Short Thought continued.....

Where is your Rehoboth?

 

 ’Isaac’s servants also dug in the Gerar Valley and discovered a well of fresh water.  

But then the shepherds from Gerar came and claimed the spring.

“This is our water,” they said, and they argued over it with Isaac’s herdsmen.

So Isaac named the well Esek (which means “argument”).

Isaac’s men then dug another well, but again there was a dispute over it.

So Isaac named it Sitnah (which means “hostility”). 

Abandoning that one, Isaac moved on and dug another well.

This time there was no dispute over it,

so Isaac named the place Rehoboth (which means “open space”),

for he said,  “At last the Lord has created enough space for us to prosper in this land.”’

(Genesis 26:19-22 NLT)

 

Isaac, the son of Abraham, had been living as a foreigner in Gerar.

The Lord had blessed him with an abundance of crops, flocks, cattle and servants; he had become a wealthy man.  King Abimelech of the Philistines in Gerar found Isaac to be too powerful and requested that he move on.

 

I don’t imagine this being a simple move for Isaac.

Among his tribe were many people who had many different needs:

the young, the elderly, the sick, the dying, pregnant women, the fit, the struggling…

There were many requirements to be considered:

where would they find space for their tents, water, fertile soil for growing crops,

good grazing pasture, safe land, prosperous land…?

 

Isaac moved on to the Gerar valley where he tried to find enough space and good land in which they could settle. 

Others also dwelt in this land; arguments, disputes and hostility broke out. 

When this happened Isaac showed

respect towards others and wisely moved on. 

 

Isaac continued to faithfully move on until he found an open space where there was provision and peace;

a place where he and all his people could flourish and prosper.

 A place he named Rehoboth.

 

Moving on can come with complexities; it may not be simple, many things may need to be considered. 

Moving on can often be seen as a sign of abandoning, giving up or not persevering. 

However what if moving on is a sign of faith, obedience, wisdom, and showing others respect?

 

God wants us to be in an open space where we can flourish and prosper,

where He is our Provider, our peace and our hope.

 

Where is your Rehoboth, your open space where God can and will provide all you need to flourish and prosper?

Where do you need to move to in order to be in this land?

 

‘He moved on from there and dug another well, and no one quarrelled over it.

He named it Rehoboth, saying,

‘Now the Lord has given us room and we will flourish in the land.’

(Genesis 26:22 NIV)

​