Wells, Witnesses, and the Everlasting God Text: Genesis 21:22-34
Introduction: The Aroma of Christ
We come now to a passage that, on the surface, appears to be a simple ancient property dispute. It is a story about a well. But in Scripture, nothing is ever just what it is on the surface. We are dealing with Abraham, the friend of God and the father of all who believe. Every step he takes in the land of promise is a sermon for us. Every interaction he has with the surrounding pagans is a lesson in how the people of God are to conduct themselves in a world that is not their home, but which is nevertheless their Father's property.
In our last study, we saw the painful but necessary expulsion of Hagar and Ishmael. That was an internal conflict, a sorting out of the covenant line within Abraham's own household. Now, the camera turns outward. Abraham must deal with the foreign powers of the land, represented by Abimelech, king of the Philistines. And what we find is that Abraham's faithfulness has not gone unnoticed. The quiet, steady, God-ward orientation of his life has created a reputation. A pagan king looks at this wandering sojourner and concludes, "God is with you in all that you do."
This is the goal. This is what our lives as Christians are meant to produce in the world. We are to live in such a way that even those who do not know our God are forced to reckon with Him because they see His hand on us. Peter tells us to keep our conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against us as evildoers, they may see our good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation (1 Peter 2:12). Abraham is living this out. He is a walking, talking demonstration of the goodness and power of Yahweh, and the nations are taking notice. This passage, then, is about more than just a well. It is about the power of a godly testimony, the importance of dealing righteously in conflict, and the worship that flows from recognizing God's everlasting faithfulness.
The Text
Now it happened 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; so now, 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 lovingkindness that I have shown you, you shall show me and the land in which you have sojourned.” And Abraham said, “I swear it.” But Abraham reproved Abimelech about the well of water which the servants of Abimelech had seized. 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.”
So Abraham took sheep and oxen and gave them to Abimelech, and the two of them cut a covenant. Then Abraham set seven ewe lambs of the flock by themselves. And Abimelech said to Abraham, “What do these seven ewe lambs mean, which you have set by themselves?” 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.” Therefore he called that place Beersheba, because there the two of them swore an oath. So they cut a covenant at Beersheba; and Abimelech and Phicol, the commander of his army, arose and returned to the land of the Philistines. And Abraham planted a tamarisk tree at Beersheba, and there he called upon the name of Yahweh, the Everlasting God. And Abraham sojourned in the land of the Philistines for many days.
(Genesis 21:22-34 LSB)
The Power of a Godly Testimony (vv. 22-24)
We begin with the approach of the king of Gerar.
"Now it happened 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; so now, 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 lovingkindness that I have shown you, you shall show me and the land in which you have sojourned.' And Abraham said, 'I swear it.'" (Genesis 21:22-24)
Abimelech, a pagan king, comes to Abraham, a man with no army, no kingdom, and no land to his name, and he seeks a treaty. This is a remarkable reversal of the ordinary course of things. Powerful kings do not typically seek out treaties with nomadic shepherds. But Abimelech is a shrewd man. He has observed Abraham. He remembers the incident with Sarah where God afflicted his house and made it clear that Abraham was His man. He sees the blessing of God on Abraham's flocks, his household, and his endeavors. Abimelech is not a theologian, but he is a pragmatist. He can see power when it is displayed, and he recognizes that the real power in the land is not his army, but Abraham's God.
His conclusion is simple and profound: "God is with you in all that you do." This is the confession that our lives should provoke from the world. When we live by faith, when we walk in obedience, when we deal honestly, and when we trust God through trials, we become a living signpost pointing to the reality of the unseen God. The world may not like the message, but they cannot deny the evidence. Abimelech wants to get on the right side of this God, and the only way he knows how is to get on the right side of Abraham.
So he proposes a covenant, an oath. And notice the basis of his appeal. He asks Abraham to deal with him according to the "lovingkindness" (Hebrew: chesed) that he has shown Abraham. This is covenantal language. Abimelech is saying, "I treated you well when you were in my land, even after you deceived me about your wife. Now, let's formalize this relationship. Let's swear an oath of mutual loyalty." Abraham, without hesitation, agrees: "I swear it." This shows Abraham's character. He is not a man who holds grudges. He is a man of his word, willing to live at peace with his neighbors.
Righteous Confrontation and Resolution (vv. 25-27)
Before the covenant is finalized, however, there is a matter of business to attend to. Abraham is willing to make peace, but not at the expense of justice.
"But Abraham reproved Abimelech about the well of water which the servants of Abimelech had seized. 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.' So Abraham took sheep and oxen and gave them to Abimelech, and the two of them cut a covenant." (Genesis 21:25-27)
This is a model for how Christians ought to handle conflict. Abraham does not grumble behind Abimelech's back. He does not let bitterness fester. He does not launch a guerrilla raid to take the well back. He goes directly to the man in charge and "reproved" him. The word means to confront, to bring a charge, to set a matter straight. He does this openly and honestly. In a dry and arid land, a well was a matter of life and death. It was a significant asset, and Abraham had dug it. His property rights had been violated.
Abimelech's response is one of immediate integrity. He does not get defensive. He does not make excuses for his men. He pleads ignorance: "I do not know who has done this thing." A lesser man might have felt his authority challenged, but Abimelech is wise enough to know that justice is the foundation of any stable rule. He acknowledges the legitimacy of Abraham's complaint. With the air cleared, the two men can proceed. They "cut a covenant," the standard idiom for making a formal, binding treaty, likely involving the sacrifice of animals.
This is the pattern of Matthew 18 in embryonic form. If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault between you and him alone. Abraham handles the conflict directly, honestly, and with the goal of restoration. He is firm about his rights but gracious in his approach. This is the balance we must strive for. We are not to be doormats, allowing injustice to go unchecked. But our confrontations must always be for the purpose of making things right, not just for winning an argument.
The Well of the Oath (vv. 28-32)
Abraham then takes an extra step to solidify the terms of the covenant, specifically concerning the well.
"Then Abraham set seven ewe lambs of the flock by themselves. And Abimelech said to Abraham, 'What do these seven ewe lambs mean, which you have set by themselves?' 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.' Therefore he called that place Beersheba, because there the two of them swore an oath." (Genesis 21:28-31)
This is a masterful piece of diplomacy and covenant-making. The seven ewe lambs are not part of the primary covenant gift. They are set apart for a special purpose. Abraham is creating a public, memorable sign. In a world without written contracts and public notaries, you needed tangible witnesses. By having Abimelech personally accept these seven lambs, he is forcing the king to publicly acknowledge Abraham's ownership of the well. It is a transaction. Abimelech is not just hearing Abraham's claim; he is participating in a ceremony that validates it. He is accepting payment that functions as a receipt and a title deed all in one.
The number seven in Scripture is the number of perfection, of completion, of the oath. The Hebrew word for "oath" (shebuah) is built on the same root as the word for "seven" (sheba). Abraham is making a pun with live animals. He is saying, "Let these seven (sheba) lambs be the sign of our oath (shebuah)." This is how the place gets its name: Beersheba, which can mean "Well of the Seven" or "Well of the Oath."
Abraham is not just securing water rights. He is establishing a foothold in the Promised Land. He is acting in faith, laying a claim to the inheritance God has promised him. He is not doing it through conquest, but through righteous dealing and covenant faithfulness. He is buying and sanctifying a piece of the land through a peaceful, legal transaction, just as he will later buy the cave of Machpelah as a burial site. He is planting seeds of the kingdom of God in the soil of Canaan.
Worship and Sojourning (vv. 33-34)
The episode concludes not with a political celebration, but with an act of worship.
"And Abraham planted a tamarisk tree at Beersheba, and there he called upon the name of Yahweh, the Everlasting God. And Abraham sojourned in the land of the Philistines for many days." (Genesis 21:33-34)
Having secured his rights and made peace with his neighbors, Abraham's first instinct is to turn to God. He plants a tamarisk tree. This is not a random act of horticulture. A tamarisk is a long-lived, slow-growing, drought-resistant tree. Planting it was an act of faith in the future. It was a statement that he and his descendants would be in this place for a long time, enjoying God's provision. It was a memorial, a living monument to the faithfulness of God.
And there, under this symbol of permanence and endurance, he "called upon the name of Yahweh, El Olam." This is the first time this name for God, El Olam, the Everlasting God, appears in Scripture. Why here? Because Abraham has just been dealing with generational promises. Abimelech wanted a treaty for his offspring and posterity. Abraham, the man who has the promise of descendants as numerous as the stars, has just secured a well for them. He looks at the slow-growing tree, he considers the covenant that extends beyond his own lifetime, and he worships the God who is not bound by time. He worships the God whose promises are not temporary, whose covenant endures forever. El Olam is the God of generations. He is the God who was there before the beginning, who is working all things out in time, and who will be there long after the tamarisk tree has turned to dust.
This is the foundation of Abraham's stability. He can sojourn in the land of the Philistines, living as a resident alien, precisely because his ultimate security is not in a treaty with Abimelech, but in his relationship with the Everlasting God. The pagan king sees that God is with Abraham, and Abraham knows why: because El Olam, the covenant-keeping God of eternity, has sworn an oath to him. And that is a foundation that can never be shaken.