An ancient treaty may not sound like a very exciting subject to study on Christmas Day, but the fact that King Abimelek would be willing to make any type of treaty with Abraham is astonishing, since King Abimelek is the man Abraham formerly lied to about Sarah not being his wife. This caused the king to feel like a fool for trying to make Sarah into his own wife, plus it made Abimelek very frightened for himself and for his country because he didn't want to get on the wrong side of the God who already destroyed two neighboring cities for their wickedness. What I feel like we need to keep in mind as we read our passage today is that God is able to restore relationships, even when it appears that they are beyond repair. Maybe you've had a falling-out with a family member, friend, neighbor, or co-worker. It may appear as if this relationship can never be repaired, and that might be true if God were left out of the equation, but all things are possible with Him. In today's passage He repairs the relationship between Abraham and the king.
"At that time Abimelek and Philcol the commander of his forces said to Abraham, 'God is with you in everything you do. Now swear to me here before God that you will not deal falsely with me or my children or my descendants. Show to me and the country where you now reside as a foreigner the same kindness I have shown to you.'" (Genesis 21:22-23) When Abimelek found out Abraham had deceived him, he had the right to kick Abraham out of Gerar just like Pharaoh kicked Abraham out of Egypt for telling the same lie about Sarah there. But instead Abimelek lavished Abraham with gifts and invited Abraham to live wherever he pleased in Gerar. Since that time Abraham has lived among the citizens of Gerar. In our passage today Abimelek wants Abraham's promise that he and all his descendants will continue to live peacefully with the people of Gerar. It could be that King Abimelek is becoming elderly and is concerned about what will happen after he passes on, so he wants Abraham's word that no conflicts will arise. Abraham's word didn't mean much in the past, but Abimelek knows that Abraham's God is a powerful promise keeper. If Abraham makes a peace treaty in the name of his God, God will see to it that the treaty is kept.
Abraham is willing to make the treaty, and since this opportunity has presented itself he brings up something that's been bothering him. "Abraham said, 'I swear it.' Then Abraham complained to Abimelek about a well of water that Abimelek's servants had seized. But Abimelek said, 'I don't know who has done this. You did not tell me, and I heard about it only today.'" (Genesis 21:24-26) Abraham has never brought this matter up before because he doesn't want to stir up any trouble. He's already caused enough trouble for Abimelek and he is reluctant to bring the matter of the well to the king's attention. If the king had not come to him asking for a peace treaty, I think Abraham would have kept silent about the well, but the request of the peace treaty provided him with a good opportunity to mention it. The king's reply was something like this: "I'm sorry that some of my servants seized your well. They weren't doing it on my orders and I wasn't aware of it til today. If you had told me about this as soon as it happened I would have taken care of the problem immediately. I will see to it that they release your well to you right away."
This meeting has gone wonderfully. Though these two men have been living peacefully in the same country, they've felt uncomfortable with each other. They probably haven't spoken with each other since the day Abimelek released Sarah back into Abraham's care and announced before a large crowd that he had not touched her and that she had not tried to be unfaithful to her husband. On that day he gave Abraham permission to remain within his country's borders and he gave gifts to Abraham before Abraham departed from his presence. I tend to think Abraham may have settled as far from Abimelek's palace as he could while still being in the same country, just so they wouldn't run into each other. Years have passed and it may have seemed to each of them that they would never be friends. But God specializes in resurrection and is able to resurrect relationships that seem to be so dead that no miracle could ever revive them.
The treaty between Abraham and Abimelek ought to give us hope about broken relationships in our own lives. These relationships may end up being restored somewhere down the line and we mustn't become discouraged if it seems like it's taking a very long time. A rift can be so deep and so wide that God needs a long time in which to soften the hearts of those who are involved. Sometimes a person wants to keep holding on to anger and hurt, and it takes time for the Lord to bring them around to feeling like they want to reconcile. Maybe you are the person who is angry and hurt. Or maybe you are the person who made someone else angry and hurt. It could be that you've tried to apologize and make things right but the other person doesn't want to listen or let you back into their life. If that's the case, all you can do is keep praying about it and let God work on their heart. If anyone can fix things, God can. And if the other person resists all His efforts to change their minds, then He's able to make you feel at peace with that. When you've done all you can do, and when that person has refused to listen to the Lord and let Him heal what needs to be healed, the Lord can help you to let the matter go and be okay. And if you're the person who has been holding onto resentment and refusing to let the Lord soften your heart toward someone who wants to make things right with you, then there's no better time than the present to let the Lord have His way in the matter. You'll feel so much better when you allow Him to help you make peace with the other person. It will feel like a heavy load has been lifted off your shoulders.
"So Abraham brought sheep and cattle and gave them to Abimelek, and the two men made a treaty. Abraham set apart seven ewe lambs from the flock, and Abimelek asked Abraham, 'What is the meaning of these seven ewe lambs you have set apart by themselves?' He replied, 'Accept these seven lambs from my hand as a witness that I dug this well.' So that place was called Beersheba, because the two men swore an oath there." (Genesis 21:27-31) The name "Beersheba" means "well of the oath" or "well of the seven". It was a custom in ancient times to give gifts to seal a deal. Previously in Genesis, when Abimelek declared Sarah as virtuous as the day she came into his household, and when he offered any dwelling place in his country to Abraham, Abimelek showered Abraham with gifts. On the day of the treaty, Abraham showers Abimilek with sheep and cattle. Plus he offers him an additional seven ewe lambs, the acceptance of which means Abimelek acknowledges that the well was dug by Abraham and belongs only to Abraham.
"After the treaty had been made at Beersheba, Abimelek and Philcol the commander of his forces returned to the land of the Philistines. Abraham planted a tamarisk tree in Beersheba, and there he called on the name of the Lord, the Eternal God. And Abraham stayed in the land of the Philistines for a long time." (Genesis 21:32-34) A tamarisk tree takes a long time to grow large enough to provide shelter and shade. Abraham is making a statement of faith to the "Eternal God" when he plants this tree, for it won't reach maturity in his lifetime. His descendants also won't possess the land in his lifetime. He's planting this tree in faith, believing that the Eternal God keeps His promises, and that someday when his descendants occupy the land as God has said they will, this tree will provide shelter from the sun for them. I like to think that when Abraham finishes patting the soil in place around this newly-planted tree, he thanks the Lord for everything He's already done and for everything He's going to do.
God has done great things for us, hasn't He? He's brought us this far safely. He's shown us mercy we don't deserve and He's granted us forgiveness we couldn't earn. What great blessings might He have in store for us in the future? With that in mind, let's have a thankful spirit today and praise Him not only for what He's already done, but for what He's going to do.
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