AN OLD ENEMY VISITING

At that time Abimelech, with Philcol the commander of his army said to Abraham, God is with you in all that you do; now therefore swear to me here by God that you will not deal falsely with me or with my offspring or with my posterity, but as I have dealt loyally with you, you will deal with me and with the land where you have resided as an alien. And Abraham said “ I swear it”.

Then Abraham rebuked Abimelech because of a well of water which Abimelech’s servants had seized… Genesis 21:22-25

Have you ever nursed a grudge against someone and found it awfully difficult to forgive? That even though you tried but somehow those bitter memories remain hidden in some unreachable places of your spirit? It happens to us all and it happened to Abraham. And he was in that same position that day when Abimelech visited Abraham under the pretext of peace. There was one unsettled issue- a well which belonged to Abraham which Abimelech had seized. Abraham had been treated with disrespect by this man of authority .This man had ruffled his feelings and so it’s understandable why Abraham nursed a grudge against him.

It was a very old quarrel and it was related to a well. Abraham’s servants had dug a well but when the waters gushed forth, Abimelech confiscated it! The reason is obvious – Abraham did not own the land- he was just a stranger in the land and it was easy to bully him and shove him out of the land. Further Abimelech was a man of authority, a king and he had his army commander with him, Philcol. But Abraham was just a wandering gypsy with just home born slaves. And now Abraham had dug another well, and the king was at his doorstep again. At Abimelech’s bidding, Abraham swore the peace the king wanted and settle the old quarrel.

But even though the peace had been sealed, Abraham could not hold it in. The next verse tells us that Abraham rebuked the king for his conniving ways. But Abimelech very diplomatically and tactfully denied any knowledge of the well. Abimelech represents one of those people who are just filled with envy and jealousy at the prosperity of others. But at the same time they are able to portray very innocent faces when confronted. The truth is that Abimelech is a man with such a notorious sense of insecurity that he had to bring along the commander of his army to negotiate with a travelling gypsy!

But Abraham made the peace because he was thinking of going into retirement. He had cut ties with Lot his nephew. He had sent off Hagar and Ishmael. Now finally he had peace with neighbours. The journey had been tough but he had traveled the road. By letting the old grudge against Abimelech he could now concentrate on his own future.

How are you dealing with your own Abimelech? It is enough. Those incidents that happened a longtime ago should not occupy your mind forever. What happened cannot be erased. No doubt you can never forget Abimelech for what he did to you. But you certainly will be more prepared and matured in your dealings when you meet the next Abimelech. For the sake of your own peace, sign the peace treaty.