25But when Abraham complained to Abimelech about a well that Abimelech’s servants had seized, 26Abimelech replied, “I do not know who has done this. You did not tell me, so I have not heard about it until today.”
27So Abraham brought sheep and cattle and gave them to Abimelech, and the two men made a covenant. 28Abraham separated seven ewe lambs from the flock, 29and Abimelech asked him, “Why have you set apart these seven ewe lambs?”
30He replied, “You are to accept the seven ewe lambs from my hand as my witness that I dug this well.” 31So that place was called Beersheba, because it was there that the two of them swore an oath. 32After they had made the covenant at Beersheba, Abimelech and Phicol the commander of his army got up and returned to the land of the Philistines.
33And Abraham planted a tamarisk tree in Beersheba, and there he called upon the name of the LORD, the Eternal God. 34And Abraham resided in the land of the Philistines for a long time.
There were no rivers in the area and a well was of significant importance. Abraham made a strong rebuke of Abimelech because his servants seized the well. Most likely when the covenant was made Abraham made a sacrifice to seal the truth that he dug the well.
Beersheba means, watering place, well of underground water. Some understand the biblical name of Beersheba to mean well of seven or the well of the oath.
The tamarisk tree emits salt and is sometimes referred to a salt cedar. An ancient well still exists in the area which is still called Abraham’s well as do tamarisk trees.
“and there he called upon the name of the LORD,”... In this time of conflict Abraham still calls on the name of the Lord, the eternal God.
May we follow Abraham’s example in times of conflict and call on the name of the Lord, the eternal God!
Blessings, David
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