†. Gen 21:22a . . At that time
While Hagar and Ishmael were busy setting up a new life for themselves, a
seemingly trivial event occurred in Abraham's life. I don't have any idea why
Genesis records this incident. It doesn't seem to mean anything.
†. Gen 21:22b . . Abimelech
It is very possible that Abimelech is a royal title rather than a personal
name, sort of like Pharaoh or Caesar, since in the title of Psalm 34 the name
Abimelech is applied to the king of Gath, who is elsewhere known by his
personal name Achish. (1Sam 27:2-3)
†. Gen 21:22c . . and Phicol, chief of his troops,
Phicol's name sounds funny in Hebrew. It's Piykol (pee-kole') which means:
mouth of all. His name, like Abimelech's, could also have been a title;
especially since it implies that he was a spokesman. I'm sure you've heard
people say: "And I think I speak for all when I say this; yada, yada, yada;
etc, etc, etc." Maybe that's what his name "mouth of all" implies. At any
rate, he was Abimelech's chief of staff and apparently his right hand man-- a
military man, and trusted.
†. Gen 21:22d . . said to Abraham: The gods are with you in
everything that you do.
Abimelech knew first hand that Abraham could do no wrong. And even when
he did, his god was right there to bail him out. That is an extremely envious
position. What if you knew that God would protect you no matter how dumb,
stupid, and clumsy you were in life-- that in spite of your bad investments,
accidents, poor judgment, bad decisions, worthless friends, failed romances,
and overspending, you still came out on top? Well . . that is just how it went
for Abraham. He was bullet proof.
†. Gen 21:23a . .Therefore swear
(chuckle) Ol' Abimelech is nobody's fool. He was burned once by Abraham
and wasn't about to be suckered again. From now on he will accept
Abraham's word only if he gives his oath on it first. You know; trust is an
easy thing to lose, and very difficult to regain.
†. Gen 21:23b . . to me here by the gods
The Hebrew word for "gods" is a nondescript label for any number of
celestial beings; both real and imagined. But I kind of suspect the one
Abimelech referred to was the god who appeared to him in the dream; in
other words; Abraham's god: Yhvh.
†. Gen 21:23c . . that you will not deal falsely with me or with my
kith and kin, but will deal with me and with the land in which you
have sojourned as loyally as I have dealt with you.
It's a non aggression pact. But why would Abimelech go to all the trouble?
And why would he, a king, travel to Abraham's camp rather than summon
him to appear? Did he fear that Abraham, a man befriended by a supreme
being, might become so powerful that he would attempt to conquer
Abimelech's kingdom? I think so. Abraham's medicine was strong. He had a
connection in the spirit world to a god with the power to destroy Sodom and
Gomorrah, and to strike people with serious maladies. It would be perfectly
human for Abraham to take advantage of his supernatural affiliation and use
it to advantage.
With a man like Abraham, Abimelech probably figured a preemptive strike
would be out of the question. It is better to strike a treaty while conditions
permit. After all, Abraham owed Abimelech one for letting him off after lying
to him about Sarah. Good time to call that in.
†. Gen 21:24 . . And Abraham said: I swear it.
Note : there are Christians who would soundly condemn Abraham for
swearing based upon their understanding of Mtt 5:33-37.
I can almost hear Abimelech and Phicol start breathing again. I think both of
those men were more than just a little worried about their safety on
Abraham's turf.
That settled, Abraham has a matter of his own to discuss; and now's a good
time for it, seeing as those men were being very humble; at least for the
moment.
Note : there are well-meaning folk who feel it's wrong for God's people to be
confrontational; and base their reasoning on Mtt 5:3, Mtt 5:5, Mtt 5:9, and
Mtt 5:39. But other than Isaac, I don't think you could find a more gracious
man in the Old Testament than Abraham. He didn't have a hair-trigger
temper, a spirit of vengeance, nor did he declare war over every little
disagreement. Abraham picked his battles with care, and conducted them
intelligently-- same with Moses, of whom the Old Testament says: was very
meek, above all the men which were upon the face of the earth. (Num
12:3). Jesus was meek too (Mtt 11:29 and Mtt 21:5) but could be very
confrontational when the circumstances called for a heavy hand. (Mtt 23:13
36)
†. Gen 21:25-26 . .Then Abraham reproached Abimelech for the well
of water which the servants of Abimelech had seized. But Abimelech
said: I do not know who did this; you did not tell me, nor have I
heard of it until today.
Abraham may have previously reported the incident to a bureaucrat, who
then tossed the complaint in a file cabinet somewhere and soon forgot about
it because this is the very first time Mr. Abimelech has been made aware of
the problem. Sometimes you just have to cut through the red tape and go
straight to the top.
†. Gen 21:27-29 . . Abraham took sheep and oxen and gave them to
Abimelech, and the two of them made a pact. Abraham then set
seven ewes of the flock by themselves, and Abimelech said to
Abraham: What mean these seven ewes which you have set apart?
This was not a local custom; whatever it is, because Abimelech is totally
puzzled by it.
†. Gen 21:30 . . He replied: You are to accept these seven ewes from
me as proof that I dug this well.
A reasonable assumption is that Abraham-- thoroughly disgusted with Gerar's
bureaucracy, and having no confidence in Abimelech's oath --shrewdly purchased
a water right so the government's thugs would have to step off and leave him be.
†. Gen 21:31-32 . . Hence that place was called Beer-sheba [well of
seven], for there the two of them swore an oath. When they had
concluded the pact at Beer-sheba, Abimelech and Phicol, chief of his
troops, departed and returned to the land of the Philistines.
Abraham swore to live peaceably with Abimelech. And he in turn swore to let
Abraham keep the well that he dug. Did Abimelech swear by a god or just
give his word? Genesis doesn't say. But only Abraham's god is named in this
pact. Possibly they both swore by that one.
†. Gen 21:33 . . Abraham planted a tamarisk at Beer-sheba, and
invoked there the name of Yhvh, the Everlasting God.
Actually, that verse is supposed to read like this: "and invoked there the
name of Yhvh, the everlasting god."
Note : some people think that because of Ex 6:2-3, Abraham wasn't
supposed to have known the name Yhvh; but obviously he did.
The word for "tamarisk" is 'eshel (ay'-shel) which can mean a tamarisk tree;
and it can also mean a grove of trees; of any kind. The grove was probably
somewhat like a private garden where Abraham could have some solitude in
prayer. Groves were popular as places of religious devotion and worship and
of public meetings in both Canaan and Israel. It was in a garden where Jesus
prayed his last great prayer in John 17 just before being arrested.
Backyards can serve as "gardens" too. Here in the part of Oregon where I
live, row houses have become a common style of residential housing
construction; which is really sad. The people living in them don't have any
backyard to speak of like my wife and I do in an older home. When we look
out the big windows on the east side of our house, we see trees and shrubs
and grass and an old mossy playhouse I built for my son and his friends
many years ago; and lots of urban wildlife too: birds, raccoons, skunks, huge
banana slugs, and squirrels and such. That backyard gives us a feeling of
escape and privacy: it's very soothing; like a week-end getaway except that
it's every day.
The planners of New York City's central park had the very same idea in
mind. Opponents of the park groused about the valuable real estate that
would be lost to public recreation; but many of the residents of Manhattan
wouldn't trade their park for all the thousands and thousands of diamonds
the De Beers company is hoarding in their vaults. Not long ago one of
Manhattan's abandoned elevated rail lines was converted into a park and it's
already immensely popular as an escape. Human beings need their
tamarisks; even holy human beings need them. (cf. Mrk 6:46 and John
6:15)
†. Gen 21:34 . . And Abraham resided in the land of the Philistines a
long time.
It wasn't actually the Philistines' land in Abraham's day; but was theirs
during the times when one of the authors of Genesis edited this chapter.
Cont.
/
While Hagar and Ishmael were busy setting up a new life for themselves, a
seemingly trivial event occurred in Abraham's life. I don't have any idea why
Genesis records this incident. It doesn't seem to mean anything.
†. Gen 21:22b . . Abimelech
It is very possible that Abimelech is a royal title rather than a personal
name, sort of like Pharaoh or Caesar, since in the title of Psalm 34 the name
Abimelech is applied to the king of Gath, who is elsewhere known by his
personal name Achish. (1Sam 27:2-3)
†. Gen 21:22c . . and Phicol, chief of his troops,
Phicol's name sounds funny in Hebrew. It's Piykol (pee-kole') which means:
mouth of all. His name, like Abimelech's, could also have been a title;
especially since it implies that he was a spokesman. I'm sure you've heard
people say: "And I think I speak for all when I say this; yada, yada, yada;
etc, etc, etc." Maybe that's what his name "mouth of all" implies. At any
rate, he was Abimelech's chief of staff and apparently his right hand man-- a
military man, and trusted.
†. Gen 21:22d . . said to Abraham: The gods are with you in
everything that you do.
Abimelech knew first hand that Abraham could do no wrong. And even when
he did, his god was right there to bail him out. That is an extremely envious
position. What if you knew that God would protect you no matter how dumb,
stupid, and clumsy you were in life-- that in spite of your bad investments,
accidents, poor judgment, bad decisions, worthless friends, failed romances,
and overspending, you still came out on top? Well . . that is just how it went
for Abraham. He was bullet proof.
†. Gen 21:23a . .Therefore swear
(chuckle) Ol' Abimelech is nobody's fool. He was burned once by Abraham
and wasn't about to be suckered again. From now on he will accept
Abraham's word only if he gives his oath on it first. You know; trust is an
easy thing to lose, and very difficult to regain.
†. Gen 21:23b . . to me here by the gods
The Hebrew word for "gods" is a nondescript label for any number of
celestial beings; both real and imagined. But I kind of suspect the one
Abimelech referred to was the god who appeared to him in the dream; in
other words; Abraham's god: Yhvh.
†. Gen 21:23c . . that you will not deal falsely with me or with my
kith and kin, but will deal with me and with the land in which you
have sojourned as loyally as I have dealt with you.
It's a non aggression pact. But why would Abimelech go to all the trouble?
And why would he, a king, travel to Abraham's camp rather than summon
him to appear? Did he fear that Abraham, a man befriended by a supreme
being, might become so powerful that he would attempt to conquer
Abimelech's kingdom? I think so. Abraham's medicine was strong. He had a
connection in the spirit world to a god with the power to destroy Sodom and
Gomorrah, and to strike people with serious maladies. It would be perfectly
human for Abraham to take advantage of his supernatural affiliation and use
it to advantage.
With a man like Abraham, Abimelech probably figured a preemptive strike
would be out of the question. It is better to strike a treaty while conditions
permit. After all, Abraham owed Abimelech one for letting him off after lying
to him about Sarah. Good time to call that in.
†. Gen 21:24 . . And Abraham said: I swear it.
Note : there are Christians who would soundly condemn Abraham for
swearing based upon their understanding of Mtt 5:33-37.
I can almost hear Abimelech and Phicol start breathing again. I think both of
those men were more than just a little worried about their safety on
Abraham's turf.
That settled, Abraham has a matter of his own to discuss; and now's a good
time for it, seeing as those men were being very humble; at least for the
moment.
Note : there are well-meaning folk who feel it's wrong for God's people to be
confrontational; and base their reasoning on Mtt 5:3, Mtt 5:5, Mtt 5:9, and
Mtt 5:39. But other than Isaac, I don't think you could find a more gracious
man in the Old Testament than Abraham. He didn't have a hair-trigger
temper, a spirit of vengeance, nor did he declare war over every little
disagreement. Abraham picked his battles with care, and conducted them
intelligently-- same with Moses, of whom the Old Testament says: was very
meek, above all the men which were upon the face of the earth. (Num
12:3). Jesus was meek too (Mtt 11:29 and Mtt 21:5) but could be very
confrontational when the circumstances called for a heavy hand. (Mtt 23:13
36)
†. Gen 21:25-26 . .Then Abraham reproached Abimelech for the well
of water which the servants of Abimelech had seized. But Abimelech
said: I do not know who did this; you did not tell me, nor have I
heard of it until today.
Abraham may have previously reported the incident to a bureaucrat, who
then tossed the complaint in a file cabinet somewhere and soon forgot about
it because this is the very first time Mr. Abimelech has been made aware of
the problem. Sometimes you just have to cut through the red tape and go
straight to the top.
†. Gen 21:27-29 . . Abraham took sheep and oxen and gave them to
Abimelech, and the two of them made a pact. Abraham then set
seven ewes of the flock by themselves, and Abimelech said to
Abraham: What mean these seven ewes which you have set apart?
This was not a local custom; whatever it is, because Abimelech is totally
puzzled by it.
†. Gen 21:30 . . He replied: You are to accept these seven ewes from
me as proof that I dug this well.
A reasonable assumption is that Abraham-- thoroughly disgusted with Gerar's
bureaucracy, and having no confidence in Abimelech's oath --shrewdly purchased
a water right so the government's thugs would have to step off and leave him be.
†. Gen 21:31-32 . . Hence that place was called Beer-sheba [well of
seven], for there the two of them swore an oath. When they had
concluded the pact at Beer-sheba, Abimelech and Phicol, chief of his
troops, departed and returned to the land of the Philistines.
Abraham swore to live peaceably with Abimelech. And he in turn swore to let
Abraham keep the well that he dug. Did Abimelech swear by a god or just
give his word? Genesis doesn't say. But only Abraham's god is named in this
pact. Possibly they both swore by that one.
†. Gen 21:33 . . Abraham planted a tamarisk at Beer-sheba, and
invoked there the name of Yhvh, the Everlasting God.
Actually, that verse is supposed to read like this: "and invoked there the
name of Yhvh, the everlasting god."
Note : some people think that because of Ex 6:2-3, Abraham wasn't
supposed to have known the name Yhvh; but obviously he did.
The word for "tamarisk" is 'eshel (ay'-shel) which can mean a tamarisk tree;
and it can also mean a grove of trees; of any kind. The grove was probably
somewhat like a private garden where Abraham could have some solitude in
prayer. Groves were popular as places of religious devotion and worship and
of public meetings in both Canaan and Israel. It was in a garden where Jesus
prayed his last great prayer in John 17 just before being arrested.
Backyards can serve as "gardens" too. Here in the part of Oregon where I
live, row houses have become a common style of residential housing
construction; which is really sad. The people living in them don't have any
backyard to speak of like my wife and I do in an older home. When we look
out the big windows on the east side of our house, we see trees and shrubs
and grass and an old mossy playhouse I built for my son and his friends
many years ago; and lots of urban wildlife too: birds, raccoons, skunks, huge
banana slugs, and squirrels and such. That backyard gives us a feeling of
escape and privacy: it's very soothing; like a week-end getaway except that
it's every day.
The planners of New York City's central park had the very same idea in
mind. Opponents of the park groused about the valuable real estate that
would be lost to public recreation; but many of the residents of Manhattan
wouldn't trade their park for all the thousands and thousands of diamonds
the De Beers company is hoarding in their vaults. Not long ago one of
Manhattan's abandoned elevated rail lines was converted into a park and it's
already immensely popular as an escape. Human beings need their
tamarisks; even holy human beings need them. (cf. Mrk 6:46 and John
6:15)
†. Gen 21:34 . . And Abraham resided in the land of the Philistines a
long time.
It wasn't actually the Philistines' land in Abraham's day; but was theirs
during the times when one of the authors of Genesis edited this chapter.
Cont.
/
