Abraham
– Holding Fast
To The Will Of God
·
When
the time was right, God did "what he had promised" (21:1). Jesus was
born "when the time had fully come" (Gal. 4:4). That was an extension
of the promise to Abraham and Sarah.
·
How
wonderful that we serve a God that does what He says (Titus 1:1-3). This
promise of a son had been made from the beginning (12:3)
·
Abraham
named his son Isaac, just as God had commanded a year before (17:19) Like the
new names of his parents, Isaac's name is a constant reminder of something.
·
The
news that Sarah was a mother must have been a shock for the household! (21:6,7)
·
Abraham
held a great feast for Isaac when he was weaned, probably around the age of 2
or 3. Watching all this was Ishmael, now in his mid-teens. He reacted quite
negatively, and mocked Isaac (21:9).
·
Consider
what Ishmael must have been experiencing. For 13 years, he probably thought and
had been told that he was God's promised heir. Now, he knew he was a
"mistake".
·
Ishmael's
hostility brought back feelings of anger and bitterness in Sarah. (21:10). She
remembered how Hagar treated her when
Ishmael was born (16:4) Her reaction then was to get rid of Hagar and her son.
Now, she has the same reaction.
·
Once
we become bitter and angry, it takes very little to regenerate those feelings
again.
·
Abraham
was understandably distressed by this (21:11). Won't the past ever go away?
When will there be peace in this household? Why does Sarah persecute my son and
his mother?
·
The
first time this all happened, Abraham evaded his responsibilities and made
Sarah responsible for Hagar's future. Now, Abraham responds maturely. He does
what he should have done long ago, and waits on the Lord. (21:12)
·
God
knew that as long as Hagar and Ishmael remained in the household there would be
trouble. So, God puts Abraham's mind at ease, and says not to worry about them
(21:12).
·
Abraham
did care for Ishmael. It must have been very difficult to see him go off into
the wilderness. Did that require faith?
·
God
again promised to take care of Ishmael, and to bless him (21:13,18) and
delivers him and Hagar from death in the wilderness. (21:17)
#1) Most of us will experience
the results of past sins at some point in our lives.
#2) No matter what the results
of sin are, God wants us to accept reality and face the problem maturely.
#3) Many problems we face as
Christians are caused by the effects of sin in the world.
For
next week, read Genesis 22:1-19
