365: Day 9 (Genesis 25-27)

He moved from there and dug another well. (Genesis 26:22)

Ever notice there's a lot of biblical material about Abraham and Jacob, but not that much about Isaac? Most of the Isaac accounts have Isaac being pretty passive while things happen to him, like for instance, when his father lays him out on the altar of sacrifice, or when his wife and child conspire to trick him into blessing the wrong son.

Genesis 26 is the story of Isaac living among the Philistines. Because they were envious of his riches and nervous about his family's strength, the Philistines filled up all his wells. He dug a new well, and the Philistines filled it up and it sunk into the swamp. So he dug another well,... and that one burned down, fell over and sunk into the swamp. So he dug another well,... and finally the Philistines left that one alone and it was the finest well in all the land. (For those who didn't notice there is a small amount of paraphrasing included in this account.)

Isaac is to be commended for his response. I would have probably had a few other responses in mind: 1) throw a tantrum; 2) quit and go home; or 3) beat the daylights out of the Philistines.

Isaac didn't do any of those things. After they filled in all his wells, and then two additional wells he dug after that, Isaac just moved down the road, dug another well, and waited to see what would happen. That time, the Philistines left him and his well alone, he breathed a sigh of relief, and went on with his life.

What would you do? What can we learn from Isaac?