Our scripture today finds Isaac, the son of Abraham, faced with the formidable task of holding his family together, restoring their spiritual legacy and vouchsafing their future amid death threats and vehement opposition from the Philistines. Isaac must decide whether to dig or not to dig the wells of his father and exalt his people to their rightful place in history or allow his adversaries and enemies to foil his plans.

The question for Isaac is: Can he dig the wells of hope, prosperity, and the restoration of his people's personhood and spirituality? For Isaac knew, as we know today, that personhood and spirituality go hand in hand, for as long as others have the power to define your personhood they have the power to spiritually define you as a non-person. And that's the problem with us …