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Opened Wells for God’s People
Genesis 26:1-35
Some children say - “When I grow up, I want to be like my father.” Or “I want to be like Mom.” That’s wonderful to hear. Sadly, it’s not always the case. Many say the opposite. “When I grow up, I’ll never do what Dad did…I’ll never be that kind of mother.” But beloved, because of the sin nature inherited from our parents, we inevitably become our parents - repeating their sins and mistakes. Today, we see how Isaac was weak, slow to believe and obey - lying like his father. In fact, we see many parallels from Abraham’s life - there’s a famine, Egypt, lying about a wife, and a dispute over wells. Didn’t Isaac learn from Abraham’s sins? Similarly, why don’t we learn or change? Why are we prone to repeat their mistakes? But there’s hope in Christ. He forgives. He help us change and grow; to look to him alone, granting victory and breaking Adam’s curse. This he did for us at his resurrection. He broke free from death and opened God’s blessings so we can overcome sin. And we’ll see this in three truths from the passage: God is gracious despite our repeated failures, God’s blessing fuels our obedience, and we respond with awe to God.
Firstly, God is gracious despite our repeated failures. This chapter opens with a famine. And a famine previously drove Abraham to Egypt, where he failed morally. Would Isaac fail like Abraham? Sadly he did, despite God repeating to him promises he made to Abraham. Now, he started off well, but lied out of fear. In those days, famine caused people in Canaan to seek refuge in Egypt where it was fertile. But verse 1 says instead of going to Egypt, he went to Gerar. Why? Because God told him to. Verse 2 - “Don’t go to Egypt, but dwell in a land I’ll show you.” So God led him to Gerar. Abraham saw this land when he looked north, south, east, west in Genesis 13, which he later claimed for God. So Isaac obeyed God. He went. And there in Gerar, verses 3-4, God repeated the promises he made to Abraham - I’ll give you this land! I’ll multiply you greatly! I’ll bless all nations through your offspring! This was the theme of Genesis - seed and land.
And importantly, God promised to be with him - “I will be with thee, and will bless thee.” Why? Why Isaac? Because of Abraham, verse 5. The only reason why Isaac would have any of these things is because of Abraham. God promised Abraham all these things, and Isaac would benefit because of Abraham. He had an inheritance, a lineage, salvation! But would he believe? Then in verse 5, Isaac was reminded of Abraham’s greatness - yes, despite his failings! Abraham responded faithfully - he obeyed God’s commandments, statutes, and laws. And as Abraham’s son, Isaac also had obligations. But would he obey? Would he respond faithfully or run to Egypt to save his life? Make no mistake. His faith was tested. After all, he lived in land occupied by hostile Philistines. So was he faithful? Verse 6 says that he was - he dwelt in Gerar! He believed and stayed. He didn’t seek refuge in Egypt.
And this would’ve been significant to the Israelites reading it in Moses’ day. It was an important reminder, as they entered into Canaan. “Don’t return to Egypt! Believe God! Be grateful for your privileges as Abraham’s descendants!” Would they follow his commandments? Would they remain pure? Would they resist the influence of the Canaanites? So this was a test for Isaac.
Alas, we see Isaac, despite his initial obedience, repeating the sins of his father. Verses 7-11 recorded his faltering faith. In Gerar, fear got the better of him. He told the men Rebekah was his sister. This was Abraham’s lie about Sarah. But why did Isaac lie? At a time when kings would kill men for their wives, he feared death, verse 9. So Isaac repeated the lie of his father, showing that the next generation can still be as weak as the former. This was despite God’s promises - assuring him of life. He feared a pagan king. He was weak. Both his faith and obedience fizzled out. But that’s us! We know the gospel and his promise to save, but our resolve to obey often fizzles out!
But in the midst of this, God’s faithfulness didn’t fizzle out. He worked in the most unexpected way. In verse 8, Abimelech looked out the window and saw Isaac showing romantic affections to Rebekah. So he confronted them - “She’s not your sister! She must be your wife! Why did you do this? If any of us took her, we’d all be guilty!” This pagan king had a conscience! God used it to protect Isaac! Isaac’s fear almost got him in trouble. But God in his mercy was building his church; nothing - not even Isaac’s cowardice, not even the gates of hell will prevail against it. There was grace upon grace. Sin was avoided, but Isaac and Rebekah were given protection, verse 11 - “He that toucheth this man or his wife shall surely be put to death!” God was gracious despite Isaac’s failure. And this was a reminder to Israel - despite her many failures, he was gracious.
And God is also gracious despite our failures. Beloved, we’re confronted with a truth - we’re above all people most blessed - but in our weakness, we fail. And though children swear to never follow the sins of their parents, they often do. Beloved, let’s admit our sins and weaknesses. We’re prone to faithlessness and disobedience, prone to repeating the sins of our fathers. But God’s gracious despite our repeated failures. Why? Remember this truth. Because we’re in Christ. God promised him to forgive all his people. “He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9). But are you in Christ? Do you believe? If you are, remember your obligations. With grace shown, you must respond in gratitude. Repeat not the sins of our fathers or resort to worldly fear. Conceal not our identity. Live like the holy nation, royal priesthood, and chosen generation that you are, to show forth his praises boldly.
And we can, by letting God’s blessing fuels our obedience. That’s the second point. How do you think Isaac felt when he was delivered by God’s grace, after failing because he was afraid despite having great promises? Would he not have felt grateful? Beloved, in Christ, we’re not defined by our failures. We’re defined by God’s grace. Despite our failures, he loves us. So out of gratitude, Isaac pressed on in obedience. In verse 12 he stayed in Gerar. He sowed the land. He didn’t move or leave. He stayed and trusted God. And we see God’s blessings. When he sowed, he reaped a hundredfold. This was amazing. Remember the context - there was famine! But in the midst of famine, there was supernatural abundance. Verses 13-14 - he had great flocks, herds, and servants. This was a visible sign of God’s blessings. And it wasn’t just for his comfort, but evidence God was with him, fulfilling the very promises he made to him.
Now such blessings provoked the world around him. The Philistines envied him, and verse 15 reveals they poured dirt into the Abraham’s wells. This was sinister. Wells symbolized life. Water leads to life. So to stop a well meant they intended to kill Isaac; not only to prevent prosperity, but to prevent survival. Without water, your crops die. Without water and crops, your animals die. Without water, crops, and animals, you and your children die. So while God promised seed and land, these men sought to kill the seed so they could take away the land. They couldn’t stand God’s blessing on his people. So they conveniently disregarded previous contracts made between Abraham and Abimelech. Even Abimelech chased Isaac away. Why? Verse 16 - “Go from us; for thou art much mightier than we.” He was chased away not because he did anything wrong, but because he was prosperous. They feared him.
Beloved, when we follow God; believing and obeying him, he’ll bless us. But the world can’t tolerate that blessing. People hated Jesus when he demonstrated compassion, holiness, and power. Why? Because darkness hates the light - it exposes their wicked deeds. Peter warned in 1 Peter 4 that the world will malign believers for refusing to join in their sin. And that’s what we see here; the envy and hatred toward believers. And what did Isaac do? Did he run away? Did he get discouraged? No. He pressed on.
He demonstrated tenacious faith and meekness. Because of God’s blessings, Isaac continued to fulfill his covenantal duties. What did he do? He didn’t call down fire from heaven. He didn’t marshal an army. He simply returned to his duties to promote life. In verses 17-22, he settled in the valley and reopened the wells. Rather than dig elsewhere, he dug his inheritance to reclaim life and land. When he opened them, he called each well the name Abraham had given it, verse 18. But each time he opened one, there was conflict. The Philistines said it was their water. What did he do? Did he fight and quarrel with them? No. He let them go. He renamed them Esek, meaning quarrel; and Sitnah, meaning contention. No life there - only fighting. And in each case, Isaac yielded. He didn’t fight more. Why? It’s not because he was weak. It wasn’t because he was a pushover. But he had faith that God would provide. He was patient. God had already promised him land, life, and blessing. That’s why he was unstopping the wells. But he was also trusting God for the timing. His duty wasn’t to fight but to keep digging for life. Remember, he was powerful - he had the manpower. He could’ve destroyed them all. But he was didn’t. God would provide. God promised. He believed.
And finally, when he dug the third well, no one quarreled. He called it Rehoboth, saying, “For now the LORD hath made room for us, and we shall be fruitful in the land.” In renaming the well, Isaac recalled God’s promises. Beloved, throughout all these pressures, Isaac didn’t lose faith. His meekness was strength. His spirit was different from those in the world. Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. Beloved, we’re saved to serve God. We’re saved not to fear. We’re saved to show forth godliness in the midst of evil. The world will contend with us. We can either yield sinfully in fear, or fight sinfully in our flesh, or fight in faith - by being holy. Our prosperity is paradoxical. When we want to save our lives, we’ll lose it. Only when we lose our lives for Christ’s sake, will we gain it. Beloved, don’t give yourself over to the flesh. Subdue it. Learn the way of Christ, who when he died, yielded much fruit - thirty, sixty, a hundredfold. Peter who cut off the servant’s ear; John and James who wanted to call down fire; Paul who persecuted the church could do nothing. Only when they laid down their lives did they yield true spiritual blessings. When we understand God’s gospel and promises, it affects our witness.
It shows whom we worship. Thirdly, we respond with awe to God. Isaac knew God’s promises, forgiveness, and blessings. How could he not worship God? We his right response to all of God’s goodness. After all these things, in verses 23-33, Isaac went up to Beersheba. That night, God appeared to him. This was the climax of his life. God said, “I’m the God of Abraham thy father. Fear not, for I’m with thee and will bless thee and multiply they seed for my servant Abraham’s sake.” Now, notice the grammar of grace. God doesn’t say, “I am the God of Isaac, because you’ve done so well.” No. He grounds himself in the promise he made - I’m the God of Abraham. That’s why I’ll take care of you. And don’t fear. Why? Is it because the Philistines are no longer quarreling with him? Or because he has the Rehoboth well now? No. It’s because “I’m with you.” How did Isaac respond to all that had happened? He built an altar and called on the Lord. And God blessed him with another well! He trusted.
But not all did. What do I mean? We see a wrong response to God’s goodness. Now there’s an interesting account here. After all this, Abimelech - the one who chased him away - traveled to make a covenant with him. He brought big shots: Ahuzzath - an ally - and Phichol, chief captain of his army. Why? To fight Isaac? No. Verses 28-29 tell us that even Abimelech acknowledged that God was with Isaac. Even these pagans could see how the Lord blessed him. Isaac’s obedience, meekness, blessing from God despite opposition, were a testimony. The initial faithlessness was forgotten. They wanted to have peace with him. Beloved, when your ways please the Lord, he makes even your enemies to be at peace with you. These pagans saw God’s blessing.
But not all saw it. Verses 34-35 give us a very sad account. Yes, Isaac was weak like Abraham. The son followed the father’s footsteps. But Isaac trusted God like Abraham! The son followed the father’s footsteps! But sadly, we’re told that Esau married Hittite women - unbelievers - and this brought grief to his parents. Why? He didn’t value the promise. He lived for himself - not the covenant - not the seed and the land. Sure, Isaac wasn’t perfect. Neither was Abraham. But in the end, they loved the promises of God. But here was a son that was raised in a covenant home - he witnessed all of God’s blessings to his family. But he didn’t follow the father’s footsteps. He didn’t love his birthright. He didn’t worship. He called not on the name of the Lord. He showed contempt for the covenant by selling his birthright for stew and by marrying women who worshiped other gods. By so doing, he shut up the wells of God’s blessings.
Isaac’s son walked away from the covenant. And it leaves us hanging. How would the promise be fulfilled? The seed and the land, and the blessing on the world? The chapter forces us to ask: if even Isaac’s son failed, who would ultimately fulfill the promise? Who won’t repeat the sins of the father? Who won’t grow bitter against the covenant but will obey it? In the Matthew’s genealogy, we find Isaac’s name - and from him, at the end is a name - Jesus. He is the better Isaac.
Where Isaac feared Abimelech to save his skin, our Lord stood before Pilate and spoke the truth, willingly laying down his life. And while Isaac dug wells to produce temporary water, our Lord declared - “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.” And while Esau despised the covenant and brought grief to his parents, our Lord Jesus delighted the Father - who said, this is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased. But this he did - he came to rescue sinners like us and bring us into God’s household, that he might make us his bride.
And he died for us, buried in a tomb. And while it seemed like the enemy had finally stopped up the well of life, on the third day, the stone was rolled away. The tomb was unstopped. And by his resurrection, the promises are ours. We belong to him, out of many nations. We’re headed to a promised land. Because of him, God blesses us now and hereafter. This is why, we can have victory over our sins. We can live without fear, for the God who said to Isaac, “I am with you,” has said to us, “I am with you always, to the end of the age.” And this promise is given to us on this day when we remember his death and resurrection. When we come to Christ in the supper he hosts, we know though we fail and sin, in Christ, we’re forgiven. And we know that because we’re forgiven, we can live victoriously, out of gratitude, keeping his commandments, statutes, and laws, resisting the world and the flesh, facing the world’s contention with meekness, as he did. In Christ, we needn’t follow our fathers; we have him to follow.
1. God Is Gracious Despite Our Repeated Failures (1-11)
A. Repeating the promises to the son (1-6)
B. Repeating the sins of the father (7-11)
2. God’s Blessing Fuels Our Obedience (12-22)
A. God’s covenantal blessings (12-17)
B. Our covenantal duties (18-22)
3. We Respond with Awe to God (23-35)
A. The right response to God’s grace (23-33)
B. The wrong response to God’s grace (34-35)
* As a matter of courtesy please advise Rev. Mark Chen, if you plan to use this sermon in a worship service. Thank-you.
(c) Copyright 2026, Rev. Mark Chen
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