| Subject: Genesis 21 vss. 22-34 Post 113 |
Author:
Hillbilly
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Date Posted: 16:30:40 09/06/09 Sun
Genesis 21:22-34 And it came to pass at that time, that Abimelech and Phichol the chief captain of his host spake unto Abraham, saying, God is with thee in all that thou doest: 23 Now therefore swear unto me here by God that thou wilt not deal falsely with me, nor with my son, nor with my son's son: but according to the kindness that I have done unto thee, thou shalt do unto me, and to the land wherein thou hast sojourned. 24 And Abraham said, I will swear. 25 And Abraham reproved Abimelech because of a well of water, which Abimelech's servants had violently taken away. 26 And Abimelech said, I wot not who hath done this thing: neither didst thou tell me, neither yet heard I of it, but to day. 27 And Abraham took sheep and oxen, and gave them unto Abimelech; and both of them made a covenant. 28 And Abraham set seven ewe lambs of the flock by themselves. 29 And Abimelech said unto Abraham, What mean these seven ewe lambs which thou hast set by themselves? 30 And he said, For these seven ewe lambs shalt thou take of my hand, that they may be a witness unto me, that I have digged this well. 31 Wherefore he called that place Beersheba; because there they sware both of them. 32 Thus they made a covenant at Beersheba: then Abimelech rose up, and Phichol the chief captain of his host, and they returned into the land of the Philistines. 33 And Abraham planted a grove in Beersheba, and called there on the name of the LORD, the everlasting God. 34 And Abraham sojourned in the Philistines' land many days.
As is so often the case a persons past comes back again and again as a reminder of indiscretions, weaknesses and failures. Such is the case with Abraham. When you break trust with a person it is hard to get that trust back. Such is the case with Abimelech.
Abimelech witnesses the enrichment and growth of Abraham and his people. He knows that God is blessing him and surely must wonder why a man that has used deception and trickery would receive such blessing. If you will remember it was Abimelech that had taken Sarah with the intention of making her one of his wives because Abraham had passed her off as his sister instead of his wife (Gen. 20:2). As a result God visited Abimelech in a dream by night and told him "thou art but a dead man, for the woman which thou hast taken; for she is a man's wife."
The whole episode must have stunk to Abimelech and it is understandable why he comes to Abraham seeking honesty and like treatment from Abraham as Abimelech had shown to him when Abraham was found out in his dishonesty. From all indications Abimelech is an honorable man and Abraham swears that he will not deal falsely with Abimelech again.
Abraham uses this meeting to bring up a troubling matter between the two of them and their people. It seems that some of the subjects of Abimelech had, with force, taken a well from Abraham that he and his people had dug. Water was a very precious commodity in that area as much of the time it was very dry and there were no open water sources to water the flocks and supply the needs of the people. Wells had to be dug and many times they might be as much as 30 feet deep and 9 to 10 feet across. It was a very laborious undertaking so you it is understandable how fighting could break out over a well of water. Abimelech is adamant that he knows nothing of the matter. The dispute is settled and a covenant is made between them.
The settling of the matter seems unusual to the western mind or at least it is to me. Notice that the well was Abraham's. It was dug by him and his people and by rights should never have been taken by Abimelech's servants. You would think that Abimelech would pay damages but it is Abraham that makes the payment. Abraham takes sheep and oxen out of his herds and gives them to Abimelech. He then takes seven ewe lambs and cuts them out of the flock and sets them aside to give to Abimelech as witness that the well was dug by him and was rightfully his. Abraham pays for what is already his.
Now let's go back to chapter 20 and look again at the situation when Abraham wronged Abimelech. Genesis 20:14-16 And Abimelech took sheep, and oxen, and menservants, and womenservants, and gave them unto Abraham, and restored him Sarah his wife. 15 And Abimelech said, Behold, my land is before thee: dwell where it pleaseth thee. 16 And unto Sarah he said, Behold, I have given thy brother a thousand pieces of silver: behold, he is to thee a covering of the eyes, unto all that are with thee, and with all other: thus she was reproved.
The righteous paying the sinner! Those who have done no wrong paying the ones who did the wrong. Isn't this a foretaste of what God did for us? He who did no wrong blessing us who are vile sinners! Jesus paying a price we could never pay in order to bestow on us His righteousness. What a blessing!
The ways of the Old Testament people many times seem strange but when we look close we can find a New Testament truth in Old Testament ways.
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Yes ! We can find a New Testament truth in Old Testament ways.
I love the old hymns , HB