John Calvin Commentary Genesis 26:25

"And he builded an altar there, and called upon the name of Jehovah, and pitched his tent there. And there Isaac`s servants digged a well." — Genesis 26:25 (ASV)

And he builded an altar there. From other passages, we are well aware that Moses here speaks of public worship, for inward invocation of God neither requires an altar nor has any special choice of place, and it is certain that the saints, wherever they lived, worshipped. But because religion ought to maintain a testimony before men, Isaac, having erected and consecrated an altar, professes himself a worshipper of the true and only God, and by this method separates himself from the polluted rites of heathens.

He also built the altar, not for himself alone, but for his whole family, so that there, with all his household, he might offer sacrifices. Moreover, since the altar was built for the external exercises of faith, the expression, "he called upon God," implies as much as if Moses had said that Isaac celebrated the name of God and gave testimony of his own faith.

The visible worship of God also had another use: namely, that men, according to their weakness, may stimulate and exercise themselves in the fear of God. Besides, since we know that sacrifices were then commanded, we must observe that Isaac did not rashly trifle in worshipping God but adhered to the rule of faith, so that he might undertake nothing without the word of God.

From this we also infer how preposterous and erroneous it is to imitate the fathers, unless the Lord joins us with them by means of a similar command. Meanwhile, the words of Moses clearly signify that whatever exercises of piety the faithful undertake are to be directed to this end: namely, that God may be worshipped and invoked.

To this, therefore, all rites and ceremonies ought to be directed. But although it was the custom of the holy fathers to build an altar in whatever place they pitched their tent, we still gather from the connection of the words that after God appeared to His servant Isaac, this altar was built by him as a sign of his gratitude.

And there Isaac’s servants digged a well. It is remarkable that, given that this place had already received its name from the well which had been dug in it, Isaac again had to seek water there, especially since Abraham had purchased the right to the well from the king for himself and his posterity.

Moreover, the digging itself was difficult and laborious, for Moses had a reason for saying that afterwards the servants came and said to him, "We have found water." I have, therefore, no doubt that throughout the whole of that region a conspiracy had been formed by the inhabitants for the purpose of expelling the holy man through lack of water, so that this well of Sheba also had been fraudulently stopped up.

The context also shows that the first concern of the holy patriarch was the worship of God, because Moses relates that an altar was erected before he speaks of the well. Now, it is important to observe what great troubles these holy fathers continually had to contend with, troubles which they never would have been able to overcome or endure unless they had been far removed from our delicate way of life.

For how severely would we feel the loss of water, considering that we often rage against God if we do not have an abundance of wine? Therefore, by such examples, let the faithful learn to accustom themselves to patient endurance; and if at any time food and other necessities of life fail them, let them turn their eyes to Isaac, who wandered, parched with thirst, in the inheritance which had been divinely promised him.