An Invitation to Shalom

Isaac sees them coming at a distance, but not as before.
No clouds of dust around them. No voices carry on the wind.
Only the slow approach of men who have made up their minds.
Isaac stands at the well.
They draw near and stop.
For a moment, no one speaks.
Abimelech looks at him.
He sees no hardness in Isaac’s face. Only the same quiet he has always carried.
“We have seen…” Abimelech says. And stops.
The king’s words come slowly.
“We have seen that God is with you.”
Isaac listens.
The well stands open between them.
And the water is enough for all.

Genesis 26:28

They answered, “We saw clearly that the Lord was with you; so we said, ‘There ought to be a sworn agreement between us’—between us and you. Let us make a treaty with you.”

The Abraham Accords marked a monumental moment in history. This agreement was more than a ceasefire or a political gesture. It was a beacon of hope—opening doors to cooperation in medicine, technology, security, travel, and dialogue. It built bridges where walls once stood.

As an Israeli, my heart rejoiced for the Holy Land. As an American, I felt gratitude knowing the United States helped make this moment possible. And as a mother, I felt deep comfort imagining a safer, more peaceful future for our children.

That modern moment of peace brings us directly to today’s Scripture.

In Genesis 26, Isaac settles in the valley of Gerar, where he rediscovers wells that his father Abraham had dug years earlier. But Isaac finds that the Philistines had filled those wells with dirt. When Isaac re-dug them, the Philistines filled them again.

This is puzzling. In the Middle East, water is life. These wells could have brought blessing to everyone—Isaac’s family and the Philistines alike. Why destroy something so life-giving?

The Bible gives us the answer, telling us that Isaac had become very prosperous, and “the Philistines envied him,” with their envy blinding them to blessing.

Eventually, the Philistines drove Isaac away. But something remarkable happened later. King Abimelech returned to Isaac, seeking peace. Isaac asked the obvious question: “Why have you come to me, since you were hostile to me and sent me away?”

Their answer is still powerful when we read it today. They said, “We saw clearly that the Lord was with you.”

They didn’t come because Isaac fought back. They didn’t come because he demanded justice. They came because they saw God’s presence resting on his life.

Isaac followed the path of his father Abraham, who also dug wells as acts of peace rather than conquest. And through Isaac’s humility, perseverance, and faith, even his enemies recognized God’s hand.

As God’s people today, may our actions, like Isaac’s, become invitations to peace.