Genesis 21:22-34
God's Faithfulness and Provision
Bible Passage: Genesis 21:22–34
22 And it came to pass at that time that Abimelech and Phichol, the commander of his army, spoke to Abraham, saying, “God is with you in all that you do. 23 Now therefore, swear to me by God that you will not deal falsely with me, with my offspring, or with my posterity; but that according to the kindness that I have done to you, you will do to me and to the land in which you have dwelt.”
24 And Abraham said, “I will swear.”
25 Then Abraham rebuked Abimelech because of a well of water which Abimelech’s servants had seized. 26 And Abimelech said, “I do not know who has done this thing; you did not tell me, nor had I heard of it until today.” 27 So Abraham took sheep and oxen and gave them to Abimelech, and the two of them made a covenant. 28 And Abraham set seven ewe lambs of the flock by themselves.
29 Then Abimelech asked Abraham, “What is the meaning of these seven ewe lambs which you have set by themselves?”
30 And he said, “You will take these seven ewe lambs from my hand, that they may be my witness that I have dug this well.” 31 Therefore he called that place Beersheba, because the two of them swore an oath there.
32 Thus they made a covenant at Beersheba. So Abimelech rose with Phichol, the commander of his army, and they returned to the land of the Philistines. 33 Then Abraham planted a tamarisk tree in Beersheba, and there called on the name of the LORD, the Everlasting God. 34 And Abraham stayed in the land of the Philistines many days.
1. Provision in the Pact
22 And it came to pass at that time that Abimelech and Phichol, the commander of his army, spoke to Abraham, saying, “God is with you in all that you do. 23 Now therefore, swear to me by God that you will not deal falsely with me, with my offspring, or with my posterity; but that according to the kindness that I have done to you, you will do to me and to the land in which you have dwelt.”
24 And Abraham said, “I will swear.”
25 Then Abraham rebuked Abimelech because of a well of water which Abimelech’s servants had seized. 26 And Abimelech said, “I do not know who has done this thing; you did not tell me, nor had I heard of it until today.”
God is with thee: the same fact would be noticed about Isaac (26:28), Jacob (30:27) and Joseph (39:3).
God has blessed Abraham in all observable circumstances of life.
the ever-loquacious Abimelek, “God is with you in all that you are doing”; in other words, “your success is so evident that I want to ensure that my successors continue to live in peace and harmony with your descendants.”
2. Pledge of Peace
27 So Abraham took sheep and oxen and gave them to Abimelech, and the two of them made a covenant. 28 And Abraham set seven ewe lambs of the flock by themselves.
29 Then Abimelech asked Abraham, “What is the meaning of these seven ewe lambs which you have set by themselves?”
30 And he said, “You will take these seven ewe lambs from my hand, that they may be my witness that I have dug this well.” 31 Therefore he called that place Beersheba, because the two of them swore an oath there.
Beersheba is 15 miles southwest of Gerar, Abimilech’s city, and some 700 feet higher; it was near the borders of Philistia.
3. Planting in Faith
32 Thus they made a covenant at Beersheba. So Abimelech rose with Phichol, the commander of his army, and they returned to the land of the Philistines. 33 Then Abraham planted a tamarisk tree in Beersheba, and there called on the name of the LORD, the Everlasting God. 34 And Abraham stayed in the land of the Philistines many days.
Abraham’s first stopping place in Canaan (Shechem) was by a tree (12:6). Later he built an altar by a tree at Mamre (13:18). He lived near trees (14:13), and entertained Yahweh under a tree (18:1). Now he plants a tree.
Out of gratitude to the LORD for his continuing faithfulness, he plants a tamarisk and worships there. For it was not just through direct revelation but through his interaction with his neighbors, even in a dispute over the most basic natural resource, water, that Abraham was reassured about his future and God’s continuing provision for his needs.
The use of this divine epithet El-Olam suggests that God’s long-term faithfulness to Abraham has been revealed through Abimelek’s words and actions.
2 Before the mountains were brought forth,
Or ever You had formed the earth and the world,
Even from everlasting to everlasting, You are God.
The guarantee of water rights, so important for a herdsman like Abraham, is another indication that God’s promise could be and was trusted by Abraham.
