CONFLICT AVOIDED
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Opening Prayer
Father in Heaven, you know me better than I know myself. Please speak to me through your Word and give me what I need to serve you wholeheartedly today.
Read GENESIS 21:22—34
For additional translations of the passage, use this link to Bible Gateway.
Genesis
Genesis 21
22 At that time Abimelech and Phicol the commander of his forces said to Abraham, “God is with you in everything you do.
23 Now swear to me here before God that you will not deal falsely with me or my children or my descendants. Show to me and the country where you are living as an alien the same kindness I have shown to you.”
24 Abraham said, “I swear it.”
25 Then Abraham complained to Abimelech about a well of water that Abimelech’s servants had seized.
26 But Abimelech said, “I don’t know who has done this. You did not tell me, and I heard about it only today.”
27 So Abraham brought sheep and cattle and gave them to Abimelech, and the two men made a treaty.
28 Abraham set apart seven ewe lambs from the flock,
29 and Abimelech asked Abraham, “What is the meaning of these seven ewe lambs you have set apart by themselves?”
30 He replied, “Accept these seven lambs from my hand as a witness that I dug this well.”
31 So that place was called Beersheba, because the two men swore an oath there.
32 After the treaty had been made at Beersheba, Abimelech and Phicol the commander of his forces returned to the land of the Philistines.
33 Abraham planted a tamarisk tree in Beersheba, and there he called upon the name of the LORD, the Eternal God.
34 And Abraham stayed in the land of the Philistines for a long time.
Reflect
Read Psalm 119:18. Then, as you read today’s verses, pray that God will open your eyes to understand his Word in a new way.After a shaky start (Genesis 20:9), Abraham built a good relationship with Abimelek. Because of the trust between them and the oath he swore to Abimelek (vv. 23, 24), Abraham was able to voice his concern about a well of water that Abimelek’s servants had seized, and the matter was resolved amicably and peacefully.
Sometimes, disputes between individuals or in groups and committees can be magnified out of all proportion and lead to conflict, which is both divisive and hurtful. It’s so easy to focus on our own agenda at the expense of others. When this happens, we are playing right into the devil’s hands. He leads us to knuckle down and thus set a bad example to non-believers.
We would be wise to follow Abraham’s example when we need to speak honestly with others. This should be done sensitively, carefully, and courteously—a challenge for which we need God’s wisdom and insight.
What a testimony to Abraham that Abimelek said to him, ‘God is with you in everything you do’ (v. 22). Do we live in such a way that people will say that of us?
Apply
Encouraged by Abraham’s example, consider issues that you or someone you know is dealing with at the moment that require wisdom, tact, and the ability to see the situation from both sides.
Closing prayer
Lord God, please help me to be a person about whom others say God is with them in everything they do.
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