Stones of Remembrance - 'Reheboth'

Yesterday was father’s day, and as usual I was a recipient of some awesome gifts and one of them was wooden plaque designed and crafted by my wife Sarah. She knew I wanted that one for long time and it was titled ‘Reheboth’. A significance, a stone of remembrance of the Lord’s goodness to me. ‘Reheboth’ is an interesting name, its meaning is ‘Now God has made room for us in this land and we will flourish and prosper in it”.

We are putting this up in our garage for now but want to order one with brass gold lettering on marble to put on the pillar of our estate house right at the entrance…a symbol, a reminder and memorial stone of remembrance of the wondrous provision of the Lord in this time of our life and in this place where He has brought us to.

The name comes from the story of Genesis 26,  Isaac the patriarch is living among the philistines and has prospered in the land with cattle, crops, men servants and maid servants. Along with the man’s wealth his influence, power and honor grew. But with that also came contention from the pagan aliens who surrounded him. Often a quarrel between his servants and Abimelech’s (the local ruler) servants ensued for a precious resource – ‘water' in the middle eastern deserts they lived in. Isaac seemed to have a knack of digging wells and finding water…I personally feel because God was with the patriach, whatever he touched turned to gold and whatever he set his hand to prospered.So let us pick up the story in Geneis 26: 12-22 about the dispute with the Philistines.

12 Isaac planted crops in that land and the same year reaped a hundredfold, because the LORD blessed him. The man became rich, and his wealth continued to grow until he became very wealthy. 14 He had so many flocks and herds and servants that the Philistines envied him. 15 So all the wells that his father's servants had dug in the time of his father Abraham, the Philistines stopped up, filling them with earth. 16 Then Abimelech said to Isaac, "Move away from us; you have become too powerful for us." 17 So Isaac moved away from there and encamped in the Valley of Gerar and settled there. 18 Isaac reopened the wells that had been dug in the time of his father Abraham, which the Philistines had stopped up after Abraham died, and he gave them the same names his father had given them. 19 Isaac's servants dug in the valley and discovered a well of fresh water there. 20 But the herdsmen of Gerar quarreled with Isaac's herdsmen and said, "The water is ours!" So he named the well Esek, because they disputed with him. Then they dug another well, but they quarreled over that one also; so he named it Sitnah.22 He moved on from there and dug another well, and no one quarreled over it. He named it Rehoboth, saying, "Now the LORD has given us room and we will flourish in the land.":

Fascinating incident isn’t it? This post is a like a reminder of what God has done for me and my family. We have crossed the Red Sea, we have crossed the Jordan, and now we are setting to conquer and put our enemies to flight. But it is also a time to set up stones of remembrance...for the Lord has enlarged our territory, made room for us in the land and prospered us. I thank you O Lord, for your promises never fail, your faithfulness never ends….what good is in me that you will lead and look upon a speck like me, a servant at your hand to posess and flourish?. May the plaque remind us of your goodness and your mighty works on our behalf.

Blessings & Shalom,

Sam Kurien