Don't Stop Digging 1

The New King James Version Chapter 26

26 There was a famine in the land, besides the first famine that was in the days of Abraham. And Isaac went to Abimelech king of the Philistines, in Gerar.

2 Then the LORD appeared to him and said: “Do not go down to Egypt; live in the land of which I shall tell you. 3 Dwell in this land, and I will be with you and bless you; for to you and your descendants I give all these lands, and I will perform the oath which I swore to Abraham your father. 4 And I will make your descendants multiply as the stars of heaven; I will give to your descendants all these lands; and in your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed; 5 because Abraham obeyed My voice and kept My charge, My commandments, My statutes, and My laws.”

6 So Isaac dwelt in Gerar. 7 And the men of the place asked about his wife. And he said, “She is my sister”; for he was afraid to say, “She is my wife,” because he thought, “lest the men of the place kill me for Rebekah, because she is beautiful to behold.” 8 Now it came to pass, when he had been there a long time, that Abimelech king of the Philistines looked through a window, and saw, and there was Isaac, showing endearment to Rebekah his wife. 9 Then Abimelech called Isaac and said, “Quite obviously she is your wife; so how could you say, ‘She is my sister’?”

Isaac said to him, “Because I said, ‘Lest I die on account of her.’ ”

10 And Abimelech said, “What is this you have done to us? One of the people might soon have lain with your wife, and you would have brought guilt on us.” 11 So Abimelech charged all his people, saying, “He who touches this man or his wife shall surely be put to death.”

12 Then Isaac sowed in that land, and reaped in the same year a hundredfold; and the LORD blessed him. 13 The man began to prosper, and continued prospering until he became very prosperous; 14 for he had possessions of flocks and possessions of herds and a great number of servants. So the Philistines envied him. 15 Now the Philistines had stopped up all the wells which his father’s servants had dug in the days of Abraham his father, and they had filled them with earth. 16 And Abimelech said to Isaac, “Go away from us, for you are much mightier than we.”

17 Then Isaac departed from there and pitched his tent in the Valley of Gerar, and dwelt there. 18 And Isaac dug again the wells of water which they had dug in the days of Abraham his father, for the Philistines had stopped them up after the death of Abraham. He called them by the names which his father had called them.

19 Also Isaac’s servants dug in the valley, and found a well of running water there. 20 But the herdsmen of Gerar quarreled with Isaac’s herdsmen, saying, “The water is ours.” So he called the name of the well Esek, because they quarreled with him. 21 Then they dug another well, and they quarreled over that one also. So he called its name Sitnah. 22 And he moved from there and dug another well, and they did not quarrel over it. So he called its name Rehoboth, because he said, “For now the LORD has made room for us, and we shall be fruitful in the land.”

23 Then he went up from there to Beersheba. 24 And the LORD appeared to him the same night and said, “I am the God of your father Abraham; do not fear, for I am with you. I will bless you and multiply your descendants for My servant Abraham’s sake.” 25 So he built an altar there and called on the name of the LORD, and he pitched his tent there; and there Isaac’s servants dug a well.

It was a sultry-hot Sunday in August 2014 when ISIS came to the Iraqi town of Snune. Roaring around the flanks of Sinjar Mountain in the country’s far northwest, the black-clad fighters quickly seized whatever men, women and children hadn’t been able make their escape after Iraqi and nearby Kurdish forces collapsed when faced with the ISIS surge. The men and old women were mostly murdered and dumped in mass graves; the others were sold into slavery.

Then, having eviscerated the area’s human life, the jihadists got to work on the natural landscape. First, they carted away anything of value, including many miles of electricity line and tens of thousands of livestock. Soon after, they torched much of what couldn’t be filched. The shattered villages are still littered with the blackened stumps of once-sprawling olive groves. Finally, as a kind of primeval coup-de-grace, they poisoned or sabotaged practically every well they could get their blood-stained hands on before slowly falling back as the anti-extremist coalition regrouped.

In Sheikh Romi village, just to Snune’s east, ISIS choked at least one well with oil, and jammed up several more with ragged metal debris. In the villages to the south of the mountain, the group clogged scores of wells with rocks and rubble. In doing so, it reduced a lush agricultural district to a parched wasteland of swirling dust and bare fields. By the time the extremists had had their fill of looting and destruction, there was scarcely a functioning water outlet left. The message, residents say, was unequivocal: “Even if you survive us, you won’t survive the lifeless environment you’ll return to.”

Since the dawn of conflict, armed groups have targeted water as both a tactic and potential weapon of war. In savaging rivers, wells, lakes and more, attacking troops punish locals for their lack of support—or render the land useless if facing imminent defeat. And by harnessing these resources, groups can alternately flood or starve opponents of water, historically a ploy favored by those up against unkind odds. Time and again, the Dutch burst dikes to keep foreign armies from advancing across their otherwise mostly indefensible land in the 16th, 17th, and 18th centuries. No matter how much human society might evolve, some things—notably civilian suffering in conflict—never seem to change. - https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/history-well-poisoning-180971471/

What does it take to reopen the wells of our forefathers? The Philistines plugged the wells with rocks, old wood, dead carcasses and garbage to ruin the well for future use. Isaac and his men would have to remove all the garbage etc to make the well fresh once again. Once the well was cleared the water would start flowing again, the well would become clean once again and be useful for drinking and watering the flocks and land.

Isaac’s servants discover two new wells and dig them out so that they produced fresh water. These new wells are named “Dispute” and “Contention” as the Philistines quarreled with Isaac (). Eventually Isaac digs a well that no one quarrels over and he names it Rehoboth, saying, “Now the Lord has given us room and we will flourish in the land.”

These new wells caused problems for Isaac and rather that quarrel over the fresh water he moved onto a new well two more times before finding one that was free from dispute. The new wells of revival often cause problems for those who want to hang onto the old wells. A new move of God is often opposed. Don't worry. The Spirit of God is flowing like a river and there is enough revelation to share around. The life sustaining water of the Holy Spirit knows no limit. The Spirit of revelation is always sharing the good truths of God’s Word.

As we begin to consider “re-digging the wells of revival” there must be a sincere place within our hearts that is committed to getting rid of things that have caused the wells to become plugged in the first place. In a spiritual sense, we too can reopen the spiritual wells of our forefathers, the revivals of old but it takes hard work. The enemy has plugged the wells of revival with compromise, sinful habits, worldly thinking and religious activities. This junk must be removed; Independence, Discouragement, Heart break, if we are to ever experience springs of living Holy Spirit water.

Once we are accomplished at reopening the old wells, God will lead us to discover fresh waters of revival... The old wells will be replaced by new wells of the living water of the Holy Spirit. - http://www.courtsofpraise.ca/sermons/2017/7/17/re-digging-the-wells-gen-26

John 7:37–39 NKJV

37 On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. 38 He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.” 39 But this He spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those believing in Him would receive; for the Holy Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.

MacLaren's Expositions

John

THE ROCK AND THE WATER

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The occasion and date of this great saying are carefully given by the Evangelist, because they throw much light on its significance and importance. It was ‘on the last day, that great day of the Feast,’ that ‘Jesus stood and cried.’ The Feast was that of Tabernacles, which was instituted in order to keep in mind the incidents of the desert wandering. On the anniversary of this day the Jews still do as they used to, and in many a foul ghetto and frowsy back street of European cities, you will find them sitting beneath the booths of green branches, commemorating the Exodus and its wonders. Part of that ceremonial was that on each morning of the seven, and possibly on the eighth, ‘the last day of the Feast,’ a procession of white-robed priests wound down the rocky footpath from the Temple to Siloam, and there in a golden vase drew water from the spring, chanting, as they ascended and re-entered the Temple gates where they poured out the water as a libation, the words of the prophet, ‘with joy shall ye draw water out of the wells of salvation.’

Picture the scene to yourselves-the white-robed priests toiling up the pathway, the crowd in the court, the sparkling water poured out with choral song. And then, as the priests stood with their empty vases, there was a little stir in the crowd, and a Man who had been standing watching, lifted up a loud voice and cried, ‘If any man thirst, let him come unto Me, and drink.’ Strange words to say, anywhere and anywhen, daring words to say there in the Temple court! For there and then they could mean nothing less than Christ’s laying His hand on that old miracle, which was pointed to by the rite, when the rock yielded the water, and asserting that all which it did and typified was repeated, fulfilled, and transcended in Himself, and that not for a handful of nomads in the wilderness, but for all the world, in all its generations.

So here is one more instance to add to those to which I have directed your attention on former occasions, in which, in this Gospel, we find Christ claiming to be the fulfilment of incidents and events in that ancient covenant, Jacob’s ladder, the brazen serpent, the manna, and now the rock that yielded the water. He says of them all that they are the shadow, and the substance is in Him.

Acts 1:4–8 NKJV

4 And being assembled together with them, He commanded them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the Promise of the Father, “which,” He said, “you have heard from Me; 5 for John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.” 6 Therefore, when they had come together, they asked Him, saying, “Lord, will You at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” 7 And He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has put in His own authority. 8 But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”

John 4:7–14 NKJV

7 A woman of Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her, “Give Me a drink.” 8 For His disciples had gone away into the city to buy food. 9 Then the woman of Samaria said to Him, “How is it that You, being a Jew, ask a drink from me, a Samaritan woman?” For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans. 10 Jesus answered and said to her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, ‘Give Me a drink,’ you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water.” 11 The woman said to Him, “Sir, You have nothing to draw with, and the well is deep. Where then do You get that living water? 12 Are You greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well, and drank from it himself, as well as his sons and his livestock?” 13 Jesus answered and said to her, “Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again, 14 but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life.”

Your question then might be – what is the difference between artesian wells and other traditional types?

An artesian aquifer is a confined aquifer containing groundwater under positive pressure. This causes the water level in the well to rise to a point where hydrostatic equilibrium has been reached – this is an artesian well. Water may even reach the ground surface if the natural pressure is high enough, in which case the well is called a flowing artesian well. Fossil water aquifers can also be artesian if they are under sufficient pressure from the surrounding rocks.

In essence, an artesian well is formed because of pressure, rather than some of the other ways that a well can be formed, including digging and drilling. For example, hand-dug wells are excavations with diameters large enough to fit one or more men with shovels digging down to below the water table, hence the term “hand-dug.” Driven wells are simply created in unconsolidated material with a “well point,” which consists of a hardened drive point and a screen (perforated pipe). The point is hammered into the ground with a tripod and “driver” with pipe sections added as needed. When groundwater is found, the well is washed of sediment and a pump is installed. - https://www.buyidahorealestate.com/blog/what-is-the-difference-between-artesian-wells-and-other-traditional-types.html

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The names of the first two wells were Esek & Sitna = “Dispute” and “Contention”

In other words, there was pressure.

The first time Isaac experienced pressure, he caved in. He claimed that his wife was his sister which sent her into another man’s harem, to save his own skin.

Don’t you think that’s a terrible idea, ladies?

Funny illustration: “You always say you would die for me, but you never do!”

Matthew 12:33–37 NKJV

33 “Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or else make the tree bad and its fruit bad; for a tree is known by its fruit. 34 Brood of vipers! How can you, being evil, speak good things? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. 35 A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good things, and an evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth evil things. 36 But I say to you that for every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment. 37 For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.”

Ephesians 4:31–32 NKJV

31 Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. 32 And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you.

When the pressure comes, it pushes out what is on the inside. Sometimes I don’t like what I see coming out of me when the pressure builds.

So we have to dig out some “bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice” in order to get back to the flow of the Holy Spirit.

The flow of the Spirit will make you tenderhearted -

Cooking meat - Cook it fast, it’s tough.

Cook it slow, it gets tender.

But we have found another way since we got a Pressure Pot/Instant Pot.

In 40 minute we can get the same tender result of cooking chicken 6 hours in the crock pot. The difference is pressure.

Pressure brings to the surface the things that are stopping up the well. So we need to dig them out. Ask Holy Spirit to get them out of the way so that His Spirit can be what is flowing out of us instead of our own fleshly response.

Romans 12:21 NKJV

21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

Romans 8:28 NKJV

28 And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.

Romans 8:26–28 NKJV

26 Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. 27 Now He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God. 28 And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.

Romans 8:26-

Don't Stop Digging 1

There’s Still Water in Old Wells

How do we re-dig the wells?

Water is Symbolic of the Holy Spirit

Jesus is the Rock, the source of living water - the giver of the Holy Spirit.

Living Water Flows Out

Pressure Creates an Outward Flow

Pressure brings out what is on the inside.

What should be coming out doesn’t always come out!