Genesis 21:33 - Meaning and Application

Abraham had found a good place to live, and he knew when he was well off, so he stayed there for a long time. There he planted a grove, either to give shade to his tent or perhaps as a fruit orchard. Even so, we should not think he settled down there completely, because God wanted him to remain, while he lived, a stranger and pilgrim. He stayed for many days, as many as fit with his calling as Abraham the Hebrew, that is, a traveler or sojourner.

There he also made a clear public profession of his faith, not just a private habit. He called on the name of the Lord, the everlasting God, likely in the grove he had planted, which served as his place of prayer. Christ also prayed in a garden and on a mountain.

Abraham kept up public worship, and likely his neighbors came to join him. Good people should not only keep their faith wherever they go, but also do what they can to spread it and help others become godly. When we call on the Lord, we must think of him as the everlasting God, the God of the whole world. God had made himself known to Abraham as his own God, in covenant with him, yet Abraham still gave him glory as Lord of all, the one who was before all worlds and will remain when time itself is over (Isaiah 40:28).