Like many of you, I grew up in what I’d call “cramped quarters”: one full bathroom, a bedroom shared with a sibling until I was fifteen, a den with only four seats for the five of us. From an early age, then, I honed my skills for negotiating space, shower time, and TV channels. I sometimes wonder if my own kids, with all their personal space and devices, have lost out on the lessons of a limited landscape.
Today’s reading deals once again with limited landscape and brings yet another double take, since we find motifs, characters, and storylines we’ve seen before. Yet though the editorial footnotes in my Bible call this story less “consequential” than the chapters that surround it, I find in it another intriguing episode of God’s people negotiating their place in the world. Embedded in the story, we find practical tips for our own relationships, both personal and global.
The chapter begins with Isaac heeding God’s instructions to “stay put” in the face of famine. Later in Genesis, the Egypt option becomes more viable, but at this point, it’s as if God wants to make a way where there seems to be no way. More than that, God wants the people to live as aliens—that is, dependent both on God and on the (foreign) ruler of the land.
Notice, though, that when it comes to finding water—and thus life—negotiations get trickier. Abimelech nudges Isaac’s people out of the way, but when they tap into underground streams, the locals are ready to fight. Instead of engaging, though, Isaac’s entourage moves on, until they reach a place called Rehoboth, or “broad places.” In the end, Isaac’s people find their space not because they’ve insisted on their own way but because they trust God to provide. And on the other side of trust, they find not just water, but peace.
- When have you negotiated your way from “limited landscapes” to “broad places”? What made the difference?
- What does it mean for you to “obey” or “listen” to God’s voice? Has God ever spoken to you? How did you know it was God?
- What other details did you notice in today’s reading?
Prayer: We are territorial people, O God, who tend to cling to what’s ours. Teach us the lesson of Isaac, who moved from quarrel and contest to the broad place that makes for peace. Draw us together with the “others” in our lives for a great feast. Amen.
Breath Prayer: The Lord // has made room.
