Spurling Silver: God Is With You, Genesis 21:22-34

Genesis 21:22
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.

The king and his right-hand man, show up at Abe’s place.

Most folks would freak if a king and commander showed up at their door.

Not Abe.

He’s had way more important visitors. Remember the day he was hanging out in the shade and God showed up with a couple angels? Genesis 18:1-2.

At that time, Abraham jumped up, ran out, bowed down, begged Him to stay, gave them food and drink and washed their feet.

Not this time.

When you walk with the King of kings, you are not impressed or intimidated, by earthly kings. (So, if starstruck by superstars, may need to check priorities).

Abimelech says, “God is with you in all that you do.”

That’s GOD’S FAVOR

When you walk with the King of kings, you impress and intimidate, earthly kings.

Proverbs 3:1-4

My son, do not forget my law, But let your heart keep my commands; 2 For length of days and long life And peace they will add to you. 3 Let not mercy and truth forsake you; Bind them around your neck, Write them on the tablet of your heart, 4 And so find favor and high esteem In the sight of God and man.

So, king Abimelech shows up singing Abe’s praises.

But Abe had flaws, lots of them, just like me, perhaps like you.

More than once he fled God’s plan and threw his wife into the arms of another man, he lied and cheated, even got the maid pregnant.

But he kept getting up, coming back, and God didn’t leave him, and He won’t leave you, either.

Walk close to God

He outshines your flaws

No amount of dirty laundry, or deep dark secrets, can quench His Light

Walk with the King, and the world will notice.

No need to talk a lot about Him. Just walk real close to Him; and the world will know that God is with you.

Walk long enough, and close enough, and the world will want what you’ve got.

When walking with the King, you have Everything, and it makes the world jealous.

Okay, most folks go to kings for favors; but here, Mr. king Abimelech goes to Abraham.

For a king, he sure is needy; last time he wanted Abe’s wife—now what?

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.”

So, the king of the land, king Abimelech, wants to enter into a covenant with Abraham. Be allies.

Imagine a king, knocking on your door, “Hi, we’ve noticed that God is with you in all you do. Can we be friends?”

That’s GOD’S FAVOR

But we need to notice the small print of Abimelech’s clever wording.

Swear to me. This is more than just asking, be honest Abe. What king Abim wants is a perpetual covenant.

By God. He uses the name of God, (Elohim).

That you will not deal falsely. Like you (and your “sister”) did before.

My offspring, my posterity. I’m a family man, too. Remember you prayed and God opened the wombs of my wives and family.

Kindness. You know, like the 1,000 pieces of silver (worth $6 million) I kindly gave to your “sister.”

The land. The very land I told you to dwell in, the choicest of land, wherever you wanted. The very land that feeds the very livestock, I kindly gave you. Genesis 20:14-16.

What could Abe say?

24 And Abraham said, “I will swear.”

Short. Curt. Blunt.

Fine. I’ll swear… (Hebrew: shaba. Remember that, because Abraham will do a little rhyming game in a moment.)

BUT first Abe has a bone to pick with Abim.

(God’s Favor, comes with responsibility. Now enters, GOD’S WISDOM.)

25 Then Abraham rebuked Abimelech because of a well of water which Abimelech’s servants had seized.

Abraham confronts the king.

Your men stole a well that my men, dug. (Remind me when we get to heaven, to ask if this well, is the well, the Lord showed Hagar; Genesis 21:19).

Now, this confrontation seems to come up from out of nowhere. So, we don’t know if Abraham was going to bring it up to Abimelech or just let it go to keep the peace. Turn the other cheek.

However now, everything’s changed, because Abimelech wants to enter into a covenant with Abraham.

Abraham seizes the moment, to address the seized well.

That is GODLY WISDOM.

Some modern-day mindsets might say, “Oh, for crying out loud Abraham, the king wants to make a peace deal. Forget about the well, it’s no big deal. So, maybe it’ll hurt the livelihood and livestock of some, but this is for the greater global good. Give up a little land for peace. C’mon man, if you confront him, you’ll start a war. Pursue peace, whatever the cost.”

Well, the Bible does say, whenever possible, as much as it depends on you, pursue peace, Romans 12:17-18.

Most folks say they want peace; they just disagree on how to reach it.

Some say peace by appeasement.

Others say peace through strength.

Same goal, opposite methodology and ideology.

Abraham chose strength.

At first it seems like derailing the peace; but in the long run, it’s better to get the burr out from under the saddle before you ride.

Any covenant, contract, whether it be dating, marriage, Church, a job, a cell phone… Read the small print. Hammer out the details. Ask the hard questions. Be willing to walk away. Remember, you walk with the King, you don’t need a thing—you have His Favor.

Never compromise your convictions, your walk with God. Not one step. Not one breath.

Always choose Truth that hurts over kisses that kill.

Seek and follow, God’s Wisdom.

That is exactly what Abraham is doing.

Besides all that, wells are big deals. In that arid region a well can mean the difference between survival and dying of thirst—just ask Hagar and Ishmael.

Digging a well is no small task. A major and vital project but necessary for survival.

There’s no doubt God blessed Abraham with Divine favor, but he still had to use Godly wisdom.

Which meant he had to dig the devil out of the details.

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.”

There, that wasn’t so hard now was it?

Abraham confronted Abim and the world didn’t end, war didn’t start.

The hardest part about having that hard conversation, is thinking about having it.

Confrontation, with God’s Wisdom, rarely escalates into a battle. Usually leads to the peaceable fruit of righteousness. Hebrews 12:11.

Now, Abimelech pleads ignorance. Or, some say he plays the ignorance card; but he’s actually lying.

The well was “seized” meaning it must have been guarded, so Abe and crew couldn’t use it. Thus (they say) the king probably knew about it.

We don’t know. That battle isn’t worth fighting, Abe doesn’t address it. It doesn’t matter.

What matters is that by God’s Wisdom, now it’s all out in the open where it should be.

SON Light is the best disinfectant.

27 So Abraham took sheep and oxen and gave them to Abimelech, and the two of them made a covenant.

This is the second covenant in the Bible.

You may remember the first one in Genesis 15:18, The Lord made a covenant with Abraham.

Made, in the original text is karath; it means: to cut.

Where we get the phrase, cut a deal, cut a covenant.

To cut a deal, or, cut a covenant, they used animals, and knives, and witnesses. It was bloody.

The word, cut, was for a reason. The animals were cut in half and laid in a row. Each half separated just enough to leave a path of blood between them.

To cut a deal today, we use paper and pen…and lawyers (that’s the bloody part).

After the cutting is done. The stage is set. Everything is ready for the blood covenant ceremony to begin.

Next, the terms of the agreement are clearly stated.

Then, the powerful, bloody, part of the ceremony. The involved parties, first one, then the other, walk the path of blood between the animals.

In so doing, they swear to abide by the terms of the covenant, or, may it be done to me as was done to these animals.

Per protocol, both parties need to walk the blood path.

In this covenant between Abe and Abim, they agree to not lie and be kind.

However, God’s covenant with Abe, cut a bit deeper.

God agreed to bless Abraham so much that through him all nations of the earth would be blessed.

Abraham’s part, according to, Genesis 17:1-2, was to believe and be blameless (same word used for Passover lambs that had to be perfect, spotless, without blemish, blameless).

The Lord could fulfill His end of the bargain—but Abraham was in big trouble, he couldn’t be perfect, spotless, without blemish, blameless.

Neither can we.

So, while Abraham was sleeping, the Lord stepped up and walked through the bloody trail in Abe’s place… and ours. Genesis 15:17.

Now, when Abe breaks the oath and is less than perfect, when we are less than blameless, when we break the covenant, fail and fall into sin, when we turn our backs on Him, and doom ourselves to destruction…

Jesus steps up and says, WAIT!

I passed through the blood for them. I took their place.

Then He stretches a nail scarred hand toward us and says, “Wake up. Follow Me.”

To follow isn’t easy, it requires total commitment. It means leaving the old life. The journey’s long, and hard, the path is straight and narrow, but it’s solid and sure, and leads to an inheritance better than anything you could ever imagine; and big enough to set you up, and all those God’s given you, forever. Matthew 7:13-14, 16:24-26, Ephesians 3:20, 1 Corinthians 2:9.

The Lord cut that covenant with Abe, knowing that one day, the cut and the blood would be His own… instead of our own.

If you are Christ’s then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the Promise. Galatians 3:29.

28 And Abraham set seven ewe lambs of the flock by themselves.

This is like an addendum to the contract, the covenant. Abraham wants to officially confirm his ownership of the well.

29 Then Abimelech asked Abraham, “What is the meaning of these seven ewe lambs which you have set by themselves?”

This may be protocol for an addendum to the blood covenant.

Abim asks Abe out loud for the witnesses to hear.

“What is the meaning of these seven ewe lambs which you have set by themselves?”

Or, it might just be Abim asking if we’re having lamb chops for supper.

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.”

Again, this may be protocol for an addendum to the blood covenant.

Abe clearly states the terms out loud for witnesses to hear.

One thing is for sure; this is Abraham’s way of officially documenting, by binding covenant, that the well belongs to him.

Now, if Abimelech accepts the lambs, the well officially belongs to Abe, by agreement with the king, before witnesses.

31 Therefore he called that place Beersheba, because the two of them swore an oath there.

So, evidently Abim agreed to Abe’s offer.

Beersheba, means, well of the oath, or, well of seven.

Abraham makes it memorable with a little word play. The number seven in Hebrew represents, completion and perfection.

Additionally, the words, swear and seven, are similar. So, just saying the name of the well would trigger memories of this covenant.

Swear in Hebrew is, shaba.

Seven in Hebrew is, sheba.

Abe gave Abim, sheba sheep to shaba, that this is indeed his well.

Abe gave Abim, seven sheep to swear, that this is indeed his well.

It stuck. Beersheba has been remembered to this day. Today it’s about 45 miles southwest of Jerusalem. Be'er-Sheva, is the largest city in the Negev desert of southern Israel. Often referred to as the "Capital of the Negev" with a population over 214,000.

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.

And they all lived happily ever after…

Until they didn’t.

Beersheba will come up again, and again. And there will be disputes over this very same well, again.

Because, people have a tendency… to be human.

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 planted.

So far, we’ve seen, God’s Favor, God’s Wisdom and now, His Hope.

Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. Heb. 11:1.

God had promised Abraham all the land as far as he could see, and yet, he took ownership of this well for water, and a cave in a field, to bury his dead.

That’s it.

His hope, was not built on lands, and houses, and possessions, but his Everlasting God; as reflected in the tree he planted; an evergreen in the desert.

The tamarisk grows to some thirty feet, and offers the coolest shade in the desert. The leaves encrust with salt secretions, replenishing and refreshing weary travelers for generations to come.

Abraham dwelt in the land of Promise, as a stranger, in a foreign land. He moved about in tents, not sinking foundations built of stone, but looked forward with hope, for a city with foundations, whose Builder and Maker is God. Hebrews 11:9-10.

Our hope is built on nothing less than Jesus’ blood and righteousness.

I dare not trust the sweetest frame
But wholly lean on Jesus’ name

When darkness veils His lovely face,
I rest on His unchanging grace;
in every high and stormy gale,
my anchor holds within the veil.

His oath, His covenant, His blood,
support me in the whelming flood;
when all around my soul gives way,
He then is all my hope and stay.

When He shall come with trumpet sound
Oh, may I then in Him be found
Dressed in His righteousness alone
Faultless to stand before His throne

On Christ, the solid rock, I stand;
All other ground is sinking sand
All other ground in sinking sand.

Let’s pray,

Lord, our Everlasting God, we call on You.

In You alone, we sink our roots, we seek Your favor, and wisdom and hope.

That You can flow through us as a well of Living Water, Salt of the earth, replenishing and refreshing every weary traveler You send our way.

Thank You.

We love You, forever.

Amen.

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