Dealing with Quarrelsome Neighbors (Genesis 26:12-25)

When God blesses Isaac, his neighbors notice. But Isaac gives us a good example of how to deal with quarrelsome neighbors.

Please read Genesis 26:12-25.

After God blessed Isaac with riches, flocks, herds, and servants, “the Philistines envied him.” Their envy of Isaac causes all kinds of problems for him including sending him away from their land and arguing over possession of his wells.

Unfortunately, when God blesses those who are faithful to Him, other people tend to get jealous. Just like Isaac’s neighbors were jealous of what he had, your neighbors will likely get jealous of what you have. Of course, while God tended to bless Old Covenant believers materially, under the New Covenant we are blessed with so much more. Our neighbors don’t get as jealous over our new boat as they do over the peace in our household, the love we share with our spouse, our contentment in times of sorrow, our joy despite our circumstances, our kindness to those who hurt us, our acceptance among a community of believers, our self-control in refusing addictive habits, and our gentleness in turning away wrath.

The fruit of the Spirit is incredible! And, in a world of chaos without any lasting satisfaction, our neighbors want the love, joy, peace, etc. that only Christ can give. When we demonstrate the fruit of the Spirit, some of our neighbors will act enviously, just like Isaac’s neighbors.

So, how can Isaac teach us how to deal with jealous neighbors? Look at what he did: when his neighbors asked him to leave, he left; when his neighbors quarreled over a well, he gave it to them and dug another well; when his neighbors quarreled over that well, he gave that to them too and moved on. While his neighbors argued with his servants, Isaac never stooped to their level. Isaac constantly demonstrated the patience of God by simply giving up what was rightfully his, rather than quarrel with his neighbors. And through all of it, He continued to worship the Lord.

Most of our Christian ancestors who have gone before us were willing to give up anything—be it their time and energy, their money and possessions, their personal rights, or even their own lives and the lives of their families—in order to see others come to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. As Christians today, we could take a good lesson from these Christian ancestors, and from Isaac as well: nearly every argument in the world today is worth losing, if that means we can win someone to the Lord.

Maybe your neighbor is picking the fruit off your tree. Let them have it! Especially if it gives you a chance to talk to them about Christ.

Maybe your neighbor is stealing your flowers, or infringing on your property line. Don’t start a fight; talk to them about Christ.

Maybe your neighbor has different political opinions than you do. Is it better to win an argument with them, or to avoid the argument and win them to the Lord?

Maybe your neighbor is jealous of the fruit of the Spirit that is lived out in your life. So they react negatively and do evil things to try to get a rise out of you. Does this make them bad people? Of course! They are dirty rotten sinners, just like you used to be. Show them the same grace that God showed you. Care more about their eternal destiny than about how wrong they were for saying those things about you and treating you like they did.

Don’t let the negativity of your neighbors rob you of your joy. Don’t get sucked into the meaningless fight instead of fighting for their souls. Like Isaac, move away from the problem, and worship the Lord. No matter what your neighbors might try to do to you.