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).
Email atgravestwo2@aol.com
Support by check or
money order may be mailed to
Miles Chapel CME
Church
P O Box 132
Fairfield, Al 35064
