Genesis 21:22-34 - Remember our Covenant of Grace!

Genesis 21:22-34

A Covenant with Abimelech

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.

Abraham made a covenant agreement with the very king he had deceived to protect his wife Sarah and his own life if the king had taken her and disposed of him to get and keep her.  God had intervened and prospered Abraham in spite of the deception because He has promised him to be the father of faith to all His true children by that same faith of promise in God’s working.  Now this man of God was approached by this king out of fear of the LORD to agree that Abraham would not turn on him or his children and remember the kindness and forgiveness the king had given him after the deception had almost cost him everything.  Abraham swore in agreement with that covenant promise as a solemn pledge.  Then this man of God had words with the king over some of his servants who took Abraham’s well from him and which the sovereign had no idea had happened.  Abraham then made a covenant with him using sheep and oxen, but kept aside seven ewe lambs specifically given apart from the general agreement to bear witness of the ownership as a type of insurance of the well Abraham had dug was his.  They swore an oath there on that and the place was named Beersheba, meaning “well of the sevenfold oath.”  Since the number seven often indicates perfection, this was to be a solid and unbreakable covenant agreement between the two parties.  After these negotiations, Abraham worshipped the LORD by planting a tree and calling on His name there.  The tree was not an altar of sacrifice, but a place to mark the spot of worship as he called on God’s name (אֵליְהוָֹה yhwh ’êl עוֹלָם ‘ôlâm, the ever-existing and infinitely eternal God) in remembrance of His faithfulness to him in all these occasions, much like the Ebenezer (1 Samuel 7:12) “stone of help” that Samuel put in place to commemorate and remember God’s goodness of help.  Abraham had used a tree which would grow just as his trust and worship would also grow over the years as he looked at the tree and recalled all God had done there.  Do we make markers in our lives to remember God’s faithfulness at specific moments and our response of worship and growing trust in Him in our Christian walk as we look back?  It is quite helpful to write the steps of our journey from the events leading up to our salvation and through that conversion to the present time as a testimony to others of God’s work of grace and providence in our journey, as well as a personal reminder of all He has done and will continue to do (Philippians 1:6) to make us more like Jesus (2 Corinthians 3:18) in His covenant promised work (Romans 11:27) of sanctification in each of us until His return.  He has promised us a never-ending well to drink from (John 4:13-14) that speaks more of grace of our eternal covenant in Christ’s blood of sacrifice than the temporal covenant of seven ewes of Abraham’s well.  Let us dwell on that as well as we remember our covenant of grace!  This is the example of Abraham’s covenant with a temporal king to Remember our Covenant of Grace with the King of kings!