Isaac’s Treaty With The Philistines

Isaac had moved into the Philistine territory as a result of drought producing a famine.  The micro climate of the area around Gerar resulted in more rainfall than other areas, farther inland, so that it was less affected by the drought.  Isaac remained in the area for a considerable period, as Genesis 26:12-16 tells us.  “Then Isaac sowed in that land, and received in the same year an hundredfold: and the LORD blessed him.  And the man waxed great, and went forward, and grew until he became very great: For he had possession of flocks, and possession of herds, and great store of servants: and the Philistines envied him.  For all the wells which his father's servants had digged in the days of Abraham his father, the Philistines had stopped them, and filled them with earth.”

Abraham had dug a number of wells in order to graze livestock in areas that otherwise were unusable.   After Abraham moved to Beersheba, the Philistines had refilled many of those wells, losing the use of much of their grazing land as a result.  Isaac repaired some of the wells, so his herds grew,  As a result, the Philistines became jealous of his success.  Finally, the Philistine king asked Isaac to move further away to prevent conflicts, as Genesis 26:16-22 describes. 

“And Abimelech said unto Isaac, Go from us; for thou art much mightier than we.  And Isaac departed thence, and pitched his tent in the valley of Gerar, and dwelt there.  And Isaac digged again the wells of water, which they had digged in the days of Abraham his father; for the Philistines had stopped them after the death of Abraham: and he called their names after the names by which his father had called them.  And the herdmen of Gerar did strive with Isaac's herdmen, saying, The water is ours: and he called the name of the well Esek; because they strove with him.  And they digged another well, and strove for that also: and he called the name of it Sitnah.  And he removed from thence, and digged another well; and for that they strove not: and he called the name of it Rehoboth; and he said, For now the LORD hath made room for us, and we shall be fruitful in the land.” 

When Isaac moved farther away, the Philistines claimed the wells he dug, even though they had not been able to use the land.  Rather than fighting them, Isaac moved further away.  Eventually he got far enough away, they no longer bothered him, at Rehoboth.  Eventually, he returned to Beersheba, where Abraham had established his main base, making it his home as well.  God was pleased with his attitude and actions, reminding him again of the promises to Abraham, in Genesis  26:23-25.  “And he went up from thence to Beersheba.  And the LORD appeared unto him the same night, and said, I am the God of Abraham thy father: fear not, for I am with thee, and will bless thee, and multiply thy seed for my servant Abraham's sake.  And he builded an altar there, and called upon the name of the LORD, and pitched his tent there: and there Isaac's servants digged a well.” 

The Philistines recognized that God was protecting Isaac, and didn’t want to fight him.  Genesis 26:26-31 tells us they wanted a treaty with him.  “Then Abimelech went to him from Gerar, and Ahuzzath one of his friends, and Phichol the chief captain of his army.  And Isaac said unto them, Wherefore come ye to me, seeing ye hate me, and have sent me away from you?

And they said, We saw certainly that the LORD was with thee: and we said, Let there be now an oath betwixt us, even betwixt us and thee, and let us make a covenant with thee;  That thou wilt do us no hurt, as we have not touched thee, and as we have done unto thee nothing but good, and have sent thee away in peace: thou art now the blessed of the LORD.  And he made them a feast, and they did eat and drink.  And they rose up betimes in the morning, and sware one to another: and Isaac sent them away, and they departed from him in peace.”  As Proverbs 16:7 tells us, “When a man's ways please the LORD, he maketh even his enemies to be at peace with him.”  The treaty was almost the same as the one they had made with Abraham nearly a hundred years before, in Genesis 20.

Shortly after the Philistine departed, Isaac servants came witht eh news that they had struck water in the well they were digging, In Genesis 26:32-33.  “And it came to pass the same day, that Isaac's servants came, and told him concerning the well which they had digged, and said unto him, We have found water.  And he called it Shebah: therefore the name of the city is Beersheba unto this day.”  It was the seventh well he had dug, so it became known as Beersheba or well number seven.   Striking water at that particular time seemed like a confirmation of God’s approval.   The name stuck, appearing in Israel’s history for centuries.