We want to begin here and mainly
look at verse 11. I'm looking forward to sharing
a little of the life of Esau and Jacob as we see them in this
chapter. But tonight we're concerned with
Abraham's son Isaac. The Scripture says here that
the Lord blessed his son Isaac, Abraham's son. And we know that
Isaac was a child of promise. He was born because the Lord
had promised. Sarah shall conceive and bear
a son, and his name shall be called Isaac. And the Lord visited
Sarah as He had promised, and He did to Sarah as He had spoken,
and she conceived and bear a son. He was a child of grace. Ishmael
was born of a slave woman, but Isaac was a child of promise. He was a child of God's grace.
And the Scripture says we are. as Isaac was, the children of
promise. We're born from above. We're
born free, as Isaac was born the child of the free woman.
And the Scripture says here in verse 11 that the Lord blessed
Isaac. And He's blessed all of His elect.
We've been studying about some of those blessings in Ephesians
1. Spiritual blessings. Heavenly blessings. Inward blessings. That's the blessings we covet
from the Lord. So if we're one of those heaven-born,
one of those children of promise, we're blessed. And the Scripture
tells us here in verse 11, and this is our text this evening,
this well of Laheroa. Isaac dwelt by the well of Laheroa. Now, if you remember, when Rebekah
first came to Isaac, when Abraham sent his servant, the first place
Isaac saw her and met her, and she met him and saw him, was
at this well, Leheroa. That's where he was when Rebekah
came and let off that camel. But the first place that you
and I read about this, and I hope you remember a little bit about
it, and I would ask you to go back over and refresh yourself
sometime, is in the 16th chapter of Genesis. And you remember
when Hagar was fleeing from Sarah. Sarah had dealt very hardly with
her. And she was fleeing from Sarah, and she thought her life
was over, I guess. She went out into the wilderness,
and she was there weeping, and the Lord appeared to her and
said, Hagar, what aileth thee? And she started to tell the Lord
her problems, but she realized the Lord already knew her problems.
And he told her some wonderful things, that she was with child,
that she would have a child and he'd be a father of many nations. Ishmael, that he would have a
great inheritance and that he'd live there in the wilderness.
And that so blessed that woman, that the Lord had appeared to
her, that the Lord saw her and knew her need. She was so thrilled
and amazed with that. There was a well there, and she
named this well Lehei Aroah. And that means the God who seeth
me. The God who seeth me. The visions
of Him who seeth me. And it means also He that not
only sees me, but He who sees me thoroughly. He who sees me
and knows me. He knows my need, and He supplies
my need. It means all of that. And that's
what she named this well, Lehei Aroah. And this is that well
where Isaac dwelt. He just stayed there. And I think,
brothers and sisters, when we run upon a place like this, and
the Holy Spirit puts His finger here and makes this something
so evident to us, then there's a spiritual blessing. It has
a spiritual meaning in that. There was a reason that Isaac
dwelt here. He dwelt here where God knew
him. And he was aware that God knew him thoroughly. That there
was nothing in his heart, nothing in his life that was hid from
God. And he was such a God that knew
him and supplied all his needs. That's where he dwelt. Now I
want you to turn to one or two passages with me. And look what
David thought about this thing about the Lord knowing him. In
Psalms chapter 39, look in Psalms chapter 39, there's something
about when you and I were lost, we didn't want the Lord to know
us. If we had any thought at any time that He knew us, it
would make us very fearful because we were without Him. We had no
saving interest in Him. We were afraid of Him. But now,
sometimes I think, well, I know it's one of the most comforting
concepts, the comforting thought that we can have, that our Lord
knows us. He knows us absolutely thoroughly. The children of Israel, sometimes
when they fell into unbelief, this was one of their complaints
that they had. The Lord has forgotten me. The
Lord don't see me. He don't know me. He don't know
the difficulty that I'm in. He don't know the straits that
I'm in. He don't know the conflict that's
going on within my heart. He don't know me. And they said,
my judgment is passed over from my God. He doesn't know me. He's forgotten me. He's not looking
upon me. He don't know me fairly. And
the Lord answered that this way. Let me read it to you right quickly.
Here's the way the Lord answered that. Here's what He said to
them. He said this to the house of Israel, to the house of David.
In Isaiah chapter 40. Well, I thought it was there.
Somebody's moved it. But the Lord said something to
the effect, but I can't find it now, but He said something
to the effect that, you think your way is hid from Me, from
the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth? Him
whose understanding is infinite? He said, I know everything. I
know everything about you. My way is not hid from you. I
know your weakness. I know how faint you are. I know
how frail you are. And I give strength to the faint.
And I give power to those who have no mind. And I always like
to think, when I think of that Scripture, I always think of
Hebrews chapter 4. where the Lord Jesus is spoken
about as the Word of God. And He's talking about the Word
being quick and powerful and sharper than any two-edged sword,
dividing asunder the soul and the spirit. Now, I bet nobody
here this evening can divide your soul from your spirit. I
can't even distinguish between, but He can. He can distinguish
between the soul. That's how thoroughly He knows
you. He's a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. Now, that's our High Priest.
He knows us thoroughly. And isn't that comforting to
you? I mean, sometimes there are groans going on in the believer's
soul. Just a groan. And you can hardly
detect it, but he hears it. Sometimes there's a slight glance
of faith in his direction, and he sees it. And here's what he
says, we have not a high priest which cannot be touched with
the feelings of our infirmities. He knows us, and he's touched
with those feelings. And therefore, come boldly to
the throne of grace, that you may obtain mercy and find grace
to help in the time of need to one who knows us. He discerns
your thoughts and intents, and everything about you is naked
and open in his sight. Now, I find that very comforting,
brothers. that the Lord seeth me. God seeth me and knows me
thoroughly. And David found a lot of comfort
in that here in Psalms 139. Look at this. Psalms 139. And here's what he said. And
he was amazed at this. Lord, thou hast searched me and
known me. He brings this very personal.
Thou knowest my down settings, and my uprisings. Did you find
it? Psalm 139. Did I tell you the
right Psalm? Psalm 139, verse 2. Thou knowest
my down settings, thou knowest my uprisings, thou understandest
my thought aforeoff. You can pass my path and my lying
down, and you are acquainted with all my ways. For there is
not a word in my tongue, but lo, O Lord, Thou knowest it altogether. You have beset me behind and
before, and laid Thine hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful
for me. It is high. I cannot attain unto
it." But you know he loved it, and he wasn't fearful about it
at all. He rejoiced in it and took great
assurance that the Lord knew him so thoroughly. Where then
shall I go from your presence, your Spirit? Where shall I flee
from your presence? If I ascend up into heaven, you're
there. If I make my bed in hell, behold,
thou art there. And if I take the wings of the
morning and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there
shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me." And
look at the very last two verses here. This shows us that David
wasn't fearful of this at all. He rejoiced in such a Lord. Search
me, O God, and know my heart. Try me and know my thoughts,
and see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the
way everlasting. And here is the well where Isaac
dwelt, by this well the Heroa, the God of Israel, the God who
seeth me and knoweth me thoroughly. The Lord was aware and concerned
and knew him and would supply all his needs according to his
riches and glory. Isaac, I think, of all the old
patriarchs, was one of the most peaceful. As you read his life,
and not too much is said about it, but he seemed to be a man
of great peace and quietness. We read of him going out and
meditating in the evening as he walked in the field. And he
was the only one of the patriarchs, Abraham and Jacob and Joseph,
and he was the only one that never left the land of Canaan. He stayed right there all of
his life. And his enemies, Abimelech and his servants, tried to make
war with him. He'd dig a well and they'd take
him from him, and he just let them have it. He was a very peaceful
man. And I think one of the reasons
that's said about him was he dwelt here by this well, knowing
that the Lord knew him thoroughly and would supply all his needs
according to his riches and glory. And ain't this what the Lord
Jesus tells us to be not anxious? Don't be anxious. Don't be so
worried about tomorrow. Don't be anxious about what you
eat, or what you wear, or what you drink, for your Father knoweth
that you have need of these things." How does He know that? Because
He knows us. He knows us thoroughly. And He shall supply all our needs
according to His riches and glory. What a relief to live our daily
lives being conscious of this very thing, and living by this
well to just drink the knowledge of this end. daily in our life
that our Lord knows us. Do all believers dwell here?
I don't know of any that dwells here. I know some of us that
visit this well occasionally. When it gets hot and dry, and
we get so full of anxiety that we can't bear it anymore, then
we go to this well. And then we're content. Then
we're restful. But brothers, I'd love to dwell
here, wouldn't you? Like Isaac did. dwelling by the
well Laheroa. We know one man that dwelt there.
Look over with me in Philippians chapter 4. Brother Larry taught
us this some time ago. Look here in Philippians chapter
4. Here is a man, I think, dwelt
by this well where the Lord knew him thoroughly, knew his needs,
was mindful of him, supplied his needs, And he was content
to dwell there. Look here at the Apostle Paul
in Philippians chapter 4. Look here in verse 6 and 7. Be careful for nothing. Anxious,
worried, fretful. For nothing. Not anything. Don't
be anxious about anything. Could we live there, do you think?
Be anxious about nothing. About nothing. But in everything,
by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests
be made known to God, and the peace of God, which passeth all
understanding, shall keep your hearts and your minds through
Christ Jesus." That's what we want. We want restful minds. We want peaceful minds. I don't
want turmoil in my mind. I want peace that passeth all
understanding. Well, look here what he said
in verse 11. Not that I speak in respect of
want, for I have learned in whatever state I am therewith to be content. Godliness with contentment is
great gain. And look what he said on down
in verse 19. But my God shall supply all your needs, all your
need, according to his riches and glory by Christ Jesus. He knows our needs, brothers
and sisters. And the reason that Hagar was so thrilled and named
that well as she did, that she was conscious that the Lord knew
her. She was conscious of that. And
that's what it means to live by this well. Not only that God
knows us thoroughly, but we're conscious of that. And that he'll
meet that need according to his riches and glory. Look over here
with me at another place. Look at Isaiah chapter 12. I
love this little short chapter in the book of Isaiah. Isaiah
chapter 12. Look at this. Look at Isaiah chapter 12 and
verse 1. And I think this probably hits really what I'm talking
about this evening. Isaiah 12, verse 1, And that
day thou shalt say, O Lord, I will praise thee, though thou wast
angry with me, thine anger is turned away, and thou comfortest
me. Ain't it wonderful when we can
know that the Lord is not angry with us anymore? Sometimes as
a young Christian, sometimes as an older Christian, when we
get into trouble, Or when the Lord chastens us sore. One of
the first things we used to say, and I hope we've got out of that.
But it's a big temptation to say, God's angry with me. God's
mad at me. And He scares us to death. He
was angry with us. But His anger has been turned
away from us. And now He comforts us. And when
we realize that in our Lord Jesus Christ, God's not angry with
us anymore. Though He chastens us sore, it's
out of love. Those He loves, He chastens.
You should never be angry when you whip one of your children.
All of us are guilty of it, but we should never be angry when
we whip our children. It's out of love that we correct
them. And what a comfort it is to our soul when we realize that
his anger is turned away. Look what he said in verse 2.
Here's why. Behold, God is my salvation. He's my salvation. From what? From sin? From the wrath of God? From the
judgment of God? From the curse of the law? From
the devil? From hell? He's my salvation. Therefore, look here, if we can
say that, if we can say, behold, God is my salvation, I will trust
and not be afraid. We don't have to be afraid anymore.
We don't have to be afraid of what God will do to us. We can
only fear Him. He will not punish us anymore.
He'll not put us in hell. He'll not cast us away. Sin will
never overcome us. The devil will never drag us
down into hell. The law will never curse us. Death will never
sting us. Trust and be not afraid. I trust
Him, don't you? I simply trust God in Christ
that it's just like He said it was going to be. And be not afraid. And look at this now, for the
Lord Jehovah is my strength and my song. Now look at this, He
also is become my salvation. Now that's strange language.
He says up here in verse 2, He is my salvation. And here He
says He's become my salvation. What in the world is He saying?
Well here in verse 2, He's our salvation from sin and the wrath
of God and the curse of the law and all of that. He's the salvation
of my soul. He's the salvation of my life.
But in the last quarter, verse 2, He's the salvation of my living. He's the salvation from my worries
and my anxieties. The salvation from this world
and its cares and its dangers. That's why Paul told Timothy,
you continue in the doctrine. You preach the truth to God's
children. You'll save yourself and you'll save them that hear
you. From what? They were already saved from a lot of trouble and
your secure rest for your soul from the anxiety. You remember
what the Master said in that wonderful verse in Matthew chapter
11 where he said, Come unto me, all you that labor and are heavy
laden, and I'll give you rest. I'll give you rest. It's so that
we come there and we stand before Him. Our souls are so troubled.
Our conscience is so plagued with our guilt and unworthiness,
and He gives us rest. He just hands it out to us. He
says, here it is, I give it to you. And then He went right on
to say this, take my yoke upon you and learn of me, and you
shall find rest for yourselves. And that's this well, Leheroi,
that I'm talking about. It's finding, not that initial
rest, It's the Lord being our salvation, not just from sin
and all of these terrible things, but it's the Lord being our salvation
in our daily lives, knowing us and meeting our needs every day
of our lives. The God of vision. Thou God seeth
me, and He knows me. He's thoroughly acquainted with
me. God blessed Isaac, and this is
the way He blessed him. He dwelt by this well, Leheroi. And I'd love to dwell there,
brothers and sisters. I'd just love to dwell there.
And I don't know what it would take. I guess it would take some
wringing out and bringing down and crushing and breaking to
bring us, to wean us, to cause us to trust Him, to sicken us
from the perishing things of clay that's born just for one
brief day and let us find our rest and our hope and our living,
our all in all, in the Lord Jesus Christ. But I'd love to get there,
where I could dwell by this well. Now back over to our text again.
Back over here to our text. Why was it such of a blessing
for Isaac to dwell by this well? Well, look here at some of these
things, and let me show you why it was such a blessing. To dwell
there where the Lord knew him and was aware of all that was
going on in his heart and in his life, all that was going
on around him, and the Lord comforted him and supplied his need. Look
what was going on. If you just looked at this, verse
11 tells us that the Lord blessed Isaac. But when you start looking
around, if you looked at it for the natural eye, you would have
thought, well, it isn't Isaac he's blessed. It's Ishmael he's
blessed. Let me show you what I'm talking
about. Here in verse 12, we're told of Ishmael and Isaac. And
you begin there, and through verses 13 through verse 16, I
read it to you, Ishmael had 12 sons. Had 12 sons. It gives their names there in
verses 13 and 16 I read to you. How many sons did Isaac have? I tell you, he didn't have any
to start with. And I read it to you. Down there in verse 21,
Isaac entreated the Lord for his wife because she was barren. He and Rebekah was married when
he was 40 years old. He is now 60 and Rebekah is still
barren. Ishmael and his wives are just
having children like everything. Isaac has to go begging for a
job. If you looked at this from a natural standpoint, who would
you think was blessed? You'd think Ishmael, wouldn't
you? And look here at this also. Look
here at this also. In verse 16, we're told here
that Ishmael had twelve princes. He had twelve that they called
princes. Isaac finally had. Two scoundrels. That's what they were, two scoundrels.
One of them despised his birthright. One of them the Lord hated. The
other was a conniving deceiver that lied to his own dad, deceived
his own brother out of his birthright. That was a dysfunctional family,
they call it today. One of them had some princes,
and boy, they prospered. And here are these two scoundrels
over here. And the Scripture says, the Lord blessed Isaac.
We've got to look deeper than just outward when we see the
Lord's blessings. And thirdly is this. Look what's
said in verse 16 also of Ishmael's sons. It says here that they
had towns. They established towns. And they
named them after their names. And they dwelt in castles. You
know where Jacob and Isaac dwelt? In tents. They never built any
castles. They never had any towns to dwell
in. They wandered about in tents through this land of Canaan.
And in verse 18, you read that in this place that Ishmael and
his children dwelt in this large country. There was twelve nations
of them. They dwelled in Arabia, Assyria,
and we know it today as the Persian Gulf. What did Isaac have? Did he have the deed to anything?
The only thing that he had was the deed to this little field
that Abraham left him with a few trees and a cave in the end of
it. That's all he had. He had nothing else. And Esau took two wives of the
Canaanites, and this was a grief of mine to Isaac and Rebekah."
I'm just saying, you look at things outwardly, and it doesn't
appear that the Lord blessed Esau or Jacob or Isaac at all. We have to look deeper, don't
we? If we look on things as they appear outwardly, sometimes we
would earnestly say that Ishmael was blessed and Isaac was cursed. But the Lord says here in verse
11, He blessed Esau. He blessed Isaac. What was the
blessing? Well, it was this spiritual blessing.
Contentment of heart. Knowing that the Lord thoroughly
knew him and would keep him and supply all his needs. That's
a blessing, ain't it? That's a blessing. That's the
blessing. So he dwelled by this well. I'm saying this, the children
of God must realize that their greatest blessings are not blessings
of this world. It's not material things, not
even family, not even children. But it's the things that are
unseen. It's the spiritual blessings,
the heart blessings. This life is a life of trials. It's a life of testing, it's
a life of tribulation, it's a life of labor and patience and inward
and outward afflictions for the Lord's people. It's a time to
suffer for Christ's sake, a time to bear the cross and sometimes
to bear the rod of their God. And the greatest blessing that
the Father in heaven can bestow upon his children is not to load
them down with things that are perishing, but to bring us to
feel the need and to see the advantage of dwelling at this
well of vision, to live with a spirit of wisdom and revelation
of the knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ. Brothers and sisters,
that's our real blessing. That's the part that won't be
taken away from you when you come down on your deathbed, and
all the things of this world becomes nothing, even your children
and your grandchildren. And you're left facing death
alone. I'll tell you what will profit you in that day, that
you've dwelt here by this well. The Lord knows me, and He's walked
with me all these years. And he's met every need that
I've ever had. That's where the blessing will be. That this sovereign,
sympathizing, and caring God is ever for us. Like as a father
pitieth his children, so the Lord pitieth them that fear him. For he knoweth our frame, and
he remembers that we are dust. That's a great blessing. That's
a great blessing. The more knowledge you come to
yourself, the more you despair of trusting yourself. And to
know that the Lord knows you better than you know yourself.
Lord, I'm so weak. He knows it. He knows. I am so
frail. I'm dust. He knows it. He knows
it. And He pities you. And He meets
your need. He gives you grace. And He gives
you strength. The eye of the Lord are over
the righteous. And his ears are open to their
cry, and their sighs, and their groans, and their weeping. And it may endure for a night,
but joy cometh in the morning. Brothers and sisters, if you
and I can live in the reality and daily drink this precious
truth into our souls, that our Lord and our Savior thoroughly
knows us and cares for us every moment, and is mindful of every
need we have and has promised to meet those needs and never
forsake us or leave us, then it will soon dawn upon our hearts
that of all people in this world, we're the most blessed. We are
the most blessed. had flocks to tend to, he had
associations, he had friends, he had neighbors. He did not
sit every moment at this well. But when he said he dwelt there,
it simply means this is the well that he daily drunk from. And
you and I cannot go out of this world. We have associations,
we have jobs, we have families, we have responsibilities. But
in our heart, in our thoughts, in our memories, in our affections,
let this abide in us. That is the knowledge that Jesus
Christ is my Lord and my Savior. Abide in God as our Father, and
abide in the Holy Spirit as our Teacher and our Comforter, and
abide in His Word. as the light of truth and the
rule of our life. And here's what will happen.
Thou will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind dwells upon
you. That's what that word means.
Whose mind is stayed upon you. That's this well. That's this
well. And God bless us to live that.