Today we will be looking at some different kinds of relationships which Abraham had. Each different type of relationship can carry a different meaning and a different loyalty or responsibility to others. Our relationships can define how we interact with others and how we live together in peace with them.
When we last saw our man Abraham, he was living on the land of King Abimelech. As you recall, Abimelech had taken Sarah into his haram when she and Abraham had hidden from him that Sarah was Abraham’s wife. God had intervened directly and Abimelech had experienced firsthand that God is real (Gen 20). Probably at least four years have passed since then. Sarah was not yet pregnant when that occurred, but now Isaac has not only been born, but he has been weaned.
We see now, in our text (verse 22), that Abimelech comes to Abraham, along with the commander of his forces, Phicol. Why did he bring Phicol? Did he need protection? A witness? Was it just his custom? At the very first, Abimelech acknowledges that God is with Abraham in everything that he does. Abraham was a powerful man in those days. Since he is living on Abimelech’s land, Abimelech would have had the ability to keep a watch on him and now the king is acknowledging the presence of God in Abraham’s life. God is faithful and Abimelech has been able to observe that. He wants Abraham as an ally… not an enemy.
In verse 23, Abimelech requests a promise from Abraham to show him and his country the same kindness that Abraham has received from Abimelech. He asks Abraham to swear it before God and reminds him that he has been allowed to remain living there as a foreigner. He wants Abraham to make it a binding promise.
The Hebrew word used in the original text, in verse 23, is ‘hesed’. The KJV translates this word as ‘love’ and the NIV translates this word as ‘kindness’. Abimelech is asking Abraham to show him ‘love’ or ‘kindness’. But I want you to understand that it was much more than that. This Hebrew word ‘hesed’ speaks of something which is more of a covenant-based loyalty. It is something you give to someone based on a covenant type of relationship. We see this word ‘hesed’ first used in Gen 20:13 when Abraham asks Sarah to tell others that she is his sister. He is saying to her, please show your ‘kindness’ or ‘love’ to me, I’m asking you as my wife (covenant relationship), to do this for me. It is almost an obligatory type of favor based on a covenant relationship. This is not the kind of thing you do for just anyone. It means to show someone great loyalty out of respect for your relationship. That is what Abimelech is asking of Abraham. Abimelech states that he has shown Abraham this type of loyalty. Do it for me as I have done it for you.
In verse 24, we see that Abraham doesn’t just say ‘yes’. What does he say? Abraham has been asked to swear it before God and that is what he does. We should note here that we receive this same type of loving kindness from God Himself (2 Tim 2:13). What phrase do we see repeated throughout Psalm 136 that tells us this?
This relationship between Abimelech and Abraham can work only if both parties deal fairly and honestly with each other. Read verses 25-26. Abraham calls to Abimelech’s attention that some of Abimelech’s men have seized one of Abraham’s wells. Now, if you lived back then in a desert like this, this would have been a big deal. A well could mean the difference between life and death, both for you and your livestock. Abraham is saying to Abimelech he needs to make this right if they are showing ‘hesed’. Abimelech lets Abraham know that he hadn’t been aware of the situation. Because of the pact the two of them just made, they resolved the situation that was standing between them and they honored their kindness/loyalty commitment.
In verse 27, Abraham gives sheep and cattle to Abimelech and they make a treaty. The giving of livestock, back then, was common to seal an agreement and make it binding. But then Abraham does something else in verse 28. He sets apart 7 ewe lambs from the sheep he has brought to Abimelech and Abimelech asks him what they mean (verse 29). What does Abraham tell him in verse 30? Abraham says that these 7 ewe lambs are a witness, or testimony, that he dug the well. This means that, in accepting them, Abimelech is acknowledging that he believes Abraham did, in fact, dig the well. This event was much more than just a friendly discussion among neighbors.
Verse 31 tells us that the name of the place was called Beersheba because the men made an oath there. Beersheba means ‘well of the oath’. And then, we see in verse 32, Abimelech and Phicol, the commander of his forces, return to their own land, their business with Abraham having been concluded. Verse 34 tells us that Abraham stayed there in the land of the Philistines a long time, probably due to this treaty that he made with Abimelech.
I want us to look a little closer at verse 33. Abraham then planted a tree. This tree seems to be symbolic representing things that last a long time. Under this tree, Abraham calls upon the name of the Lord. Abraham will be in this place a long time and he now, under this tree, calls God ‘El Olam’. This Hebrew name for God means ‘Eternal God’. Read Isaiah 65:22-23. In these verses, God is speaking of the nation he promised to make of Abraham’s seed and uses the illustration of a tree. The Bible shows us a God who is both eternal and faithful. God has established a relationship with His people that is both eternal and faithful. We can count on his faithful loving kindness for all of eternity.
Responding to God: Ask God to help you live your life in such a way that others can see His love and power through you. Praise Him for His eternal faithfulness and thank Him for His loving kindness. Promise your obedience to Him out of loyalty for who He is and all He has done. Ask God to help you be a peacemaker in your immediate relationships.
Further Research: Search the internet to learn the Hebrew names for God.
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