A Way of Peace

MEMORY VERSE: “If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men.” —Romans 12:18

GENESIS 26:17-29

ALL the Lord’s people should “follow peace, and pursue it.” This does not mean “peace at any price,” but rather a peace which is based on principle. Our memory verse states the matter properly. We should live peaceably with all men so far as possible. But when we say that we should not compromise principle in order to live at peace with others, we should be sure that we are talking about the Lord’s principles of righteousness.

The Apostle Paul, writing about the great principle of divine love, says that love “seeketh not her own.” (I Cor. 13:5) We can afford to set aside our own preferences, or even our own “rights” in order to have peace with those with whom we are associated, for to do so would not be in violation of divine principle, but merely a giving up of that which we might prefer, or which ordinarily would be ours; and in any case we have covenanted to give our all to the Lord.

We have a very good illustration of this principle in our lesson concerning Isaac and the wells his servants dug to supply their master’s flocks with water. In reality Isaac’s herdsmen were merely reopening the wells which Abraham’s herdsmen dug when he was in this valley years before, so Isaac could well claim these wells as belonging to him.

Isaac’s servants found a well of springing water, and at once the “herdsmen of Gerar did strive with Isaac’s herdsmen, saying, The water is ours.” Isaac did not strive with the other herdsmen, but backed away, allowing them to keep the well with its refreshing water. Appropriately he named the well “Esek; because they strove with him.”

Then Isaac’s servants “digged another well” and there was strife over that also, and Isaac named this second well “Sitnah.” Again he yielded, and had his servants dig a third well, “and for that they strove not.” He called the name of the third well “Rehoboth; and he said, For now the Lord hath made room for us, and we shall be fruitful in the land.”

Isaac followed the principle of divine love, a principle which dictated that love does not seek her own. He could have claimed the first and second well as being his, and a real struggle could have ensued. But he chose not to do this. He realized that there was plenty of room in the land for his herdsmen, as well as for the herdsmen of Gerar, and that it would be much better to spread out so that there would be plenty for all, and they could dwell together in peace rather than to insist on his “rights.”

Isaac eventually moved on to Beersheba, in the land of Canaan, “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.”

Hearing of Isaac’s prosperity, and that he had moved to Beersheba, Abimelech, king of Gerar, went to visit him, taking “Ahuzzath one of his friends, and Phichol the chief captain of the army.” Naturally Isaac was curious as to why these three notables should visit him.

Abimelech said to Isaac, “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 nothing unto thee but good, and have sent thee away in peace: thou art now the blessed of the Lord.”

Isaac could have given Abimelech an argument on whether or not they had ever harmed him. Had not the herdsmen of Gerar, on two occasions, disputed the right of Isaac’s herdsmen to use the water which flowed from the wells of their own digging? But Isaac was a man of peace. He had given in on both of these occasions and allowed the herdsmen of Gerar to take over the wells, and now was no time to argue about the point.

Isaac willingly gave up his rights to the two wells at the time so as to avoid strife, and now that the King of Gerar wanted to enter into a permanent covenant of peace with him he was only too willing to oblige.

QUESTIONS

How did Isaac exemplify Paul’s explanation that love “seeketh not her own”?

Is it always possible to live peaceably with all men?

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