Genesis 26:22
“And he moved from there and dug another well, and they did not quarrel over it. So he called its name Rehoboth, because he said, “For now the LORD has made room for us, and we shall be fruitful in the land.”
INSIGHT
-Quarrel in Hebrew is written as kwor’-el which means conflict, strife, squabble, dispute, contention or a noisy dispute usually marked by anger.
-There was a famine in Canaan beside that which Abraham had experienced, & he move to Gerar where Abimelech was the king of Philistines. As Isaac dug wells, the Philistines quarreled him & took over his wells, but God encouraged him by assuring him protection. It came a time after Isaac had dug many wells & went through a multitude of challenges when he found water & named the well Rehoboth for the Lord had made room for them to be fruitful. God blessed Isaac fulfilling the promise He had made to his father Abraham & he reaped a hundred fold in the land, began to be prosperous, continued to prosper & became very prosperous, then moved to Beersheba (the well of the covenant) where he made an altar & worshipped God. Through Christ we receive the promise of the Abrahamic covenant, Davidic covenant, eternal covenant, covenant of peace & many other promises through grace. In the same way Isaac went through trials, tribulations & quarrels through the famine, we also have our fair share of trials. Through trials we get more dependent on Gods’ grace & our faith in Him is strengthened. Through faith; we also partake of Gods’ blessings as the seeds of Abraham & co-heirs with Christ as we move from one glory to the next & positively impart other people’s lives.
PRAYER
We rejoice in Your everlasting love for us Jesus, thank You for this far You have brought us & cover us with Your blood. Many are the wells we dig in relationships & marriage, health, work & finances, family & friendship, leadership & vision & many other wells Lord, guide us so that we may bear much fruit in the land. Strengthen us Father to cast out all doubt from our hearts at the wake of high fuel prices, high cost of living, pressures of life, slow business, delay in answers to prayer & many other uncertainties Lord; for You are our Father & Provider. Increase & encourage us even as we overcome all these challenges through Your grace. Make room for us to be fruitful in all things Lord so that we may begin to prosper, continue to prosper & become very prosperous, all for Your glory. Merciful Father; bring all our prayer intentions & heart desires to pass according to Your will; for Your promises never fail. Amen
2 Kings 5:7
“And it happened, when the king of Israel read the letter, that he tore his clothes and said, “ Am I God, to kill and make alive, that this man sends a man to me to heal him of his leprosy? Therefore please consider, and see how he seeks a quarrel with me.”
INSIGHT
-Naaman, commander of the Assyrian army was a great man of valor though infected with leprosy. He must have searched everywhere for healing options in vain but a young girl from Israel brought news of hope for healing; to Naaman’s wife. Instead of writing to Elisha about Naaman’s leprosy, the king of Assyria wrote to the king of Israel who was humble & honored God. The king of Israel tore his clothes for the Assyrians never honored God & was in distress for a squabble would have emerged with the people & against God, for by pride comes nothing but strife (Prov 13:10). He knew his position as a mortal king & let the prophet Elisha execute Gods’ healing power upon the Naaman. Naaman for a time also displayed his pride when he refused to wash in the river Jordan because it was dirty. When he was assured of healing, he humbled himself, washed in the Jordan & was made clean, then proclaimed the name of the Lord. Sometimes pride may come in many ways including arrogance in actions & speech, spiritual pride etc which only leads to ruin. We are called to clothe ourselves with humility for God resists the proud & gives grace to the humble (1 Pet 5:5).
PRAYER
You have been gracious to us Lord; we rejoice in Your salvation. In the sincerity of our hearts Father; we are sorry for the many times we have harbored pride in our hearts, forgive us Lord. Heal us, our families, leaders, friends & everyone else from pride Jesus we humbly implore You & fill us with humility. Comfort us with Your grace King of glory so that we may remain peaceful according to Your will. All glory & praise belongs to You Lord; now & forever. Amen
Proverbs 25:24
“Better to live on a corner of the roof than share a house with a quarrelsome wife”
-The fruit of gentleness has been poured to our hearts by the Holy Spirit to fill us with His peace. King Solomon the man who had 700 wives & 300 concubines, noted that it’s better to live with a peaceful wife. A quiet heart is desirable for a wife as a helper and also required to nurture the children & the husband, to bring comfort, respect & love to the family. Many men have opted to react silently by working late, go for evening church meetings, find other meeker companions, spend their evenings & weekends in the bar or engage in other activities that give them peace of mind. Others have resulted to violence which are all a sad reality today. Others have found comfort in counseling & prayer. Some single men have opted to remain alone as they seek to find compatible spouses with quiet spirits who they can call beloved wives. It is therefore best to remain calm & silent when the result of speech will only cause a fight, for even the unwise are thought to be wise if they keep silent & discerning if they hold their tongues (Pro 17:28).
PRAYER
James 4:1-2
“What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don’t they come from your desires that battle within you? You desire but do not have, so you kill. You covet but you cannot get what you want, so you quarrel and fight. You do not have because you do not ask God.”
INSIGHT
-From the heart comes issues of life like fighting & quarreling that result from frustrations due to unfulfilled desires. Other desires become too strong that some covet but don’t receive so they quarrel & fight out of desperation, & others steal & kill. Selfishness & anger are a major cause of conflict according to James. Jesus tells us to ask & we shall receive, seek & we shall find, knock & the door shall be opened unto us, but the time has not been defined. We also read that we don’t have because we don’t ask & when we ask, we ask amiss to fulfill our pleasures. We are therefore called to be patient & persistent in prayer & give thanks in all things so that anxiety & quarrels may not arise among us.
PRAYER
God our Father we come before You with humility in our hearts, guide us when we pray so that we may not ask amiss but according to Your divine will; Lord. Hear our prayers Jehovah & answer us Father & Friend. Heal our relationships, friendships & marriages from anger & selfishness so that we may dwell in undefiled love. We praise You & honor You forever. Amen
Matthew 12:19-21
“He will not quarrel or cry out; no one will hear his voice in the streets. A bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out, till he has brought justice through to victory. In his name the nations will put their hope.””
INSIGHT
-Christ Who is full of meekness & gentleness did not quarrel or cry out but came to give us hope when we are weak like a bruised reed & about to break. He left us the Holy Spirit Who completes us with His fruit & gifts so that our lamps may not run out of oil like a smoking wick. Christ obtained victory over sin, death & hades so that we may share eternal life with Him.
SUMMARY
The anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God, so we are all called to be swift to hear, slow to speak & slow to wrath (Jam 1:19-20). Anger, selfishness, anxiety, jealousy, pride & frustrations have been sighted as some of the major causes of squabbles. Pride comes out more strongly for God opposes the proud & gives grace to meek, & men distance themselves from the proud. Isaac dug wells in his quest for success but the Philistines who represent principalities quarrelled him & took over his wells; but God made him victorious. Most importantly, the Holy Spirit gives us the fruit of gentleness, peace, love & many others so that we may remain calm despite the evil desires that burn in our hearts to disrupt peace through quarrels, fights & killings.
PRAYER
You have done great things in our lives Lord, receive all the glory & honor. May Your peace & love prevail within our hearts, in our families, churches, governments, societies, nations & the entire world. Forgive us our trespasses Jesus & strengthen us with Your grace. Heal all the sick Lord, strengthen the hearts of those who have lost hope in life, comfort those who have lost their loved ones, protect us from all evil Father & direct us in all things Lord. We thank You & praise You Jehovah; all the time. Amen