Gênesis 21
Charles Spurgeon · Citado em PreceptAustin
Gênesis 21
Spurgeon - Morning, June 15 “And Sarah said, God hath made me to laugh, so that all that hear will laugh with me.” —Genesis 21:6 It was far above the power of nature, and even contrary to its laws, that the aged Sarah should be honoured with a son; and even so it is beyond all ordinary rules that I, a poor, helpless, undone sinner, should find grace to bear about in my soul the indwelling Spirit of the Lord Jesus. I, who once despaired, as well I might, for my nature was as dry, and withered, and barren, and accursed as a howling wilderness, even I have been made to bring forth fruit unto holiness. Well may my mouth be filled with joyous laughter, because of the singular, surprising grace which I have received of the Lord, for I have found Jesus, the promised seed, and he is mine for ever. This day will I lift up psalms of triumph unto the Lord who has remembered my low estate, for “my heart rejoiceth in the Lord; mine horn is exalted in the Lord; my mouth is enlarged over mine enemies, because I rejoice in thy salvation.” I would have all those that hear of my great deliverance from hell, and my most blessed visitation from on high, laugh for joy with me. I would surprise my family with my abundant peace; I would delight my friends with my ever-increasing happiness; I would edify the Church with my grateful confessions; and even impress the world with the cheerfulness of my daily conversation. Bunyan tells us that Mercy laughed in her sleep, and no wonder when she dreamed of Jesus; my joy shall not stop short of hers while my Beloved is the theme of my daily thoughts. The Lord Jesus is a deep sea of joy: my soul shall dive therein, shall be swallowed up in the delights of his society. Sarah looked on her Isaac, and laughed with excess of rapture, and all her friends laughed with her; and thou, my soul, look on thy Jesus, and bid heaven and earth unite in thy joy unspeakable. Laughing Out Loud God has brought me laughter, and everyone who hears about this will laugh with me. Genesis 21:6 Today's Scripture & Insight : Genesis 21:1–7 Comedian John Branyan said, “We didn’t think up laughter; that wasn’t our idea. That was given to us by [God who] knew we were going to need it to get through life. [Because] He knew we were going to have hardship, He knew we were going to have struggles, He knew . . . stuff was going to happen. . . . Laughter is a gift.” A quick look at the creatures God made can bring laughter, whether because of their oddities (such as duck-billed platypuses) or antics (such as playful otters). He made mammals that live in the ocean and long-legged birds that can’t fly. God clearly has a sense of humor; and because we’re created in His image, we too have the joy of laughter. We first see the word laughter in the Bible in the story of Abraham and Sarah. God promised this elderly couple a child: “A son who is your own flesh and blood will be your heir” (Genesis 15:4). And God had said, “Look up at the sky and count the stars . . . . So shall your offspring be” (v. 5). When Sarah finally gave birth at ninety, Abraham named their son Isaac, which means “laughter.” As Sarah exclaimed, “God has brought me laughter, and everyone who hears about this will laugh with me” (21:6). It amazed her that she could nurse a child at her age! God transformed her skeptical laughter when she’d heard she’d give birth (18:12) into laughter of sheer joy. Thank God for the gift of laughter! By: Alyson Kieda Sign in to track your progress! When has laughter been “good medicine”? How can finding humor in your life help even in the most difficult times? Dear God, thank You for giving me the gift of laughter. Laughing Matters Sarah said, “God has brought me laughter, and everyone who hears about this will laugh with me.” GENESIS 21:6 You don’t hear a lot about Christian comedians. That’s strange, because being a Christian gives you plenty to laugh about. If Christians are anything, we’re human, which means we will inevitably find ourselves in laughable situations. Sarah even named her son “Isaac,” or “Laughter,” remembering that God’s promise of a son had initially sounded quite comical to her. We repeat the same sins over and over; we sing lines like “Let it be a sweet, sweet sound to your ear” off-key; we turn beet-red as we debate which worship songs should be sung in our church. It can all be pretty funny when you think about it. It’s entirely possible that many of us will see no serious spiritual breakthroughs in our lives until we learn to laugh at ourselves. And that’s funny, in a sad sort of way. JOURNAL: What in your Christian life would have less power over you if you could laugh at it? What prevents you from laughing at it? David A. Zimmerman Unexpected Laughter God has brought me laughter, and everyone who hears about this will laugh with me. —Genesis 21:6 Sarah and Abraham’s son was born when they were in their old age. They named him Isaac, meaning laughter. When they thought all hope of having a baby was gone, God surprised them and gave them a son. Sarah understood God’s power, but she did not expect God’s best. She laughed because, like the rest of the world, she was caught up in what she could see. But God’s gift changed what she believed God would do for her. Her faith in Him became so strong that she used her life as a testimony so that others would join in with her laughter. Her life also let people know that God is a God who can do the impossible. All we have to do is allow Him to handle those things for which we hope. So let us join in with Sarah, laughing because of God’s goodness. Sarah erased her past disappointments when she laughed at herself. The first laugh was a snicker of unbelief, but that soon turned to joy. It is good to celebrate unexpected news that holds hope and joy. When something happens that seems illogical or unbelievable, laugh with hope, and rejoice that God can do the impossible in your life too. Dear God, I believe you can do the impossible. Help me to believe you can make change in my life. Amen. (365 Devotions for Hope) Spurgeon - Some of you are enduring deep affliction. In your extraordinary trial, remember the depth of divine faithfulness. You may be unable to comprehend why, but I urge you to believe in the firmness and stability of divine affection. You will have comfort in proportion to your trials. If you have shallow sorrows you will receive shallow graces. If you have deep afflictions you will obtain deeper proof of God’s faithfulness. I could lay down and die when I think of life’s trials, but like Sarah (Gen. 21:6) I recover and laugh when I remember that the eternal God is our refuge and that underneath are the everlasting arms (Deut. 33:27). God will not fail. God will not take away His hand until He has finished His purpose concerning us. Great trials bring great promises. Much afflicted one, there are great and mighty words that are not meant for saints of easier experiences. You will drink from the deep golden goblets reserved for those giants who can drink a great portion of wormwood, but God will also supply deep drinks of the well–refined wines on the lees (Is. 25:6). Trials greatly enlarge the soul. Thus I do not want, in my better mind, to escape great trials, since they involve great graces. If my strength shall be as my days (Deut. 33:25), then let my days be long and dark, for my strength will be mighty, God will be glorified, and I will be blessed. I earnestly urge every tested Christian to dwell on this truth, for it may be a great comfort. There is love, immortal and unchanging love, in heaven toward you, which will never grow cold. You will be helped. God would sooner cease to be than cease to be faithful. Be of good courage, for today He will strengthen your heart. The Power of a Name Your name will be Abraham, for I have made you a father of many nations. Genesis 17:5 Today's Scripture & Insight : Genesis 17:1–8, 15–16 Seeking to affirm some children who live on the streets in Mumbai, India, Ranjit created a song of their names. Coming up with a unique melody for each name, he taught them the tune, hoping to give them a positive memory related to what they’re called. For children who don’t regularly hear their name spoken in love, he bestowed on them a gift of respect. Names are important in the Bible, often reflecting a person’s character traits or new role. For instance, God changed the names of Abram and Sarai when He made a covenant of love with them, promising that He would be their God and they would be His people. Abram, which means “exalted father,” became Abraham, which means “father of many.” And Sarai, which means “princess,” became Sarah, which means “princess of many” (see Genesis 17:5, 15). God’s new names included the gracious promise that they would no longer be childless. When Sarah gave birth to their son, they were overjoyed and named him Isaac, which means “he laughs”: “Sarah said, ‘God has brought me laughter, and everyone who hears about this will laugh with me’ ” (Genesis 21:6). How do you feel about your name? When have you been able to name something in a friend or family member that reflects who they are? God of all names, You made me in Your image and love me. Shape me and mold me to be more like You. Genesis 21:7 And she said, “Who would have said to Abraham that Sarah would nurse children? Yet I have borne him a son in his old age.” Who: Nu 23:23 De 4:32-34 Ps 86:8,10 Isa 49:21 66:8 Eph 3:10 2Th 1:10 yetI: Ge 18:11,12 Genesis 21 Resources - Multiple sermons and commentaries SARAH'S AMAZEMENT And she said, “Who would have said to Abraham that Sarah would nurse children? - This is rhetorical and the answer is no one speaking from a humanistic perspective. Sarah's question highlights God's grace (unmerited favor) and power (to create). Note not only did God miraculously enable Sarah to bear a son, but also to be able to nurse him, which is significant as Sarahc could not send Abraham to the corner store to buy baby formula and baby bottles! It is interesting that the Hebrew uses the word children (child in plural) because Sarah had only one child, Isaac! Life Application Study note - Because of her doubt, worry, and fear, she had forfeited the peace she could have felt in God's wonderful promise to her. The way to bring peace to a troubled heart is to focus on God's promises. Trust him to do what he says. Yet I have borne him a son in his old age - Yet marks the contrast with humanistic reasoning and the miraculous provision from God to a woman who was 90 and past child bearing age! And she emphasizes Abraham's old age. Sarah's reproach was turned by God into rejoicing. Henry
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Spurgeon - Compassion for souls ‘She went, and sat down over against him a good way off, as it were a bowshot; for she said, Let me not see the death of the child. And she sat over against him, and lift up her voice, and wept.’ Genesis 21:16 If we did really know what souls are, and what it is for them to be cast away, those of us who have done very little or nothing would begin to work for Christ directly. It is said in an old story that a certain king of Lydia had a son who had been dumb from birth, but when Lydia was captured, a soldier was about to kill the king, when the young man suddenly found his tongue and cried out, ‘Soldier, would you kill the king?’ He had never spoken a word before, but his astonishment and fear gave him speech. I think if you had been dumb to that moment, if you indeed saw your own children and neighbours going down into the pit, you would cry out, ‘Though I never spoke before, I will speak now. Poor souls, believe in Christ, and you shall be saved.’ You do not know how such an utterance as that, however simple, might be blessed. A very little child once found herself in company with an old man in his eighties, a fine old man who loved little children and who took the child upon his knee. Turning round to him, the little one said, ‘Sir, I got a grandpa just like you, and my grandpa love Jesus Christ. Does you?’ He said, ‘I was eighty-four years of age and had always lived among Christian people, but nobody ever thought it worth his while to say as much as that to me.’ That little child was the instrument of the old man’s conversion. He knew he had not loved the Saviour, and he began to seek him, and in his old age he found salvation. If as much as that is possible for a child, it is possible for you. If you love Jesus, burst the bonds of timidity or, it may be, supineness; snap all fetters, and from this day feel that you cannot bear to think of the ruin of a soul, and must seek its salvation if there be in earth or heaven ways and means by which you can bring a blessing to it. Charles Swindoll - NOT ALONE (Faith for the Journey) The will of God will never take us where the grace of God cannot sustain us. BILLY GRAHAM [Hagar] went and sat down by herself about a hundred yards away. “I don’t want to watch the boy die,” she said, as she burst into tears. But God heard the boy crying, and the angel of God called to Hagar from heaven, “Hagar, what’s wrong? Do not be afraid! God has heard the boy crying as he lies there.” Ge 21:16-17 WHEN HAGAR was forced to leave Abraham’s camp, she wandered in the wilderness of Beersheba, a region roughly thirty miles southwest of Hebron. Hagar, like most suddenly single parents, faced the challenge of having to survive alone, having to make too little provision cover too many needs, and wondering if God still cared. Perhaps you’re experiencing a time in your life when you feel absolutely alone. Your future is bleak, and you can’t remember the last time you really laughed. Your soul is parched, and you don’t know where to turn. At the risk of sounding like a preacher, may I offer a few words of hope? You need to know that while you feel all alone, you are not alone. God sees you. He hears your weeping. He will care for you and turn your sorrow into dancing. The nights are long, but God will sustain you and restore you. He will see you through the barrenness of Beersheba. You will be whole again —and sooner than you think. If you identify with Hagar, take heart. When your life has recovered from this dark time, the strength you will have gained will compensate for those desperately difficult days. In the meantime, I repeat: please know that God has not left you alone. As Hagar lay weeping in despair and the young man lay dying of thirst, God heard their sorrow. He knows that you’re trapped between deep regret and gnawing bitterness. He understands you. And He will never leave you alone. REFLECT What reminders has God given you that you are not alone? Take a moment to thank Him for hearing your cries. Fear not; you will no longer live in shame. Don’t be afraid; there is no more disgrace for you. . . . For the LORD has called you back from your grief. Isa 54:4, 6 Genesis 21:17 God heard the lad crying; and the angel of God called to Hagar from heaven and said to her, “What is the matter with you, Hagar? Do not fear, for God has heard the voice of the lad where he is. God heard the lad crying: Ge 16:11 Ex 3:7 22:23,27 2Ki 13:4,23 Ps 50:15 65:2 91:15 Mt 15:32 Angel of God Ge 16:9,11 What is the matter with you: Judges 18:23 1Sa 11:5 Isa 22:1 Do not fear: Ge 15:1 46:3 Ex 14:13 Ps 107:4-6 Isa 41:10,13,14 43:1,2 Mk 5:36 Genesis 21 Resources - Multiple sermons and commentaries Related Passages: Genesis 16:9; 11+ Then the Angel of the LORD said to her, “Return to your mistress, and submit yourself to her authority.”....11 The Angel of the LORD said to her further, “Behold, you are with child, And you will bear a son; And you shall call his name Ishmael, Because the LORD has given heed to your affliction. HAGAR'S SECOND GOD ENCOUNTER God (Elohim) heard (shama) the lad crying; and the Angel of God called to Hagar from heaven and said to her, “What is the matter with you, Hagar? Do not fear, (jussive sense ~ command) for God has heard (shama) the voice of the lad where he is - As an aside, this is still the same God, El Roi, the One Who met Hagar's need in Ge 16:13+, the "God Who sees!" Here he sees Hagar and He hears Ishmael! Ishmael cried and God spoke to Hagar. God heard (wayishma ‘elohim) is clearly a play on words here for Ishmael's name (yishma ‘el) is derived from shama (hear) + el (God) and thus means "Heard of God" or "God will hear" (Ge 16:11+)! Do not fear in the Septuagint is present imperative with a negative which means stop what you are doing! Did you see the repeated thought in this passage? God heard...God has heard. And who did he hear? A teenage lad! Heard (shama) in the Septuagint is eisakouo which means God listened attentively to Ishmael! The second use of heard (shama) is translated with a different verb epakouo which also means listened attentively and favorably. God is not unaffected by Ishmael's cries. Note that not everyone agrees Angel of God in this context is a THEOPHANY. I think it is because of the "I will" promise in Ge 21:18. Note the similar phrase at the point of Abraham's greatest need in Ge 22:11 where "the Angel of the LORD called to him from Heaven!" In both scenarios God arrives "in the nick of time" which reminds me of the exhortation in Hebrews 4:16+ "Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need (aka "in the nick of time!") Are you in need? Draw near to His throne of grace now! THOUGHT - Dear teenager or parent of teenager, see this story of Ishmael as an example to motivate a young person to cry out to God. God hears the prayers of teenagers! So cry out to Him in your time of need. He hears you just like He heard Ishmael! This reminds me of the movie "Letters to God" about a young boy named Tyler who has cancer and whose prayers take the form of letters he sends to his ultimate pen pal, God. Wenham has an interesting comment on the lad crying - "His behavior led to their expulsion and his prayer to their salvation." (BORROW Genesis 16-50 page 84)
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Spurgeon - Eyes opened ‘And God opened her eyes, and she saw a well of water.’ Genesis 21:19 ‘And their eyes were opened, and they knew him.’ Luke 24:31 Through the fall the spiritual taste of man became perverted, so that he puts bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter; he chooses the poison of hell and loathes the bread of heaven; he licks the dust of the serpent and rejects the food of angels. The spiritual hearing became grievously injured, for man naturally no longer hears God’s word, but stops his ears at the Maker’s voice. Let the gospel minister charm never so wisely, yet is the unconverted soul like the deaf adder which hears not the charmer’s voice. The spiritual feeling by virtue of our depravity is fearfully deadened. Whether the thunders of Sinai or the turtle notes of Calvary claim his attention, man is resolutely deaf to both. Even the spiritual smell with which man should discern between that which is pure and holy and that which is unsavoury to the Most High has become defiled, and now man’s spiritual nostril while unrenewed derives no enjoyment from the sweet savour which is in Christ Jesus, but seeks after the putrid joys of sin. As with other senses so is it with man’s sight. He is so spiritually blind that things most plain and clear he cannot and will not see. The understanding, which is the soul’s eye, is covered with scales of ignorance, and when these are removed by the finger of instruction, the visual orb is still so affected that it sees men as trees walking. Our condition is thus most terrible, but at the same time it affords ample room for a display of the splendours of divine grace. Dear friends, we are naturally so entirely ruined, that if saved the whole work must be of God, and the whole glory must crown the head of the Triune Jehovah. C H Spurgeon - Eyes opened ‘And God opened her eyes.’ Genesis 21:19 God has been pleased to open the natural eyes of mankind by the invention of optical instruments. What a discovery it was when first of all certain pieces of glass were arranged in connection with each other and men began to peer into the stars! What a change has come over the knowledge of our race by the invention of the telescope! How much of truly devout, adoring thought, and of deep, intense, unutterable reverence has been born into the world by the Lord’s having in this sense opened men’s eyes! When he turned his telescope upon the nebulae and discovered that these were innumerable stars, what a hymn of praise must have burst from the reverent astronomer’s heart. How infinite thou art, most gracious Lord! What wonders hast thou created! Let thy name be held in reverence for ever and ever. Equally marvellous was the effect upon human knowledge when the microscope was invented. We could never have imagined what wonders of skill and of taste would be revealed by the magnifying glass, and what marvels of beauty would be found compressed within a space too small to measure. Who dreamed that a butterfly’s wing would display art, wisdom and a delicacy never to be rivalled by human workmanship? The most delicate work of art is rough, crude and raw compared with the commonest object in nature; the one is the production of man, the other the handiwork of God. Spend an evening with the microscope and, if your heart be right, you will lift your eye away from the glass to heaven and exclaim, ‘Great God, thou art as wonderful in the little as thou art in the great, and as much to be praised for the minute as for the magnificent.’ While we say, ‘Great art thou, O God, for thou madest the great and wide sea, and the leviathan whose lot it is to play therein’, we feel that we must also say, ‘Great art thou, O Lord, for thou madest the drop of water and hast filled it with living things innumerable.’ C H Spurgeon - A welcome discovery ‘God opened her eyes, and she saw a well of water; and she went and filled the bottle with water, and gave the lad drink.’ Genesis 21:19 Sometimes holy scripture has its well near to the troubled heart, not so much in the form of doctrine, as in the form of promise. There was never a trouble yet in human experience among God’s people, without there being a promise to meet it. You have only to look long enough and you shall find the counterfoil; you shall discover that God has in his book that which exactly meets your case. ‘Oh,’ said Christian in Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress, ‘what a thousand fools have I been to lie rotting in this stinking dungeon all these weeks, when I have a key in my bosom which, I am persuaded, would fit the locks of all the doors in Doubting Castle. Come, good brother, let us try it.’ And so Christian plucked up courage, and he found his key of promise, though it grated a little; and Bunyan says that one of the doors went, as he puts it in his old edition, ‘damnably hard’. He did not know how to put it strong enough until he used that word. Yet the key did open every single door, and even the iron gate itself, the external gate of the castle, opened by the help of that key. Some of you have laid, fretting and worrying yourselves about things which God has dealt with already in his own word. You have said, ‘Would God he would do that!’ and he has done it. You have asked him to give you something, and you have got it. I have used sometimes the simile of a man in the dark dying of hunger, and yet he is shut up in the pantry. There is the food all round him, if he could only put out his hand and take it. Did he know it to be there and would he grasp it, there is just what he wants. I am persuaded, if you search the scriptures well, there is not one child of God that need despair of finding that the Master has opened a well of promise for him. Genesis 21:20 God was with the lad, and he grew; and he lived in the wilderness and became an archer. God: Ge 17:20 28:15 39:2,3,21 Judges 6:12 13:24,25 Lu 1:80 2:40 an archer: Ge 10:9 16:12 25:27 27:3 49:23,24 Genesis 21 Resources - Multiple sermons and commentaries GOD SUSTAINS ISHMAEL IN THE WILD God was with the lad - Later we read Abimelech acknowledge "“God is with you in all that you do" (Ge 21:22). Ishmael shared in the blessing of Abraham! God being with a person is the same description is used of Isaac (Ge 26:28, 28:15), Jacob (Ge 28:15, 1:3, 46:4) and Joseph (Gen. 39:2,3,21). It expresses YHWH's personal care and presence. And he grew and he lived in the wilderness and became an archer.- Moses summarizes Ishmael's life. Despite the fact that Ishmael remained in the wilderness, God provided for him and nourished him to an active, skilled man able to hunt food (cf Ge 27:3). Recall that in Ge 16:12+ God also predicted that Ishmael "will be a wild donkey of a man, His hand will be against everyone, And everyone’s hand will be against him; And he will live to the east of all his brothers.” Genesis 21:21 He lived in the wilderness of Paran, and his mother took a wife for him from the land of Egypt. in the wilderness: Nu 10:12 12:16 13:3,26 1Sa 25:1 in the wilderness: Ge 24:3,4 26:34,35 27:46 28:1,2 Judges 14:2 1Co 7:38 Genesis 21 Resources - Multiple sermons and commentaries Wilderness of Paran ISHMAEL MARRIES AN EGYPTIAN He lived in the wilderness of Paran, and his mother took a wife for him from the land of Egypt - See map above for Paran. We should not be surprised that Hagar took a wife from Egypt, for this was Hagar's original home country. Hagar knew he was to be a great nation and thus procured him a wife who bore him 12 sons (presumably all from the same mother) (Ge 25:13–16). Wilderness of Paran - wilderness area bounded on the north by Palestine, on the west by the wilderness of Etham, on the south by the desert of Sinai, and on the east by the valley of Arabah; the exodus was through this area and probably all 18 stops were in this area. It bears the modern name of Badiet et-Tih, i.e., "the desert of the wanderings." This district, through which the children of Israel wandered, lay three days' march from Sinai (Nu 10:12, 33). From Kadesh, in this wilderness, spies (q.v.) were sent to spy the land (Nu 13:3, 26). Here, long afterwards, David found refuge from Saul (1Sa 25:1, 4). QUESTION - What happened to Ishmael in the Bible? ANSWER - Ishmael is the son of Abraham and Hagar, the Egyptian slave-girl belonging to Sarah, Abraham’s wife. Abraham gave him the name Ishmael, which means “God hears,” presumably because he and Sarah had thought he was the son of God’s promise. Ishmael became the father of the Arab nations. God had promised Abraham that he would have a son (Genesis 15:4) and that his descendants would be as numerous as the stars in the sky. But as time passed, and God had not fulfilled that promise, Sarah devised a plan, and Abraham agreed. She gave her Egyptian maidservant, Hagar, to Abraham. Hagar conceived a child and gave birth to Ishmael when Abraham was 86 years old (Genesis 16:16). Before Ishmael was born, the angel of the Lord told Hagar, “This son of yours will be a wild man, as untamed as a wild donkey! He will raise his fist against everyone, and everyone will be against him. Yes, he will live in open hostility against all his relatives” (Genesis 16:12NLT). Ishmael was raised in his father’s house, but when he was 13 years old, God returned to Abraham to re-affirm His covenant and assure Abraham that the child of promise would come through Sarah (Genesis 17:16–19; 18:10), not Hagar. God told Abraham, “As for Ishmael, I will bless him also, just as you have asked. I will make him extremely fruitful and multiply his descendants. He will become the father of twelve princes, and I will make him a great nation. But my covenant will be confirmed with Isaac, who will be born to you and Sarah about this time next year” (Genesis 17:20–21, NLT). As a symbol of His covenant pledge, the Lord instituted the rite of circumcision. Both Abraham and Ishmael were circumcised that day. A year later, when Abraham was 100 years old, Isaac was born to Sarah. When the boy was two or three years old, around the time he was to be weaned, Abraham held a huge feast to celebrate the occasion. Ishmael was probably 16 years old by then. At the banquet, Ishmael mocked Isaac, angering Sarah. She demanded that Abraham get rid of Hagar and Ishmael. (Genesis 21:8–10). Sarah was determined that Ishmael have no part in Isaac’s inheritance. Abraham was deeply troubled by the idea of sending Ishmael away, but God reassured him: “Do not be upset over the boy and your servant. Do whatever Sarah tells you, for Isaac is the son through whom your descendants will be counted. But I will also make a nation of the descendants of Hagar’s son because he is your son, too” (Genesis 21:12–13NLT). So Abraham gave Hagar a little food and water and sent them away. Mother and son wandered aimlessly in the wilderness of Beersheba until their provisions ran out. Then Hagar put Ishmael under the shade of a bush and stepped away, not wanting to watch him die. As she sat down at a distance and wept, the angel of God came to comfort Hagar and reassure her that Ishmael would survive and prosper (Genesis 21:14–18NLT). The Bible says God was with Ishmael as he grew up in the eastern Sinai Peninsula: “He became a skillful archer, and he settled in the wilderness of Paran. His mother arranged for him to marry a woman from the land of Egypt” (Genesis 21:20–21NLT). When Abraham died, Ishmael attended his funeral (Genesis 25:9), proving that at least occasional and civil communications were maintained between him and his father’s household. Ishmael fathered 12 sons and a daughter who married Esau (Genesis 28:9; 36:2–3). He lived to the ripe old age of 137 (Genesis 25:17). Scripture says Ishmael’s numerous descendants settled near the eastern border of Egypt and lived in hostility toward all of their relatives (Genesis 25:18). GotQuestions.org QUESTION - Who are the descendants of Ishmael? ANSWER - Ishmael was a son of Abraham, born of Sarah’s maidservant Hagar in an attempt to bring into the world the son God had promised to Abraham and Sarah. Later, Isaac was born to Abraham and Sarah, and Hagar and Ishmael were driven away because of Ishmael’s attitude toward Isaac (Genesis 21:9–10, 14). But God still had plans for Ishmael. God promised Hagar that Ishmael, as a son of Abraham, would become a great nation (Genesis 21:17–18). The fulfillment is recorded in Genesis 25:12–18—Ishmael had twelve sons who became great rulers and eventually a nation of people. That came about in this way: Hagar, who was Egyptian herself, found a wife from Egypt for her son, and Ishmael settled in the desert of Paran (Genesis 21:21). Ishmael’s descendants “settled in the area from Havilah to Shur, near the border of Egypt as you go toward Ashur” (Genesis 25:18). The Bible lists Ishmael’s sons as Nebaioth, Kedar, Adbeel, Mibsam, Mishma, Dumah, Massa, Hadad, Tema, Jetur, Naphish, and Kedemah (Ge 25:13–15). The descendants of Ishmael became known as Arabs, which basically means “nomads.” The area of Havilah where Ishmael’s descendants lived is in the northern part of the Arabian Peninsula; Shur is a wilderness area between Beersheba in the Negev Desert and Egypt. Isaiah 60:7 mentions the descendants of Nebaioth and Kedar as those who raise flocks. The descendants of Ishmael became known as Arabs, which basically means “nomads.” From the beginning, the descendants of Ishmael were a warlike people, as “they lived in hostility toward all the tribes related to them” (Genesis 25:18). This fulfilled God’s earlier word that Ishmael would be “a wild donkey of a man; his hand will be against everyone and everyone’s hand against him, and he will live in hostility toward all his brothers” (Genesis 16:12). Later, others settled in the Arabian Peninsula as well, including the descendants of Keturah’s sons (1 Chronicles 1:32–33) and some of Esau’s descendants, among them the Amalekites (Genesis 36:12). There is a popular theory common among Muslims and some Christians that Arabian Muslims are direct descendants of Ishmael. In fact, Muhammad was a major proponent of this idea, claiming to be a descendant of Ishmael according to the Quran. There is most likely some truth in this theory. According to missionary and author Kenneth Fleming, “what we know for certain seems to support the theory that the Ishmaelites are, at the very least, a major element in the Arab genetic line. Old records clearly link the north Arabians with Ishmael’s descendants” (“Ishmael and the Bible,” Emmaus Journal 13:2, 2004). But it’s unlikely that all of those in Arabia are descendants of Ishmael, as the descendants of Keturah and the children of Esau also lived in the Arabian Peninsula. Although some modern Arabians could trace their lineage back to Ishmael, not all Arabians are descendants of Ishmael as Muslims try to claim. We know from the Bible that God made Ishmael into a great nation. His descendants can share in the blessings of Abraham by putting their faith in Jesus Christ for salvation. GotQuestions.org QUESTION - Who were the Ishmaelites? ANSWER - Simply put, the Ishmaelites were the descendants of Ishmael, the son of Abram by his wife’s handmaiden, Hagar (Genesis 16:1–12). From small beginnings, the Ishmaelites became a numerous and mighty people. The origin of the Ishmaelites was fraught with difficulty. When Sarai was unable to produce a child with Abram, she followed the common cultural practice and gave Hagar to him, and Hagar conceived his child. But Sarai later became jealous and mistreated Hagar, who fled from her mistress into the wilderness. There Hagar met the Angel of the Lord who pronounced the first of three prophecies concerning the child she was bearing. She would give birth to a son, and his descendants would multiply greatly. It was at this time that God told Hagar to name him Ishmael, which means “God hears” (Genesis 16:10–11). In the wilderness the Angel of the Lord also predicted that Ishmael—and therefore the Ishmaelites—would be stubborn, untamable, and warlike: “He will be a wild donkey of a man; / his hand will be against everyone / and everyone’s hand against him, / and he will live in hostility / toward all his brothers” (Genesis 16:12). After hearing the angel’s words, Hagar returned to her mistress and eventually gave birth to Ishmael. Later, God changed the names of Sarai and Abram to Sarah and Abraham and established a covenant with Abraham’s son Isaac. But Ishmael also had a promise from God: he would be blessed, too, and he would be the father of a great nation, beginning with twelve sons, the first of the Ishmaelites (Genesis 17:20). The names of the twelve are listed in Genesis 25:12–16; it is from the Ishmaelites that the Arab nations descended. Ishmael was about fourteen years old when Isaac was born. A year or a few later, when Isaac was weaned, Sarah saw Ishmael mocking her son. Sarah asked Abraham to send Hagar and Ishmael away, and God told Abraham to comply. The Angel of God met Hagar and her son once again and predicted for the third time that Ishmael would father a great nation (Genesis 21:18). Later in Israel’s history, the Ishmaelites were also called Midianites (although not all Midianites were descendants of Ishmael), and they engaged in the buying and selling of slaves (Genesis 37:28; 39:1). Judges 8:24 tells us that it was a custom for the Ishmaelites to wear gold earrings. During the reign of King David, the Ishmaelites joined a confederacy against God and against His people, Israel (Psalm 83:5–6). Their goal was to “destroy them as a nation, / so that Israel’s name is remembered no more” (verse 4). Considering the current turmoil in the Middle East and the hatred often directed against Israel by her neighbors, the prophecies concerning the descendants of Ishmael continue to prove true. GotQuestions.org Genesis 21:22–34 A COVENANT AT BEER-SHEBA - John Bennett - Day by Day ‘The ordinary uneventful days of a believer’s life are usually a better test of his true character than an emergency or crisis. It is sometimes possible to face a great occasion with wisdom and courage, and yet to fail in some simple, average experiences of daily living’, W. H. GRIFFITH THOMAS. It is in this passage that we see Abimelech’s assessment of Abraham’s life, ‘God is with thee in all that thou doest’, v. 22. ‘His consistent walk of separation is admired, and God’s personal blessings acknowledged’, WARREN HENDERSON. This is quite a confession from Abimelech but also a testimony to Abraham’s faith evident in his daily life. The event described in the verses of today’s reading surrounds what is little more than a disagreement between neighbours over a well, v. 25. This watering hole had been taken over by Abimelech’s men without his knowledge and it was depriving Abraham and his flocks of their necessary water. How should this matter be resolved? It is clear from the comments of verse 22 that Abraham’s testimony could have been damaged or lost if this matter were not handled sensitively. The fact that Abimelech sought peace gave Abraham the opportunity to resolve the matter and demonstrate his goodwill by setting ‘seven ewe lambs of the flock by themselves’, v. 28. How important to handle these ‘simple’ things with acumen: ‘Walk in wisdom toward them that are without’, Col. 4:5. It was the Lord who taught His disciples, ‘But let your communication be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay: for whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil’, Matt. 5:37. May we, in every way, ‘walk reputably towards those without’, 1 Thess. 4:12 JND. The results of the covenant that was sworn that day was peace between Abimelech and Abraham, v. 34, and the maintenance of Abraham’s testimony. But, from verse 33, we might suggest that there was also a deepening of Abraham’s relationship with his God. It was there that he ‘called … on the name of the Lord’. It was there that he also came to know ‘the everlasting God’, one who changes not. Don’t underestimate the importance of ‘little things’! Genesis 21:22 Now it came about at that time that Abimelech and Phicol, the commander of his army, spoke to Abraham, saying, “God is with you in all that you do; Abimelech: Ge 20:2 Ge 26:26 God: Ge 20:17 26:28 28:15 30:27 39:2,3 Jos 3:7 2Ch 1:1 Isa 8:10 45:14 Zec 8:23 Mt 1:23 Ro 8:31 1Co 14:25 Heb 13:5 Rev 3:9 Related Passages: Genesis 26:26-28 (PRESUMABLY THE SAME ABIMELECH AND PHICOL THAT MEET ABRAHAM) Then Abimelech came to him from Gerar with his adviser Ahuzzath and Phicol the commander of his army. 27 Isaac said to them, “Why have you come to me, since you hate me and have sent me away from you?” 28 They said, “We see plainly that the LORD has been with you; so we said, ‘Let there now be an oath between us, even between you and us, and let us make a covenant with you, Genesis 21 Resources - Multiple sermons and commentaries PAGAN KING RECOGNIZES GOD IS WITH ABRAHAM R Kent Hughes entitles Genesis 21:22-34 "Grace at Beersheba."...There had been grace in the birth of Isaac, grace in the departure of Ishmael, and grace in the treaty of Beersheba." Now it came about at that time that Abimelech and Phicol, the commander of his army, spoke to Abraham, saying, “God is with you in all that you do - The Septuagint adds a third person to Abimelech's retinue, "and Ochozath his friend." (Ahuzzath in Ge 26:26) Note that this is the same Abimelech that we met in Genesis 20. Here we read that this powerful pagan leader recognized that the "good hand of the Lord" was on His servant Abraham. One reason Abimelech would have known God was with him is because earlier "Abraham prayed to God, and God healed Abimelech and his wife and his maids, so that they bore children." (Ge 20:17)