a place of contention or strife.
b. It means to paint or dye fair colors; glistering.
c. At first glance, Esek seems to be a wonderful place. For Isaac, it must have looked like what he remembered from his father’s wells.
d. However, in Esek, all you find are problems and issues.
e. At times in our lives, as we look for the water of life, we may come upon a place of strife and difficulty.
f. Many times the strife and difficulty of certain places and times may seem innocent and even appealing at first.
g. In due time, every situation’s true identity will be revealed.
3. Sitnah.
a. Sitnah represents hatred.
b. The word comes from the same Hebrew root as the word “Satan”.
c. It speaks of the well or place of opposition and ongoing warfare.
d. This is the place where you find all hell breaking loose.
e. Anything that didn’t go wrong at Esek sure goes wrong here at Sitnah.
f. One of the frustrating things that can happen sometimes is just because we are moving forward it doesn’t guarantee relief.
4. Rehoboth.
a. Rehoboth represents room or a wide place.
b. This is what seems to be a place of comfort.
c. Here is where things seem to finally settle down. You get a chance to breathe.
d. The strife and contention seems to stop. The opposition settles and you feel some comfort and relief.
e. This is the place where the enemy works the hardest. This is the place where he works to get us to settle for what seems to be good enough.
f. Geographically speaking, Rehoboth is about 20 miles from Beer-sheba and the place of God’s presence and blessing.
g. Historically speaking, Rehoboth is a site that is marked by extensive ruins and deep wells.
h. It seems like a good place, but it has destroyed more people than the other locations.
5. Shebah.
a. Shebah represents a sacred oath.
b. In Genesis 21, Abraham covenanted with Abimelech about this well, and gave him 7 ewe lambs in exchange for the well.
c. Shebah is the well of pure water.
d. Shebah is the well of promise.
e. In the same way that this natural well was purchased by 7 lambs, it represents the spiritual well of life that was purchased by the Lamb of God.
f. Historically, it is said that this well is still in use, is of great depth, and is of great value to the surrounding people.
g. This is the place where the Lord appeared to Isaac.
h. Wherever you find the presence of the Lord is the place that you need to pitch your tent and stay.
*Isaac was willing to press on and find where the Lord was at. Isaac wasn’t willing to allow circumstances and difficulties to keep him from finding God’s place for him.
