Read with Me
Genesis 21:22-34 (HCSB)
At that time Abimelech, accompanied by Phicol the commander of his army, said to Abraham, “God is with you in everything you do. Swear to me by God here and now, that you will not break an agreement with me or with my children and descendants. As I have been loyal to you, so you will be loyal to me and to the country where you are a foreign resident.”
And Abraham said, “I swear it.” But Abraham complained to Abimelech because of the water well that Abimelech’s servants had seized.
Abimelech replied, “I don’t know who did this thing. You didn’t report anything to me, so I hadn’t heard about it until today.”
Abraham took sheep and cattle and gave them to Abimelech, and the two of them made a covenant. Abraham separated seven ewe lambs from the flock. And Abimelech said to Abraham, “Why have you separated these seven ewe lambs?”
He replied, “You are to accept the seven ewe lambs from my hand so that this act will serve as my witness that I dug this well.” Therefore that place was called Beer-sheba because it was there that the two of them swore an oath. After they had made a covenant at Beer-sheba, Abimelech and Phicol, the commander of his army, left and returned to the land of the Philistines.
Abraham planted a tamarisk tree in Beer-sheba, and there he called on the name of Yahweh, the Everlasting God. And Abraham lived as a foreigner in the land of the Philistines for many days.
Listen with Me
All these events took place in the Negev, the wilderness area in the far south of Canaan. Abimelech, the ruler of Gerar (Genesis 20:2), along with the commander of his army came to Abraham who was encamped southeast of his city, specifically to make a covenant with him.
It had been several years since Abraham had deceived Abimelech about the nature of his relationship with Sarah, resulting in her being taken into Abimelech’ harem. God had intervened before he had a chance to assault her, but the fact that God had done that on Abraham’s behalf had left a powerful impression on the man. He finally decided that someone for whom the God of the universe was willing to intervene was a dangerous person to have against you. So, he determined to purposefully pursue a treaty.
Abraham was open to the idea, although he had no thoughts of going to war against Abimelech or any of the other rulers of the land. He had been told by God that he would live only in the land the rest of his life as a resident alien, and only in the fourth generation would his descendants be allowed to conquer the land (Genesis 15:13-16). And he was content with that.
However, before he agreed to the covenant, Abraham did have one issue that he wanted to get resolved. In those wilderness areas, water was a vital commodity, the right to access wells and springs was often hotly contested. In this case, a well near Abraham’s camp that he had dug himself had been seized by Abimelech’s men. Abraham wanted rights to the water restored to him as a condition of the covenant. Abimelech agreed. Abraham sealed the covenant not just with the blood of sacrifices as was the custom, but with a gift of seven ewe lambs to Abimelech personally.
The gift of the sheep and the oath taken to restore the well to Abraham’s control resulted in the place being called Beer-sheba, which can mean either “well of the oath” or “well of the seven”. As a sign of confidence in the treaty, Abraham planted a tamarisk tree at the site. Tamarisks are one of the few trees that can grow with a limited water available in the area, as their roots go very deep. It was a sign of the rights to the water, as well as a “stake in the ground” showing Abraham’s intent to live in the area for an extended time.
Pray with Me
Father, I love how Abraham had the quiet confidence in Your promise that made him willing to simply live in the land without having to conquer it or take ownership of it. He was willing to live in Your presence and to leave the future in Your hands. That did not, however, prevent him from asserting his rights in the midst of an injustice that had been done to him. Lord, help me to live in the same quiet confidence in You and Your promises. Amen.