8 The child grew and was weaned, and on the day Isaac was weaned Abraham held a great feast.
No more breastfeeding for Sarah to have to do is a huge accomplishment. Advanced age or not.
9 But Sarah saw that the son whom Hagar the Egyptian had borne to Abraham was mocking, 10 and she said to Abraham, “Get rid of that slave woman and her son, for that woman’s son will never share in the inheritance with my son Isaac.”
Interesting how the tables have turned here. If you recall, Sarah was the one who WANTED Abraham to sleep with Hagar so that God might use that son in his promise. Polygamy brings jealousy, and it ramps up over time. Now Sarah is realizing that God’s plans actually do come to pass perfectly, while hers change and are temporary. She’s changed her tune entirely. God’s plans actually work as He says they will. You can trust that.
11 The matter distressed Abraham greatly because it concerned his son.
Abraham knew that God had made men to lead and provide for their families. How was he supposed to do that when Sarah wanted half of his family to leave. It’s no wonder he was distressed.
12 But God said to him, “Do not be so distressed about the boy and your slave woman. Listen to whatever Sarah tells you, because it is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned. 13 I will make the son of the slave into a nation also, because he is your offspring.”
Sarah can see things from a different angle than Abraham because God made men and women different to complement each other so nothing gets missed. Why would Abraham not take advantage of that?
14 Early the next morning Abraham took some food and a skin of water and gave them to Hagar. He set them on her shoulders and then sent her off with the boy. She went on her way and wandered in the Desert of Beersheba.
Abraham does the best he can in his male duiy to provide for Hagar and his son Ishmael before sending them off so he can totally focus on God, Sarah, and Isaac. God’s original covenant plan.
15 When the water in the skin was gone, she put the boy under one of the bushes. 16 Then she went off and sat down about a bowshot away, for she thought, “I cannot watch the boy die.” And as she sat there, she began to sob.
Enough time had passed that it’s possible that Hagar had forgotten God’s earlier provision the first time she fled into the desert. A bow shot for that time would have gone about 300 meters or 1,000 feet.
17 God heard the boy crying, and the angel of God called to Hagar from heaven and said to her, “What is the matter, Hagar? Do not be afraid; God has heard the boy crying as he lies there. 18 Lift the boy up and take him by the hand, for I will make him into a great nation.”
God reassures Hagar of His continuous provision for her and her son. All because Abraham was a part of this too. Abraham was a friend of God. That has perks all around.
19 Then God opened her eyes and she saw a well of water. So she went and filled the skin with water and gave the boy a drink.
20 God was with the boy as he grew up. He lived in the desert and became an archer. 21 While he was living in the Desert of Paran, his mother got a wife for him from Egypt.
Abraham was tending to the other part of his family, otherwise he would have been involved in this process of wife selecting too People didn’t marry for love back then. From earlier scripture it seems like he would have wanted to be involved, but it was not to be. God was looking after all of them anyway.
Scripure Discussed: Genesis 21:8-20
IIWAC: Growing Pains
No more breastfeeding for Sarah to have to do is a huge accomplishment. Advanced age or not.
9 But Sarah saw that the son whom Hagar the Egyptian had borne to Abraham was mocking, 10 and she said to Abraham, “Get rid of that slave woman and her son, for that woman’s son will never share in the inheritance with my son Isaac.”
Interesting how the tables have turned here. If you recall, Sarah was the one who WANTED Abraham to sleep with Hagar so that God might use that son in his promise. Polygamy brings jealousy, and it ramps up over time. Now Sarah is realizing that God’s plans actually do come to pass perfectly, while hers change and are temporary. She’s changed her tune entirely. God’s plans actually work as He says they will. You can trust that.
11 The matter distressed Abraham greatly because it concerned his son.
Abraham knew that God had made men to lead and provide for their families. How was he supposed to do that when Sarah wanted half of his family to leave. It’s no wonder he was distressed.
12 But God said to him, “Do not be so distressed about the boy and your slave woman. Listen to whatever Sarah tells you, because it is through Isaac that your offspring[b] will be reckoned. 13 I will make the son of the slave into a nation also, because he is your offspring.”
Sarah can see things from a different angle than Abraham because God made men and women different to complement each other so nothing gets missed. Why would Abraham not take advantage of that?
14 Early the next morning Abraham took some food and a skin of water and gave them to Hagar. He set them on her shoulders and then sent her off with the boy. She went on her way and wandered in the Desert of Beersheba.
Abraham does the best he can in his male duiy to provide for Hagar and his son Ishmael before sending them off so he can totally focus on God, Sarah, and Isaac. God’s original covenant plan.
15 When the water in the skin was gone, she put the boy under one of the bushes. 16 Then she went off and sat down about a bowshot away, for she thought, “I cannot watch the boy die.” And as she sat there, she[c] began to sob.
Enough time had passed that it’s possible that Hagar had forgotten God’s earlier provision the first time she fled into the desert. A bow shot for that time would have gone about 300 meters or 1,000 feet.
17 God heard the boy crying, and the angel of God called to Hagar from heaven and said to her, “What is the matter, Hagar? Do not be afraid; God has heard the boy crying as he lies there. 18 Lift the boy up and take him by the hand, for I will make him into a great nation.”
God reassures Hagar of His continuous provision for her and her son. All because Abraham was a part of this too. Abraham was a friend of God. That has perks all around.
19 Then God opened her eyes and she saw a well of water. So she went and filled the skin with water and gave the boy a drink.
20 God was with the boy as he grew up. He lived in the desert and became an archer. 21 While he was living in the Desert of Paran, his mother got a wife for him from Egypt.
Abraham was tending to the other part of his family, otherwise he would have been involved in this process of wife selecting too People didn’t marry for love back then. From earlier scripture it seems like he would have wanted to be involved, but it was not to be. God was looking after all of them anyway.
Scripure Discussed: Genesis 21:8-20