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.
Showing posts with label ishmael. Show all posts
Showing posts with label ishmael. Show all posts
Thursday, February 23, 2012
Thursday, February 16, 2012
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.
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.
Wednesday, February 8, 2012
Sarai and Hagar
Story: Sarai and Hagar
Passage: Genesis 16
Characters: Sarai, Abram, Hagar, the Lord
Summary: Sarai had no children so she gave her servant Hagar to Abram as a wife. Hagar got pregnant and looked on Sarai with contempt. Sarai treated Hagar harshly and Hagar fled. The Lord stopped her and gave her a promise concerning her son. So she returned and gave birth to Ishmael.
Notes: Abram and Sarai had a weird marriage! Earlier, Abram gave his wife to an Egyptian pharaoh and now Sarai is giving Abram and Egyptian servant as a wife! They had something for Egypt apparently! Egypt is generally used to represent sin in the Bible. So it might be significant that when Abram and Sarai make decisions that don't involve God, they end up marrying Egypt. This was Sarai and Abram's attempt to keep God's promise with their own efforts. Abram wanted a son and the more wives he had, the more likely it would be that he would have one. When Hagar had a son though, things went south. I'm not sure if Hagar was trying to pridefully rub it in her mistresses face that she had had a son while Sarai was barren. Hagar also might have been mad and felt like she was used. Either way, Hagar was a burden to Sarai and Abram gave Sarai permission to treat her harshly. This indifference on Abram's part shows that he didn't care so much for Hagar as he did for the son she gave him. The Lord stopped Hagar in her tracks though. I am amazed at this exchange. The Lord asked where she came from and where she was going. But He addressed her as the servant of Sarai so He knew very well where she came from and where she was going! She answered very honestly that she was fleeing from Sarai. The Lord told her to return to Sarai and submit to her. Even though she was being mistreated, the Lord wanted her to respect the authority which He had given her. If she was worried about her son's fate, God covered that next. He told her that her son's offspring would not be countable. This mirrors God's promise to Abram. In fact, Ishmael was Abram's firstborn and would be covered in the covenant God gave Abram. God then prophesied that Ishmael would basically be a loner. He would fight everyone and everyone would fight him. Interestingly, Islam traces its roots to Ishmael. This prophesy appears to hold true even today in the modern world. Muslims are sterotyped as being militant and basically loners. It is interesting that Abram received a blessing and then his two sons became the fathers of the two biggest religions in the world. Hagar obeyed God and returned to Sarai. She bore a son and Abram named him Ishmael. This tells me that Hagar had told Abram about her encounter and Abram believed her and obeyed God's command to name the boy Ishmael.
Questions: How did Sarai receive Hagar once she had returned? How did she feel about Ishmael? How did Abram view Hagar? How does Islam fulfill God's prophecy? Why did Hagar treat Sarai with contempt?
Lessons: God keeps his promises in ways we would not expect. For example, we would not expect Him to let His promise apply to Ishmael, but it is obvious that God's covenant with Abram covered Ishmael as well as Isaac. Submission to authority is important. God recognized that Sarai had authority over Hagar. Even though Sarai was abusive, He wanted Hagar to return and submit to her. This matches up with the New Testament command to love our enemies and to submit to authority. Even when it doesn't make sense, we have to understand that God places authority over us and we must respect that.
Passage: Genesis 16
Characters: Sarai, Abram, Hagar, the Lord
Summary: Sarai had no children so she gave her servant Hagar to Abram as a wife. Hagar got pregnant and looked on Sarai with contempt. Sarai treated Hagar harshly and Hagar fled. The Lord stopped her and gave her a promise concerning her son. So she returned and gave birth to Ishmael.
Notes: Abram and Sarai had a weird marriage! Earlier, Abram gave his wife to an Egyptian pharaoh and now Sarai is giving Abram and Egyptian servant as a wife! They had something for Egypt apparently! Egypt is generally used to represent sin in the Bible. So it might be significant that when Abram and Sarai make decisions that don't involve God, they end up marrying Egypt. This was Sarai and Abram's attempt to keep God's promise with their own efforts. Abram wanted a son and the more wives he had, the more likely it would be that he would have one. When Hagar had a son though, things went south. I'm not sure if Hagar was trying to pridefully rub it in her mistresses face that she had had a son while Sarai was barren. Hagar also might have been mad and felt like she was used. Either way, Hagar was a burden to Sarai and Abram gave Sarai permission to treat her harshly. This indifference on Abram's part shows that he didn't care so much for Hagar as he did for the son she gave him. The Lord stopped Hagar in her tracks though. I am amazed at this exchange. The Lord asked where she came from and where she was going. But He addressed her as the servant of Sarai so He knew very well where she came from and where she was going! She answered very honestly that she was fleeing from Sarai. The Lord told her to return to Sarai and submit to her. Even though she was being mistreated, the Lord wanted her to respect the authority which He had given her. If she was worried about her son's fate, God covered that next. He told her that her son's offspring would not be countable. This mirrors God's promise to Abram. In fact, Ishmael was Abram's firstborn and would be covered in the covenant God gave Abram. God then prophesied that Ishmael would basically be a loner. He would fight everyone and everyone would fight him. Interestingly, Islam traces its roots to Ishmael. This prophesy appears to hold true even today in the modern world. Muslims are sterotyped as being militant and basically loners. It is interesting that Abram received a blessing and then his two sons became the fathers of the two biggest religions in the world. Hagar obeyed God and returned to Sarai. She bore a son and Abram named him Ishmael. This tells me that Hagar had told Abram about her encounter and Abram believed her and obeyed God's command to name the boy Ishmael.
Questions: How did Sarai receive Hagar once she had returned? How did she feel about Ishmael? How did Abram view Hagar? How does Islam fulfill God's prophecy? Why did Hagar treat Sarai with contempt?
Lessons: God keeps his promises in ways we would not expect. For example, we would not expect Him to let His promise apply to Ishmael, but it is obvious that God's covenant with Abram covered Ishmael as well as Isaac. Submission to authority is important. God recognized that Sarai had authority over Hagar. Even though Sarai was abusive, He wanted Hagar to return and submit to her. This matches up with the New Testament command to love our enemies and to submit to authority. Even when it doesn't make sense, we have to understand that God places authority over us and we must respect that.
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