When a man’s ways please the Lord, he makes even his enemies to be at peace with him. – Proverbs 16:7
As famine settled in the land of Canaan, Isaac moved to the northern part of the Negeb. There God blessed him, even as he lived among the Philistines. As Isaac’s flocks grew, King Abimelech asked him to relocate due to jealousy among his people. Moving into the Valley of Gerar, Isaac reopened the wells dug by his father Abraham, but herdsmen in the area claimed the water to be theirs. Instead of quarreling, Isaac moved on to the next well, finally getting to one where there was no conflict. Instead of fighting, Isaac kept going quietly through the evil and good reports, committing all to God for his well-being. His enemies may not have liked him, but they were at peace with him.
So it was when Esau made peace with Jacob, or David’s enemies courted his favor. “When a man’s ways please the Lord, he makes even his enemies to be at peace with him” (Proverbs 16:7). Pleasing the Lord will bring peace to your soul. The book of Proverbs was written to provide wisdom for God’s people. Founded in the fear of the Lord, this wisdom gives practical details in living your daily life and pleasing Him.
In today’s world, the believer may be hated and reviled, but God is the Judge and the Vindicator. He will guide you as you live life according to the directions in His Word. Be disciplined in your study of Scripture and your pursuit of godliness as you seek His will. Then pray for those who have yet to know the joy of a life lived in Christ.
Today’s Verse: Proverbs 16:7
When a man’s ways please the Lord,
he makes even his enemies to be at peace with him.
All Scripture quotations and audio are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Recommended for further reading: Genesis 26:1-3, 12-13, 16-22
26 Now there was a famine in the land, besides the former famine that was in the days of Abraham. And Isaac went to Gerar to Abimelech king of the Philistines. 2 And the Lord appeared to him and said, “Do not go down to Egypt; dwell in the land of which I shall tell you. 3 Sojourn in this land, and I will be with you and will bless you, for to you and to your offspring I will give all these lands, and I will establish the oath that I swore to Abraham your father.
12 And Isaac sowed in that land and reaped in the same year a hundredfold. The Lord blessed him, 13 and the man became rich, and gained more and more until he became very wealthy.
16 And Abimelech said to Isaac, “Go away from us, for you are much mightier than we.”
17 So Isaac departed from there and encamped in the Valley of Gerar and settled there. 18 And Isaac dug again the wells of water that had been dug in the days of Abraham his father, which the Philistines had stopped after the death of Abraham. And he gave them the names that his father had given them. 19 But when Isaac’s servants dug in the valley and found there a well of spring water, 20 the herdsmen of Gerar quarreled with Isaac’s herdsmen, saying, “The water is ours.” So he called the name of the well Esek, because they contended with him. 21 Then they dug another well, and they quarreled over that also, so he called its name Sitnah. 22 And he moved from there and dug another well, and they did not quarrel over it. So he called its name Rehoboth, saying, “For now the Lord has made room for us, and we shall be fruitful in the land.”
All Scripture quotations and audio are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
