Israel and Palestine

Read Genesis 21:22-34

22 And it came to pass at that time, that Abimelech and Phichol the chief captain of his host spake unto Abraham, saying, God is with thee in all that thou doest:
23 Now therefore swear unto me here by God that thou wilt not deal falsely with me, nor with my son, nor with my son's son: but according to the kindness that I have done unto thee, thou shalt do unto me, and to the land wherein thou hast sojourned.
24 And Abraham said, I will swear.
25 And Abraham reproved Abimelech because of a well of water, which Abimelech's servants had violently taken away.
26 And Abimelech said, I wot not who hath done this thing: neither didst thou tell me, neither yet heard I of it, but to day.
27 And Abraham took sheep and oxen, and gave them unto Abimelech; and both of them made a covenant.
28 And Abraham set seven ewe lambs of the flock by themselves.
29 And Abimelech said unto Abraham, What mean these seven ewe lambs which thou hast set by themselves?
30 And he said, For these seven ewe lambs shalt thou take of my hand, that they may be a witness unto me, that I have digged this well.
31 Wherefore he called that place Beersheba; because there they sware both of them.
32 Thus they made a covenant at Beersheba: then Abimelech rose up, and Phichol the chief captain of his host, and they returned into the land of the Philistines.
33 And Abraham planted a grove in Beersheba, and called there on the name of the LORD, the everlasting God.
34 And Abraham sojourned in the Philistines' land many days.

King Abimelech feared Abraham's God. He knew His power.

So, for insurance, he took his captain with him and went to have a talk with Abraham, to make sure that peace between them is secured.

Abraham agreed to the treaty, but had a problem with a well he had dug that the King's servants had violently taken away from them. Abimelech didn't know anything about it. Abraham decided to be the bigger man and give Abimelech seven ewe lambs in payment for the well, that it could provide his people with needed water. He called the place where the well was dug "Beersheba", in honor of the agreement they had reached concerning it.

They lived in the land of the Philistines. Later, many years later, that area came to be known as part of Israel. The Palestinian people are descended from the Philistines. There is still much unrest in Israel between them.

Tamarisks are a common tree found in that area today. Some translations say it was a tamarisk tree that he planted, not a grove. No one knows for sure, but it seems likely, given the environment today.

The Contentious Brother...

Previously...

Genesis 16
7 And the angel of the LORD found her by a fountain of water in the wilderness, by the fountain in the way to Shur.
8 And he said, Hagar, Sarai's maid, whence camest thou? and whither wilt thou go? And she said, I flee from the face of my mistress Sarai.
9 And the angel of the LORD said unto her, Return to thy mistress, and submit thyself under her hands.
10 And the angel of the LORD said unto her, I will multiply thy seed exceedingly, that it shall not be numbered for multitude.
11 And the angel of the LORD said unto her, Behold, thou art with child, and shalt bear a son, and shalt call his name Ishmael; because the LORD hath heard thy affliction.
12 And he will be a wild man; his hand will be against every man, and every man's hand against him; and he shall dwell in the presence of all his brethren.

All of Abram's servants knew God. As a good family patriarch, it was his duty to teach him his ways, and to lead them to right living. Whether they worshiped God or not, they were taught to respect his worship of God.

So, Hagar knew Abram's God, and when the Angel of the Lord appeared before her in the wilderness, she recognized Him.

The angel instructed her to go back and submit herself to Sarai, for the Lord was going to bless her child. The angel told her to name her son Ishmael, then told her what manner of child she was carrying.

Ishmael (and his descendants) would be a wildman. In Hebrew, it is translated as "running wild", or having no authority over him.

Hagar took this as a blessing -- but what happens when a man has no authority figure to look to? He learns not to respect authority.

The angel also told her that he and his brothers would live near each other, yet they would bicker and fight all the time.

Today, it is no secret that the Muslims are descendents of Ishmael, and that the land of Palestine belongs to them. Israel and Palestine are constantly fighting with each other.

The Dome of the Rock has been a source of contention in the Middle East for ages. Israel claims that that is where the original temple stood. Palestinians claim that Ishmael was the first-born, therefore the land belongs to them.

The government claims that none of the wars that erupt there and spread out over the world are religious in nature -- that the war against terror is not a religious war. Yet, knowing the relationship of Isaac and Ishmael gives good cause not to deny it.

The Muslims attack anyone who supports Israel. Israel wants peace...in addition to what is rightfully theirs.

Genesis 16:
13 And she called the name of the LORD that spake unto her, Thou God seest me: for she said, Have I also here looked after him that seeth me?

Hagar praised God because He regarded her with such honor in showing Himself to her. Before, she is like many are today: They know God is there, but does He really care? She praised a God she realized actually looked at her, a lowly servant girl from a foreign country -- though she had never regarded Him with any mind until that moment.

You can always run but you can't run from God. He will show up where ever you are if He needs you.

Genesis 16:
14 Wherefore the well was called Beerlahairoi; behold, it is between Kadesh and Bered.
15 And Hagar bare Abram a son: and Abram called his son's name, which Hagar bare, Ishmael.
16 And Abram was fourscore and six years old, when Hagar bare Ishmael to Abram.

Abram was 86 years old when Ishael was born.

Abram and Sarai's lack of faith in God's plan (hence, their attempt to take matters into their own hands instead of letting God be God) has caused the fighting in the Middle East for centuries.

When you don't let God do what He promises in His way, and in HIS time, you are affecting the well-being of future generations to come.

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