Genesis 21:9- 21
Sarah Turns against Hagar
“But Sarah saw that the son whom Hagar the Egyptian had borne to Abraham was mocking her son, and she said to Abraham, “Expel the slave woman and her son, for the slave woman’s son will never share in the inheritance with my son Isaac!”
Now this matter distressed Abraham greatly because it concerned his son Ishmael. But God said to Abraham, “Do not be distressed about the boy and your maidservant. Listen to everything that Sarah tells you, for through Isaac your offspring will be reckoned. But I will also make a nation of the slave woman’s son, because he is your offspring.”
Early in the morning, Abraham got up, took bread and a skin of water, put them on Hagar’s shoulders, and sent her away with the boy. She left and wandered in the Wilderness of Beersheba. When the water in the skin was gone, she left the boy under one of the bushes. Then she went off and sat down nearby, about a bowshot away, for she said, “I cannot bear to watch the boy die!” And as she sat nearby, she lifted up her voice and wept.
Then God heard the voice of the boy, and the angel of God called to Hagar from heaven, “What is wrong, Hagar? Do not be afraid, for God has heard the voice of the boy where he lies. Arise, lift up the boy and take him by the hand, for I will make him into a great nation.” Then God opened her eyes, and she saw a well of water. So she went and filled the skin with water and gave the boy a drink.
And God was with the boy, and he grew up and settled in the wilderness and became a great archer. And while he was dwelling in the Wilderness of Paran, his mother got a wife for him from the land of Egypt.”
By now, Ishmael must be fourteen or more years old because Abraham circumcises Ishmael and all the other males in the household before Isaac is born. Ishmael is already realizing that Isaac is the son of promise while he is not, even though Abraham loves Ishmael. Stung by this realization, Ishmael is making fun of Isaac and Sarah overhears it. Sarah is understandably concerned; Ishmael is big enough and strong enough that he might lure little Isaac into danger or even arrange an “accident” that could eliminate Isaac as a rival. And there is the unmistakable fact that Isaac is junior to Ishmael; therefore, Ishmael as the eldest should inherit everything from Abraham. Just because Hagar has returned to the household does not mean that she has not been filling Ishmael’s head with all kinds of pretensions. No, Sarah has a right to be concerned. Abraham, meanwhile, is trying to maintain peace by ignoring the obvious, until Sarah raises her complaint.
Abraham sends Hagar and Ishmael out with bread and water; however, the water soon finishes and Hagar fears Ishmael will die. That’s when God shows up, sending Hagar and Ishmael to a large spring of water and saving both their lives. But Abraham and Sarah’s rejection of Ishmael will continue to rankle throughout generations and will remain a root of bitterness that will lead to Ishmael’s descendants warring with Isaac’s.
Ishmael reaches adulthood and becomes a skilled warrior. His Egyptian mother naturally finds him an Egyptian wife. Even though Ishmael is not the miraculous son of promise, God still keeps His Word to Abraham and makes Ishmael a great nation and the father of several nations. God keeps His promises to Abraham through both Isaac and Ishmael and Ishmael is highly successful.
The story of Abraham, Sarah, Hagar, Ishmael, and Isaac is a complex one. If Abraham and Sarah had not taken matters into their own hands, Ishmael might have been fathered by someone other than Abraham. Ishmael might still have become a mighty warrior; however, the festering resentments nurtured by Hagar would never have happened and things would have been far more peaceful. But God already anticipated those poor choices and He had a perfect plan to bring peace in spite of them. Face it, we all make mistakes. If God were to withhold peace each time we falter, there would be no peace at all. But God is bigger than our mistakes and God can redeem bad situations.
In retrospect, I can identify innumerable times when God has had to deliver me from my own foolishness. One humorist has been quoted as saying that if he could only kick the fellow causing his problems in the pants, he wouldn’t sit down for a week. I agree. The amazing thing about God is that He is all-knowing and all-understanding. God knows us better than we know ourselves and yet He loves us anyway.
Perhaps today you feel a bit like Hagar. You are wandering in a wilderness, fearing that you are lost beyond all help. Take heart! The same God who opened the rocks to supply a well of water for Hagar and Ishmael is still in the miracle business. Ask Him for help; He won’t refuse you!
PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, many of us are struggling and see no way out of our predicaments. But You are the God who sees, the God who hears, and the God who provides. Comfort the struggling and show them Your way out of their troubles. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.
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