Genesis 21.22-24-Abraham and Abimelech's Non-Aggression Pact
Tuesday March 7, 2006
Genesis: Genesis 21:22-24-Abraham and Abimelech’s Non-Aggression Pact
Lesson # 111
Please turn in your Bibles to Genesis 21:22.
This evening we will study Genesis 21:22-24, which records Abraham and Abimelech’s non-aggression pact.
Genesis 21:22-24 records Abimelech suing for a nonaggression pact in perpetuity with Abraham and Genesis 21:25-34, Abraham sues for a covenant with Abimelech that the king acknowledges and guarantees Abraham’s right to the well of Beersheba.
The two incidents are linked by Abraham’s complaint about a well Abimelech’s servants stole from him.
Therefore, since Abimelech sought a non-aggression pact with him, Abraham was bold and felt free to set matters right about his claim to the wells he has dug.
Genesis 21:22, “Now it came about at that time that Abimelech and Phicol, the commander of his army, spoke to Abraham, saying, ‘God is with you in all that you do.’”
The prepositional phrase “at that time” indicates that the events recorded in Genesis 21:22-34 took place at the same time the events recorded in Genesis 21:1-21 took place.
Therefore, the departure of Hagar and Ishmael from the home of Abraham and Sarah and deliverance of the two in the desert of Beersheba occurred the same time that Abraham and Abimelech forge their treaty.
Therefore, we see Abraham experiencing adversity and problems in his own home to facing adversity and problems with his neighbors and the ruler of the land.
If you recall, Abraham has settled in a place called “Gerar” whose ruler is “Abimelech.”
“Gerar” was near the coast about twelve miles south of Gaza and about fifty miles south of Hebron, in the land of the Philistines.
Genesis 21:22, “Now it came about at that time that Abimelech and Phicol, the commander of his army, spoke to Abraham, saying, ‘God is with you in all that you do.’”
The name “Abimelech” means, “my father is king” and is not a proper name but rather a title for royalty among the Philistines, just as the term “Pharaoh” and “Caesar” were.
This is the second conflict that Abraham will have with Abimelech; the first was recorded in Genesis 20 and pertained to offspring and grazing right and Abraham’s lie about Sarah being his sister.
Abimelech’s statement to Abraham that “God is with you in all that you do” reveals the principle that even unbelievers, pagans can recognize God’s blessings in the life of a believer.
Abimelech makes this statement as a result of his first experience with Abraham recorded in Genesis 20 where the Lord warned Abimelech in a dream not to have sex with Sarah and struck him with a disease preventing him from unwittingly committing adultery with Sarah.
He also makes this statement because he undoubtedly heard of the miraculous birth of Isaac, as did everyone else in Gerar.
Also, Abraham’s miraculous victory over the four Eastern Mesopotamian Kings recorded in Genesis 14, which delivered the Dead Sea kings, would have gotten back to Abimelech and his commander and impressed them.
If you recall, Genesis 14:13-16 records that Abraham took only three hundred night rangers and the small armies of the Amorite princes in alliance with him and defeated the four armies of the Eastern Mesopotamian Kings.
This undoubtedly got the attention of both Abimelech and his military commander once this information got back to them.
Furthermore, Abraham’s possessions and great wealth would have greatly impressed the king invoking this statement from him.
Abimelech appears to look at Abraham with spiritual powers as Pharaoh of Egypt was considered to have had.
He does “not” want Abraham to attack his army and people and therefore, seeks this non-aggression pact with Abraham.
So basically what Abimelech is saying here in Genesis 21:22-23 to Abraham is do not use your supernatural powers to destroy my people and I.
From Abimelech’s perspective, he did not ever want to go to war against Abraham since going to war with him would have meant going to war with Abraham’s God!
On the other hand, to have an alliance with Abraham was to have God on his side.
No wonder Abimelech was so anxious to negotiate such a treaty.
Also, Abimelech’s statement that God was with Abraham in all that he was doing was a rebuke and a lesson from God through this heathen king.
Abraham had lied to Abimelech about Sarah because he thought that there would be no fear of God, and thus no protection of himself, in a land of pagans (cf. 20:11).
God rebuked the unbelief of Abraham by this testimony from the lips of Abimelech in that he declares that God is with Abraham in all that he does.
Abraham is considered a military threat to Abimelech’s nation and the fact that Abimelech’s military commander accompanies him to this meeting with Abraham indicates this is the case.
The fact that Abimelech’s military commander Phicol accompanies him to forge this non-aggression pact with Abraham indicates how important this meeting between the two men was.
Genesis 21:23, “now therefore, swear to me here by God that you will not deal falsely with me or with my offspring or with my posterity, but according to the kindness that I have shown to you, you shall show to me and to the land in which you have sojourned.”
“Swear” is the niphal imperative form of the verb shava (ub^v*), which refers to putting oneself under obligation to someone.
Abraham was enjoined by Abimelech to swear to him by his God that he would not deal falsely with Abimelech or Phicol.
Abraham responded by asserting that he would bind himself with an oath to deal with them honestly.
Abimelech’s statement “swear to me here by God that you will not deal falsely with or with my offspring or with my posterity” is alluding to Abraham’s half lie recorded in Genesis 20:2 that Sarah was merely his sister and never mentioned that she was his wife as well.
The fact that Abimelech wants Abraham to swear that he won’t lie to him again is a rebuke from God through this heathen king regarding his lie to Abimelech that Sarah was only his sister and did not mentioned that she was his wife.
How would you feel if you were Abraham and a king and his military commander flatter you by acknowledging that God was with you in a very special way and then made you promise that you wouldn’t lie to him any more?
Abimelech respected Abraham’s God, but he was not so sure about Abraham’s credibility.
By putting Abraham on oath Abimelech sought to remedy the problem of Abraham’s propensity to lie.
Once before he had nearly lost his life because of Abraham’s deception (20:3) and so he did not ever want that to happen again.
The lesson that Abraham learned from this was striking.
He had feared for his life and for his wife among the heathen (20:11).
God showed him that Abimelech recognized his favored status with his God and that Abimelech would not have done him bodily harm on account of this.
Therefore, Abraham got the message and would have recognized how foolish he had been to lie out of fear to Abimelech or any king.
The fact that Abimelech is concerned not only about himself but his descendants and their future indicates that he took for granted Abraham’s continued success and that of his family.
Bruce K. Waltke, “The covenant is to endure in perpetuity, indicating that Abimelech believes that Abraham will have an enduring posterity. Nevertheless, it is no more reliable than any other human document. The next generation will turn hostile to Isaac and out of envy stop up his wells (see 26:15-31) (Genesis, A Commentary, page 299, Zondervan).
The statement “according to the kindness that I have shown you” presupposes Abimelech’s actions recorded in Genesis 20:14-16 where he gave Abraham sheep, oxen, male and female servants and Sarah a thousand pieces of silver.
Genesis 21:24, “Abraham said, ‘I swear it.’”
Without hesitation, Abraham agrees to this non-aggression pact with Abimelech because he has no intention of attacking at any time Abimelech and his people.
The irony of this is that Abraham’s lie about Sarah was out of fear that Abimelech would kill him and attack his people.
Abimelech would have been shocked that Abraham lived in fear of him since Abimelech respected the power of Abraham’s God.
Abraham did not have much respect for the power of his God when he told Abimelech out of fear that Sarah was his sister.
Also, Abraham agrees to this non-aggression pact with Abimelech because he has a bone to pick with Abimelech since his servants have stolen a well, which he dug.
Therefore, Abraham is going to use this non-aggression pact with Abimelech has leverage to cut another deal with Abimelech, which would guarantee to his right to the well at Beersheba.
In Genesis 14:13, Abraham had a similar alliance with three Amorite princes, Aner, Eshcol, and Mamre and was disposed to such alliances, as they contributed to a peaceful neighborhood.
The fact that Abimelech recognizes that God is blessing Abraham in everything he endeavors and has sought out a non-aggression pact with Abraham reveals how powerful and influential Abraham was in the Middle East at that particular time so that he was on a par with the mighty men of his day.
The fact that Abimelech sought out a non-aggression pact with Abraham also reveals the great reputation of Abraham and his power and influence in the Middle East, which was in fulfillment of the Lord’s prophecy recorded in Genesis 12:2 to make Abraham’s name great.
Genesis 12:2, “And I will make you a great nation, and I will bless you, and make your name great; And so you shall be a blessing.”
The promise “I will make your name great” refers to the fact that the Lord would make Abraham a famous character with a great reputation among men and before God.
This fame and reputation is expressed throughout Scripture in that Abraham is called a “father of a multitude” in Genesis 17:5, a prince of God in Genesis 23:6, the man in God’s confidence in Genesis 18:17-19, a prophet in Genesis 20:7, the servant of God in Psalm 105:6 and the friend of God in 2 Chronicles 20:7 and James 2:23.