Showing Peace

Genesis 26: 12- 17 -  And Isaac sowed in that land, and reaped in the same year a hundredfold. The LORD blessed him,  and the man became rich, and gained more and more until he became very wealthy.  He had possessions of flocks and herds, and a great household, so that the Philistines envied him.  (Now the Philistines had stopped and filled with earth all the wells which his father's servants had dug in the days of Abraham his father.)  And Abim'elech said to Isaac, "Go away from us; for you are much mightier than we."  So Isaac departed from there, and encamped in the valley of Gerar and dwelt there. 

Sometimes we are called to stand up and fight for what is right…..and sometimes we are called to model peace like Isaac did.  Issac was following the directions of God…living in the land of Gerar…receiving wealth from his crops and healthy livestock….but jealously of his rich blessings from God drove some of the Philistines he shared land with to fill in his wells. The king had forbidden anyone to touch him or Rebekah…so they lashed out by cutting off his supply of life sustaining water. This was a very serious act…considered to be a invitation to war….but Isaac does not fight back. The King even sees the possible fight to come and ask him to leave the land….so Isaac found another place in Gerar to live…a valley…where he promptly digs 2 more wells that are also filled in by the natives that already lived there.

Amazing the ability of Isaac to just accept these acts for what they are…and keep following God’s directions. He had been told to live in Gerar…his large flocks and family needed water to survive…so he just dug another well.  Three wells he digs….until all the people there are finally satisfied that he means them no harm.  Isaac even models for us how we should not spite others…and hollows back out all the wells that had been covered in the long process of modeling the peace of God.

You really need to read the end of this chapter too….for Isaac moves this simple concept of peace to a whole new level….as he continues to show us how to swallow our pride and forgive and forget the wrongs that have been done to us in the past. As we read about the peace treaty he signed with the King that sent him away in verses 26-31…we see that our actions have more of an impact on others than we sometimes know.  He questions the Kings motives at first…but is overwhelmed with joy to find that his patience and peaceful attitude has finally paid off. He forgets quickly the Kings words of hate and rejection and seizes the opportunity to make an ally as he realizes that the King understands where his source of wealth and patience come from.

Oh father…give me the ability to be a model of peace for you. I need your forgiveness once more this morning for the many times I have lashed out in anger and pride and missed the opportunity to show your love and mercy to others. Help me to start anew today…and model peace when I am wronged. Oh how hard Father it is to know when to model peace and when to separate myself from the world and fight for your ways…help me to discern those times that I need to stand firm....and which times I just need to stand in peace…and wait for you to weld together your bigger plan. Amen.