Who dug numerous wells that were taken from him?
Question:
I am trying to write a children's book for my nephew based on the account of the Old Testament figure who had his servants dig numerous wells which were taken by the heathens until finally, he dug one they didn't take. Can you help me find the story and who it was about? I think maybe it was Lot?
Answer:
Genesis in the chapter titled "Jacob and Esau."
The following is taken from that lesson:
That year, Isaac's crops returned a hundred-fold. He prospered so well that his Philistine neighbors became jealous of Isaac. The people plugged up Isaac's wells to force him to move away. Abimelech, too, asks Isaac to leave. Perhaps he felt he could no longer protect Isaac, or perhaps he too felt that Isaac was becoming wealthy at the expense of his own people.
Isaac could have stayed. There was an earlier agreement between the kings of Gerar and Abraham, which allowed Abraham and his descendants to use the wells and reside in the area (Genesis 20:15). However, Isaac chooses to move on.
Isaac moves further east and reopens some of Abraham's wells. However, the Philistines laid claim to the water, even though the wells were unused and had been filled in. Isaac names the well "Quarrel Well" and moves further east.
Here Isaac and his men dig a new well at the second spot, but the same thing happens. The Philistines claimed the water was theirs. So, Isaac names the well "Hatred Well" and moves further to the east. At the third location, no one bothers Isaac or lays claim to the well he had dug. He names this well "Well of Ample Room."
Sometime later, Isaac moves back to Beersheba. God appears to Isaac again and reaffirms His covenant with Abraham. In tribute, Isaac builds an altar to God at that place and digs another well near it. This is the only altar the Scriptures mention that Isaac built. From this we conclude that Isaac is more material-minded than his father Abraham. As Abraham moves, we find the first thing he frequently does is to build an altar. When Isaac moves, the first thing that is mentioned is that Isaac digs a well.
After Isaac settles in at Beersheba -- a long distance from Gerar -- Abimelech and his captain visit Isaac to make peace. Isaac is too rich and powerful to leave as an enemy encamped on the borders of Gerar. This is especially true when it is obvious that God is on Isaac's side. Once again, an oath is made on this spot. The name Beersheba means "the well of the oath."
