FAVOR IS UNFAIR (Genesis 21:22-34)

 ²² And it came to pass at that time that Abimelech and Phichol, the commander of his army, spoke to Abraham, saying, “God is with you in all that you do.

²³ Now therefore, swear to me by God that you will not deal falsely with me, with my offspring, or with my posterity; but that according to the kindness that I have done to you, you will do to me and to the land in which you have dwelt.”

²⁴ And Abraham said, “I will swear.”

²⁵ Then Abraham rebuked Abimelech because of a well of water which Abimelech’s servants had seized.

. . .

³¹ Therefore he called that place Beersheba, because the two of them swore an oath there.

³² Thus they made a covenant at Beersheba. So Abimelech rose with Phichol, the commander of his army, and they returned to the land of the Philistines.

 ³³ Then Abraham planted a tamarisk tree in Beersheba, and there called on the name of the Lord, the Everlasting God.

³⁴ And Abraham stayed in the land of the Philistines many days.  (Genesis 21: 22 - 34)

And it came to pass at that time. . .

The timing is important.  From Genesis 20 we know that Abraham and his people had been camping in Philistine territory since before Isaac was born.  From Genesis 21:8, we know that Isaac is 2 or 3 years old.  Understanding the timing tells us that  Abraham and his people had been living in peace with Abimelech and the Philistines for at least 3 years.

For more than 3 years,  the Philistines had watched Abraham and heard the stories about him.  This Abraham was an old man and a foreigner with no country and no extended family, but he prospered under impossible circumstances.   This guy had  beaten 4 armies at once with only 318 men (Genesis 14), witnessed the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah  (Genesis 19:27, 28), and  conned the kings of Egypt and  Philistia without being executed or even fined.  In fact, this Abraham guy had been given honors by the kings AFTER they found him guilty of tricking them (Genesis 12; 20). 

And then, at that time,  word got around that 100 year old Abraham and his 90 year old wife Sarah had conceived, successfully birthed, and the son had survived into toddlerhood (which wasn’t a given in those times).  Abraham must have a secret: some supernatural edge that gave him a ridiculously unfair advantage over every one and everything that ran up on him.

Abimelech understood that the secret of Abraham’s success was his God.

And it came to pass at that time that Abimelech and Phichol, the commander of his army, spoke to Abraham, saying, “God is with you in all that you do.

Notice that the Philistine commanders-in-chief went to Abraham.  Abraham didn’t go to them. And they begged Abraham for assurances that he wouldn’t attack. 

 Now therefore, swear to me by God that you will not deal falsely with me, with my offspring, or with my posterity; but that according to the kindness that I have done to you,

 you will do to me and to the land in which you have dwelt.” (Genesis 21:23)

And Abraham said, “I will swear.” (Genesis 21: 24)

When Abraham complained about a disputed well, the king of the Philistines became defensive and apologetic.   

 And Abimelech said, “I do not know who has done this thing; you did not tell me, nor had I heard of it until today.” (Genesis 21: 25-26)

They let Abraham impose an amendment to their treaty under which the nation of Philistia surrendered the disputed water rights to Abraham (Genesis 21: 27 - 31).

Clearly, Abraham had the superior negotiating position.  But that doesn’t make sense.  I mean, Abraham was a rich sheik with a small personal army, but he was sheik of a small nomadic clan camping on borrowed land surrounded by Philistine cities and armies.  Yet, Abraham so consistently came out on top in every encounter that King Abimelech made the strategic decision to sign a treaty lopsided in Abraham’s favor.

Why?

Because God was with Abraham in all that he did (Genesis 21:22).  Because messing with Abraham meant messing with Abraham’s God.  Because, what’s the word we use?   Oh yeah.

Because FAVOR.

“Not by might nor by power, but by My Spirit,” says the Lord of hosts. (Zechariah 4:6)

In the church we talk a lot about favor in the first person. 

“The favor of God is upon ME.” 

“I’M blessed and highly favored.”

Abimelech recognized God’s favor on Abraham’s life.  Do you acknowledge God’s favor when it’s not about you?  Are you happy for your brothers and sisters when they get good that they don’t deserve?  I don’t mean jump on the bandwagon with financially profitable sin.  I mean ask the question “Why did God bless them?” but not rhetorically.  Ask and listen, observe, learn the actual answer.   

Abraham wasn’t perfect.  In some scenarios he was a genuine jerk, but he was the jerk God had chosen to fulfill an important role in the divine plan. God’s favor nudged Abraham back on the path when he strayed.  God’s favor protected him when danger threatened his role in God’s plan.  God’s favor provided what Abraham needed to pass to the descendants who would carry out the next phase of God’s plan.  And the favor on Abraham rewarded righteous people, like Hagar and Ishmael, who got caught in the orbit of God’s main plan for Abraham.

Favor didn’t put Ishmael in the messianic line despite Abraham’s request.   In the book of Jonah, favor sent a storm and a giant fish to “help” Jonah find his way to Nineveh.  Favor blinded Saul on the Damascus road so he could become the missionary and prolific author of Scripture God intended.  None of those blessed and highly favored men asked for the path God imposed upon them. 

But favor isn’t fair.  Not even to the favored. 

The favor of God isn’t about the person; it’s really about the plan:  God’s plan.

So you don’t need to jump on anybody’s bandwagon or kiss anybody’s butt to benefit from the favor of God in THEIR life.  You just have to understand their role in God’s plan and then find your place in or around that plan. 

Favor isn’t about the person; it’s about the plan:  God’s plan.

When you experience favor, remember what it’s for and remember Whom it’s from.

You’re good, but you’re not THAT good.  God did it.  You’re smart but --- be honest --- you weren’t smart enough to see that coming.  God revealed it to you.  People like you, but seriously, not THAT much.  Your opportunities, your second and third plus chances aren’t your doing. 

God is the secret to your success. 

After the phenomenally successful meeting with the Philistines,  Abraham planted a tamarisk tree in Beersheba, and there called on the name of the Lord, the Everlasting God (Genesis 21:33).  Abraham gave praise to God and planted a reminder that his favored position in Philistine territory was because of God.

When that meeting goes waaaay better than it should have, don’t forget to have a praise party when everyone else has left ---- maybe even before.  When you’re in that new office, new home, new position, better situation, plant something there: a plant, a plaque, a screensaver, a symbol that you pass every day to remind you that life isn’t fair; but God has made it unfair in your FAVOR.

---Anderson T. Graves II   is a writer, community organizer and consultant for education, ministry, and rural leadership development.

Rev. Anderson T. Graves II is pastor of Miles Chapel CME Church in Fairfield, Alabama;  executive director of the Substance Abuse Youth Networking Organization (SAYNO);  and director of rural leadership development for the National Institute for Human Development (NIHD).

Subscribe to my personal blog  www.andersontgraves.blogspot.com .

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GHETTO NAMES

From time to time, groups of African-Americans get into debates over which names we  should give our kids.  For Black people this is serious business because newspaper investigations, generations of personal anecdotes, and multiple studies, like the one conducted by the National Bureau of Economic Research, have shown that ethnic sounding names can be a hindrance to success in the corporate world.

What researchers call “ethnic sounding names,”  were once called Afrocentric names.   Informally, we now usually use the disparaging term “ghetto names.”  And African-Americans still pass those names to our children--- a lot.

Oh, wait.  You do know the kinds of names I’m talking about, right?  These are names typically built around the consonant sounds  q, r, and sh.    Multi-syllabic names with lots of a’s, long e’s, er’s, and ia’s .   Some parents take a common name and spelling it too phonetically.  For example, Airwreacka for Erica.   

Another way is to appropriate a brand name or a complex term and use it as a name, like calling a girl Alopecia Areata-- which is a skin disease that causes hair loss.   (Yes, I’ve met a girl named Alopecia Areata.)

In some cases, parents choose such names because they have a genuine linguistic translation into something significant.  Ashanti or Asante, for example, is the name of a Ghanaian tribe that once held a vast empire.

But most of the times, parents give their babies “ethnic sounding” names because the parents think they sound cute or look cool.

But, here’s the point of this post:  this whole debate over ethnic names isn’t new, nor is it unique to Black people in America.

1 Chronicles chapter 3 lists the genealogy of Saul, the first king of united Israel.  Verse 33 says that Saul named one of his sons Esh-baal.  Saul’s oldest son Jonathan named one of the grandbabies Merib-baal. 

Baal was a generic name for any of the pagan gods worshipped by the surrounding Philistine and Canaanite tribes.  So, Esh-baal means “man of Baal.”   Merib-Baal means something like “Baal Is My Advocate.”

So, think.    Why would two generations of good Jewish men from a good---- heck, from a royal---- Jewish family give their babies pagan, Philistine sounding names?

Cause they sounded cute.  Cause those names were cool.

At the time Saul came to the throne, Philistia was the dominant military and political power of the region.  Israel was like a minor, ethnic minority, tributary territory of loosely connected backwater tribes.  Heck, until Saul, “those people” didn’t even have a king.

To Israel, the Philistines would have been cool.  Yes, they were uncircumcised heathen oppressors, but they were powerful.  They had culture and money and their own blacksmiths.  I bet you that young Israeli girls wanted to wear their hair in Philistine styles.  I bet you that teenage Israeli boys wore their robes like the Philistines did.  (And if the Philistines had been sagging, the Israeli boys would have been sagging.)  Because that was swag back then.

After Israel became a “real” kingdom and Saul’s family became royal, it wasn’t cool anymore to have a Philistine name.  Kids with Philistine sounding names were considered less patriotic, less desirable to employ than kids with good, strong, Anglo--- I mean Hebrew--- names.

That’s why, if you follow the story chronologically to 2 Samuel, King Saul’s family doesn’t use those ethnic sounding names anymore. 

2 Samuel 2: 8 refers to Ishbosheth, the son of Saul.  He’s not Esh-baal anymore.

2 Samuel 4: 4 refers to Jonathan’s son named Mephibosheth.   They don’t call him Merib-baal anymore. 

Mephibosheth means “destroyer of idols” or “exterminator of shame.”    O.K., so it’s obvious how that name change reflects a genuine linguistic translation into something significant.

But his Uncle Ishbosheth’s new moniker means “man of shame.”  Not exactly a kingly title, but so what?  It’s a Jewish name, not an “ethnic” name.

It’s like a kid named Keniqua who decides to start going by Kennedy.  Never mind that Kennedy means “helmet head.”   Or, a parent who decides to shorten Porsheresa to Portia, nevermind that Portia means “pig.”  Or the Vietnamese immigrant who drops Ngyuen in favor of Nelson.

The way we beat each other up over names, hairstyles, clothing fads, etc. is nothing new.  It’s not unique to the American experience or the African-American experience. 

That which has been is what will be,

That which is done is what will be done,

And there is nothing new under the sun. (Ecclesiastes 1:9)

All this stuff is just part of the age-old human experience.

Changing names may have made Mephibosheth and Ishbosheth sound more acceptable.  But the name changes didn’t keep the throne in their family.  Some kid out of nowhere named David still came to power.  The name didn’t make the man.

God made the man and the name followed.

…to My servant David, ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts: “I took you from the sheepfold, from following the sheep, to be ruler over My people, over Israel.

 And I have been with you wherever you have gone, and have cut off all your enemies from before you, and have made you a great name, like the name of the great men who are on the earth. (2 Samuel 7: 8-9)

My all Black household has a collection of the most anglo names in America:  Anderson, Sheila, Katlin, and Anderson III.  But those names don’t guarantee success.   Just like a ridiculously ethnic sounding name like, for example, Barack Hussein Obama, doesn’t preclude success. 

Each of us has to choose how we will relate or not relate to Jesus Christ.  Each of us has to choose how we will obey or disobey God’s Word.  Each of us has to choose whether or not we will live in line with or aligned against God’s will.  Because ultimately, 

God decides whether or not to pour out his favor and it is God’s favor that makes the man or woman A GREAT NAME, LIKE THE NAME OF THE GREAT MEN WHO ARE ON THE EARTH.

---Rev. Anderson T. Graves II   (email:  atgravestwo2@aol.com )

Anderson T. Graves II is a writer, community organizer and consultant for education, ministry, and rural leadership development.

Rev. Anderson T. Graves II is pastor of Miles Chapel CME Church (5220 Myron Massey Boulevard) in Fairfield, Alabama;  executive director of the Substance Abuse Youth Networking Organization (SAYNO);  and director of rural leadership development for the National Institute for Human Development (NIHD).

Subscribe to my blog at www.andersontgraves.blogspot.com  

Friend me at www.facebook.com/rev.a.t.graves