In this chapter, God repeated his promise again to Isaac while he settled down at Gerar.
Isaac did the same mistake again like Abraham declaring that Rebekah was his sister. King Abimelekh rebuked Isaac for doing so, for he did not want to sin against him. God upheld Isaac’s dignity.
As God made Isaac to become very wealthy, the Phillistines had disputes with him and drove him away. Abimelekh came to see him to make a peace pact, knowing that God protected him. Likely “abimelech” and “pichol” are names for dignitaries as title and may not be the same person his father met.
The well incidents showed God’s favor upon Isaac. No matter what the enemy did to him, Isaac did not retaliate directly, he moved on and God defended him and kept opening the well for him.
The first well was Esek-strife. The second, Sitnah-hatred. The third, Rehoboth-room. Thus is human life, too often, till it ends with Sheba-oath or covenant.
The day he made oath with Abimelekh the servant found the water at the well, Shibah means seven or oath.
Faith means letting go our own way and strength and trust God to let him open the well for us. We need wisdom to know his direction and faith to follow it.
It was an act of faith that Isaac calmly kept digging the well, not bothering to quarell with the Philistines.
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