DIG A WELL! Kay Keith Peebles September 28, 2018 18:27
Isaac’s father Abraham had died. There was another famine in the land different from the one that caused Abraham to temporarily move to Egypt. The Lord told Isaac not to go to Egypt but to settle in the land of Gerar where Abimelech was king over the Philistines.
“Then the Lord appeared to him and said: Do not go down to Egypt; live in the land of which I shall tell you. Dwell in this land, and I will be with you and bless you; for to you and your descendants I give all these lands, and I will perform the oath which I swore to Abraham your father, and I will make your descendants multiply as the stars of heaven. I will give to your descendants all these lands; and in your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed; because Abraham obeyed My voice and kept My charge, My commandments, My statutes, and My laws. ” Genesis 26:2-5.
God kept His promise and Isaac prospered a hundred fold during the famine. His success created envy in the hearts of the Philistines therefore, the men stopped up all the wells which Abraham had dug in his day. King Abimelech asked Isaac to move away because he had become mighty. He was concerned the people would make war with Isaac and be overcome. Isaac travelled to the valley of Gerar and pitched his tent. Each well of Abraham that Isaac re-dug brought enmity and strife from the herdsmen of Abimelech. They claimed the water rights to Abraham’s wells. Rather than fight them, Isaac dug a new well away from the others. He dedicated the new well to the Lord because the men did not quarrel over Isaac’s new well.
“And he moved from there and dug another well, and they did not quarrel over it. So he called its name Rehoboth (a broad place), because he said, “for now the LORD has made room for us, and we shall be fruitful in the land. Then he went up from there to Beersheba. And the LORD appeared to him the same night and said, I am the God of your father Abraham; do not fear, for I am with you. I will bless you and multiply your descendants for My servant Abraham’s sake.” Genesis 26:22-24. Emphasis mine. The Lord was establishing a personal relationship with Isaac because he could not live on the faith of his parents or others. Neither can we. It is imperative we must know the Lord personally. Therefore we must dig our own well and experience God for ourselves as Isaac did.
Wells and water are significant to the LORD. Noah and his family were carried to safety by the ark while the Lord flooded the earth and cleansed it of sinful mankind. See 1 Peter 3:20. Moses struck the rock in the wilderness and water poured forth for the people to drink. See Exodus 17:3-7. Jesus declared to the woman at the well He had living water (meaning the Holy Spirit) to give her if she asked. John 4:10-14). He told the crowds Living Water would flow out of the belly (heart) of the believer! Again, He was speaking of the Holy Spirit. See John 7:37-39 and The Apostle Paul taught that the water of the Word of God washes our hearts and minds cleansing and sanctifying the believer. See Ephesians 5:26.
Isaiah prophesied of the future. “The poor and needy seek water, but there is none. Their tongues fail for thirst. I, the LORD, will hear them, I, the God of Israel, will not forsake them. I will open rivers in desolate heights, and fountains in the midst of the valleys; I will make the wilderness a pool of water, and the dry land springs of water. I will plant in the wilderness the cedar and the acacia tree, the myrtle and the oil tree. I will set in the desert the cypress tree and the pine and the box tree together, that they may see and know and consider and understand together, that the hand of the LORD has done this, and the Holy One of Israel has created it.” Isaiah 41:17-20.
“Yet hear now, O Jacob My servant, and Israel whom I have chosen, thus says the LORD who made you and formed you from the womb, who will help you: fear not, O Jacob My servant; and you, Jeshurun, whom I have chosen, for I will pour water on him who is thirsty, and floods on the dry ground. I will pour My Spirit on your descendants, and My blessing on your offspring…” Isaiah 44:3
Water is necessary for our survival. It refreshes, stimulates growth, cleanses and provides an atmosphere for life to flourish in the natural realm. Similarly, the Living Water is necessary for the survival of every believer. The River of God not only refreshes the believer, it will pour from them to refresh others. The Word of God cleanses our minds, washing them of lies, falsehood and strongholds which are not of God. It stimulates growth in our faith and is critical to sustain our spiritual life. The water of baptism begins the transformation of the believer by washing away the old man in death and resurrects the new man into life in Christ Jesus. 2 Corinthians 5:17-21.
We all need a spiritual well from which we can draw forth the waters of life. We need a source, a well-spring that continually flows giving life, refreshing and cleansing. We need to dig a well! It is not enough simply to dig any well. It is important to locate the right place to dig where there is a deep aquifer beneath the surface which will provide an on-going supply of water. Isaac sought the Lord and moved where the Lord told him to re-locate. The blessing and favor of the Lord is dependent upon our being in the right place at the right time.
The depth of the well is also important because there are disadvantages if the well is too shallow. Shallow wells have a fluctuation in the supply of water they provide. They are susceptible to pollution from contaminated ground water and are more apt to suffer a dramatic loss of supply in seasons of drought. Deep wells increase the water supply and flow which does not fluctuate. The water is cleaner, and remains purer because contaminants rarely infiltrate its supply, especially when the well was dug through a layer of rock. Deeper wells are less likely to be susceptible to the negative effects of seasons of drought.
Spiritually speaking, we must not only dig a well, we must dig a DEEP well for an on-going supply of the Holy Spirit’s flow of water. “Behold, God is my salvation. I will trust and not be afraid: for Yah, the LORD, is my strength and song; He also has become my salvation. Therefore with joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation, and in that day you will say: Praise the LORD, call upon His name; Declare His deeds among the peoples. Make mention that His name is exalted…” Isaiah 12:2-6.
Psalm 149:2-6a declares, “Let Israel rejoice in their Maker; in their King. Let them praise His name with the dance…For the LORD takes pleasure in His people; He will beautify the humble with salvation. Let the saints be joyful in glory; let them sing aloud on their beds. Let the high praises of God be in their mouth…”
Nehemiah and Ezra ministered the Word of God to the Israelites who were brought back to Jerusalem to build the wall and re-dedicate the city to the Lord. “Now all the people gathered together as one man in the open square that was in front of the Water Gate; and they told Ezra the scribe to bring the Book of the Law of Moses, which the LORD had commanded Israel. So Ezra the priest brought the Law before the assembly of men and women, and all who could hear with understanding on the first day of the seventh month. Then he read from it in the open square that was in front of the Water Gate from morning until midday, before the men and women and those who could understand; and the ears of all the people were attentive to the Book of the Law…and Nehemiah, who was the governor, Ezra the priest and scribe, and the Levites who taught the people said to all the people, ‘This day is holy to the LORD your God, do not mourn nor weep,’ for all the people wept, when they heard the words of the Law. Then he said to them, ‘Go your way, eat the fat, drink the sweet, and send portions to those for whom nothing is prepared; for this day is holy to our Lord. Do not sorrow for the joy of the LORD is your strength.’” Nehemiah 8:1-12.
The well we dig should be one filled with joy! It is our responsibility to seek His Presence. We accomplish that through the reading and understanding of His Word, rejoicing over Him, His works and His promises. When we fully discover who He is, our worship of Him grows to greater heights and depths. Our well is that altar we build where we pray, seek His face and remain in silence waiting to hear His voice. Our minds are renewed by praising Him and humbling ourselves before Him in worship. We are then washed with the water of the Holy Spirit, cleansing us from sin. When our minds are renewed then our authority through the power of His name, His works and His Word is affirmed.
Our well of His Presence cleanses us of sin, kills our flesh and frees us to be who He destined us to be. It will bind up all our wounds restoring us to spiritual and emotional health. It exposes and destroys every stronghold that has kept us bound and causes us to rejoice in our new freedom in Christ Jesus! Our well of His Presence will sustain us during the times of drought and warfare. It will uphold us in times of persecution and revive us in times of weakness.
Our well is not meant solely for our blessing. It is God’s plan for us to become refreshed and healed and then we are to dispense His Living Water helping others to become born again. Not doing so would ensure our well would dry up. The water only remains pure and effective when we give it away!
When we draw from the Well of Salvation we are promised: wisdom and understanding, healing, forgiveness, freedom, empowering and victory! We will walk in His peace knowing He is with us. He defends us by going before us and protecting us from behind. Our well becomes the Secret Place of the Most High God where we can abide under His shelter. (See Psalm 91). He will light our path, lead us through the danger bringing us safely on the other side. Now is the time, more than any other, to Dig A Well!
