Free Bible lesson for kids · Abraham, Isaac and Jacob
Isaac Digs the Wells
The LORD blessed Isaac so much that the Philistines envied him and stopped up the wells his father Abraham had dug. Each time Isaac’s servants found water, the herdmen of Gerar said, “The water is ours,” so Isaac moved on and dug again, until he found a well no one fought over and called it Rehoboth: “For now the LORD hath made room for us.” At Beer-sheba God promised to be with him, and even King Abimelech came to make peace.
- Bible passage
- Genesis 26:12–33
- Big idea
- God makes room for those who choose peace.
- Memory verse
Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.
Matthew 5:9 (KJV)- Ages
- Preschool to preteen (3 to 12), with tips for each age
- Time
- About 45 minutes
- Included, free
- Animated story film, coloring page, class sheet, teacher guide, questions and answers, a game
The story
Isaac sowed and reaped a hundredfold, for the LORD blessed him (Genesis 26:12). He became very great, and the Philistines envied him. They had stopped up the wells his father Abraham had dug (Genesis 26:13–15). King Abimelech sent Isaac away, so he moved to the valley of Gerar and dug the old wells again (Genesis 26:16–18).
When Isaac’s servants found water, the herdmen of Gerar said, “The water is ours” (Genesis 26:19–20). They quarreled over the next well too (Genesis 26:21). So Isaac moved on and dug again, and this time no one fought. He named it Rehoboth and said, “For now the LORD hath made room for us” (Genesis 26:22). At Beersheba the LORD promised to be with him and bless him (Genesis 26:23–24). Abimelech came and said, “We saw certainly that the LORD was with thee,” and they made peace (Genesis 26:28–31).
Read it in the Bible: Genesis 26:12–33 (KJV)
12Then Isaac sowed in that land, and received in the same year an hundredfold: and the LORD blessed him. 13And the man waxed great, and went forward, and grew until he became very great: 14For he had possession of flocks, and possession of herds, and great store of servants: and the Philistines envied him. 15For all the wells which his father’s servants had digged in the days of Abraham his father, the Philistines had stopped them, and filled them with earth. 16And Abimelech said unto Isaac, Go from us; for thou art much mightier than we. 17And Isaac departed thence, and pitched his tent in the valley of Gerar, and dwelt there. 18And Isaac digged again the wells of water, which they had digged in the days of Abraham his father; for the Philistines had stopped them after the death of Abraham: and he called their names after the names by which his father had called them. 19And Isaac’s servants digged in the valley, and found there a well of springing water. 20And the herdmen of Gerar did strive with Isaac’s herdmen, saying, The water is ours: and he called the name of the well Esek; because they strove with him. 21And they digged another well, and strove for that also: and he called the name of it Sitnah. 22And he removed from thence, and digged another well; and for that they strove not: and he called the name of it Rehoboth; and he said, For now the LORD hath made room for us, and we shall be fruitful in the land. 23And he went up from thence to Beersheba. 24And the LORD appeared unto him the same night, and said, I am the God of Abraham thy father: fear not, for I am with thee, and will bless thee, and multiply thy seed for my servant Abraham’s sake. 25And he builded an altar there, and called upon the name of the LORD, and pitched his tent there: and there Isaac’s servants digged a well. 26Then Abimelech went to him from Gerar, and Ahuzzath one of his friends, and Phichol the chief captain of his army. 27And Isaac said unto them, Wherefore come ye to me, seeing ye hate me, and have sent me away from you? 28And they said, We saw certainly that the LORD was with thee: and we said, Let there be now an oath betwixt us, even betwixt us and thee, and let us make a covenant with thee; 29That thou wilt do us no hurt, as we have not touched thee, and as we have done unto thee nothing but good, and have sent thee away in peace: thou art now the blessed of the LORD. 30And he made them a feast, and they did eat and drink. 31And they rose up betimes in the morning, and sware one to another: and Isaac sent them away, and they departed from him in peace. 32And it came to pass the same day, that Isaac’s servants came, and told him concerning the well which they had digged, and said unto him, We have found water. 33And he called it Shebah: therefore the name of the city is Beersheba unto this day.
Questions to ask
What did the herdmen of Gerar say when Isaac’s servants found water?
“The water is ours” (Genesis 26:20).
What did Isaac do instead of fighting?
He moved on and dug another well, until they strove not, and he called it Rehoboth (Genesis 26:22).
What did the LORD promise Isaac at Beer-sheba?
“Fear not, for I am with thee, and will bless thee” (Genesis 26:24).
What this story teaches
- The LORD blessed Isaac and made him great (Genesis 26:12–13).
- Choosing peace is better than fighting over things (Genesis 26:22).
- Peacemakers are called the children of God (Matthew 5:9).
- God is with His people, so they need not fear (Genesis 26:24).
- Even enemies can see when the LORD is with someone (Genesis 26:28).
Jesus Gives Living Water
Isaac’s wells gave water, but people thirst again. Jesus gives water that becomes “a well of water springing up into everlasting life.”
John 4:13–14
A 45-minute lesson plan
| 5 min | Welcome and pray. Greet each child by name and pray: Ask God to help us be peacemakers when others want to quarrel. |
|---|---|
| 10 min | The story. Play the story film: each verse appears on screen in the King James Version while the scene plays. Pause to ask what happens next. |
| 10 min | Talk about it. Ask the three questions below. Then ask: “God makes room for those who choose peace.” What does that mean for us? |
| 5 min | Memory verse. Say Matthew 5:9 together, covering one word at a time until the children can say it alone. |
| 10 min | Activity. Younger children color the coloring page while you retell the story; older children do the class sheet (memory-verse fill-in, word search and questions). |
| 5 min | Pray and send home. Pray together and send the sheet home so families can talk about the first question this week. |
- Preschool: keep it short and physical. Act out the story, use a simple prop, and repeat the big idea in one sentence.
- Elementary: let children find the passage in their own Bibles. Ask “who, what, where” questions first, then “why.”
- Preteens: read the verses before and after the passage, and ask how this story fits the whole story of the Bible.
Game time
For kids · game · indoors · about 10 minutes
Dig and Move On
You need: Three bins of shredded paper with blue “water” gems hidden in each
- Teams dig through the first bin for water gems.
- When the leader calls, “The water is ours!”, the team says, “That’s okay!” and moves peacefully to the next bin.
- At the last bin, they get to keep the water: “Now the LORD hath made room for us!”
Isaac kept moving on instead of fighting, and God made room for him. Being a peacemaker is strong, not weak.
For youth group · activity · indoors · about 20 minutes
Peacemaker Practice
You need: Scenario cards (someone takes credit for your work, a group chat turns mean)
- In pairs, read a scenario and act out two endings: one where you fight back, and one where you respond like Isaac.
- Share the best peacemaker answers with the group.
- Read Romans 12:18.
“If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men.”
Pray
Ask God to help us be peacemakers when others want to quarrel.