創世記26:12-22

26:12 以撒在那地耕種，那一年有百倍的收成。耶和華賜福給他，
26:13 他就昌大，日增月盛，成了大富戶。
26:14 他有羊群牛群，又有許多僕人，非利士人就嫉妒他。
26:15 當他父親亞伯拉罕在世的日子，他父親的僕人所挖的井，非利士人全都塞住，填滿了土。
26:16 亞比米勒對以撒說：「你離開我們去吧。因為你比我們強盛得多。」
26:17 以撒就離開那裡，在基拉耳谷支搭帳棚，住在那裡。
26:18 當他父親亞伯拉罕在世之日所挖的水井因非利士人在亞伯拉罕死後塞住了，以撒就重新挖出來，仍照他父親所叫的叫那些井的名字。
26:19 以撒的僕人在谷中挖井，便得了一口活水井。
26:20 基拉耳的牧人與以撒的牧人爭競，說：「這水是我們的。」以撒就給那井起名叫埃色（就是相敵的意思），因為他們和他相爭。
26:21 以撒的僕人又挖了一口井，他們又為這井爭競，因此以撒給這井起名叫西提拿（就是為敵的意思）。
26:22 以撒離開那裡，又挖了一口井，他們不為這井爭競了，他就給那井起名叫利河伯（就是寬闊的意思）。他說：「耶和華現在給我們寬闊之地，我們必在這地昌盛。」

¹² Isaac planted crops in that land and the same year reaped a hundredfold, because the Lord blessed him. ¹³ The man became rich, and his wealth continued to grow until he became very wealthy. ¹⁴ He had so many flocks and herds and servants that the Philistines envied him. ¹⁵ So all the wells that his father’s servants had dug in the time of his father Abraham, the Philistines stopped up, filling them with earth.
¹⁶ Then Abimelek said to Isaac, “Move away from us; you have become too powerful for us.”
¹⁷ So Isaac moved away from there and encamped in the Valley of Gerar, where he settled. ¹⁸ Isaac reopened the wells that had been dug in the time of his father Abraham, which the Philistines had stopped up after Abraham died, and he gave them the same names his father had given them.
¹⁹ Isaac’s servants dug in the valley and discovered a well of fresh water there. ²⁰ But the herders of Gerar quarreled with those of Isaac and said, “The water is ours!” So he named the well Esek, because they disputed with him. ²¹ Then they dug another well, but they quarreled over that one also; so he named it Sitnah. ²² He moved on from there and dug another well, and no one quarreled over it. He named it Rehoboth, saying, “Now the Lord has given us room and we will flourish in the land.”

************

    以撒和父親亞伯拉罕不同之處就是「挖井」，但是每挖一口井就有人來相爭，以致於他一直在挖井，可能也因為這樣練就一身挖井的工夫！

    然而這一段記載不在於以撒的挖井或鑿井技術，而是在於他處理衝突的態度，他是退讓、不去爭吵或爭戰，有人認為他很懦弱，可是對於一位生活在外族人當中的人，他必須與人相安無事，這是免不了的，而且上帝喜悅他如此行，已如主耶穌所說：「所以，無論何事，你們願意人怎樣待你們，你們也要怎樣待人，因為這就是律法和先知的道理。」（馬太福音7:12）

    然而這樣一次一次的退讓，最後終於沒有人來和他相爭了，正如他鑿最後一口井稱為「利河伯」，自己說明了用意：「耶和華現在給我們寬闊之地，我們必在這地昌盛。」

    我們也當求上帝讓我們在世上有「寬闊之地」，又不違背上帝的命令。讓我們可以不僅得人喜悅，更得上帝的喜悅！