Article written by: Dianne Prince
So the Philistines filled up all of Isaac’s wells with dirt. – Genesis 26:15
In our scripture today, because of a drought, God has directed Isaac to move to the land of the Philistines and to live as a foreigner there. In that foreign land, God blessed Isaac abundantly just as He had promised. Everything Isaac put his hands to prospered and succeeded. Why? God was with Him. Isaac was obedient. And, God had promised Him He would be blessed. And, blessed he was!
Genesis 26:1,12-15 tells us, “A severe famine now struck the land, So Isaac moved to Gerar, where Abimelech, king of the Philistines, lived. When Isaac planted his crops that year, he harvested a hundred times more grain than he planted, for the Lord blessed him. He became a very rich man, and his wealth continued to grow. He acquired so many flocks of sheep and goats, herds of cattle, and servants that the Philistines became jealous of him. So the Philistines filled up all of Isaac’s wells with dirt.” The Philistines became envious of Isaac’s prosperity and in an effort to block his blessings, they filled up his wells with dirt. They attempted to halt His progress by cutting off the lifeline of his flock—water.
Note today, everybody is not happy with your success. Everybody is not on your team when God begins to bless you. When salvation comes to your house, everybody is not going to jump up and shout with you. And, sometimes they will shout, but it is not a sincere shout. You cannot tell everybody about that unexpected blessing, about your plans to better your condition by going back to school, about your plans to join a committee at church, to start a sick visitation ministry, to sow into your Pastor’s life, about your plans to get a new car, a new house, or to go on vacation. Why? Everybody will not be happy for you. Some may talk against you in an effort to thwart your plans.
Now back to Isaac. Every time he dug a well, the Philistines, out of jealousy, filled it up with dirt. Every time they filled in a well, Isaac moved on and dug another well. Every time Isaac dug a well, God blessed him to find an abundance of running water. He did not have to rack his brains to find running water on His own, but God directed Him to a new source of fresh water each time Isaac chose to move on.
Every time Isaac found a new source of water, the Philistines showed up to make trouble. Every time they tried to make trouble, Isaac moved on and dug another well. What happened eventually was as the Philistines watched God bless Isaac every time he moved on, they realized that God was with Isaac. They recognized that if they did not get on Isaac’s team, God was going to deal with them in a negative way. Isaac’s enemy recognized God’s presence in his life and acknowledged God’s favor with him. As a result, Isaac’s enemies made peace with Him out of fear of Isaac’s God. What a mighty God we serve! God will reveal to ill-meaning people when they have overstepped their boundaries with a child of His. He will give them an opportunity to straighten up and if not headed to, God will deal with them in His own time and in his own way. He promises us in Deuteronomy 32:35, “It is mine to avenge; I will repay. In due time their foot will slip; their day of disaster is near and their doom rushes upon them.” (NIV)
Every time opposition came, Isaac moved on and dug another well. Like Isaac, in the heat of opposition, instead of fighting, “Move on” and dig another well. In the midst of drought, “move on” and dig another well. In the center of criticism, “move on” and dig another well. In the core of rejection, “move on” and dig another well. In the heat of mistreatment, “move on” and dig another well. Jesus says, “Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, Vengeance is Mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” Romans 12:19 (KJV)
Genesis 26:25 says as Isaac moved on, “Isaac built an altar there and called on the name of the LORD. There he pitched his tent, and there his servants dug a well.” When conflict came, Isaac worshipped. He settled in. And he dug another well.
“Dig another well” says, “By faith, move forward amid scarce resources. Move forward amid antagonism by critics. And move forward when your enemy tries to shut you down.”
“Dig another well” says, “If God blessed you once, He would do it again.”
“Dig another well” says, “God will fight your battles and He will make your enemies your foot stool.”
When people oppose you, there is no need to fight back or get frustrated; but keep moving forward. Do what is within your control and move on in the authority of God. As you move in the power of God, your enemies will eventually recognize God’s presence in your life and His favor upon your life.
More daily inspiration can be found in the book Stronger and Wiser by Dianne Prince.