May the mumbling commence!
Sometimes it’s hard to find our place in the world. It was so for Isaac. Being successful and wealthy has its
negatives for being around other people.
Read from Peterson’s The Message:
Isaac
planted crops in that land and took in
a huge harvest. God blessed him. The man got richer by the day until he was very wealthy. He accumulated flocks and
herds and many, many servants, so much so
that the Philistines began to envy him. They got back at him by throwing dirt and debris into all the wells that his father’s servants had dug back in
the days of his father Abraham, clogging up the
wells.
Finally,
Abimelech told Isaac: “Leave. You’ve become far too big for us.”
So Isaac
left. He camped in the valley of Gerar and settled down
there. Isaac dug again the wells which
were dug in the days of his father Abraham but
had been clogged up by the Philistines after
Abraham’s death. And he renamed them, using the original names his father had given them.
One day, as Isaac’s
servants were digging in the valley, they came
on a well of spring water. The shepherds
of Gerar quarreled with Isaac’s shepherds, claiming, “This
water is ours.” So Isaac named the well Esek (Quarrel) because they quarreled over it. They dug another well and there
was a difference over that one also, so he
named it Sitnah (Accusation). He went on from there and dug
yet another well. But there was no
fighting over this one so he named it
Rehoboth (Wide-Open-Spaces), saying, “Now God has given us plenty of space to spread out in the land.” (Genesis 26:12-22)
Now read the same passage from the NIV translation:
Isaac planted crops in that land and
the same year reaped a hundredfold, because the Lord blessed
him. The man became rich, and his wealth continued to grow until he became
very wealthy. He had so many
flocks and herds and servants that the Philistines
envied him. So all the wells that his
father’s servants had dug in the time of his father Abraham, the Philistines stopped up, filling them with earth.
Then
Abimelech said to Isaac, “Move away from us; you
have become too powerful for us.”
So Isaac
moved away from there and encamped in the Valley of Gerar and settled there. 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.
Isaac’s
servants dug in
the valley and discovered a well of fresh
water there. But the herdsmen of Gerar quarreled with Isaac’s herdsmen and said, “The
water is ours!” So he named the well Esek,
because they disputed with him. Then they dug
another well, but they quarreled over that one also; so he named it Sitnah. He moved on
from there and dug another well, and no one quarreled over it. He named it
Rehoboth, saying, “Now the Lord has
given us room and we will flourish in the land.”
(Genesis 26:12-22)
Though there are differences in the NIV and Peterson’s
work, the heart and soul of the Word in intact.
Isaac had become big and powerful.
But notice that Isaac did not use that power to bully others. Instead he was meek and sought a place where
he could live and prosper without harming other people.
Are we sensitive to the needs of others around us? Or do we just strong arm our own agendas onto
other people? They’re important
questions.
May we be meek and inherit the earth – especially when
we find ourselves in positions of power over others. Let’s seek the lower place. It’s what Jesus did throughout his life on
earth. It’s what we are called to do.
May it be so!
Enough mumbling for now…
Peace Out
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