City Life Starter

Written by Scott Fiddler

The Word

²² At that time Abimelech and Phicol the commander of his army said to Abraham, “God is with you in all that you do. ²³ Now therefore swear to me here by God that you will not deal falsely with me or with my descendants or with my posterity, but as I have dealt kindly with you, so you will deal with me and with the land where you have sojourned.” ²⁴ And Abraham said, “I will swear.”

²⁵ When Abraham reproved Abimelech about a well of water that Abimelech’s servants had seized, ²⁶ Abimelech said, “I do not know who has done this thing; you did not tell me, and I have not heard of it until today.” ²⁷ So Abraham took sheep and oxen and gave them to Abimelech, and the two men made a covenant. ²⁸ Abraham set seven ewe lambs of the flock apart. ²⁹ And Abimelech said to Abraham, “What is the meaning of these seven ewe lambs that you have set apart?” ³⁰ He said, “These seven ewe lambs you will take from my hand, that this may be a witness for me that I dug this well.” ³¹ Therefore that place was called Beersheba, because there both of them swore an oath. ³² So they made a covenant at Beersheba. Then Abimelech and Phicol the commander of his army rose up and returned to the land of the Philistines. ³³ Abraham planted a tamarisk tree in Beersheba and called there on the name of the Lord, the Everlasting God. ³⁴ And Abraham sojourned many days in the land of the Philistines.

Genesis 21:22-34 (ESV)

⁹ By faith he went to live in the land of promise, as in a foreign land, living in tents with Isaac and Jacob, heirs with him of the same promise.

Hebrews 11:9

Commentary

As we come to the end of this Starter series, I thought it appropriate to finish with a true exegetical commentary. So, we will go verse by verse and see where it leads.

v. 22: Abraham was so blessed and favored by God that it was obvious to two Philistines, Abimelech and Phicol. Our lives should be so animated with the Spirit of God and manifesting of His favor that even those who do not know God can look at our lives and see the fruit of His influence.

v. 23-24: The Philistines asked Abraham to give an oath that he would deal honestly with them. This may be a result of Abraham having been deceitful previously with Abimelech with regard to Sarah. See Genesis 20. For Christians, empowered by the Holy Spirit, such oaths should not be necessary. As Jesus said, our “Yes” should be “Yes” and our “No” should be “No” (Matthew 5:37). The proven integrity of our lives should obviate a need for invoking the name of God to bolster the reliability of our word.

v. 25-30: Wells are a recurring theme in the Bible. They represent God’s provision in an arid place. Moses, by God’s power, brought forth water from the rock (Numbers 20:10-11). God provided for Hagar and Isaac from a well in the desert (Genesis 21:14-19). Jesus presented Himself as the well of life-giving water to the Samaritan woman at the well (John 4:7-29). Here, the Lord provided for Abraham through a well in the desert.

v. 31: The word “Beersheba” means “well of seven” or “well of oaths.” Beersheba began with Abraham digging a well and planting a tree. Beersheba is now the largest city in the Negev area of Israel. Creation started in a garden but it ends in a city. Cf. Genesis 3; Revelation 21:2. 

v. 32: As a result of this covenant, this pagan king and his general left Abraham in peace and returned to their country. As for the righteous man, God makes even his enemies at peace with him (Proverbs 16:7).

v. 33: Abraham planted a tree at the well, the place of blessing, and there he called upon the name of the Lord. Unfortunately, it seems we are more likely to call on the Lord in times of trouble rather than times of blessing. 

v. 34: Abraham sojourned as a stranger in the land of the Philistines but trusting that God would fulfill His promises (Hebrews 11:9). So too are we to trust in God even when we feel we are in a strange or unfamiliar place in our lives.

Application

Even in this seemingly insignificant story about Abraham and a well in the Negev, the richness of the Word as a source of spiritual nourishment is apparent. Like a well in the desert, the Word is able to sustain those who turn to it daily.

Prayer

Lord, help me always come to Your Word trusting You can sustain me spiritually from it. In Jesus’ name I pray, amen.