Commentary - Genesis 26:18-22

Bird's-eye view

In this brief account from the life of Isaac, we are given a picture of what it means to inherit the covenant promises of God in a world that is openly hostile to those promises. The conflict here is not ultimately about water rights, but rather about the right of God's chosen people to exist and flourish in the land God has given them. Isaac, as the heir of the promise, finds himself at odds with the inhabitants of the land, the Philistines. Their envy and strife are a manifestation of the ancient enmity promised in the garden between the seed of the woman and the seed of the serpent. Isaac's response is not one of carnal warfare but of patient perseverance and faith. He digs wells, names them according to the conflict he endures, and moves on, trusting that God will ultimately make a place for him. This is a story of living by faith, of overcoming by yielding, and of God's faithfulness to provide for His people, making room for them to be fruitful, just as He promised.

This passage serves as a microcosm of the Christian life. We are called to be fruitful in a world that seeks to stop up our wells, to choke out our life. The world contends with us, they strive against us, and they hate us because they first hated our Master. Our response must be like Isaac's: we keep digging. We keep drawing from the living water that Christ provides, and we do not return evil for evil. We trust that our God, who made room for Isaac, will make room for us, and will cause us to be fruitful for His glory.

Outline

Context In Genesis

This episode follows God's direct reaffirmation of the Abrahamic covenant to Isaac at the beginning of the chapter (Gen 26:2-5). God has just promised to be with Isaac, to bless him, and to multiply his offspring. The conflict over the wells, therefore, is an immediate test of that promise. Will Isaac believe God's word in the face of direct opposition? This section demonstrates that the path of blessing is often paved with trials. Isaac's prosperity, mentioned just before this (Gen 26:12-14), is the very thing that provokes the envy of the Philistines. The narrative is a practical outworking of what it looks like to be blessed by God while living as a sojourner in a land that is not yet fully yours. It is a key part of the bridge between Abraham's initial reception of the covenant and Jacob's wrestling for it. Isaac is the quiet patriarch, the one who inherits the promise and holds it steady through patient endurance.

Clause-by-Clause Commentary

v. 18 Then Isaac dug again the wells of water which had been dug in the days of his father Abraham, but the Philistines had stopped them up after the death of Abraham; and he called them by the same names by which his father had called them.

The first thing to notice is the nature of Isaac's work. He is not an innovator here; he is a restorer. He "dug again the wells of water which had been dug in the days of his father Abraham." This is an act of profound piety. Abraham had dug these wells, finding sources of life in a dry land. This was part of him taking possession of the promise. But the Philistines, in an act of spite and hostility, had "stopped them up." This is what the world does. The world hates the sources of life that God provides for His people. They want to fill them with earth, with rubbish, with anything to stop the flow of living water. The serpent is always trying to choke out the life of the seed of the woman.

Isaac's response is simple faithfulness. He un-stops the wells. He clears out the debris of the world's hatred and gets the water flowing again. And notice the final detail: "he called them by the same names by which his father had called them." This is not just sentimentality. This is a covenantal act. He is saying, "The God of my father is my God. The promises made to Abraham are my promises. The inheritance is mine." He is re-establishing his father's claim, which is ultimately God's claim. This is what the church does. We don't invent a new gospel; we un-stop the old wells. We preach the same faith once for all delivered to the saints and call things by their proper, biblical names.

v. 19 Then Isaac’s servants dug in the valley and found there a well of flowing water.

After restoring the old, Isaac's men now find something new. They dug and found "a well of flowing water." The Hebrew here suggests living water, a spring, not just a cistern that collects runoff. This is a picture of abundant grace. God does not just restore what was lost; He provides fresh grace, new life. When we are faithful in the small things, like un-stopping the old wells, God is pleased to grant us fresh outpourings of His Spirit. Isaac is acting in faith, and God is rewarding that faith with a tangible sign of His blessing. This isn't the prosperity gospel; this is the covenant-keeping God providing for His son in the midst of a hostile land. This well of living water is a foretaste of what Christ would one day offer to the woman at the well in Samaria, water that springs up to eternal life.

v. 20 And the herdsmen of Gerar contended with the herdsmen of Isaac, saying, “The water is ours!” So he named the well Esek, because they quarreled with him.

As soon as God provides, the world contends. The blessing of God on His people is an affront to the ungodly. The herdsmen of Gerar show up immediately and lay claim to what is not theirs. "The water is ours!" This is the constant cry of the world. They want the blessings of God without the God of the blessings. They are spiritual socialists, wanting to redistribute the grace that God has given to His elect. This is the enmity in action. Isaac's response is instructive. He doesn't get out his swords. He doesn't argue case law. He names the reality of the situation. He called the well Esek, which means contention or quarrel. He is a truth-teller. He identifies the sin for what it is. This is a profound spiritual discipline. We must learn to name our struggles biblically. This was not a misunderstanding; it was a quarrel. It was sin.

v. 21 Then they dug another well, and they contended over it also, so he called it Sitnah.

Isaac does not retaliate. He moves on and digs another well. This is the meekness of the man of faith. The meek don't fight for their "rights" in this world because they know their inheritance is in the next. And what happens? The same thing. "They contended over it also." The world's appetite for strife is insatiable. So Isaac names this well Sitnah, which means enmity or accusation. The quarrel has now escalated to outright hostility. Sitnah is related to the word Satan, the accuser. The spirit behind this contention is ultimately demonic. It is the hatred of the accuser against the people of God. Isaac is living out the reality of Genesis 3:15. He is the seed of the woman, and the seed of the serpent is bruising his heel. But notice, Isaac keeps digging. He refuses to let the world's hatred stop him from seeking the life-giving water God provides.

v. 22 Then he moved away from there and dug another well, and they did not contend over it; so he named it Rehoboth, and he said, “At last Yahweh has made room for us, and we will be fruitful in the land.”

Finally, there is a breakthrough. Isaac moves again, digs again, and this time, there is peace. "They did not contend over it." God intervenes. He puts a halt to the strife. And Isaac, ever the theologian, gives God the glory. He names the well Rehoboth, meaning "broad places" or "room." And his commentary on the name is a sermon in itself: "At last Yahweh has made room for us, and we will be fruitful in the land." He recognizes that it is Yahweh, the covenant Lord, who has done this. It wasn't his clever strategy or his persistent digging that ultimately secured the peace. It was God. God made room. And the purpose of that room was not just for comfort, but for fruitfulness. God makes space for His people so that they can fulfill the mandate He has given them. This is the gospel pattern. Through contention (Esek) and enmity (Sitnah), God brings His people to a broad place (Rehoboth) where they can be fruitful for His glory. This is the story of the cross. Christ endured the ultimate contention and enmity so that He could make a wide place for us in the family of God, that we might bear much fruit.

Application

This is not just an ancient story about shepherds and water. This is a paradigm for Christian living. We live in a world that is actively hostile to the sources of our life. The world wants to stop up the wells of Scripture, prayer, and fellowship. Our first duty is to be like Isaac and un-stop the old wells. We must be people of the Book, committed to the old paths, calling things by their biblical names.

Second, we must expect contention. When God blesses us, when we find living water, do not be surprised when the world says, "That's ours!" or "You have no right to that!" The world is envious of the joy, peace, and life that belongs to the believer. We will face Esek and Sitnah. Our response must not be to take up carnal weapons, but to continue our work, entrusting ourselves to God.

Finally, we must trust in God to make room for us. Our ultimate victory does not come from out-maneuvering our enemies, but from the sovereign grace of God who provides a Rehoboth for us. He gives us room to breathe, to grow, and to be fruitful. And our fruitfulness is the goal. We are not saved to be put on a shelf, but to be planted by streams of water, to yield our fruit in its season. Like Isaac, when God gives us peace, we must recognize it as His gift and dedicate that peace to the task of being fruitful in the land He has given us.