Nepaug Bible Church - http://www.nepaugchurch.org - Pastor's Evening Sermon Notes - http://www.nepaugchurch.org/ev/ev19991121.htm

GENESIS: THE SOURCES OF GOOD AND CALAMITY IN OUR ORIGINS
Part III - God's Ongoing Program Of Countering Man's Apostasy At Babel
L. Round Eleven - Living By A Wise Faith Among Untrustworthy And Hazardous People
(Genesis 21:22-34)
  1. Introduction
    1. Mutual trust is an essential ingredient of maintaining peace in society. When trust fades, people become defensive, isolated, and communication breaks down to everyone's disadvantage.
    2. Our society is losing degrees of mutual trust: schools promote atheism hostile to religious beliefs, people cheat in businesses, graft in governmental welfare breeds national distrust and even churches experience mutual distrust as seen in their high turnover rates of both pastors and congregations.
    3. Abraham lived with distrust as an alien in Canaan, and modeled a life of faith to handle it as follows:
  2. Living By A Wise Faith Among Untrustworthy And Hazardous People, Gen. 21:22-34.
    1. Abraham did not trust the Gentile rulers among whom he dwelt, but viewed them as potentially harmful:
      1. He exposed this distrust in his initial deceit regarding his marriage to Sarah in Genesis 20:
        1. When he first entered Gerar, Abraham pretended to be just Sarah's brother before Abimelech, 20:1-2.
        2. He did so lest Abimelech kill him to wed Sarah, an apparently typical practice of this Canaanite king, Genesis 20:11 with Ryrie Study Bible, KJV ftn. to Genesis 20:2.
      2. Abraham exposed this distrust of the Gentile ruler in Abimelech's forced seizure of his well, Gen. 21:
        1. One Abimelech's servants forcibly seized a well that Abraham's servants had dug, Gen. 21:25b, 30c.
        2. Because he might have felt he had worn out his welcome over pretending not to be married to Sarah, or perhaps because he felt vulnerable, Abraham first did nothing about the well's seizure, cf. 21:25.
        3. Abraham might have felt Abimelech "got even" in having to deliver so many goods to Abraham in returning Sarah to him, and that by seizing the well, cf. Gen. 20:16-18. In any event, Abraham felt nervous about confronting Abimelech about the well since he was in the minority as an alien.
    2. Yet, in FAITH, Abraham did NOT LEAVE Canaan, but STAYED there, trusting God would make ROOM for him to function amidst those he judged to be untrustworthy and hazardous people!
    3. As a reward to Abraham's faith, God made Abimelech and his army commander, Phichol see God greatly blessed Abraham, making them respect Abraham out of a fear of God for their own welfare, Gen. 21:22.
    4. Accordingly, Abimelech and Phichol sought to make a peaceful treaty with Abraham, Genesis 21:23.
    5. Abraham took advantage of this public expression of Gentile good will to his protective advantage, wisely legally insuring his welfare among those he felt were untrustworthy, hazardous people, Genesis 21:24-34:
      1. First, Abraham wisely agreed to a general treaty of peaceful co-existence with Abimelech, Gen. 21:24.
      2. Second, he appealed to Abimelech's current public expression of goodwill to seek specific restoration of his seized well, Genesis 21:25. In the public meeting of the two men to make a general covenant, Abraham brought up the issue of the seized well and Abimelech made a public disclaimer, stating he knew nothing of the well's seizure and had not been approached about it by anyone, Genesis 21:26-27.
      3. Yet, just to be sure about securing the well as he really did not fully trust Abimelech, Abraham set aside seven ewes to cover the well's return as a public legal binder, Gen. 21:28. Abimelech was over a barrel as the meeting was public anyway, and he himself had instigated the treaty talks. Thus, he yielded to Abraham and received the sheep as a pledge regarding the well's ownership, Gen. 21:29-32.
    6. In the end, Abraham used his legally contracted agreement to settle down with a degree of stability: he planted a tamarisk tree like he was going to stay (Gen. 21:33), named the well "Beer-sheba", meaning "well of the seven" to focus on the legality of his ownership of the well via the "seven-ewed" purchase of it (Gen. 21:31), and stayed a while in that legally secure spot (Gen. 21:34).
Lesson: When Abraham saw he was unable to protect his interests before men he saw as untrustworthy and hazardous, he lay low in FAITH until GOD gave him the respect needed secure his protection.

Application: In relating in a society where trust breaks down and we view some as possibly hazardous, like Abraham, we TOO should WAIT in FAITH for GOD to provide the openings needed for the LEVERAGE to gain LEGAL or CULTURALLY BINDING moves to mak e life more secure or easier!