The Deaths of Rachel and Isaac

Story: The Deaths of Rachel and Isaac

Passage: Genesis 35:16-29

Characters: Rachel, Benjamin, Jacob, Reuben

Summary: Rachel went into hard labor. As she was dying, she named her son Ben-oni, but Jacob named him Benjamin. Rachel died and was buried on the way to Bethlehem. Jacob set a pillar over her grave. Reuben slept with his father’s concubine and Jacob found out. Jacob came to his father in Hebron. Isaac dies at 180 years and Jacob and Esau buried him.

Notes: Rachel’s death is tragic. No longer do you sense joy and pride in a son being born. Her name for Benjamin, Ben-oni, means son of sorrow. This was not a victory for Rachel, this was a defeat. I find it interesting that the competition which she seems to have based her life upon ends up costing her her life. How wrong she was when she told Jacob “Give me a son or I’ll die!” I also think her tragic death could be a result of the curse Jacob placed on whoever had stolen Laban’s idols. The pillar over Rachel’s tomb is still there at the time of the writing of Genesis. I find it interesting that this must have been a well known landmark. If Moses indeed wrote Genesis like people think, he never entered the Promised Land. So his knowledge of landmarks came from hearsay. Two sentences describe Reuben’s sin, but it is big enough to forfeit his rights as firstborn. Is it any surprise we see sexual sin from Reuben though? Look at the family he grew up with. We even read he was involved in finding mandrakes for his mother. Reuben was sucked into this struggle his parents were involved in and he never got a good idea of how marriage should look. His actions are not excused, but they are more understandable. Either way, Reuben’s sin and Simeon and Levi’s violent actions from a few chapters ago have made them unfit for God’s redemptive plan. The torch is now passed to Judah. It is interesting that Isaac now dies. If you remember, Jacob stole the blessing from Esau over twenty years before this when they thought Isaac was going to die! Esau and Jacob buried their father together. They were opposed to each other at their birth, but united at their father’s death.

Questions: Did Rachel’s death fulfill the curse Jacob placed on the idol thief? Did Rachel understand the futility of her struggle with Leah before she died? Were they on good terms? Are Jacob and Esau getting along at this point? How messed up were Reuben and his brothers as a result of the struggle between their mothers?

Lessons: It is important as a parent to be a good role model for your children. If they don’t see you following certain morals, they will have no reason to. This is what we saw happen in Reuben’s life. We also can learn a lesson from this passage about the futility of pursuing anything but Christ. Rachel wanted children, and it became the death of her. Anything of this world we pursue will ultimately fade away and be worthless. Only Christ is worth our efforts and passions.

Isaac blesses Jacob

Story: Isaac Blesses Jacob

Passage: Genesis 27

Characters: Isaac, Rebekah, Jacob, Esau

Summary: Isaac was about to die so he told Esau to make him a meal so he could bless him. Rebekah heard this and told Jacob to get two goats so she could make a meal that Isaac loves so he would bless Jacob instead. Jacob was worried that he would not be hairy enough and he would be caught and cursed. Rebekah said she would take the curse on herself. So they made a nice meal and Jacob put on Esau’s clothes and wore the goat hair on his arms and neck. Isaac knew that it was Jacob’s voice, but he felt the hair and assumed it was Esau. He knew for sure when he smelled Esau’s clothes so he blessed Jacob, giving him power over his brothers. When Jacob left, Esau came in and he and Isaac discovered they had been tricked. Esau was very upset and wanted a blessing too. Isaac gave him what was mostly a curse, but it did promise that Esau would one day break the yoke of Jacob from his neck. Esau wanted to kill Jacob, so Rebekah sent him to her brother Laban. Rebekah told Isaac that she loathed her life because of Esau’s Hittite wives and that Jacob could not marry a Hittite.

Notes: I have a few notes here. First of all, Isaac was intending to bless Esau even though he knew God had given the promise to Jacob. Rebekah obviously hated Esau’s wives, and she loved Jacob, so she hatched a plan to get Jacob blessed instead. While this was not Jacob’s idea, he did go along with it. You can see how desperate she was in that she was willing to take the curse on herself. I find it funny that Isaac was expecting wild game, but Rebekah planned on tricking him with goat. He obviously knew it was goat because it was one of his favorite meals. The Hebrew even specifies that what she made was delicious food. Savory food. The hair issue was solved by putting goat hair on Jacob’s arms and neck. He wore Esau’s clothes so he also had the scent of Esau. Jacob must have been nervous. Isaac should have known he was eating goat and that the arms were covered in coarse goat hair. Goat hair and human hair should not be too easy to confuse. But Isaac was ultimately tricked. He was obviously suspicious though. It wasn’t until he smelled the clothes that he finally began to bless Jacob. His blessing granted him provision with food and wine, authority over peoples and nations, and authority over his brothers, specifically his mother’s sons. This implies that he was specifically trying to give Esau authority over Jacob. This surprises me since God told Rebekah before they were born that Esau would serve Jacob. When Isaac left, Esau came in and he and Isaac discovered what had happened. Esau is distraught. He wanted some small part in the blessing, but his father had given it all to Jacob. Talk about family drama! Esau notes that his name is fitting as he has deceived him again. Esau says that Jacob deceived him when he got his birthright as well, but if we remember that story, Jacob was not deceptive at all. Instead, Esau despised his birthright. Isaac’s “blessing” to Esau stated that he would serve Jacob, but that one day, he would break the yoke of his brother off his neck. Esau was done dealing with his deceitful twin, and he decided to kill him. Jealousy was the cause of Cain’s murder of Abel and jealousy and the feeling of being cheated fueled this attempt as well. Esau did a poor job of hiding his plan though and word of it got to his mother. Rebekah wanted to send Jacob to her brother. I am convinced this is because she was hoping he would meet a daughter of her brother and fall in love. My suspicion is supported by the fact that the next verses describe her telling Isaac that she doesn’t want Jacob marrying a Hittite woman. Sure enough, tomorrow we will see that Isaac’s response to this conversation with his wife is to send Jacob to marry one of Laban’s daughters. Rebekah says that she loathes her life because of the Hittite women. Esau’s lifestyle was not one of peace and unity within his family. Another note is that Isaac was shocked at how fast Jacob had found game and cooked it, but Esau walks in right after Isaac leaves, so it would seem that Esau’s hunt was indeed very successful and brief.

Questions: How could this setup have fooled Isaac? Was Isaac wrong to try to give the blessing to Esau in the first place? Was Esau missing his birthright at this point? Why was Rebekah so desperate to get Isaac the blessing? Why did Esau’s wives irritate her so much?

Lessons: God will work things the way He wants to no matter what. Isaac tried to bless Esau when he knew very well that God intended Isaac to carry on the promise. God worked things so that Isaac accidentally blessed Jacob. Also, a marriage to an ungodly woman (or two in this case) can heavily affect everyone close to you as well. It is very important for a Christian to marry another Christian in much the same way it was important for Jacob to marry someon

Isaac and Abimelech

Story: Isaac and Abimelech

Passage: Genesis 26:6-35

Characters: Isaac, Rebekah, Abimelech, God, Esau

Summary: Isaac settled in the land of the philistines. He told them that Rebekah was his sister so they wouldn’t kill him. Abimelech saw the two of them “laughing” which told him they were married. He was mad at Isaac for lying to them since his men could have sinned. He commanded the people to not touch Rebekah or Isaac or they would be killed! God blessed Isaac. Abimelech sent him away because Isaac was more powerful than he was. Isaac left and settled nearby. He dug up the wells of his father, but the first two wells were contested by local herdsmen. The third well was not contested so Isaac knew there was room for him. God came to Isaac and made the same promise to him He had been making to Abraham. Isaac dug a well in that spot and stayed there. Abimelech came to Isaac and set up a covenant of peace since he saw that God was with Isaac and he did not want to be destroyed. Isaac made a covenant with Abimelech. Esau married two Hittite women and they made life bitter for Isaac and Rebekah.

Notes: Isaac learned from his father about how to deal with having a pretty wife in a foreign land. You tell them she’s your sister! Poor Abimelech fell for it again! Once again though, God did not let Abimelech or his people actually touch Rebekah. Instead of God telling him what was going on, this time Abimelech saw the Isaac and Rebekah together and knew that they were married. Apparently, Isaac did a poor job treating Rebekah like his sister. Once again, God blessed Isaac through his deceit. He sowed and reaped one hundredfold. That’s a good profit! It still amazes me that God would bless Isaac and Abraham for this situation but it has now happened three times. Abimelech truly respected Isaac though. When he heard they were married his law protected both Rebekah and Isaac. Abimelech was intimidated by Isaac. God’s blessings made him stand out so much that Abimelech sent him away. Isaac did not travel far though. I suspect he was very well aware that he was in the land God intended to give him. Every time he dug a well though, the local herdsmen claimed it was their water. If you remember, this happened to Abraham as well. God used this frustrating event to lead Isaac to where He wanted him to live. When Isaac dug a well that was not contested, God appeared to him and told him once again that He would multiply his offspring for Abraham’s sake. This blessing is still a result of Abraham’s obedience. Abimelech came and spoke to Isaac with the commander of his army on much the same way he met with Abraham. He wanted to make a covenant with Isaac that Isaac would do them no harm. I find it interesting that he says that the Philistines did nothing but good to Isaac since his herdsmen had been a huge pain for a while. But either way, Isaac made the deal and Abimelech went on his way. Isaac threw a feast for Abimelech. This would have solidified his good intentions. Esau’s marriages with Hittite women caused Isaac and Rebekah great pain. Esau may have been Isaac’s favorite, but Isaac obviously did not support this decision by his son. Marriage inside the family was obviously very important for Abraham and Isaac and Esau completely ignored this and married whomever he saw fit. We are also supposed to marry within our family, the family of God through Christ. We are not supposed to be yoked to unbelievers. When we marry a nonbeliever, I wonder if it causes sadness in our heavenly father.

Questions: Why did Isaac think lying about his wife was a good idea? How did Rebekah feel about this? Why did God bless Isaac through his deceit? Why did Abimelech feel threatened by Isaac? Did Abimelech fear God or did he just realize and acknowledge the work of God in Isaac’s life? Why did Isaac make a deal with Abimelech if he really was so much stronger than him? Why did Esau feel theneed to marry two Hittite women?

Lessons: God can bless us even through our mistakes. God rarely makes sense. This figures since what we use to make sense of life was created by God and is therefore only capable of finite understanding. Another lesson here is the importance of who you marry. Esau’s marriage caused strain within his family and it may have caused him to compromise values that should not have been compromised.

God's Promise to Isaac

Story: God’s promise to Isaac

Passage: Genesis 26:1-5

Characters: Isaac, God

Summary: There was another famine in the land. Isaac traveled to the land of the Philistines. God told him not to go to Egypt, but to travel in the land God would show him. If Isaac were to do that, God would bless him and establish the oath He gave Abraham. God told Isaac that he would bless Isaac because Abraham kept His commandments.

Notes: I find it interesting that this land had so many famines. Abraham and Isaac each knew that this was the land God was going to give them. I wonder what they thought when they saw the number of major famines in the land. Isaac followed in his father’s footsteps and traveled to Abimelech, king of the Philistines. He was apparently on his way to Egypt, which is also what Abraham did, when God stopped him. God made the same promise to Isaac which He had made to Abraham. When He made this promise, He gave a condition which had already been met and a condition which Isaac would need to meet. The condition which was met was that Abraham obeyed God’s voice and kept His charge, commandments, statutes, and laws. The condition Isaac would need to meet was to sojourn in the land. If Isaac would follow and obey God, God would keep His promise to Isaac. It is obvious that Isaac did not look at the famine as evidence of God not caring, but rather it was opportunity to follow God’s leading in his life.

Questions: Are God’s promises conditional? Why did God not want Isaac going to Egypt? How close was Isaac to God?

Lessons: When we obey God and walk in His spirit, God will bless us. When trials come, it is a chance for us to fully depend on God and follow Him wherever He leads us.

The Birth of Esau and Jacob

Story: The birth of Esau and Jacob

Passage: Genesis 25:19-28

Characters: Isaac, Rebekah, Esau, Jacob

Summary: Rebekah was barren. Isaac prayed for her and she conceived. God told her that she had twins. He told her she had two nations in her womb, and the two nations would fight with each other and the older would serve the younger. She bore the twins. The first was hairy and was named Esau. The second was grasping Esau’s heel so he was called Jacob. Esau grew up to be a hunter and his father loved him. Jacob was a quiet man and lived in the tents and Rebekah loved him.

Notes: First of all, Isaac is a man of faith! We don’t read much about his faith, but in the previous chapter, he was in a field meditating. And now he prays to the Lord to let Rebekah have children. He knew who was really in control. Rebekah felt her children fighting in the womb and it freaked her out and hurt. God’s promise was interesting. He told her she had two nations in her womb. The older would serve the younger. God does not take birth order into account. Esau was born with so much hair it says it looked like he had a cloak. I’m not that hairy even after 21 years! Esau fittingly means hairy. Jacob came out grasping Esau’s heel. Their struggle in the womb never stopped. They were fighting as they were born and they would continue to fight their whole lives. Jacob means he grasps the heel. This was a pun because it also meant he who deceives. As we will see, this name was also fitting for Jacob! God apparently enjoys puns since he made Jacob be born in such a way that his name would describe him perfectly! Esau hunted. His dad liked him best because he enjoyed eating the game he would kill. Jacob was a quiet man. This makes him sound effeminate, but the Hebrew word used to describe him is the same word used to describe Job as blameless. So really, Jacob was a whole, blameless man who just preferred to stay close to home and cook. His mother liked him best. This favoritism is unfortunate, but it is the reality for many families today just as it was back then.

Questions: Why did God chooses to bless Jacob the second born over Esau? What did Isaac think of Jacob? What did Rebekah think of Esau? How hairy was Esau?

Lessons: God can heal! God responded to prayers for healing in the Old Testament, God responded to prayers for healing in the New Testament. There is no reason to believe that God does not respond to prayers for healing now as well. We need to actually believe that and live with the faith it takes to believe that God can heal! Also, no lessons are here yet about showing favoritism to your children, but we will see in the future that this causes conflict.

Abraham's Death and His Descendants

Story: Abraham’s death and his descendants

Passages: Genesis 25:1-18

Characters: Abraham, Isaac, Ishmael

Summary: Abraham took another wife and had a bunch of children through her. Abraham died at the age of 170. He was buried with Sarah by Isaac and Ishmael. Ishmael’s descendants are listed.

Notes: Abraham took another wife and had a bunch of children. However, he knew that God’s promise was through Isaac and he left everything to Isaac. I find it interesting that Isaac and Ishmael both buried Abraham. Ishmael had been out of the picture for years. Obviously his relationship with Abraham was much stronger than his relationship with Sarah. He put aside his differences with Isaac and returned to bury his father. I wonder if Ishmael moved back in the vicinity of Abraham after Sarah died. I also find it interesting that after Abraham died, God blessed Isaac. God didn’t allow any doubts that His promise to Abraham would be through Isaac. Abraham knew that the promise would be through Isaac and he sent his other sons away into other lands before he died. This meant that there would not be sibling rivalry over who would own the land. It also continued to solidify the belief that the promise would be fulfilled through Isaac and not a different son. Ishmael had 12 sons. This fulfilled the promise in Genesis 17 that 12 princes would come from Ishmael. We read here about Ishmael’s death. The final verse of this passage is translated a few different ways in different translations. It can mean he lived in strife with his kinsmen, or it can mean he died among his kinsmen. I prefer the former. The Hebrew word used here implies conflict and violence. If the word was supposed to just mean that he died, the normal word for death would have been used. Instead a word was used which communicated that Ishmael was seen as inferior by his kinsmen. Once again, we see the story of a character who is not in the line of Jesus end quickly so we can get back to the main character, Isaac in this case.

Questions: Did Ishmael and Isaac get along at this point? How did Ishmael make it in time to bury Abraham? Why did Abraham feel the need to marry another woman? What family did she come from?

Lessons: There are honestly not too many lessons here.

Isaac and Rebekah

Story: Isaac and Rebekah

Passage: Genesis 24

Characters: Abraham, His servant, Rebekah, Laban, Isaac

Summary: Abraham made his servant swear to pick a wife for Isaac from his own family and not from the Canaanites. The servant wanted to know what to do if the woman would not return with him. Abraham said that he would be released from his oath, only don’t bring Isaac back to his family’s country. The servant went to the city of Nahor. He asked God to show him who Isaac was supposed to marry. The deal was that when the servant asked for water, the woman He wanted Isaac to marry would offer to water his camels as well. Sure enough, when Rebekah walked out the servant asked her for water and she offered to water his camels as well. He found out she was a relative so he found Laban, her brother, and told him his mission. Laban said that he could take Rebekah back with him but he wanted to wait ten days. When the servant expressed his wish to leave immediately, they consulted Rebekah and she said she would go. They left and Isaac saw them coming from far away so he married her immediately.

Notes: This is the first account of a marriage relationship prior to marriage that we see in the bible. However, as we have just read, there was really very little relationship before marriage. Here are a few observations I made from this story. I am going to analyze this by character.
Abraham trusted his servant a lot! He gave him control of his house, his son, his son’s marriage, his wealth, etc. Abraham was insistent on two things: staying separate from Canaan, and staying on the land which God was giving him. So he wanted Isaac to not mix with Canaan, but continue living on their land. Having Isaac marry a family member was a good way to keep their family separate. When his servant prayed, he prayed to the God of his master Abraham. I wonder if he considered God to be his god as well. He must have trusted God since he asked a very specific request of God. I feel like serving a man like Abraham would make it easy to trust God. He finishes his prayer by saying that if God does this, the servant would know that God has shown steadfast love to his master. I really get the idea that he looked at God as his master’s god. God would come through indeed. In fact, before Abraham’s servant had finished praying, Rebekah had come out. The servant asked her the question and she responded by offering to water his camels. The servant did not jump to conclusions though. As she watered the camels, he silently watched her and prayed about whether she really was the one God wanted. It was later that he found out that Rebekah was family. God had led him straight to Abraham’s family. It was perfect! The servant retold his entire journey and what God had done and then demanded an answer. When he was told his journey was going to be successful, he wanted to get back home as fast as possible! The servant’s job was complete. He had been blessed with a successful journey.

Rebekah’s family was a little unusual from what I can tell. Her brother Laban was the one who did most of the negotiations in this story. The dad, Bethuel, was around because he was involved in giving the servant permission to take Rebekah back as Isaac’s wife. However, Laban was just as involved in giving his sister away. In fact, his name is mentioned before Bethuel’s name. It was not Bethuel who wanted Rebekah to stay another ten days, but rather it was Laban and her mom. The dad sounds like he was just not too involved in running the family. Her family blessed her as she left. They had no idea that their blessing mirrored the promise given to Abraham about his descendants. When Laban saw the man talking to his sister, he ran out to see what was going on. He was obviously very protective of Rebekah.

Rebekah is definitely wise and polite. She is portrayed as very mature in this story. She is also described as very attractive. I find it interesting that physical attraction played a role in this divine match. Is it possible that God’s design for marriage, physical attraction is actually quite important? I would say that it is very possible! Christians today are very quick to point out that a marriage cannot be based on physical attraction. This is true, but it also cannot ignore attraction. God designed marriage to involve a certain level of physical attraction! We also read in previous chapters that Sarah was very beautiful as well. Beauty played a big role in marriages in these stories! I find it amazing that Rebekah went from minding her own business, to riding on a camel towards her future husband, away from her family and land, all within a day! The faith and maturity she shows is amazing to me! To leave her family like to that to marry a man she doesn’t know who lives in land which he doesn’t owe take incredible faith!

Isaac sounds like he was still grieving his mother’s death. He was in a field meditating when Rebekah arrived. I suspect he was praying still as a result of his mother’s death. When he saw Rebekah he took her into his mother’s former tent, which was still set up apparently, and he married her. Marriage was not built around getting to know the other person and making sure you are compatible, it was a beautiful practical thing ordained and set up by God himself. It says that she became his wife and he loved her. Love is the result of marriage not the basis for marriage. And this marriage comforted Isaac after Sarah’s death.

Questions: What did Abraham think of this match? Why was Rebekah so willing to leave her family like this? Why was Laban the primary protector of Rebekah? Did Abraham’s servant truly fear God? How attached to his mother was Isaac? Why was he meditating in the field?

Lessons: Pray specifically. The servant prayed a very specific prayer and God answered it immediately. We need to pray specifically and expect God to be able to listen. This story also teaches me a lot about what marriage should look like. You do not need to love someone or get to know them perfectly before marriage, all of that will come after marriage. Marriage can be a very comforting thing. Laban is also a good model of how protective a brother should be of his sister. If the father and the brother accept their responsibility as protectors, then it is less likely that a guy will take advantage of a young woman.

The Sacrifice of Isaac

Story: The Sacrifice of Isaac

Passage: Genesis 22

Characters: God, Abraham, Isaac, two servants

Summary: God tested Abraham by telling him to offer his son as a burnt offering in the place He would show him. Abraham took his son and traveled three days to the mountain God chose and carried the wood and the fire up the mountain. When Isaac asked where the lamb was, Abraham said that God would provide the lamb. Abraham took his knife and had bound his son and was about to kill him when God stopped him saying that now He knew that Abraham withheld nothing from God. Abraham saw a ram stuck in the bushes and he offered the ram instead. The mountain was called “God will provide”. God spoke again and made his promise to Abraham once again about his offspring. He promised that his offspring would possess the gate of their enemies. God also connected this promise to the condition of obedience which Abraham had just met. Abraham’s brother had some children.

Notes: This story is fascinating for several reasons. Many comparisons have been drawn between Abraham offering his son and God sacrificing His son for us. I think there is a slightly different analogy here as well. But first, some observations. This command from God made no sense. After all this trouble, Abraham finally had a son and God wanted him to kill him! This was no easy command either. It involved a three day trek without a known destination! Only if Abraham was devoted to God would he be willing to make a difficult trek with the purpose of killing his only son. Abraham obeyed though! He had total faith that God would provide. When Isaac inquired where the sacrifice was, Abraham said that it would be provided by God. Even though He believed God would provide, he still had the full intention of following God’s command all the way through. God did not step in until just before the strike. God made a promise to Abraham, but this promise was conditional. It was the same promise we have seen God give Abraham over and over again, but now we hear that is was conditional on his obedience. When God makes a promise, it can be and possibly always is conditional. Now to the analogy I see in this story. In my opinion, the Christ figure in this story is not Isaac, but the ram who was killed. Isaac was condemned to death by God and was led to his death. However, when the time came to kill him, God provided a lamb to be killed in Isaac’s place. I submit that Isaac represents humanity. We have been condemned to death by God. However, when we were still deserving death and about to die, God provided a lamb, His son, to die in our place and allow us to live with a promise that if we walked with Him, He would bless us and provide for us and fill us with His Spirit! This is significant and it is beautiful that God had the foresight to foreshadow this aspect of his redemptive story in ancient times. God knew Abraham’s heart so why did He need to test Abraham? I suspect it is because He wanted Abraham to see and believe that he was obedient and faithful and that God would come through. I believe this ordeal was more for Abraham’s benefit than God’s benefit.

Questions: Why did God choose that specific mountain? Why did God feel the need to test Abraham? Didn’t He know his heart? What did Isaac think during this story? Did Sarah know what was happening? How long had the ram been trapped in the bush? How many of God’s promises have conditions on them?

Lessons: God demands everything from us. Nothing is so important that we should not be willing to sacrifice it. God is our all in all. He is everything we need. He is the holy ruler of the universe and if what He says doesn’t make sense, this is because of our fallen minds and not because He made a mistake. Our only responsibility is to follow God and walk with Him in obedience. Nothing should come before that responsibility. If we obey in this, God will provide when we need His provision.

The Birth of Isaac, God Protects Hagar and Ishmael

Story: The birth of Isaac, God protects Hagar and Ishmael

Passage: Genesis 21:1-21

Characters: Sarah, God, Abraham, Isacc, Ishmael, Hagar

Summary: The Lord kept his promise and Sarah gave birth to a son when God said she would. They named him Isaac. Sarah said that people would laugh over her when they hear her story. Abraham threw a feast to celebrate his son being weaned, but Ishmael mocked Isaac. Sarah wanted Hagar and Ishmael gone. God told Abram to listen to Sarah so he cast them out. They wandered and ran out of water so Hagar left the baby to die under a bush but God spoke to her and promised to make Ishmael into a great nation. She saw a well and they drank. She raised Ishamel in the wilderness and he became good with a bow. He married an Egyptian woman.

Notes: God came through and Abraham followed through on his side of the deal. He named his son Isaac and circumcised him like he was told to. It is obvious that Abraham favored Isaac. We see no mention of a feast celebrating Ishmael, but here he throws a feast for Isaac. I’m not really sure what Ishmael was doing to deserve Sarah’s wrath. The ESV says he was laughing, which is fitting since Isaac’s name means “he laughs”. NIV seems to see it as a mocking laughter. Either way, Ishmael can’t have been very old at this time and I feel like his attitude can’t have been too intentionally harmful. But Sarah seems to have dealt with jealousy. Her first attempt to scare Hagar away had failed, and now she turned to Abraham to take care of it. She referred to Hagar and Ishmael as “this slave woman and her son.” This is very impersonal considering it was Sarah’s idea to let Abraham marry Hagar. She comes right out and says she doesn’t want Ishmael being Abraham’s heir. Abraham didn’t know what to do! From previous chapters we see that he liked Ishmael, but his wife hated Ishmael. God stepped in and said to do what Sarah suggested. Sarah was being selfish and hateful, yet God told Abraham to follow her advice. God can work through bad situations and even bad motives. God told him that his offspring would be named through Isaac, but Ishmael would also become a nation. God made this promise to Abraham a ridiculous number of times! So Abraham cast them out. Hagar loved Ishmael and could not bring herself to watch him die when they ran out of water. She put him under a bush and then went far enough away so that she wouldn’t have to watch. The fact that she was able to just set him down and not have him follow her tells me Ishmael was likely still very young. God heard her weeping and promised her that her son would become a great nation. He opened her eyes to see a well. This tells me that God had somehow made it so that she could not see this well right in front of her! This is a little weird to me, but God did it for a reason. Maybe He wanted her to cry out to Him. This is the first mention of a weapon. And it is in the hands of Ishmael who lived alone in the wilderness, whose descendants were going to be militant. God was already fulfilling his prophecy. Hagar found an Egyptian woman to marry him. This sounds like an arranged marriage to me. Also, Egypt is later used to represent sin. This might be another way that the passage contrasts Ishmael’s life with Isaacs. It is interesting to read the stories of people not in the line of Israel. The fact that they are mentioned means they are important, but the brevity of the stories about them shows that they are not the main characters in the story.

Questions: Why did God use Sarah’s attitude and motives to accomplish his purpose? Did Abraham regret sending Hagar and Ishmael away? Was Hagar glad to finally get away from Sarah? Why did God hide the well from Hagar? Ishmael was not a main part of God’s redemptive plan for the world, but he is included and God showed Himself to Hagar and Ishmael after they had separated from the main plot line. Why? And did God do anything else miraculous in Ishamel’s life? In other words, did God continue to directly provide for Ishmael?

Lessons: God can use wrong motives and bad situations. Just because something goes wrong or seems broken and sinful does not mean that God is unable to work through it. In this story, God separated Ishmael through Sarah’s sinful jealousy. There is no situation to dark or messed up for God to be found in.

Isaac's Birth Promised

Story: Isaac's Birth Promised

Passage: Genesis 17:15-18:21

Characters: God, Abraham, three men, Sarai

Summary: God changed Sarai's name to Sarah. He promised Abraham a son through Sarah and He blessed the son. Abraham did not believe God and asked for Ishmael to have the blessing. God said that He would bless Ishmael, but His covenant was with Isaac. Abraham circumcised his entire household. Three men appeared to Abraham. Abraham served them. The men said that Sarah would have a son in the next year. She overheard and laughed at the men and God questioned her laughter. The Lord decided to tell Abraham his plan for Sodom.

Notes: Abraham fully believed that God's covenant was with Ishmael. When God promised a son to Sarah, he laughed at God's promise! God still chose to bless Ishmael though. His covenant however was with Isaac. God's choice of names was interesting. God puts a lot of stock in names. Throughout the old testament, and even into the new testament, God changed peoples' names to better represent His plan for their lives. He had already changed Abram's name to Abraham. Now He changed Sarai's name to Sarah. Sarah means princess. I'm not sure exactly why He deliberately called her princess, but I suspect that she felt like a failure. She couldn't give Abraham a son. But God wanted her to know that she was still a princess in His eyes and she would be the mother of an eternally royal line. Isaac means "he laughs". This is fitting since both Abraham and Sarah laughed when God told them they would have Isaac. Abraham then immediately obeyed God's command to circumcise his household. Remember that although God's command occurred in the previous chapter, it was the same conversation with Abraham as this one. Abraham immediately obeyed. It wasn't just Abraham's family who was set apart, it was those who Abraham had bought and acquired. It was all of his servants. Likewise, we have been bought by God and we are set apart for him, even though most of us are not Jews. God then appeared as three men. I assume that these men represented the trinity. This is significant because I cannot think of another time in the Bible when God physically portrayed the trinity so clearly. Obviously this was a pivotal moment in the story that God was writing. The only other place I can think of where the trinity was observably present was Jesus baptism. The Spirit was a dove, the Father was a voice, and the Son was obviously Jesus. This was another pivotal moment in history. In this case, I wonder if Abraham was aware of who these visitors were. He treated them with tremendous respect and served them immediately. God asked where Sarah was and heard she was in the tent. Instead of sending Abraham to get her, He spoke about Isaac as if she were there. He was well aware that she was listening. He was also well aware that she laughed. I love that she argued with Him saying she did not laugh. God responds by saying, "No, but you did laugh." And then He just moves on. It wasn't an argument so much as it was a statement. Sarah tried to argue with God and God just sort of brushed her argument aside. I just find that funny!. Anyway, I think it is interesting that God decided to share with Abraham his plan for Sodom. Obviously, God and Abraham were very close if God felt like he deserved to be told about His plan.

Questions: Did Abraham believe God initially about Isaac? Why did God change Sarah's name to princess? Did Abraham know who the three men were? Did the men enjoy the food that Abraham gave them? Why did Sarah bother arging with God? Why did God choose to share His plans with Abraham?

Lessons: As first born, Ishmael deserved to have the covenant with God. But God places no weight on birthorder. God blesses who He wants to bless and uses who He wants to use. We as gentiles do not deserve the convenant we have with God. But God loved us and chose to use us in His story. We also see Abraham display immediate obedience. When God tells us to do something, we need to do it immediately!