Gen. 22, The Father Abraham

Here are some more observations from Genesis and the life of Abraham.

·       21:22-34: This is a story about Abraham gaining legal access to the well at what became Beersheba.  By “legal” we mean that the ruling power of the land (Abimelech, whose name means “my father is king” and might have been the title given to the king in this area as Isaac also dealt with him, Gen. 26:1; a son of Gideon had this name, Judges 9:1; and David dealt with the Philistine King of Gath, in the same area of Gerar, cf. the title to Psalm 34) agreed that it was Abraham’s after denying Abraham wells he had dug previously.

o   I have no answer, but wonder what the connection might have been between Gerar and Philistia.  Did the treaty Abraham made have any weight in the time of David?  Beersheba was always an Israelite city.  Yet Israel and the Philistines were usually at odds with each other although the Philistine cities of Gath and Ekron, which were close to the border of Israel, sometimes had some relationship with Israel (1 Sam. 13:19-23).

o   The tree Abraham planted is tied to the issue of the well at Beersheba.  Abraham has been in the land for a while and this is the first piece of property he might call his own.  Seeing God’s faithfulness in this small thing leads him to worship the eternal God.  And it leads God to bring upon Abraham his greatest test.

·       That greatest test is in Gen. 22.  And note, if you are wondering: God calls it a “test.”  The Hebrew is nasa meaning to test, try, prove, tempt, assay.  Yes, I remember James 1:13, that God tempts no one to do evil.  This was not what this test was about.  It was a test to reveal Abraham’s heart.  Some of the previous tests hadn’t gone so well (in Egypt, for example, and listening to Sarai’s plan for having a child). 

o   Almost certainly it must have entered Abraham’s mind that just maybe Isaac was going to be the fulfillment of the One promised in Gen. 3:15. The righteous line had been longing for and waiting for this One.  Even the ungodly had this “Messianic expectation” as is evident in the practice of blood sacrifices in all the religions of the day.  That is why, when it turns out not to be Isaac, that Abraham names the place “Jehovah Jireh” (“The LORD will provide”).  Abraham is thinking in terms of the Savior.  For the time being, the LORD provided a ram in the thicket.  But Abraham, who had just seen the eternal God provide a well he could call his own, knew the same eternal God would keep His word and provide the Savior with living water!

o   In terms of God’s covenant with Abraham, given first in Gen. 12:1-3, the 3 major aspects have been satisfied for Abraham.  The issue of descendants was settled in Gen. 15:4-6; the issue of the land was settled at Beersheba in 21:33; and now the Messiah, the blessing on all nations, is settled in 22:15-18.

As always, Abraham is the picture of FAITH and FAITHFULNESS for us.