Water: Enough to Survive or Thrive?

In Genesis 26, we move on to the story of Isaac. This passage begins with famine and ends with water. The famine requires that Isaac and his household move to the foreign land of Gerar. As he sets out for Gerar and the land of the Philistines there is hope and promise for a better life and life for his descendants.

Like Abraham before him, he passes his wife, Rebekah, off as his sister as a way of protecting himself. When the Philistines realize that Isaac has been lying to them, fear and mistrust develop between them.

Isaac planted a crop with a great harvest at the end of the season. We are told that God blessed him, but I suspect, he and his household also worked hard. Isaac became wealthy and the Philistines resented his wealth. What Isaac didn’t have was access to water because the Philistines had blocked all the wells that Abraham had dug in his lifetime.

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Because there was no access to water, Isaac was forced to move again. As he dug wells, the Philistines disputed their ownership and he had to continue moving. He wasn’t welcome. Like Isaac, 32.4 million people in 2013 were environmental refugees. Many refugees struggle to find a place where they are welcome. I regularly hear an anti-refugee and immigrant sentiment which echoes Isaac’s experience of resentment and mistrust. We see globally, refugees arriving in places that already have limited resources and adding additional stress to communities and countries. Environmental refugees are not on the move by choice but because the climate has somehow impacted their ability to survive. In order to survive, they need to relocate.

The dispute over wells speaks to the ongoing need for access to water. This continues to be a huge issue for many people around the world. Globally, there are approximately 844 million people ( ) without access to clean water. In Canada, there are 174 Indigenous communities with boil water advisories. Each advisory can affect up to five thousand people. By my math that 87,000 people in Canada without access to clean water. For many of us, these are just numbers, but each number represents someone’s life and their ability to survive and thrive.

Since water is a necessity for life, isn’t it something that each person should have access to—regardless of geography or ability to pay?  Climate change disproportionately impacts the poorest people of the world and is the reason many become refugees—some because of a lack of water leading to drought, some because of too much water to flooding. Either way, there is no longer a place to call home, a place to belong.

One of the wells that Isaac dug was called Rehoboth which alludes to having a space or a home. The fact that it is a well that designates this sense of home speaks to the connection between water and life. Isaac was able to make a covenant with the Philistines, to find a way for them to live peaceably together. It ended up that there were enough water and resources in the land for all of them to live together. What would happen if we thought about water as a resource that everyone needs access to and created space in our communities and countries for those who are currently environmental refugees because of water? How would Canada change if all our Indigenous communities had access to clean water? These would be good changes allowing people not just to survive but to thrive.

Remembering Life–Honestly

Genesis 25:1-18 is the final installment of Abraham’s life. It begins by telling us about yet another woman in Abraham’s life and the sons she bore. The passage lists Abraham’s descendants, describes his death and burial and how his sons were provided for. It is a wrapping up of life.

Abraham’s death is described this way: (v8) “Abraham breathed his last and died in a good old age, an old man and full of years, and was gathered to his people. 9His sons Isaac and Ishmael buried him in the cave of Machpelah … There Abraham was buried, with his wife Sarah.”

We are told that Abraham was 175 when he died. He lived a long life with all its messiness and complications. He died peacefully surrounded by family and is buried next to his wife Sarah. Abraham’s life was not perfect. He didn’t always do the right thing. He didn’t always live with faith in the God who created him. He didn’t always treat his family well. He wasn’t always entirely honest in his business dealings. Abraham was perfectly human in his complicated relationships and his attempts at faithfulness.

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Like all of us, our lives are a mixed bag. We make mistakes. We hurt people we love. We try to live in ways that are faithful and life-giving but we don’t always get it right. Sometimes in working with families to prepare a celebration of life, there is a temptation to gloss over life—to only remember the good things, the things people did well, the things they liked. But then we only remember part of a person. To find meaning in life we need also to talk about the ways in which relationships were broken and people were hurt. It encourages the healing of grief and anger. We cannot forgive and grow into healing and health if we don’t acknowledge the pain and hurt. Acknowledging all of a person’s life helps us to learn and grow in our own attempts at healthy relationships with those we love. It is also honest. Knowing that others are not perfect gives us permission for our own self-reflection and acceptance of our own mistakes.

Life isn’t perfect but hopefully, we learn from mistakes and when we reach the end of life we can look back with a sense that we did the best we could.

Patriarchy is Still with Us

This week, Genesis 24:50-57 continues the story of Rebekah’s betrothal to Isaac. The servant has explained his errand, a description of the dowry has been made. Rebekah’s brother, Laban, and father Bethuel attribute this opportunity to God and that seems to be the end of the debate. The marriage is neither good nor bad. It is simply God’s will. There is an assumption that God planned for Isaac and Rebecca to be married and the way in which the servant found Rebekah at the well follows this theme of God’s action.

And then there is a moment of hesitation. Laban and Rebekah’s mother request a ten-day waiting period. Are they wrestling with the reality that they may never see each other again? Is there some question about the suitability of the match? Maybe the dowry could be increased a bit if more time were involved. Do they need a few days to prepare Rebekah for travel or for her role as Isaac’s wife? The servant refuses to wait and insists on leaving immediately. Ultimately, the decision is left with Rebekah.

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I’m curious about Rebekah’s role in this transaction considering the patriarchal society in which she lived. Did Rebekah feel like she has a choice in her response? Was she a willing participant in the marriage? Was she sad to leave her family or was she ready to strike out and see the world from a different location? Did she buy into the idea that this marriage was God’s will for her and her life? A marriage to Isaac would give her family access to Isaac’s wealth. Was the marriage really about Isaac and Rebekah as people or was it a convenient way to restrengthen family alliances?

Patriarchy continues to influence lives. When I was younger, I assumed I would marry and have children. I did marry but have chosen not to have children. Up until recently, I was regularly asked when I would have children and told I would change my mind when I was older. There continues to be an assumption that a woman’s role is to parent children. I don’t think men are asked as often about when they will have children. I suspect this attitude about women and children is changing but it feels like it continues to lurk just below the surface of our society. Like, Rebekah’s marriage to Isaac, there is an underlying assumption of patriarchy as God’s will that lingers.

I’ve just finished reading Listening to the Echo by Tom Sherwood. It is an analysis and compilation of interviews he did with the Echo generation (Millennials) about religion and spirituality. One of the themes that emerged throughout the book was a critique of the ways in which religion has been used to justify patriarchy. That’s one reason many of those Tom interviewed are choosing to identify as spiritual but not religious. (I highly recommend this read. It was fascinating and I may write another post about it at a future date.) Patriarchy seems pervasive through much of human history and I agree with the critique that religion, specifically Christianity, has often supported and encouraged the oppression of women and other marginalized people.

Rebekah probably had little choice about if she married or whom she would marry. As the story continues, we see Rebekah’s character emerge as a strong influence in her family. What would Rebekah’s life have been like if she had other choices? Would she affirm the choices that were made for her or would she choose something else for herself?

We live in a time when there are many more choices available: to marry or not, to marry someone of the same or different gender, to have children or not. I don’t think Christianity needs to be synonymous with patriarchy and limited choices. The history (as is evident in Rebekah’s story) is one that Christianity needs to come to terms with and work to reverse the damage patriarchy has done to individuals and to our society.

Worry and Faith

Last week, Abraham sent a servant to find a wife for Isaac. He was just about to explain his errand to Rebekah’s family. This little bit of the explanation in Genesis 24:39-41 gets left out of the lectionary.

It seems that the servant was really worried that Isaac’s future wife or her family would not want her to move so far from home. He voiced his concern to Abraham, and he repeats it here to almost complete strangers. He wants to make sure to fulfil the oath he made to Abraham but seems to worry about all the things that could go wrong. Last week, he wasn’t sure he would find the right woman. This week he isn’t sure she will want to leave her family.

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Have you ever worried about all the things that might happen or that might go wrong in a situation or plan? But what if… and you can fill in your own answer here. A few years ago, when I was looking for a new position, with relatively little experience, I wondered who would call me when there were lots of experienced people looking for positions. I worried because I’d already given notice and we had to move and with that date fast approaching the options seemed limited. I was afraid that we would be unemployed and homeless—we were living in a manse. I got caught in needing to find a job rather than trusting that the spirit would act and an opportunity would open. It was a really challenging time. I can relate to the servant with his “what if…” questions.

That’s one of the challenging things about living it faithfully. It requires us to act even when we have doubts and don’t know how something will work out. It would have been easier and safer for the servant to say, “You know Abraham, no one is going to want to send their daughter this far away from home. It’s pointless to even try to convince someone to come. Can’t I just go down the road to the next village?” And maybe Abraham would have been persuaded that it was a hopeless cause. But that isn’t how it happened. Abraham was convinced that the journey would be successful. He convinced the servant that it was necessary. Now here he is having dinner with the future in-laws and he tells the story of his doubts and worries and by including the angel he acknowledges God’s presence in the outcome of the story.

The doubts and worries that we have can point to real challenges or even probable outcomes. When we step out in faith, we find there are still possibilities that our worries may not come true. An alternative we might not have considered may present itself. Regardless of outcome, God continues to walk with us and be present.