May the mumbling commence!
What about the call of the Lord to
bless others? Let’s think about that as
we read the rest of Genesis chapter twenty-one.
Read from Peterson’s The Message:
At about
that same time, Abimelech and the
captain of his troops, Phicol, spoke to
Abraham: “No
matter what you do, God is on your side. So swear to me
that you won’t do anything underhanded to me or any of my
family. For as long as you live here,
swear that you’ll treat me and my land as well as I’ve treated you.”
Abraham said, “I swear it.”
At the same time, Abraham
confronted Abimelech
over the matter of a
well of water that Abimelech’s servants had taken. Abimelech said,
“I have no idea
who did this; you never told me
about it; this is the first I’ve heard of it.”
So the two of them made a covenant. Abraham took sheep and cattle and
gave them to Abimelech. Abraham set
aside seven sheep from his flock.
Abimelech said, “What does this mean?
These seven sheep you’ve set aside.”
Abraham said, “It means that when you accept these seven sheep,
you take it as proof that I dug this well,
that it’s my well.”
That’s how the place got
named Beersheba (the Oath-Well), because
the two of them swore an oath there.
After they had made the covenant
at Beersheba, Abimelech and his commander, Phicol,
left and went back to
Philistine territory.
Abraham planted a tamarisk tree in Beersheba and worshiped God
there, praying to the Eternal God. Abraham lived
in Philistine country
for a long time. (Genesis 21:22-34)
Now read the same passage from the
NIV translation:
At that time Abimelech and Phicol the commander of his forces said to Abraham, "God is with you in everything you do. Now swear to me
here before God that you will not deal falsely with me or my children or
my descendants. Show to me and the country where you are living as an alien the
same kindness I have shown to you."
Abraham said, "I swear it."
Then Abraham complained to
Abimelech about
a well of water that Abimelech's servants had
seized. But
Abimelech said, "I don't know who has done this. You did not tell me, and I heard about it only
today." So Abraham brought sheep and cattle and gave them to Abimelech, and the two
men made a treaty. Abraham set apart seven ewe lambs from the flock, and Abimelech asked
Abraham, "What is the meaning of these
seven ewe lambs you
have set apart by themselves?"
He replied, "Accept these seven lambs
from my hand as a witness that I dug this
well."
So that place was called Beersheba,
because the two men swore an oath there.
After the treaty had been made
at Beersheba, Abimelech and Phicol the commander of his forces returned to the land of the Philistines. Abraham planted a
tamarisk tree in Beersheba, and there he called
upon the name of the Lord, the Eternal
God. And Abraham stayed in the land of the Philistines
for a long time. (Genesis 21:22-34)
Our past actions echo throughout
our lives – for good or for evil.
Abraham’s actions and thoughts toward Abimelech and his people are
echoing in this passage. Abraham had
behaved poorly toward Abimelech, while Abimelech had responded with grace and
humility. Yet God restored Abraham. God restored Abraham so that he might be a
blessing to all people.
But Abimelech wanted assurance that
Abraham would treat him fairly in response.
I still do not like Peterson’s turn
of phrase “God is on your side” over the NIV “God is with you”. The difference is too far apart, and abuse of
the Scripture too tempting. We’ve seen
it too many times to count already. Why
give the idea more credence?
I also do not like the attitude
difference between Abraham complaining (NIV) and confronting (Peterson)
Abimelech. Peterson grants Abraham a
raised standing over Abimelech that simply was not there. Abraham, in many ways, is still at the mercy
of Abimelech. He gives Abimelech seven
female ewes (NIV), which are quite valuable because of their ability to produce
more sheep… rather than simply saying sheep (Peterson).
The last issue that I will take up
is the matter of their agreement with one another. I don’t know about you, but I think there’s a
significant difference between making a treaty and making a covenant. I see a treaty as more temporal and a
covenant as more long-lasting or even eternal.
I do not like Peterson’s use of covenant in this context.
Enough mumbling for now…
Peace Out
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