Genesis 21:22-34

Abraham spoke for Abraham. This is stating the obvious, but in this scripture we begin to see Abraham speaking for Israel. When Abimelek came to speak with Abraham he was not speaking to him just as a man but as the leader of his people. They were speaking leader to leader. As leader of his people Abraham was making a commitment for them both in the present and in the future. It was a serious responsibility.

Abimelek had seen that God was with Abraham, but also with Abraham’s people. They  were blessed in all that they did. While Abimelek and Abraham did not worship the same god, Abimelek did not want to be on the wrong side of any disagreement with Abraham’s God. He wanted there to be peace between his people and the people of Abraham. He recognized that with God’s blessing Abraham’s people were going to grow stronger and mightier.

Abimelek’s men had seized a well of water that Abraham had dug. When confronted about this Abimelek denied any knowledge and expressed a desire to set things right. The two men settle the conflict over the well, and then made a treaty and swore an oath. Abraham lived in the region for a long time, and the peace was maintained.

Most of the time when we speak we’re speaking for ourselves. There are times that we speak for others. Righteousness never allows us to deals falsely just because we’re speaking on behalf of others. When we speak on behalf of others, righteousness requires we speak with integrity. A godly man cannot deal falsely just because he’s speaking on behalf of an ungodly people. Abraham was only able to speak on behalf of Israel because he believed Israel was going to be a godly people.

Practical application: A righteous man cannot knowingly work as a sales rep for a dishonest company.