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On the border of the promised
land, Abraham makes a covenant with Abimelech at
Beersheba.
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Genesis 21:22-34
The Well
at Beersheba
Abraham Makes a
Covenant with Abimelech
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- 21:22
Now it came about at that time that Abimelech
and Phicol, the commander of his army, spoke to
Abraham, saying, "God is with you in all that
you do;
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- 23 now therefore,
swear to me here by God that you will not deal
falsely with me or with my offspring or with my
posterity, but according to the kindness that I
have shown to you, you shall show to me and to
the land in which you have sojourned."
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24 Abraham said, "I
swear it."
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25 But Abraham
complained to Abimelech because of the well of
water which the servants of Abimelech had
seized.
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26 And Abimelech said,
"I do not know who has done this thing; you did
not tell me, nor did I hear of it until today."
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27 Abraham took sheep
and oxen and gave them to Abimelech, and the two
of them made a covenant.
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28 Then Abraham set
seven ewe lambs of the flock by themselves.
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29 Abimelech said to
Abraham, "What do these seven ewe lambs mean,
which you have set by themselves?"
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30 He said, "You shall
take these seven ewe lambs from my hand so that
it may be a witness to me, that I dug this
well."
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31 Therefore he called
that place Beersheba, because there the two of
them took an oath.
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32S o they made a
covenant at Beersheba; and Abimelech and Phicol,
the commander of his army, arose and returned to
the land of the Philistines.
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33 Abraham planted a
tamarisk tree at Beersheba, and there he called
on the name of the LORD, the Everlasting God.
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34 And Abraham
sojourned in the land of the Philistines for
many days.
This
is the Word of the Lord ... It is meant to change
the way that we think, and the way that we live.
Commentary
by Bob Pardue
Treaty of
Beersheba
Sometimes, we have to make
friends with our enemies. Abimelech realized that
Abraham had God on his side so felt it was in his
best interest to make a covenant instead of
fighting.
When Abraham talked to
Abimelech about the well his men had taken, he
seemed willing to talk in a civilized
manner.
So, next time we find
ourselves in conflict, let's remember that a little
kindness goes much further than spite.
Love in Christ
- Bob
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Verses and study about Sarah's jealousy from
Genesis are from Life Application Study Bible:
New International Version
Comments are welcome. Please email
me with any questions or comments you
may have.
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