Tallulah Gorge State Park, Tallulah Falls, Georgia
Abraham complained to Abimelech about a well of water that Abimelech’s servants had seized. But Abimelech said, “I don’t know who has done this. You did not tell me, and I heard about it only today.” So Abraham brought sheep and cattle and gave them to Abimelech, and the two men made a treaty. Abraham set apart seven ewe lambs…Abimelech asked…”What is the meaning of these seven ewe lambs…?” He replied, “Accept these seven lambs from my hand as a witness that I dug this well.” So that place was called Beersheba (which can mean well of seven or well of the oath), because the two men swore an oath there…Then Abimelech and Phicol…(left). Abraham planted a tamarisk tree (a shrub or small tree that thrives in arid regions and whose leafy branches provide shade)…and there he called upon the name of the LORD, the Eternal God (El Olam). And Abraham stayed in the land of the Philistines for a long time. ~ Genesis 21:25-34 I used to have a book about customs of the Bible at my disposal, but it’s in storage now. ☹ I was wishing I had it for this passage. Instead I visited my old friend, Matthew Henry. He worked on his very well-respected commentary on Genesis through Acts from 1708-1714, when he died. Following his death, and in part using the notes he left behind, 13 other ministers completed Romans through Revelation, but all the commentaries are still attributed to Henry. Here’s one of his most famous quotes: The woman was made of a rib out of the side of Adam; not made out of his head to rule over him, nor out of his feet to be trampled upon by him, but out of his side to be equal with him, under his arm to be protected, and near his heart to be beloved.
Still excellent wisdom, even 300 years later!
I know that, while I may not find a lesson here, all of God’s Word is here for a reason. In a nutshell, Abimelech went to Abraham to form a bonded treaty to protect each other. Abraham’s condition for agreeing, seems to be the well issue, so Abimelech gives it to him, in exchange for Abraham’s intercessory prayers to his God. The treaty was made and Abraham stayed in the area for a while. No one seems to know how long.
It was a first for us today. We drove across state lines and acquired our first Covid-19 vaccine. Why across the line? Georgia is still only dispensing to residents. The border was only about a 50-minute drive, and the WalMart there was offering Moderna shots – with an appointment. Plus, there was the added benefit of being able to do our shopping after.
So that’s what we did. It went without a hitch.
The technician called it a band-aid and gave the injection right through the clear part!
Neither of us had a reaction – so far. We are eligible for the second one in four weeks, so we’ll get that after we get home. And the pharmacist was kind enough to inform us that in most cases, if there’s going to be a reaction, it will be after the second dose. We simply can NOT have a reaction of any kind once we get home! We’re going to be waaaaay too busy visiting!
For dinner, I did a trial run of a new casserole I plan on feeding our families at a family dinner the first week we’re home. We’re feeding 13-23 people (depending on who can show up by then) at the home of our younger son, Kyle. His wife Shena graciously offered their home for us to host in.
I’m ecstatic! I absolutely LOVE doing these dinners for our family! We provide all the food and desserts. Everyone just has to show up with an appetite. 😊
The casserole was delicious, by the way. Although neither of us thought to take a picture. The recipe’s below, copied directly from Pinterest. I made a half batch for us to sample.
Teriyaki Chicken Casserole
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
- 2 Tablespoons cornstarch + 2 Tablespoons water
- 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 1 bag (12 ounces) stir-fry vegetables (broccoli, carrots, snow peas, etc.) (can be found in the produce section of grocery stores)
- 3 cups cooked white rice
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350° F. Spray a 9×13-inch baking pan with non-stick spray.
- Combine soy sauce, ½ cup water, brown sugar, ginger and garlic in a small saucepan and cover. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Remove lid and cook for one minute once boiling.
- Meanwhile, stir together the corn starch and 2 tablespoons of water in a separate dish until smooth. Once sauce is boiling, add mixture to the saucepan and stir to combine. Cook until the sauce starts to thicken then remove from heat.
- Place the chicken breasts in the prepared pan. Pour one cup of the sauce over top of chicken. Place chicken in oven and bake 35 minutes or until cooked through. Remove from oven and shred chicken in the dish using two forks.
- Meanwhile, steam or cook the vegetables according to package directions.
- Add the cooked vegetables and cooked rice to the casserole dish with the chicken. Add most of the remaining sauce, reserving a bit to drizzle over the top when serving. Gently toss everything together in the casserole dish until combined. Return to oven and cook 15 minutes. Remove from oven and let stand 5 minutes before serving. Drizzle each serving with remaining sauce. Enjoy!