Ann H LeFevre
  • Home
  • Ready for the Road Ahead
  • Images & Ink
  • Recommended Resources
  • About
  • Store
  • Behind the PIcture

Beersheba- Getting Along with the Neighbors

8/11/2017

0 Comments

 
            Our tour group filed out of the bus and headed up the wide path on the way to Beersheba.  I confess the impact of what I was about to see didn’t really hit me at first but its significance soon would.  The first stop on this leg of the tour was an ancient well.  Its original condition was in such disrepair that archaeologists had restored it using distinctly different stones so that you could tell what was old and what wasn’t.  “Excavations of this well have gone as deep as the Middle Bronze Age” the guide stated.  It didn’t really sink in until we were reminded that the date was current with the patriarchs.  Then the “Aha!” moment sunk in.  We were standing at the very well dug by Abraham in Genesis 21.  History and faith had hit home.
            The Negev (where Beersheba is located) has been used for grazing herds for thousands of years (and still is today).  With its limited rainfall the water supply was largely provided by wells.  Water rights in places such as this were established by contracts.  In Genesis 21:27-32 a dispute arises between Abraham and Abimelech over the very well we stood by at Beersheba.  Other Ancient Near East documents have shown how control of the water could become an international issue especially when the technological know-how and man power to construct a well was what insured the wells ability to produce and then retain the water.  The significant amount of labor necessary for such an important undertaking makes it obvious why the rights to the water supply would be worth fighting over.
            Since water was a precious commodity in this region laws were established to ensure that all had a fair chance of survival regarding their wells.  Contracts and other agreements in most cases required a formal oath such as the one we see taking place between Abraham and Abimelech.  These oaths were generally followed by stipulations which frequently included a pledge of non-hostility between the two parties.  Oaths also involved a ceremonial meal or sacrifice (such as the one in Gen. 26:30) and sometimes the exchange of gifts.  If you’re reading through Genesis and come upon the account of Abraham and Abimelech you can pass over these verses without really recognizing the importance of the transaction.  After all we are far removed from water concerns for the most part.  We pick up a bottle or turn on the faucet and the water flows freely.  In this case Abraham has dug a well, but Abimelech’s servants have seized it and now Abraham can’t get to his water.
            Abimelech, to his credit, recognizes Abraham as a man blessed by God.  So he brings the commander of his forces (Phicol) along and meets up with Abraham at Beersheba.  The covenant agreed upon follows the protocol of the day- it begins with the two men, but extends to their descendants.  Abimelech asks Abraham to be honest with him (see Gen. 20:1-18 to find out why!) and Abraham asks Abimelech to publicly acknowledge that the well belongs to Abraham so that no one else will attempt to lay claim to it.  As a “token of appreciation” Abraham presents Abimelech with seven ewe lambs somewhat “sealing the deal” so to speak.  Then all concerned return home.
            It’s not always easy to get along with your neighbors.  I remember stumbling on a TV program once that featured some of the worst neighbors in the country.  You really felt bad for these folks when you learned of what they had to put up with.  But just as the story of Abraham and Abimelech shows, getting along with others is nothing new.  The Bible is filled with passages about neighbors.  It teaches that relationships with our neighbors should be built on honesty, truthfulness and respecting one another’s property (Ex. 20:15-17; 22:7-11, 14, 26; Dt. 5:20-21; 19:14; 23:25; 24:10; 27:17; Prov. 24:28; 25:17; Jer. 22:13); that we are not to steal from them or harm their reputation (Lev. 18:20; 19:13, 15, 16) and God takes a dim view of those who do (Prov. 6:29; Ps. 101:5).  We are to foster good between ourselves and our neighbors (Prov. 3:28-29; 12:26) because a good relationship with our neighbor indicates our standing before God (1 Ki. 8:30-32; 2 Chr. 6:21-23; Ps. 15:2-4).  But the most well-known and challenging admonition regarding neighbors is recorded in Lev. 19:18 and repeated by Jesus in the classic parable of loving one’s neighbor, The Good Samaritan (Lk. 10:25-37).  The Gospels and Epistles also contain admonitions on how to deal with our neighbors as well.  Check out these passages: Mt. 19:19; Mk. 12:34-40; Rom. 13:8-10; 15:2; 1 Cor. 10:24; Gal. 5:14; Eph. 4:25; Js. 2:8).
            I admit that it is NOT easy to love my neighbor when their children are outside screaming all day, or when they leave their garbage cans in full view all the time, but I’m working on it!  And if I want to be more like Jesus, it is what I must do (Eph. 3:14-19) because it is what He wants me to do (Lk. 10:37).  In the end, the way I treat my neighbor demonstrates to them, especially those who don’t know Him, what God is like- a tall order in a day and age where it’s acceptable to complain about every little grievance.  Where is Beersheba for you?  How well are you living with neighbors?
Ann H. LeFevre, M. Div.
Week of 8/13/2017

0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Faith & Seeing

    Ready for the Road Ahead began as a bulletin insert in 2010 and has since grown into a weekly on-line Bible lesson.  I love to teach and have taught in both church and school settings.  I hope these articles will both encourage and equip you as you follow Christ.

    Archives

    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015

    Categories

    All

    RSS Feed

    View my profile on LinkedIn

Proudly powered by Weebly