| Subject: Genesis 21 vs. 14 Post #111 |
Author:
Hillbilly
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Date Posted: 15:40:03 08/01/09 Sat
Genesis 21:14 And Abraham rose up early in the morning, and took bread, and a bottle of water, and gave it unto Hagar, putting it on her shoulder, and the child, and sent her away: and she departed, and wandered in the wilderness of Beersheba.
It's a sad scene as Abraham rises to a task that is definitely not to his liking. Even though God had told Abraham that it was his will to send Ishmael away the boy was still his son. I can imagine the scene as Abraham embraces his son for the last time. There probably were tears in his eyes as he placed the bread sack on Ishmael and the water bottle on Hagar and sent them both away.
There have been few men who were tested by God to the limits that Abraham was tested. Told to leave family and the land of his nativity and go to a place he had never seen. Placed in the situation of interceding for an evil place (Sodom) for the sake of his nephew and family. Told to send away his firstborn son so that he could not claim inheritance which included a blessing from the father to the son. In the future he would be called on to sacrifice his "son of promise" on an altar on a mountaintop chosen by God.
We are left wondering why God was so demanding and why there seemed, at first glance, to be so little mercy. The answer lies in God's wonderful and masterful plan for all of mankind. The lives of Abraham, Sarah, Isaac, Ishmael and Hagar tell a prophetic story that is not revealed until after the death of our Saviour. Paul explained the typology of the lives of these people in the Book of Galatians.
Galatians 4:21-31 Tell me, ye that desire to be under the law, do ye not hear the law? 22 For it is written, that Abraham had two sons, the one by a bondmaid, the other by a freewoman. 23 But he who was of the bondwoman was born after the flesh; but he of the freewoman was by promise. 24 Which things are an allegory: for these are the two covenants; the one from the mount Sinai, which gendereth to bondage, which is Agar (Hagar). 25 For this Agar is mount Sinai in Arabia, and answereth to Jerusalem which now is, and is in bondage with her children. 26 But Jerusalem which is above is free, which is the mother of us all. 27 For it is written, Rejoice, thou barren that bearest not; break forth and cry, thou that travailest not: for the desolate hath many more children than she which hath an husband. 28 Now we, brethren, as Isaac was, are the children of promise. 29 But as then he that was born after the flesh persecuted him that was born after the Spirit, even so it is now. 30 Nevertheless what saith the scripture? Cast out the bondwoman and her son: for the son of the bondwoman shall not be heir with the son of the freewoman. 31 So then, brethren, we are not children of the bondwoman, but of the free.
The passage has deep spiritual meaning. It is a comparison of the law vs. grace. It is a comparison of the Torah believing Jew and the Bible believing Christian. It is a picture of the lost vs. the saved. It is a picture of Islam against the world. All that Hagar and Ishmael represent is bondage. How true this has played out. Notice in verse 29 how those represented by Ishmael persecute those represented by Isaac. In reality today many of the descendants of Ishmael fervently persecute the sons of Abraham, whether Jew or Gentile or Christian (Rom. 4:11,16, Rom. 9:8). (Try being a Christian in any Arabic and Muslim nation today.) The text tells us also that the children of Hagar are in bondage. This is an explicit truth today. Look at the bondage under Islam today. Everyone living under the strictest of laws. Women having virtually no freedom, extremely harsh penalties for breaking a supposed edict of Mohammed and bondage to a system that keeps the people confined to Dark Age type conditions in many of the countries they live in.
In contrast look at the liberty found in Christianity. We may be persecuted in places but the Bible itself has given us great liberty to live as conscience dictates. We don't, to my knowledge, have one Christian sect blowing up other Christian sects because of difference in interpretation of God's Word. Look even at the commandments of our Master as opposed to the master of Islam. In John 8:36 we are told:
#ff0000>"If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed." Jesus also tells us in John 15:17-20 These things I command you, that ye love one another. 18 If the world (children of the desolate whether Islam, Jew or heathen etc.) hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you. 19If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, (Jerusalem which is above) but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you. 20 Remember the word that I said unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if they have kept my saying, they will keep yours also.
Where in Islam do we find the command to love. Not only are we commanded to love one another but we are also commanded to love our enemies (Matt. 5:44). The Koran tells the Muslim that he may freely kill or enslave infidels which includes all that are not of Islam. Just as Hagar and Ishmael wandered in the wilderness so also do those who do not have a clear vision of their destiny. They wandered until their condition was hopeless. We, as Christians can set our sights on the “Jerusalem from above” and walk with confidence and freedom toward our home.
Yes, thankfully we are of the One of promise and enjoy the liberty and peace that He insures us. The allegory of Sarah, Isaac, Ishmael and Hagar was placed in scriptures so long ago that we might know that God truly knows the end from the beginning.
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