Room at Last

The Story

God had promised Isaac the same thing He promised Abraham: this land would belong to your family. Isaac planted crops, and that same year he reaped a hundred times what he planted. He grew so wealthy that the Philistines envied him.

In the dry country, wells meant life. Years earlier, Abraham had dug wells, but after he died the Philistines filled them with dirt. So Isaac dug them out again.

His servants dug a well in the valley and found fresh, springing water. But the local herdsmen came and argued, “The water is ours.” Isaac named the well Esek, which means “contention,” and moved on.

They dug another well. The herdsmen fought over that one too. Isaac named it Sitnah, “hatred,” and moved on again.

He didn’t fight back. He just kept moving and kept digging.

They dug a third well, and this time no one argued. Isaac named it Rehoboth, which means “room.” “For now the LORD hath made room for us,” he said, “and we shall be fruitful in the land.”

That very night, God appeared to him. “Fear not, for I am with thee, and will bless thee.” Isaac built an altar there, and his servants dug yet another well.

Reflection