22 At that time Abimelech and Phicol the commander of his army said to Abraham, “God is with you in all that you do. 23 Now therefore swear to me here by God that you will not deal falsely with me or with my descendants or with my posterity, but as I have dealt kindly with you, so you will deal with me and with the land where you have sojourned.” 24 And Abraham said, “I will swear.”
25 When Abraham reproved Abimelech about a well of water that Abimelech's servants had seized, 26 Abimelech said, “I do not know who has done this thing; you did not tell me, and I have not heard of it until today.” 27 So Abraham took sheep and oxen and gave them to Abimelech, and the two men made a covenant. 28 Abraham set seven ewe lambs of the flock apart. 29 And Abimelech said to Abraham, “What is the meaning of these seven ewe lambs that you have set apart?” 30 He said, “These seven ewe lambs you will take from my hand, that this may be a witness for me that I dug this well.” 31 Therefore that place was called Beersheba, because there both of them swore an oath. 32 So they made a covenant at Beersheba. Then Abimelech and Phicol the commander of his army rose up and returned to the land of the Philistines. 33 Abraham planted a tamarisk tree in Beersheba and called there on the name of the Lord, the Everlasting God. 34 And Abraham sojourned many days in the land of the Philistines.
The first time we read about the word “covenant” in the Bible was in Genesis 17:2 and it was not between 2 human beings, but between God (the divine) and Abraham (a human).
In today’s passage, we are reminded that the covenant (treaty) was made between two fallible human beings, Abraham the Patriarch and Abimelech the Philistine King. In verse 22, we read that Abimelech and his commander Phicol observed that God was with Abraham in all that he did – what a testimony! This is something that every disciple of Christ should strive towards, that others might see that “God is with us” in all that we do, because when God is with us and for us, then who can be against us? (Romans 8:31)
I think this was the reason why Abimelech and his commander took the initiative to come to Abraham and make a treaty with him. Verses 23-24 tell us of the cordial relationship between both of them. Abimelech was able to say that he had dealt kindly with him and he expected Abraham to do the same towards him and the land. It was an appeal for courtesy, kindness and mutual respect toward each other. They were friends, not enemies. This causes me to think that as children of God and co-workers in God’s kingdom and harvest field, how much more we should cultivate a warm, cordial, friendly and brotherly environment in our church – one that oozes out with positive energy, that is encouraging and builds up others rather than a negative, critical, and judgmental atmosphere.
But then, wherever there are people, there are bound to be misunderstandings. The important thing is: how do we settle misunderstanding and have conflict resolution? Verses 25-26 tell us how Abraham did it. He began with reproof (v.25) and then offered the solution to resolve the misunderstanding and conflict caused by Abimelech’s servants. It revolves around a well that the servants had seized, thinking that it belonged to their master. Abraham’s offered seven ewe lambs as a witness (sign) of the covenant that he wished to make with Abimelech. Verses 31-32 indicated that Abimelech accepted the offer, and it meant that he agreed that the well was dug by Abraham and belonged to him., and the issue was resolved. And Abraham was able to move freely in the land of the Philistines.
Here is an interesting play of words concerning the place where Abraham and Abimelech made the covenant. The place was name Beersheba (beer – well; Sheva – seven, it is also the root word for oath). So Beersheba means well of seven,on account of the seven ewe lambs. It also called the well of the oath, referring to the oath (or covenant) made by the two men.
I am reminded again of the parenthesis concerning Abraham’s life, that everywhere he travelled, he sought to walk close to God. Here again, verses 22 and 33 serve as a witness of his close fellowship with God. Verses 22 – Others saw that God was with him in all that he did. Verse 33 – After the incident with Abimelech, he called on the name of the LORD, the Everlasting God. Interestingly, in this verse, we read that he planted a tamarisk tree instead of building an altar to the LORD.
Dear God thank you that You are the Everlasting God who knows the end from the beginning. And you are always there in the places of our earthly sojourning, and wherever we are, we could call upon your name. Please grant us wisdom and grace so that we might relate to others with kindness and tact and remember always to show people that Christ is in us, the hope of glory. May we in our daily conduct of life and activities be courageous and gracious to seek resolutions and be patient. Help us walk close to you always, to know and do your will. Through Christ our Lord. Amen!
