SHIELD & REWARD – Genesis 21:22-34

Psalm 112 announces: “...blessed is the man who fears the Lord; who greatly delights in His commandments”. The song thusly continues expounding, via 'poetic ideal', the rewards of godly fear. Abraham's account in our text today illustrates the 'blessed man' of Ps 112 in real time. In Gen 21, a foreign king is seeking Abraham's favor and acknowledging the status of the patriarch whose renown is increasing in the land. Further echoing the theme of Ps 112, Abraham's legacy is now assured through the birth of the covenant son. Blessings attend the God-fearing and Abraham is proof. There is quite a contrast between this encounter with Abimelech and the occasion of their first meeting in chapter 20. What could account for this difference? The context answers along the way. Incidentally, the first encounter between Abraham and Abimelech involved conflict with respect to the promised seed, (if Sarah became Abimelech's wife, the line of the Messiah would be jeopardized). The second encounter involves conflict regarding the land (a dispute over a well in the area which would eventually mark the southern border of Israel). Covenant themes are featured in this way throughout the narrative. Can Yahweh be trusted to secure the promises of the Abrahamic covenant in spite of trials? The consistent answer through the record of Genesis is a resounding: “yes!” punctuated with numerous testimonies of the Lord's faithfulness along the way. Our text today is no exception...