So as has been said, this quarreling over wells that went on
between the herdsmen of Gerar and Isaac’s herdsmen are a reminder of a quarrel
that took place in the life of Abraham. In the thirteenth chapter of
Genesis, we read that “Lot, who was traveling with Abram, also had flocks,
herds, and tents” (13:5). Lot could be said to be “riding the coattails
of Abraham’s blessings. However, this created a problem, in that “the
land could not support them while they were living side by side. Because
their possessions were so great, they were not able to live alongside one
another” (13:6). As a result, “there were quarrels between Abram’s
herdsmen and Lot’s herdsmen” (13:7a). Isaac’s solution, as we saw, was to
continue his movements until there was no reason for quarreling; and if there
was strife over wells and water, then it is likely that this was one of the
sources of the strife between the servants of Abram and Lot as well.
Isaac’s solution was certainly predicated on that which had
been taken up by his father. “Abram said to Lot, ‘Let there be no
quarreling between me and you, and between my herdsmen and your herdsmen, for
we are close relatives. Is not the whole land before you? Separate
yourself now from me. If you go to the left, then I’ll go to the right,
but if you go to the right, then I’ll go to the left’” (13:8-9). So the
decision is made, lands are chosen, and “the relatives separated from each
other” (13:11b); and as we have previously noted, Isaac marks his movement of
separation by saying, “For now the Lord has made room for us, and we will
prosper in the land” (26:22b).
From there, the Scriptural record has Isaac moving again,
this time to Beer Sheba. While there, “The Lord appeared to him… and
said, ‘I am the God of your father Abraham. Do not be afraid, for I am
with you, I will bless you and multiply your descendants for the sake of My
servant Abraham” (26:24). We note that Beer Sheba is also mentioned in
connection with Abraham, as one of the places where he had settled. Just
before we learn that little fact, we have a record of God speaking to Abraham
and saying, “I will indeed bless you, and I will greatly multiply your
descendants so that they will be as countless as the stars in the sky or the
grains of sand on the seashore. Your descendants will take possession of
the strongholds of their enemies. Because you have obeyed Me, all the
nations of the earth will pronounce blessings on one another using the name of
your descendants” (22:17-18). For sake of a chronological reminder, this
word from the Lord comes in the wake of the near sacrifice of Isaac.
Returning to the separation of Abram and Lot, we have the
Lord speaking to Abram and saying, “Look from the place where you stand to the
north, south, east, and west. I will give all the land that you see to
you and your descendants forever. And I will make your descendants like
the dust of the earth, so that if anyone is able to count the dust of the
earth, then your descendants can also be counted. Get up and walk
throughout the land, for I will give it to you” (13:14b-17). As for
Abraham, so for Isaac, in that the words that he heard from the Lord, following
his time of quarreling and separation (like that experienced by Abram), are a
communication of the Lord’s covenant to him. Isaac, quite rightly, reacts
to this second hearing of the divine covenant, and does so in a way that
reflects the knowledge of the covenant God that has been passed on to him by
his father. We read, that “Isaac built an altar there and worshiped the
Lord. He pitched his tent there, and his servants dug a well”
(26:25). The one that was now the bearer of the covenant and the
representative of God in the world, built an altar and pitched a tent.
This is also the pattern that would be followed by Israel after exodus-ing
Egypt.
The nation that bore the divine covenant to represent God in
the world and to be a blessing, pitched a tent (the tabernacle). This
tent would contain both an altar, as well as the ark that represented the
covenant God. It could be said that this took place following a quarrel
with the Egyptians. Though the relationship between the Egyptians and the
Israelites started off well, with Joseph, Jacob and his brothers receiving
honor and welcome in the land of Egypt, it deteriorated with the growth in the
numbers and power (and presumably wealth) of the growing nation of Israel in
Egypt, much like as happened with Abraham (in Egypt and the land of the
Philistines) and Isaac (in the land of the Philistines). In that case,
the quarreling did not result in the stopping of wells, but rather, took an
entirely different form, in that the Egyptians “put foremen over the Israelites
to oppress them with hard labor… But the more the Egyptians oppressed them, the
more they multiplied and spread. As a result the Egyptians loathed the
Israelites, and they made the Israelites serve rigorously” (Exodus
1:11a,12-13).
Eventually a separation would come. The separation
that came, which resulted in the construction of a tent, as well as an altar
(along with detailed instructions as to how to go about utilizing that altar in
proper worship), followed the pattern of Isaac, which, not unexpectedly,
followed the pattern of Abraham. Yes, when Abram and Lot went their
separate ways, and when Abram was reminded of the covenant promise that had
already been given to him (as Isaac would be reminded, and as Israel would be
reminded), “Abram moved his tents and went to live by the oaks of Mamre in
Hebron, and he built an altar to the Lord there” (13:18). It seems that
wherever we find mention being made of covenant, it is connection with some
type of exodus movement, and we find the covenant bearers connected to a
tent. Truly, this God of exodus is a God of tents.
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