Passage: Genesis 21:22-34

The Big Idea

Why do we gather as God’s people? At Beersheba, Abraham made peace with a pagan king who could see that God was with him, then planted a grove and called on the name of the Lord, the Everlasting God. That was a kind of church: a public place to worship and to show the world a real relationship with God. But centuries later, Beersheba became a monument instead of a movement. God isn’t after a place or a formula; He seeks those who worship in spirit and truth.

Why Do We Go to Church?

Why are we here? What are we doing? Does it matter? When the world looks in our windows, what does it see?

Many onlookers express disappointment and disillusionment. Our culture often assumes that anything supernatural is fake, anything invisible is science fiction, and science alone is the respectable belief system for an intelligent mind. So they see us as backward. They feel they can’t validate what we say is real, because it doesn’t fit in a test tube. God can’t be measured.

And so He’s a little frightening to the world. Their “god of science” supposedly never changes, until it does. (Be careful with the words “scientific theory.”) Our God can’t be contained or controlled. He’s to be served in reverence and in faith.

It’s interesting: modern skeptics often don’t believe in miracles, yet a miracle is exactly what they say they’d need to see in order to believe. Meanwhile, the very existence of life is a miracle right in front of them.

And here we are:

Talking about God like we know Him.
Talking to God like we know Him.
Receiving impossible things the world can’t explain: peace, joy, confidence and amazing grace.
A chest of spiritual treasure opened for God’s people every week!

Take a moment and ask yourself honestly: why do you come to church? (And “I don’t know” is an acceptable answer, at least for now!)

Abraham and Abimelech (Genesis 21:22-24)

At that time Abimelech and Phicol, the commander of his army, said to Abraham, “God is with you in everything you do. Now swear to me by God that you won’t deal falsely with me, my children or my descendants, but will show me and this land the same kindness I’ve shown you.” And Abraham said, “I swear it.”

Abraham and Abimelech became friends. Abraham was starting to see himself as part of the world around him: not of the world, but in it.

Grace. God’s favor on Abraham had become obvious to Abimelech. This was another of God’s promises being fulfilled: that He would make Abraham’s name great. If God said it, God will do it.

God was hammering this into Abraham’s heart, because He knew the trials ahead. If Abraham wasn’t fully convinced of God’s faithfulness, there would be huge failure and devastating consequences. So this small story mattered. Abraham needed to see God working in his life, to have his eyes opened to promises being fulfilled, just like Hagar did.

“God is with you in everything you do.” That’s how grace works. When we submit our lives to the Lord, wherever we go He goes with us, and whatever we do in Him is blessed.

“Do I take this job or that one?” Sometimes God gives you the choice. Open doors, His peace and His Word all help guide us. And He says, “I’ll be with you wherever you go.” After you’ve sought the Lord and become familiar with His heart, surrendered your will to Him, and invited His Spirit to lead you, you can take steps of faith with confidence.

Augustine famously said, “Love God, and do what you will.” But it might be better to say: surrender to God’s love for you with all your heart, and then do what you will.

Because if I told you there’s a certain amount you must love God in order to please Him or receive His guidance, I’ve just put you under a law, a very vague and demanding one.

But if I tell you God freely gives favor when you simply believe and trust His love for you, then you’re free. Free to receive, and free to fall in love with Him over time.

God is willing to win your heart, even though He deserves your heart.
He’s willing to earn your trust, even though He’s worthy of it.
He’s willing to give you a new heart before yours has changed. That’s His New Covenant promise (Jeremiah 31:31-34).

A liar’s reputation

Abimelech made Abraham swear not to deal falsely with him. Abraham’s reputation for lying had gotten around. (Remember Sarah?) That’s embarrassing. (And going to church doesn’t change your reputation all by itself; that’s not what it’s for.)

But God kept blessing Abraham despite his repeated failures.

I can identify. God is pouring out blessing on me, my family and my ministry, and yet I’m constantly reminded of how much I blow it. Sometimes it feels like I blow it more now than before I was in ministry! And every time I fail, I’m reminded that God’s grace will never let me go.

He will keep forgiving me and using me.
He will equip and enable me.
He will change and restore me.
And I’ll never deserve or earn any of it.

That’s the boundless riches of God’s grace. He chose me, and He doesn’t regret it. He knew my failures and still chose me. Wow! And He’ll keep working with me my whole life to teach me how faithful, loving and gracious He is.

The Well of the Oath (Genesis 21:25-32)

Abraham complained to Abimelech about a well Abimelech’s servants had seized. Abimelech said, “I don’t know who did this. You never told me, and I didn’t hear about it until today.” So Abraham gave Abimelech sheep and cattle, and the two made a covenant. Abraham set apart seven ewe lambs, and when Abimelech asked why, he said, “Accept these seven lambs from my hand as a witness that I dug this well.” So that place was called Beersheba (“well of the oath” or “well of seven”), because there the two of them swore an oath.

Abraham agreed to peace, as long as it was clear who had dug the well.
He gave Abimelech generous gifts to bless him.
And Abraham had a plan for this well.

A Grove and the Name of the LORD (Genesis 21:33-34)

Abraham planted a tamarisk tree in Beersheba, and there he called on the name of the LORD, the Everlasting God. And Abraham lived in the land of the Philistines for a long time.

He planted a tamarisk tree (some translations say a grove), and there he called on the name of the Lord, right in the middle of Philistine territory!

What is this? This is church!

Abraham wanted a public place to worship God.
He wanted to reach the people of the land with the greatest thing in the world: a relationship with God.
He didn’t evangelize by telling them everything they were doing wrong. That never works.
He demonstrated what a real relationship with the living God looks like.

How? By calling on the name of the Lord. God’s name is His character, who He is, not just what we call Him.

Isaiah prophesied that a Child would be born and a Son given, and the government would rest on His shoulders. And His name would be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:6). Think about what calling on that name looks like when we gather:

Wonderful. At church we get to marvel at the glory of God and be filled with wonder. Part of worship is simply being amazed at how awesome God is, how loving He’s been, wondering at the mystery and glory of the cross.
Counselor. He helps us with our problems. We confess our shortcomings and challenges to the Lord, and He gives us His Word to teach and guide us.
Mighty God. This verse shows the Messiah is God. When we gather, we demonstrate a real connection with the real God through Jesus, who bridges the gap between God and us by His body and blood. Taking communion is a witness to everyone around us that we’ve been redeemed and brought back to God by the mighty work of the cross, which only a mighty God could do. Only the blood of God Himself could pay for every person’s sin (Acts 20:28).
Everlasting Father. When we gather as a family, it reminds us of our adoption. And this family is everlasting; death will never separate it. We’ll be together forever.
Prince of Peace. It’s amazing to come into church with burdens and leave with the peace that passes understanding, because God reminded you of His promises. That’s how He did it with Hagar, and that’s how He does it with us. It’s never a boring Bible study when you’re desperate for God to speak a promise into your life. And God never fails to speak a promise to the one desperate for one. Peace follows believed promises.

A Warning from Beersheba

There’s a warning here too.

Abraham named this place Beersheba. He sought the Lord there, God was near, and it was glorious. And God kept showing up there for others: to Hagar (Genesis 21:17), to Isaac (Genesis 26:23-24), to Jacob (Genesis 46:1-2), and to Elijah (1 Kings 19:3-5).

So it seemed like a really special place. You might get the idea that if you really wanted to hear from God, you should go to Beersheba. “They’ve got it figured out down there! They have the formula, the location. Maybe something in the water makes God show up!”

So people kept going there, looking back and remembering the great things God had done. But over time, no one noticed that they’d stopped calling on the name of the Lord. They had a name and a place, but they weren’t connecting with the actual God anymore.

Then the prophet Amos came along with a powerful warning about what “church” can become:

God told Israel to seek Him and live, and not to seek Bethel, or go to Gilgal, or cross over to Beersheba. Those places would go into captivity and come to nothing. Seek the LORD and live, or He would break out like fire (Amos 5:4-6).

God is clear: the purpose of a place of worship is to seek the Lord.
Jesus said His house would be called a house of prayer, and He drove out those who’d forgotten that purpose (Mark 11:15-17). (When people ask, “What would Jesus do?” remember that flipping tables and driving people out with a whip is within the range of possibilities!)
God has no problem removing a gathering that has forgotten Him.

Does God want every church to succeed? Not every church. Only a church that seeks Him.

Amos also warned of a coming famine, not of bread or water, but of hearing the words of the LORD. People would wander from sea to sea, running back and forth seeking the word of the LORD, and not find it. Even strong young people would faint from thirst. And those who swore by the idols of Samaria and Dan, and by “the way of Beersheba,” would fall and never rise again (Amos 8:11-14).

God gives us a kind of weather report for a church that has forgotten Him:

There will be a famine of the Word of God. No one will be feasting on it.
People may look busy seeking the Lord, “running to and fro,” but there’s no real relationship, because the Word isn’t heard.
“As the way of Beersheba lives!” There’s Beersheba again. People were trusting in the way things used to be: “My grandpappy heard from God this way, so I’ll do it exactly the same.”
Their trust was in a formula. Their movement had become a monument. Their worship had become idolatry.
They weren’t connected to the Head, Jesus, the Head of the body (Colossians 2:19).

Spirit and Truth

At Jacob’s well, a Samaritan woman told Jesus her ancestors worshiped on their mountain, while the Jews said Jerusalem was the place to worship. Jesus told her the hour was coming when the Father wouldn’t be worshiped on that mountain or in Jerusalem. True worshipers would worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship Him. God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth. When she mentioned the coming Messiah, Jesus said, “I who speak to you am He” (John 4:19-26).

It isn’t the location that matters. Not the building, the strategy, the style or the music. It’s spirit and truth. And God is actively seeking people who will worship Him that way.

Spirit: a deep, inner, real connection with the Father. That can only happen when you’re filled with His own Spirit, and He gives His Spirit to the humble heart that asks.
Truth: the truth of grace, not the counterfeit of legalism that fakes a righteous heart. We’re completely unworthy, yet God provides everything we need through His Son, Jesus. That’s the truth we hold on to. That’s the gospel. We fight for it and trust in it alone, never in a list of rules or socially acceptable behavior. We boast only in Jesus.

Do you have the truth? Who is Jesus to you? Do you have the Spirit? Have you called out to Him?

Grace Takeaway

Church isn’t a building, a formula or a memory of what God used to do. It’s people calling on the name of the Lord, wondering at Him, receiving His counsel, remembering His sacrifice, enjoying His family and resting in His peace. God is still seeking worshipers in spirit and truth. Don’t settle for Beersheba’s monument. Seek the Lord, and live.

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First Church of Beersheba