Abraham in Genesis 21-25:18

My journey through Genesis continues! These are the characters and situations I encountered in Genesis 21-25:18. And so I can continue with my trek through the Old Testament, and the REST of the Bible, a brief summary of the stories.

This online summary primarily serves as an academic exercise for me, but it may serve a purpose to others who are interested in Old Testament Literature, or at least, in seeing the lessons learned from these biblical accounts. Originally, I was going to post a more thorough discussion of these chapters, but my recap will have to do for now.

GENESIS 21-25:18

Genesis 21 – Abraham and Sarah have their promised son (Isaac). Sarah’s maidservant, Hagar, and Abraham’s other son (by Hagar), Ishmael, are sent away to wander in the desert of Beersheba.

It was recorded in Genesis 21:18 that God told Hagar to not worry; He heard the cries of the boy in the desert, and He would be with him and make him into a great nation.

Genesis 22 – God requires Abraham to offer a sacrifice; but requires the sacrifice to be his only son, Isaac. At the point of taking Isaac’s life, God provides a scapegoat as the sacrifice and Isaac is spared.

The lesson in this story is that God wants to see if Abraham fully trusts him. God does not really intend to harm the boy; this is an early foreshadowing of how God would send His one and only Son, Jesus, to be sacrificed on the Cross as the penalty for the sins of the world.

Genesis 23 – Abraham’s wife (Sarah) dies and Abraham purchases land in Canaan to bury her, which would also later be the burial place for himself, Isaac and Rebekah, Leah (not Rachel—she died on a journey), and Jacob.

Genesis 24 – Abraham requests his chief servant (in charge of his household) to go and find a wife for Isaac, not "from the daughters of the Canaanites...but...go to my country and my own relatives..."(v. 4). The servant prays and is led by God to find Rebekah, the granddaughter of Abraham's brother. The servant and Rebekah's family discuss if Rebekah should go, but then ask her what she thinks, and in the end, she decides to go with the servant to marry Isaac. In verse 67, we read that Isaac loved Rebekah, and he brought her into the (former) tent of his mother, Sarah (who had recently died), and he was comforted by having Rebekah as a companion and wife.

Genesis 25 – Abraham dies at the age of 175. Ishmael dies at the age of 137. It is recorded that he had 12 sons, which became 12 tribes; his descendants settled “from Havilah to Shur”, near the Egypt border. His sons are: Nebaioth, Kedar, Adbeel, Mibsam, Mishma, Dumah, Massa, Hadad, Tema, Jetur, Naphish, and Kedemah. In 25:18, “And they lived in hostility toward all their brothers.” Or, the NIV reads, “And they lived in hostility toward all the tribes related to them.”

Ishmael’s Sons (Genesis 25:12-18)
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Gen.25.12-Gen.25.18

Despite the previous resentment and jealousy between Sarah and Hagar, and consequently, Isaac and Ishmael, we find in Genesis 25:9, “His sons Isaac and Ishmael buried him [together]…”. He was buried on the land which he purchased for Sarah’s burial, which would serve as a family burial ground again later.

Even after Abraham's death, a lesson is learned in the peaceful assembly of Isaac and Ishmael out of respect and custom to bury their father (25:9).

Asbury Bible Commentary on Genesis Patriarchal History:

http://www.biblegateway.com/resources/asbury-bible-commentary/Patriarchal-History

 

 

Not Quite Ready

In the years to follow, Abram and Sarai continue to wonder when they will have children. When Sarai is approximately 76 years old, she persuades Abram to sleep with her Egyptian maidservant saying, “Perhaps I can build a family through her”. Sarai believes the Lord has kept her from having children so she decides to find a solution. It was not uncommon at the time for a woman to do this and legally the child would belong to Abram and Sarai.

So Abram agrees to the plan and sleeps with Sarai’s maidservant. When Hagar discovers she is pregnant, she despises her mistress. Sarai complains to Abram that this turn of events is his fault and scolds, “May the Lord judge between you and me”. Abram reminds Sarai that Hagar is still her maidservant (not his wife), so he instructs her to do with Hagar whatever she thinks is best. Then Sarai mistreats her, and Hagar flees to the desert.

The angel of the Lord finds Hagar near a spring in the desert. He graciously addresses her by name and tells her to remember her position as a servant and to go back to Sarai and submit to her. The angel declares that she is with child and she will have a son. The Lord has heard her misery and the boy will be named “Ishmael” (God hears). The angel promises that her descendants will be too numerous to count.

Hagar is humbled at the encounter, and addresses the Lord, “You are the God who sees me…I have now seen the One who sees me.” Hagar obeys and returns to submit to Sarai. By doing so, Hagar is able to see fulfilled what the angel said would happen. Abram was 86 years old when Hagar bore him a son, and he named him Ishmael.

While reading this story, I couldn't help but notice some contradictions. Previously, Abram had believed what the Lord promised concerning his future, but now he is agreeing to a plan devised by his wife. Sarai believed the Lord kept her from having children; yet, she tries to have a child anyway (by Hagar). When the plan works and Hagar conceives, Sarai mistreats her. Hagar runs away, nearly forfeiting her place in Abram's household--this might have caused her to eventually lose her health, her baby, and possibly her life. Similar to a modern-day soap opera, nothing is working out as planned, and although Ishmael is eventually born, it is under less than ideal circumstances with a foreshadowing of pain and difficulty for Ishmael, his mother, and future generations. It would be 13 more years before the Lord appears again to confirm the previous covenant with Abram (and Sarai).