QUESTION TO CONSIDER: Do I try to make peace with those who do not treat me well?
BIBLE TEXT: Genesis 26:12-22
BIBLELESSON: Isaac and his family were living in the land of the Philistines and doing very well. The Lord was blessing Isaac the son of Abraham, and as a result, he had numerous flocks and herds. So many animals would require a great deal of pasture land and a great deal of water. The servants of Isaac’s father Abraham had dug a number of wells many years ago, and it was these wells that Isaac’s servants were using as a source of water. But there was a problem. The Philistines became jealous of Isaac because he was so rich.
Read Genesis 26:15. What did the Philistines do to Isaac’s wells? If you were Isaac, how would this make you feel? Sometimes, people make us angry when they treat us wrong. It is okay to feel angry or upset because God created us to have feelings. But it is not okay to act in a wrong way because we are angry or upset. The Bible tells us in Ephesians 4:26, “Be angry, and do not sin.”
Read Genesis 26:16-19. How did Isaac respond to what the Philistines had done? Isaac was a peacemaker. That is, he tried his best to live at peace with other people and not pick a fight or react angrily to them when they treated him wrong. The Bible tells us in Romans 12:18, “If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men.” Notice this doesn’t say to live at peace with others when they make it easy, or they try to live at peace with you. It says it is up to you to decide to live at peace with others. Isaac did just that.
Read Genesis 26:20-22. What happened after Isaac moved on and dug new wells? How many times did this happen? It must have been very discouraging to Isaac to keep being treated so bad by the Philistines, but he never sinned in his anger. He did not fight to keep the wells that were rightfully his. He continued to do what he could to live peacefully in the land and not get into fights with others. At last, God blessed Isaac the peacemaker with peace as he was able to dig wells and keep them for his own use.
Isaac named every well he dug and they may sound like some funny names to us, but let’s learn what they mean. In verse 20, the well was named “Esek” which means “strife or contention (fighting over)”. In verse 21, the well was named “Sitnah” which means “enmity (hatred). In verse 22, the well was named “Rehoboth” which means “room enough, wide spaces”. Isaac was thanking God through this well’s name for making room for him in a strange land and blessing him.
It’s not always easy to be a peacemaker, especially when some people make it hard to get along with, but God expects us to not sin when we’re made angry and to live at peace with others.
REVIEW QUESTIONS:
Who was the king of the Philistines? (Genesis 26:1)
The servants of Isaac’s father had dug several wells years before. What was his name?
Why did the Philistines fill Isaac’s wells with dirt?
What was the name of the last well Isaac dug, and what did the name mean?
Which New Testament scripture tells us to live peaceably with all men?
MEMORY VERSES:
Matthew 5:9, Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the sons of God.
Ephesians 4:26, Be angry, and do not sin: do not let the sun go down on your wrath.
Romans 12:18, If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men.
WORD OF THE WEEK:Hebrew word – shalom (shaw-lome’) שָׁלוֹם
Shalom is a Hebrew word for peace, and it means “completeness, soundness, welfare.” It is used twice in Genesis chapter 26.
*Hebrew was the original language of the Old Testament. Greek was the original language of the New Testament.
Peace mural – Put together a poster of pictures that portray peace, and add scriptures about peace.
Act it out! – Act out the lesson using costumes and props. If your parents won’t let you dig wells in the backyard, use some blocks or rocks to make one look like the picture in the lesson. Perform this before your family or friends and after you’re finished, explain to them how we can all be peacemakers.
Coloring page of Isaac digging a well. (Supercoloring.com)
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