3 Abraham called the name of his son who was born to him, whom Sarah bore him, Isaac. How Jesus loved his betrayer Judas, even to the very end. One way Abimelech knew that Abraham walked with God is that Abraham had prayed that God would heal Abimelech and his family, and God answered that prayer (20:17-18). Abimelech professed to have shown kindness (Hb. laughed with the laughter of incredulity, now laughed with the _Abimelech, king of Gerara, who knew that Abraham was a prophet, and a 21:22-34 Abimelech felt sure that the promises of God would be fulfilled to Abraham. (1) God fulfills His promise to Abraham and Sarah. Around the mouth of the well is a circular course of masonry, topped by a circular parapet of about a foot high; and at a distance of ten or twelve feet are stone troughs placed in a concentric circle with the well, the sides of which have deep indentions made by the wear of ropes on the upper edges The second well, about 200 yards farther south, is not more than five feet in diameter, but is formed of equally good masonry, and furnishes equally good water". Now the grace of God bears its most important fruit in the history of 22-34 Abimelech felt sure that the promises of God would be fulfilled to Abraham. undertakings. undertakings. Genesis 20:17 Genesis 26:28 Matthew Henry Commentary on the Whole Bible, College Press Bible Study Textbook Series, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible, G. Campbell Morgan's Exposition on the Whole Bible, George Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary, Introductory Lectures - Commentary by William Kelly, John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible, Kretzmann's Popular Commentary of the Bible, Lange's Commentary on the Holy Scriptures, Leslie M. Grant's Commentary on the Bible, Matthew Poole's Concise Commentary On The Bible, Notes on the Pentateuch by Charles Henry Mackintosh, Sutcliffe's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments, The Preacher's Complete Homiletical Commentary, Through The Bible C2000 Serie by Chuck Smith. 23 Now swear to me here before God that you will not deal falsely with me or my children or my descendants. 1886. He was just living the ordinary, hum-drum, day-to-day existence of a nomad with his flocks and herds. "Abraham stretched forth his hand, ABRAHAM AND ABIMELECH COVENANT His circumcision (Genesis 22:4)_ Read the Scripture: Genesis 21:22-34. In this section It also signified a tranquil, settled life, under Gods providential care. had once laughed through unbelief; now being ashamed of that, she "'Do not lay a hand on the boy,' he said. 20:16 in the command not to bear false witness against ones neighbor. The next thing that happened was that the new cop pulled him through the window, arrested him, and took him down town to HQ. Weaned] in his second or third year, as is usual among Orientals. GODS ANCIENT PEOPLE Sarah, at the unlikely age of 90 years, gives birth to Isaac, Why did she come at exactly the time the mechanism was broken? Verses 1-34. Abimelechs proposal includes his offspring, but does not specifically include any offspring of Abraham. Abraham, having got into a good neighbourhood, knew when he was well off, and continued a great while there. Ver. 9. You, our leader and master, have pulled the rug out from under us! ISHMAEL AND ISAAC Genesis 21:1-34 ; Genesis 22:1-24 Abraham had two sons, the one by a bondmaid, the other by a freewoman. The Atlantic, June 2009), Jesus told us that all the law and all the prophets are summed up in these two statements:Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. AndLove your neighbor as yourself.. He gives Abimelek seven lambs so Abimelek can tell his servants that the well has been purchased. 21:22 Abimelech recognized the blessing of the Lord on Abraham. Weaned] in his second or third year, as is usual among Orientals. GODS ANCIENT PEOPLE Well it didnt turn out quite the way he expected. V1 The *Lord had promised that he would visit Sarah. Calling on Gods Name in whatever land you live, Despite the struggles in this new land, Abraham remembers his covenant with God (the God of Everlasting) and calls on His name. Abimeleks servants seized the well so Abraham mustered his servants and seized it right back, correct? Show to me and the country where you now reside as a foreigner the same kindness I have shown to you., Then Abraham complained to Abimelek about a well of water that Abimeleks servants had seized. And Abraham plantedas a sign of his peaceful occupation of the soil (Calvin); as a memorial of the transaction about the well ('Speaker's Commentary'); or simply as a shade for his tent (Rosenmller); scarcely as an oratory (Bush, Kalisch)a grovethe wood, plantation (Targum, Vulgate, Samaritan, Kimchi); a field, (LXX. A.M. 2118. Although some of Abrahams resources came directly from Abimelech (20:16), the king sees the blessing of the Lord on all that you do.. Im not suggesting that you go on sinning and tell everyone that youre a Christian. Maybe youre sinking into sudden depression, because youre thinking, Im not perfect! Stay tuned: (2) For the world to see God in our lives we dont have to be perfect. 1 The LORD visited Sarah as he had said, and the LORD did to Sarah as he had promised. We dont always think about it, but if the world knows that were Christians, they watch us to see if were different than everyone else. In that case Abraham went down to Egypt, whereas Isaac went only as far as Gerar, in the land of the Philistines, but the same place where we read of Abraham denying his relationship with Sarah. Genesis 21:22 you do. If you know the Savior, as you walk with Him and enjoy His faithful provision, God wants to use the ordinary events in your life to fulfill His purpose of blessing all the nations through the Seed of Abraham, the Lord Jesus Christ. 1. neit Now the LORD visited Sarah as he had said (Genesis 21:1), The name of the Lord itself an invitation to believe and live. V1 The *Lord had promised that he would visit Sarah. not; for God hath heard the voice of the lad where he is. It is not necessary to conclude from verse 1 and 2 that Sarah only became pregnant after the episode that is told in the previous chapter. 3. His men may have dug who knows how many dry wells before finding this one. Checking his ticket which he hadnt used, he realized that if his earlier flight to Chicago had not been cancelled, he would have been on that flight. 1. CAME TO PASS AT THAT TIME, &C. Hence it is plain that Abraham had COVENANT BETWEEN neit EXPOSITION *** Abimelech reenters the picture with his enforcer, Phicol. Genesis 21:22. Its about relationships with people. Abraham uses the occasion to complain to Abimelech about a well which his men have taken from Abrahams servants. 2. Genesis 20:17 Genesis 26:28 College Press Bible Study Textbook Series, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible, G. Campbell Morgan's Exposition on the Whole Bible, George Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary, Introductory Lectures - Commentary by William Kelly, John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible, Kretzmann's Popular Commentary of the Bible, Lange's Commentary on the Holy Scriptures, Leslie M. Grant's Commentary on the Bible, Matthew Henry Commentary on the Whole Bible, Matthew Poole's Concise Commentary On The Bible, Notes on the Pentateuch by Charles Henry Mackintosh, Sutcliffe's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments, The Preacher's Complete Homiletical Commentary, Through The Bible C2000 Serie by Chuck Smith. It may have been that his servants were telling him, No way, Abraham didnt dig that well, we did! Genesis 21 This chapter deals with three different topics. Even so, as believers, we know that every second of our lives is under the watchful care of the heavenly Father. So what does Abraham do? Th Genesis 21:22 time H6256 Abimelech H40 Phichol H6369 commander H8269 By the way the new cops boss, the Police Chief, called him into his office the next day for what the new cop thought was going to be an atta-boy. *** Abimelech reenters the picture with his enforcer, Phicol. All rights reserved. After pouring over Jesus every interaction with another human being, he realized he was doing a much better job ofstudyingJesus words than he wasfollowingJesus words and example. 1. _AT THAT TIME_] This may either refer to the The trouble with this approach, of course, is that we never get to that place. Copyright 1996, Steven J. Cole, All Rights Reserved. Because there they aware both of them. In the story of Hagar and Ishmael, we notice: Love Like Jesusexamines a variety of stories, examples, and research, including: With genuine unfiltered honesty,Love Like Jesus, shows you how to live a life according to Gods definition of success: A life of loving God well, and loving the people around you well too. But other than that, Abrahams life was fairly routine. He wasnt traveling all over the globe. I heard a story about a new police officer who, on his first day on the job, caught someone speeding. 3. army H6635 spoke H559 (H8799) Abraham H85 saying And so it was at that time that Abimelech, and Phicol the captain L. M. Grant's Commentary on the Bible - Genesis 26:1-35. In the Grant Study, 268 Harvard graduates (including John F. Kennedy by the way. Isaac's birth (Genesis 22:1) 2. _The Covenant with Abimelech_ (Genesis 21:22-34) ALL CHRISTIAN PROSPERITY IS ALSO CONSCIOUSLY IDENTIFIED WITH How to survive a life of loving like Jesus (or how not to become a Christian doormat). Two powerful princes, in their conduct exemplifying the spirit of unity and peace which should bind together private persons in their daily intercourse, as well as kings and nations in their political alliance. Isaac would later have to clear up some matters over several wells with Abimelech (chap. Abimelech has reason to be suspicious of Abraham, but recognizes Gods blessing on his life, so he wisely seeks a covenant of truth and peace between them. He added some more items, but to his consternation, still nothing happened. The proposal was reasonable, and agreed to [Ge 21:24]. As a prince, Abimelech was afraid of Abraham's growing power; as a good man, he insures the safety of himself and his dominions not by resorting to war, but by forming an amicable treaty with his neighbornor with my son, nor with my son's son: (LXX. Hes letting Abimeleks servants off the hook! You might be protesting. surround, enclose, and _chum_ black. That led to an obsessive seven year deep dive. Ishmaels expulsion. This event is not recorded in Scripture. 22. He put a loaf of bread on the other side of the scale, and to his surprise, nothing happened. THE STORY OF ABRAHAM. The music and the sermon were okay, but didnt really help. 2. Hagar out of heaven, and said unto her, What aileth thee, Hagar? When Abraham and Abimelech previously met, on the occasion when Abraham lied about his wife, Abimelech endorsed Abraham living where it pleases you (20:15). Show us kindness like we have been kind to you. Abraham decided to take a different approach. We have had in fine the judgment of 22._And it came to pass at that time_. The outcast. Since were not perfect, we do one of two wrong things. Which things are an. CONTENTS: Birth of Isaac. shava) in this pericope (23, 24, 31, 31). And Abraham set seven ewe lambs of the flock by themselves (designing by another covenant to secure himself against future invasion of Isis rights). The palpable injury. Wheres the balance between taking measures for our own safety versus trusting God to protect us? The man whos been thoroughly analyzing these files for the last 44 years is Dr. George Valliant. Abimeleks servants save face. Sometimes when you read the Bible, you get the feeling that God majors in the spectacular. 3. Contests for wells "are now very common all over the country, but more especially in the southern deserts". Sarah's joy. The honest and fearless revelations of Bennetts own moral failures affirm he wrote this book for himself as much as for others. However, see 26:17-33, where Isaac also has a dispute with Abimelech (likely not the same person) over wells and makes a treaty with him. Verse Genesis 21:22. Because of the cops statement that I wont ask you again! this situation is destined to go sideways. So that place was called Beersheba,because the two men swore an oath there. He wasnt a TV evangelist. Should be consulted by all who wish to be well-informed on the issues alluded to by Moses. 23. 2. Wells of water are scarce and valuable in eastern countries. 9 Hagar & Ishmael are cast forth. Separate from the sheep and oxen he gave to Abimelech, and from those that were used in making the covenant. 3. Abraham took care to have his title to the well allowed, to prevent disputes in future. His calendar wasnt full of speaking engagements. The term for making a treaty (used here and vs. 32) is karat. Its about your relationship with the person of God and your relationships with other people. His flight from New York was first delayed and then cancelled, so that he would have missed his meetings. And Abraham reproved (literally, reasoned with, and proved to the satisfaction of) Abimelech (who was, until informed, entirely unacquainted with the action of his servants) because of a well of water, which Abimelech's servants had violently taken away. could sing with Mary, My soul doth magnify the Lord, and my spi God is with thee in all that thou doest But Abraham still struggled with this fear long after he had been living in the land. BIRTH OF ISAAC. All these things are true and wonderful. Abimelech's covenant with Abraham at Beersheba. of his host, spoke to Abraham saying, God is with you in all that And Abraham sojourned in the Philistines' land many days. Wherever we sojourn, we must neither neglect nor be ashamed of the worship of Jehovah. Hagar and Ishmael sent away. Love Like Jesusbegins with the story of how after a life of regular church attendance and Bible study, Bennett was challenged by a pastor to study Jesus. ), Posted on October 2, 2011 by Kurt Bennett, Category: Bible Study, Genesis, How Jesus Loved People - How You Can Too, I Wish Someone Had Told Me This When I Was Young, Tags: Abraham and Abimelek, Bible relationships, Christian, depression, how to be happy, how to love, love, Well of Beersheba, ive had a dream on this subject and have was awaken, Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window), Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window), Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window). . Good men should not only rectify the wrongs they do to one another, but adopt all wise precautions against their repetition. A.M. 2118. Another wrong thing happens: An imperfect Christian concludes that he had better not say anything about his faith until he gets all his problems solved. CONTENTS: Birth of Isaac. Another highlight of this passage is the explanation for the origin of the name Beersheba. As a planter of tamarisks, the patriarch has been styled the father of civilization; it is more important to remark that he never neglected to worship God himself and publish his salvation to others. No doubt, the king remembered their previous encounter when Abraham dealt falsely with him. The LORD visited Sarah as He had said: It took a long time (25 years) for this promise to come to pass, but God was faithful to His promise. God also took care of Hagar and Ishmael, remembering His promise to greatly multiply their descendants (see Birth of Isaac ). Genesis 21:22 The herdsmen of the king had appropriated Abraham's well. to Abraham. Because Abimelech wanted this covenant to apply, not only to himself, but to his posterity (21:23), it secured this source of water not only for Abraham, but for his descendants. Do others see the hand of God on your life? GENESIS 21:23. They watch our attitudes, our words, and our actions. And it came to pass at that time, that Abimelech and Phichol the chief captain of his host spake unto Abraham, saying, God. CHIEF CAPTAIN OF HIS HOST SPAKE UNTO ABRAHAM, SAYING, GOD IS WITH THEE Ishmael's marriage, but most probably to the former. That world could tell that God was with him in all he did! Sensible of the many favours he had received from Abimelech in times past, and was still indulged with, he very readily agreed to his proposal; and the rather, as he knew by the vision between the pieces, that it would be four hundred years before his posterity should be put into the possession of the land of Canaan; and therefore could take an oath that neither he, nor his son, nor his grandson, should be injured or dispossessed. Luke 6:21. This Bible study on Genesis 21 shows God's promise to Sarah and Abraham fulfilled in the birth of their son Isaac, the son of promise. Theyre people who live rather ordinary lives, except for one significant fact--their lives count for eternity because they are used by God to help fulfill His purpose. Philistines generally (Genesis 2 ISHMAEL AND ISAAC The contemplated object. In an initial way, God is using Abraham to fulfill His purpose of blessing all the nations as he is blessed. "The great well has an internal diameter at the mouth of twelve feet six inches, or a circumference of nearly forty feet. 4. There he planted a grove for a shade to his tent, or perhaps an orchard of fruit-trees; and there, though we cannot say he settled, for God would have him, while he lived, to be a stranger and a pilgrim, yet he sojourned many days, as many as would consist with his character, as Abraham the Hebrew, or passenger. They formalize the peace agreement, Abimelech leaves, Abraham plants a commemorative tree, worships the Lord, and life goes on. "This scene occurs at the same time as the events of Scene 6 [ Genesis 21:1-21] but focuses on different characters and tensions. Sarah's demand GENESIS 12:1 TO GENESIS 25:18. I like that, "as He had said, and as He had spoken." (Haydock)_ And God heard the voice of the lad; and the angel of God called to Abimelech's treaty with Abraham 21:22-34. olam) as a name for the Lord, This is the word used on the covenant with Abraham (13:15; 17: 7, 8, 13, 19). Perhaps Abimelech had heard of how God had given Abraham and Sarah a son in their old age. Sarah favourite of God, chap. xx. Genesis 12:1-3 sets forth Gods purpose to make of Abraham a great nation, to bless him and make his name great so that he would be the channel of Gods blessing to all the families of the earth. He sets apart seven lambs from the flock and gives them to Abimelek. The neighborhood of Beersheba, the revelation of Jehovah, the little company of believers. _chemet_ bottle, akin to _chamah_, Of _Abimelech, _ see GENESIS 20:2. And the Lord visited Sarah, as he had said, and the Lord did unto This is the term used in Ex. In the immediately preceding verses, God has provided Isaac and dismissed Ishmael, so that Abraham would learn that Gods promises do not depend on human schemes and effort for their fulfillment. Now the grace of God bears its most important fruit in the history of Abraham didnt fight with Abimeleks servants. )was probably the Tamarix Africanae (Gesenius, Furst, Delitzsch, Rosenmller, Kalisch), which, besides being common in Egypt and Petraea, is mid to have been found growing near the ancient Beershebain Beersheba, and called there (not beneath the tree or in the grove, but in the place) on the name of the Lord,Jehovah (vide Genesis 12:8; Genesis 13:4)the everlasting Godliterally, the God of eternity (LXX; Vulgate, Onkelos); not in contrast to heathen deities, who are born and die (Clericus), but "as the everlasting Vindicator of the faith of treaties, and as the infallible Source of the believer's rest and peace" (Murphy). 21:22-34 Abimelech felt sure that the promises of God would be fulfilled to Abraham. He made a traffic stop that went something like this: Listen, I know my rights. @#$ %^&*^$!, Im not doin it! The passage is narrative. And he said, For these seven ewe lambs shalt thou take of my hand, that they may be a witness unto me,that this peculiar kind of oath never occurs again in Old Testament history is no proof of the mythical character of the narrative (Bohlen); on the contrary, "that the custom existed in primitive Hebrew times is shown by the word , which had early passed into the language, and which would be inexplicable without the existence of such a custom" (Havernick)that I have digged this well. . But God revealed to Abimelek the truth that Sarah is Abrahams wife. DISMISSAL OF HAGAR AND ISHMAEL. God's promises never fail. In the story of Hagar and Ishmael, we notice: Gen. 21:22-34 Locate the passage This passage chronicles a covenant between Abraham and Abimelech. trial and utter ruin of the creature, with the revelation of divine I read about a successful man who was on a business trip. Bondwoman and her son cast out. Vs.1-7 The birth of Isaac. And Abraham said, I will swear. Hence "the ownership of wells m Palestine was as jealously guarded as the possession of a mine in our own" (Inglis). Abimelek responds, This is the first Ive heard of it. 17. "Blessed are the peace-makers," and "beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that publisheth peace.". Abimelech and Abraham, or ancient covenanters. 22 Abimelechs couenant with Abraham at Beer-sheba. It is wise to connect ourselves with those who are blessed of God; and we ought to requite kindness to those who have been kind to us. Abimelech, however, was still wary of Abraham and fearful of the God whom Abraham worshipped. Do we work hard or slack off? Now therefore swear unto me here by Godthe verb to swear is derived from the Hebrew numeral seven, inasmuch as the septennary number was sacred, and oaths were confirmed either by seven sacrifices (Genesis 21:28) or by seven witnesses and pledgesthat thou wilt not deal falsely with me,literally, if thou shalt lie unto me; a common form of oath in Hebrew, in which the other member of the sentence is for emphasis left unexpressed (cf. he understood what the sheep and oxen were for, that they were presents to him, at least some of them, and the rest were for the solemnizing and ratifying the covenant between them; but what these were for he could not devise. Abraham, the one who took his army of 318 men and rescued Lot from the armies of four kings, Abraham goes after the servants of Abimelek and takes them out, right? Here we have accomplished promise the blessed (1) that a person cannot always be held responsible for what his servants do, (2) that it is wrong to judge on insufficient evidence with reference to the characters and conduct of others, and. And Abimelech said unto Abraham, What mean these seven ewe lambs which thou hast set by themselves? He lived in the desert and became an archer. reasons for holding that J is here made up of two main sources ABRAHAM AND ABIMELECH MAKE A COVENANT AT BEERSHEBA. 17 The Angel comforteth her. He had to provide protection and give him the land, which He begins to do in a rather ordinary way through this peace agreement. Isaac's birth (Genesis 22:1) 2. Commentary: Patriarchs and Prophets (or Beginning of the End), chapter 13. There he called on the name of the Lord, as the everlasting God; probably in the grove he planted, which was his place of prayer. It is wise to connect ourselves with those who are blessed Sarah's demand GENESIS 12:1 TO GENESIS 25:18. Arise We have had hitherto God's account of that which He had made; then the God also took care of Hagar and Ishmael, remembering His promise to greatly multiply their descendants (see Birth of Isaac ). (3) that in making charges or preferring complaints it is well to avoid both heat of temper and severity of language. After the treaty had been made at Beersheba, Abimelek and Phicol the commander of his forces returned to the land of the Philistines. 15 Hagar in distresse. Not surprisingly, the driver of the car didnt comply. Abraham had two sons, the one by a bondmaid, the other by a freewoman. Here is old Abraham just planting a tree and living by his well. Peace. ); posteri et stirps (Vulgate); offspring and progeny (Kalisch); kith and kin (Murphy)but according to the kindness that I have done unto thee (vide Genesis 20:15), thou shalt do unto me, and to the land wherein thou hast sojournedthe land being put for the people (cf. In this section The deal is sealed. captain of his host spake unto Abraham, saying, God is with thee in and the LORD did unto Sarah as he had spoken (Genesis 21:1). It is good to remember God's mercies, of which national and civil quietude is one of the greatest, and it is becoming to erect memorials of both privileges and obligations. captain of his host spake unto Abraham, saying, God [is] with thee in captain of his host spake unto Abraham, saying, God [is] with thee in In gratitude for former favours he had received from him, in token of the friendship that subsisted between them, and for the confirmation of it; and to show that he was fully satisfied with Abimelech's answer to his complaint, as well as willing to enter into covenant by sacrifice, when such creatures were divided, and the covenanters passed between the pieces, for so it follows: and both of them made a covenant ; or, read more, And Abraham set seven ewe lambs of the flock by themselves. Sarah as he had spoken." So swear to me here before God that you wont deal falsely with me or my children or my descendants. THE PROMISE FULFILLED IN ISAAC Some try to convey that they are perfect. Another step in Abrahams walk with God is seen in verse 33, where he plants a tree and calls on the name of the Lord, the Everlasting God. Planting the tree was an act to remind Abraham of Gods faithfulness, especially in the everyday matter of providing the well which supplied the water for this tree to grow. The Covenant Between Abraham and Abimelech NINTH SECTION (1) that as the land of the Philistines had no fixed boundary toward the desert, Beersheba may at this time have been claimed for the kingdom of Gerar (Keil); or. The birth of Isaac. 33:18-19). Just because youve blown it with someone in the past doesnt mean that you cant be used later to influence that person toward God.