XI. Theme: Birth of the Seed 10-Aug-03 Genesis 21:1-34 Duguid Chapter 11 Ishmael is cast out so that the promised blessings may flow through Isaac, the True Seed. Key Verses: Genesis 21:1-3 1 And the LORD visited Sarah as He had said, and the LORD did for Sarah as He had spoken. 2 For Sarah conceived and bore Abraham a son in his old age, at the set time of which God had spoken to him. 3 And Abraham called the name of his son who was born to him whom Sarah bore to him Isaac. Review Last week, we looked at Genesis 20, the descent of Abraham into Gerar and the curious story of Abimelech taking Sarah from Abraham. Many commentators see this as Abraham repeating history from his descent into Egypt in Genesis 12. Here in Genesis 20, Abraham does the same thing: he pretends Sarah is his sister instead of his wife (a half-truth, for she is his half-sister, but also his whole-wife). Why does Abraham do this? Some say he was depressed; others say he s afraid; most say he falls back into a familiar sin habit and stops trusting God. Why would Abraham stop trusting God? He d just shared a covenant meal with Him and seen the LORD s righteous and awesome destruction of Sodom. Why would Abraham fear man more than this God? The key to understanding Genesis 20 is to realize that Sarah is supposed to conceive Isaac in a matter of a few months. Satan is always keen to corrupt the Seed or prevent its birth, and so he stirs up the tyrant king, Abimelech, to seize Sarah to prevent the Seed from being conceived. Abimelech and his household were suffering from barrenness, just like Sarah, but unlike Sarah, Abimelech had no promises from God concerning the coming Seed. Abimelech does get a word from the LORD, and his response indicates that he repents and converts. We see his fear of the LORD, his restitution of Sarah to Abraham plus many gifts (or spoils, to use the exodus term), and we also see Abimelech s desire for Abraham, the man of God, the man of blessings to the nations, to remain nearby. We will explore that thought further today. So God defeats the attack on the Seed by converting Abimelech. In Genesis 12, God defeats the attack by punishing Pharaoh, but Pharaoh does not convert. So, ultimately Genesis 20 shows God s sovereignty. He has promised a child, the Seed, to Sarah, and He acts in history to preserve Abraham and Sarah so that the Seed can be born. Introduction God acts in history to fulfill His Word. And that leads us into today s lesson, when the longawaited promised child is finally born. A. The Birth of the Seed (21:1-7) 1. Prophecy Fulfilled (21:1-5) 2. Laughter (21:6-7) B. The Separation of the Counterfeit Seed (21:8-21) 1. Isaac Is Weaned (21:8) 2. Ishmael Mocks (21:9-10) 3. Abraham Prays (21:11-13) 4. Hagar and Ishmael Are Banished (21:14-16) Genesis II Notes. Doc p. 91 DSB 9-Sep-05
5. The Angel of the Lord Hears (21:17-21) C. Blessings on the Gentiles (21:22-34) 1. Covenant Alliance (21:22-24) 2. Symbol of Ministry (21:25-26) 3. Cut a Covenant (21:27-30) 4. Beersheba (21:31-32) 5. Tamarisk Tree (21:33-34) Jordan: Remember, Genesis 20-21 is one long story. In chapter 20, there is an attack on the seed where Satan tries to prevent the conception of Isaac, but fails. The Gentiles are converted, and now the Seed is ready to be born. A. The Birth of the Seed (21:1-7) 1. Prophecy Fulfilled (21:1-5) Wallace: Two cities have been contrasted, now two types of visitation. What happened when the Lord visited Sarah (21:1) is brought into sharp contrast with what took place when He also visited Sodom. Both are works of the same God who went from Abraham s home to the gates of Sodom. He did not change His nature on the course of the journey. He is as gracious in His acts of judgment as He is just in His acts of mercy. Yet we are undoubtedly meant to evaluate the miracle of pregnancy as a greater work than the miracle of the earthquake fire that destroyed Sodom. Jordan: There are three prophecies fulfilled by the birth of Isaac: 1. In verse 2, Sarah bears a son at the set time (appointed time or spring). This fulfills 18:10, 14. 2. In verse 3, the child is named Isaac, in fulfillment of 17:19. 3. In verse 5, Abraham was 100 years old, in fulfillment of 17:17. Eveson: The significance of the birth of the Seed is seen by comparison with Christ. 1) The birth was not the result of human ingenuity but of divine activity (21:1; cp. Lk. 1:34-35). 2) It came about exactly as God had promised (21:1-2; cp. Mt. 1:22; Lk. 1:54-55). 3) The promised son arrived at the right moment in God s plan (17:21; 18:14; cp. Gal. 4:4). 4) The miraculous nature of the birth is stressed (21:2, 5, 7; cp. Mt. 1:18). 5) Before the baby was conceived, God named the child (17:19; 21:3; cp. Mt. 1:25). 6) The birth was a cause of great happiness, laughter, and joy (21:6; Ps. 113:9; cp. Lk. 2;10, 20, 28-32, 38; Mt. 2:10-11). 7) In obedience God s command, circumcision was applied on the 8 th day (17:12; 21:4; cp. Lk. 2:21). 2. Laughter (21:6-7) Duguid: It had been twenty-five years since Abraham left Haran on the strength of God s promise. Now, at last, he began to see that promise fulfilled. Only the eye of faith could see in Isaac the fulfillment of God s promise. Yet to those with eyes to see, to the people of faith, there was cause for great rejoicing in the birth of the child of promise (21:6). Wallace: Previously Sarah had laughed in unbelief when she had first had to face the possibility of giving birth (18:12). But this laughter is quite different. It is God-made laughter the laughter of sheer delight! Genesis II Notes. Doc p. 92 DSB 9-Sep-05
Jordan: The laughter theme is here again. Laughter comes with the reversal of fortunes and expectations putting down the wicked and exalting the righteous. Abraham has laughter. For years and years, Abraham bore the name Abram Mighty Father and had no children at all. For the past 14 years he has been Abraham Father of a Multitude and only had one child, Ishmael. Now the promised Seed has come. Sarah also has laughter. Sarah is a Princess without children. This was a contradiction. Patience is the theme here there is reward for patient faith. For years Abraham and Sarah were ridiculed, and now they can laugh. B. The Separation of the Counterfeit Seed (21:8-21) 1. Isaac Is Weaned (21:8) Jordan & Baldwin: Why did this incident take place as Isaac s weaning? Isaac was likely about 2-3 years of age. At this age, the baby is presented by the mother to the father. The baby is no longer totally dependent on the mother s milk, so there is a feast of rejoicing for healthy growth and transition from infancy to childhood. Sarah has been Isaac s protector, but now he will spend more time with the men, and be exposed to Ishmael. So Sarah now takes steps to protect Isaac, to protect the Seed. 2. Ishmael Mocks (21:9-10) Jordan, Eveson, & Duguid: Ishmael, now a young man of about 17, found that he was no longer the center of attention. Sarah caught him scoffing at her son (21:9). The word translated scoffing or mocking means laughter. This is another play on words: Ishmael was isaacing Isaac. To Ishmael, the birth of the baby was a cause not for rejoicing but for scorn. Ishmael s laugh was the laugh of unbelief, not that of faith. He was mocking Isaac, and with him, God and God s promise. By adopting an attitude of scorn, Ishmael was declaring himself outside the promise of God. Jordan: Sarah perceives that this is a different kind of laughter, that this is one more Egyptian attack on the Seed. The word Egyptian here is emphasized. By laughing, Ishmael puts himself forth as a counterfeit who is the true laughter Isaac or Ishmael? This counterfeit is a form of attack or persecution (cp. Gal. 4:29) it is a competition for what belongs to the Seed. This is persecution, even if it is indirect. Sarah saw clearly that the son of the slave woman shall not be heir with my son (21:10). Sarah perceives this problem of who is the real Seed will grow with time (Abraham will be torn between his sons), and so she acts to eliminate the problem. Wallace: The two boys are the products of two completely incompatible outlooks and ways of going about life and of trying to do service to God. Isaac, beyond all doubt now, is the product of their waiting on God, of the word of God, and the way of faith. Ishmael is the product of an entirely other way the way of human wisdom, the way of confidence not in the word of God but in the flesh. There can be no toleration of the one by the other, no freedom for the one except far away from the other. Duguid & Eveson: Abraham was again caught in the middle. The slave-woman s son was his first-born son and God had promised to bless Ishmael. Abraham was reluctant to agree to his wife s demand to send Ishmael away. Sarah s demand may seem harsh to us, even if Ishmael deserved it. In this domestic dispute, however, God was on Sarah s side. Sarah is held up as a classic example of submission in 1 Peter 3:5-6, but that does not mean she was a doormat. For the sake of the promise, Abraham had to commit himself fully to Isaac (21:2). Genesis II Notes. Doc p. 93 DSB 9-Sep-05
3. Abraham Prays (21:11-13) Jordan & Eveson: Abraham turns to God in his distress. God tells Abraham that Sarah s instincts are right. For the Seed to remain pure there must be separation. Isaac and his ministry need to stand out in sharp relief without any confusion. Through this sad scene the point is stressed that the elect line will run through Isaac, not Ishmael. It was to protect the promised seed that Hagar and Ishmael were removed from the home. Jordan: What was Abraham praying for? He was praying for the salvation of his son, Ishmael. God promises blessing. Abraham was praying for inclusion of Ishmael into the covenant promises. God will make of Ishmael a nation implies that Abraham was also praying for true spiritual blessings upon Ishmael. Wallace: The sacrifice of Ishmael is a prelude to the final test Abraham will have to undergo when the demand comes for the sacrifice of Isaac too. Abraham is being led from one sacrifice to another. At first he had to put on the altar his kith and kin, his country, his settled career. Now it is his pride, his conscience, many of his dearest hopes and some of his tenderest affections that he is being asked for all this time quite late in his life and there is a more costly test still to come! 4. Hagar and Ishmael Are Banished (21:14-16) Jordan: The Edenic waters that spring from Hagar s association with Abraham wear out and Ishmael begins to die. They are cut off from the water and the source of life (cp. Isaac s wells in Gen. 26). Hagar and Ishmael are no longer part of Abraham s household, so it is time to die. However, there is a transition from wrath grace when God hears. In the book of Exodus, the transition from wrath to grace begins when God hears the cries of his people. Here, God hears the voice of the land and reaches down to grant him grace. 5. The Angel of the Lord Hears (21:17-21) Duguid, Eveson, & Baldwin: Abraham was the source of blessing; cut off from him, Hagar and Ishmael were also cut off from the benefits that flowed through him. However, the fact that God had not chosen Ishmael did not imply that God had no concern for him. God did not abandon them. God kept His word and heard the voice of the lad (21:17). Here is a play on the name Ishmael ( God hears 16:11). Though Ishmael had mocked the child of promise, in his desperation he had cried out to God. The Lord was gracious and saved him. They not only survived, but prospered, because God s blessing rested upon them for Abraham s sake. This is made abundantly plain, first by the divine promise that God will make a nation of the son of the slave-woman also, because he is Abraham s son. It is reinforced by God s care of Hagar, appearing to her as He had done on the previous occasion (16:7-16), and saving the life of her son. Jordan, Baldwin & Eveson: The Angel of the Lord is pre-incarnate Christ come to minister to people outside of the Land. Ishmael is no longer in Abraham s household, but God hears the prayers of those outside the Seed line. For example, God heard Melchizadek independent of Abraham. Ishmael is praying to God, and God hears his prayers where he is. The teenager cried out to God and was saved from death. More than that, he was assured of a future. Ishmael is not outside the scope of God s purposes, though his destiny is different from that of Isaac. Ishmael belong to Abraham s God and God continued to be with the lad (21:20). Genesis II Notes. Doc p. 94 DSB 9-Sep-05
Jordan: In verse 18, arise or lift up is resurrection language. In verse 19, God opens Hagar s eyes and provides water, giving new life. In verse 20 we have the Immanuel principle God with us. This is the language of conversion and regeneration. In verse 22, God is also with Abraham. The language of being with God must mean the same thing in both verses. The book of Romans gives us a contrast of Isaac and Ishmael in terms of calling (Rom. 9:6-9). However, Paul quickly passes to the comparison of Jacob and Esau on election, because Esau was unregenerate. The comparison did not continue with Isaac and Ishmael, because Ishmael was converted. Duguid: The boy became an archer and married an Egyptian girl, which is not a good sign for the future. Throughout the story of Abraham, Egypt represents the temptation to abandon the Promised Land. Abraham went to great lengths to get a suitable wife for Isaac from among his own kinfolk. But Ishmael had no interest in the spiritual inheritance that he might have received from Abraham. He was content so long as his earthly needs were met. An Egyptian wife would do just fine for him. How different it might have been if Ishmael had responded differently to the child of promise. On his attitude to Isaac his spiritual future stood or fell. Our spiritual future rests on our response to Jesus, the child of the promise. The rejoicing of faith leads to the path of blessing. The scornful laughter of unbelief may not lead to immediate physical disaster, but it means being cut off from God s richest blessing, the blessing of eternal life. 6. Conversion of Ishmael Jordan: Seven arguments that Ishmael was converted: 1. The promises of God and provision of water in Genesis 16. The Angel of the Lord meets Hagar in the wilderness, judges her at the well/spring, and makes promises. This is the sign and seal of the covenant. 2. The prayer of Abraham in Genesis 21. God hears Abraham s prayers. By inference, Abraham was praying not only for physical safety of Ishmael, but also the salvation of Ishmael. 3. The movement from death to life in 21:15-18. God promises water (life) and raises up (resurrects) Ishmael. God visits Ishmael and we move from death to resurrection, transition from wrath to grace. 4. God s provision of water. This is a connection with the Garden of Eden and life, and is a restoration of God s blessings. 5. Immanuel promise. God was with Ishmael don t negate the meaning of the text. 6. Ishmael s presence with Isaac at Abraham s burial. In Gen. 25:9, Ishmael participates with Isaac in Abraham s burial at the cave of Machpelah. Ishmael s participation is an act of faith. 7. Contrast between Ishmael and Esau. Esau doesn t have any of these promises and benefits, unlike Ishmael. Jordan: Now, in the future, Ishmaelites will fall from grace, just as many others did even as Israel itself many times did. Ishmaelites don t figure prominently in the Old Testament as enemies of Israel, unlike the Edomites (descendents of Esau). However, marrying an Egyptian woman is not a good sign. Ishmael may be saved, but the future is not bright for his descendents. Genesis II Notes. Doc p. 95 DSB 9-Sep-05
C. Blessings on the Gentiles (21:22-34) Jordan: The covenant with Abimelech is the bookend on chapters 20-21. Again, here we have more conversion of more Gentiles. At the birth of the Seed, there is blessing to the Gentiles. Wallace: At the heart of the promises God made to Abraham from the start there is a twofold theme: his successors have to come from his own seed and they are to be given the land of Canaan. Much of the story of his life as it has been told to us here has been taken up with the question of his successor, and only after much tormenting delay, heart-searching, prayer, and conflict and by the sacrifice of Ishmael too has it finally been settled. But now Abraham s mind naturally turns to the promise of the land. As yet he has been given not one concrete sign that this land is to belong to his successors. He has not been allowed even to settle permanently on a plot of it. Everything has seemed to deny this aspect of the promise. It may have been these thoughts that drove him to dig a well for himself at Beersheba. Surely God and his foreign neighbors would not deny him and his family this one corner! But his claim is disputed. The well is claimed for Abimelech king of Gerar. 1. Covenant Alliance (21:22-24) Jordan, Duguid, & Eveson: At that time (21:22) means that the following incident happened when Isaac was weaned and Ishmael was evicted. It is possible that Abimelech and Phicol had been invited to the great feast that Abraham had arranged (21:8). We ve seen the conversion of Abimelech in Genesis 20. Now Abimelech doesn t just want to believe, he also wants to have a covenant, sworn with an oath. Abimelech, recognizing the hand of God at work, sought to establish a lasting covenant with Abraham and his descendants (21:23). There is a desire to be allied with the true God. Abimelech once again provided a model of how the kings of the earth should act toward God s people. Notice how different Abraham s relationship with Abimelech was in comparison to his relationship with the king of Sodom. Abimelech came to Abraham and found a blessing in him. Abraham s name had become a symbol of blessing (21:22). 2. Symbol of Ministry (21:25-26) Jordan: Wells of water symbolize Abraham s ministry to the Gentiles. Even when his wells are seized, as they are here, we see Abraham providing water (life) to Gentiles again! Abraham cannot carry out his ministry to the Gentiles without wells of water. Abraham is a well digger as well as a grace provider. The tyrants repent and ensure that Abraham s ministry is secure. 3. Cut a Covenant (21:27-30) Jordan: Here Abraham cuts a covenant, like in Genesis 15. 4. Beersheba (21:31-32) Jordan & Eveson: Through his agreement with Abimelech, Beersheba belonged to Abraham. Beersheeba was in Philistine territory, not in Canaanite territory. The covenant guaranteed that they would live in peace and that Abraham could call the well his own. Beersheeba means Well of the Seven. There is a seven-fold blessing on the Gentiles when they honor Abraham. Remember, those who bless Abraham are blessed; those who curse Abraham are cursed. This well is a symbol of blessing on the Gentiles. Genesis II Notes. Doc p. 96 DSB 9-Sep-05
5. Tamarisk Tree (21:33-34) Jordan, Eveson & Wallace: In recognition of God s goodness, Abraham did two things (21:33). First, he planted a tamarisk tree in Beersheba. The tamarisk is a long-lived evergreen tree that provides good shade from the sun. Evergreens are symbolic of life and divine blessing. The planting of this tree was a lasting reminder of God s provision and symbolized the permanence of the covenant of the Everlasting God. The planting of the tamarisk tree is the climax of a whole series of actions that reveal on the part of Abraham a determined yet quite non-combatant approach to the conquest of this land. Jordan & Eveson: Secondly, he there called on the name of the Lord, the Everlasting God (cp. 12:8). This spot which he could call his own became his sanctuary. He honored God as the Eternal God. The covenant oath with Abimelech reminded Abraham of God s unchangeable faithfulness to keep promises. But there is more meaning here than just private worship of God. Calling on the Lord in verse 33 means public worship (cp. 4:26). There is public worship of the Lord organized by Abraham for the Philistines at Beersheba. Jordan: The role of Israel was to be a priestly nation, to bring in the Seed to the world and to minister to the nations. Many Gentiles were saved in the Old Testament; for example, the Queen of Sheba, Naaman the Syrian, Jonah s Ninevites, Abimelech s Philistines. We just don t know how many ancient nations were saved during Old Testament history. And so Abraham sojourns for many days in a strange land, ministering to the Gentiles. Conclusion Here we complete the story of Hagar and Ishmael that we began in Genesis 16. When we considered Genesis 16, we looked at Galatians 4:22-31, and we will do so again here in closing. Gal. 4:22-31 22 For it is written that Abraham had two sons: the one by a bondwoman, the other by a freewoman. 23 But he who was of the bondwoman was born according to the flesh, and he of the freewoman through promise, 24 which things are symbolic. For these are the two covenants: the one from Mount Sinai which gives birth to bondage, which is Hagar 25 for this Hagar is Mount Sinai in Arabia, and corresponds to Jerusalem which now is, and is in bondage with her children 26 but the Jerusalem above is free, which is the mother of us all. 27 For it is written: Rejoice, O barren, You who do not bear! Break forth and shout, you who are not in labor! For the desolate has many more children than she who has a husband. 28 Now we, brethren, as Isaac was, are children of promise. 29 But, as he who was born according to the flesh then persecuted him who was born according to the Spirit, even so it is now. 30 Nevertheless, what does the Scripture say? 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. Jordan: Typology In Genesis 21, we see the True Seed remain and the counterfeit seed cast out. In Acts, there is competition between Jews and Christians. In Galatians 4, the unconverted Jews (Judaizers) are like Ishmael, competing with Christians. There is confusion with who is the true Seed. The destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70 means the Jews are cast out and this time are not converted. The destruction of Jerusalem is the casting out of Ishmael. The True Church is Genesis II Notes. Doc p. 97 DSB 9-Sep-05
now clearly seen and the conversion of the world begins in earnest as true worship is established in the world. When Jesus is born, Gentile magi come to worship him. The Church is weaned from the Jews and then finally the Jews are cast out. Duguid & Eveson: The apostle Paul uses the story of Hagar and Ishmael to show in Galatians 4:22-31 that it is those who belong to Jesus who are the true children of Abraham. Hagar stands for those who depend on their own efforts to be accepted by God. They are in bondage to the law. Sarah, on the other hand, stands for those who are living by faith on the basis of the gospel. They are the children of the promise. Hagar and Ishmael must have always lived under the threat of being sent away. But Isaac s place in the household, along with that of Sarah, was secure. They belonged. They were the objects of God s promise and could never be cast away. Nevertheless, the Hagars and Ishmaels of this world will find salvation if they put their trust in the Lord. Those who rely on Jesus will never be cast away by God. Are you a child of the slave woman or a child of the promise? The key is your attitude to the fulfilled promise of God in Jesus. Close in Prayer. Next week: Lesson 12 Resurrection of the Seed Gen. 22:1-19 (Duguid chapter 12) Genesis II Notes. Doc p. 98 DSB 9-Sep-05