So Abraham took sheep and oxen and gave them to Abimelech, and the two of them made a covenant. And Abraham set seven ewe lambs of the flock by themselves. Then Abimelech asked Abraham, “What is the meaning of these seven ewe lambs which you have set by themselves?” And he said, “You will take these seven ewe lambs from my hand, that they may be my witness that I have dug this well.” (Gen 21,27-30)

The lives of the patriarchs can be viewed in purely spiritual terms, view them as those who were primarily concerned with following the Lord, and seek parallels with the figurative meanings revealed in the New Testament. Or there is another way:  to stand above them, look at them as backward people of a lower cultural level who, like everyone else, wanted to get the most out of life for themselves, but moreover practiced some new religion.

As it happens, the truth about any man is not exclusively black or white. Even the God´s people of the Old Testament are just people, not angels. Their heights are when they transcend the plane of their average lives and ascend higher, even if that which meant "higher" in their time and situation looked very different from today.

Abraham may have been a pilgrim following the eternal God, but he also had to deal with quite ordinary earthly problems on a daily basis. Abimelech's people had robbed him of his well, and now he was asking for it back. Therefore, he gives Abimelech seven sheep as a testimony so that he and everyone later will forever acknowledge that this well will belong to Abraham.

Abraham could not go about all day gazing into the distance as in a dream and praying; there was the farm, the flocks, the daily routine, the business, the need to provide safety for all his people. And yet, when he thought of God's promises, with what heart must he have given Abimelech sheep just that he might be granted even a simple righteousness in Gerar - in the land which, according to God's promise, belonged to him, Abraham?  

In fact, he experienced the same thing that has accompanied his followers for millennia: "we have nothing, yet everything belongs to us" (2K6:10). He certainly didn't walk gazing into the distance all day long, but at least he occasionally lifted his head and looked there. And he gave praise to God for all His grace to him and the provision he had received so far. But then he had to come back to earth in his thoughts , take the sheep and give them to the ungodly ruler so that he could at least somewhat live in his land.

Whenever we look into the distance we get hope that the time will finally come when there will be no need for anything like this.