
READ: GENESIS 21:22-34; ISAIAH 40:28 In the book of Genesis, the author uses several different names for God. One of those names is the “Eternal God.” And the context in which this name is first used may appear strange. Abraham calls upon the Eternal God...after he plants a tree! There are a few essential things to notice about this passage. First, notice the kind of tree Abraham plants is a tamarisk tree. A tamarisk tree in the Middle East can live for hundreds of years. Second, notice Abraham plants this tree in Beersheba. Several chapters earlier, God appeared to Abraham and promised that He would make Abraham into a great nation, give him a great name, give him many descendants, and give him a land to possess. Beersheba would have been a region included in the land God promised that Abraham would one day possess. Once these pieces of the puzzle are put in place, we begin to see the significance of Abraham’s action. By planting this tree in Beersheba, he was communicati...