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Daily Devotion: Genesis 21:11-12

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Genesis 21:11-12    "And the thing was very grievous in Abraham's sight because of his son.  (12)  And God said unto Abraham, Let it not be grievous in thy sight because of the lad, and because of thy bondwoman; in all that Sarah hath said unto thee, hearken unto her voice; for in Isaac shall thy seed be called."

Ishmael, Hagar's son, was mocking Isaac, the son of Sarah. As a result, Sarah demanded once again that Hagar and Ishmael be driven away. We can understand her feelings because Isaac was indeed her son that God had given. From Abraham's perspective, both boys were his sons. There is no doubt that he loved Ishmael and now he loved Isaac. He was torn about Sarah's demand, "Cast out this bondwoman and her son: for the son of this bondwoman shall not be heir with my son, even with Isaac." (Genesis 21:10) Quite honestly, it is hard to determine if Sarah was more concerned because Isaac was her son or the fact that Isaac was the son promised by God to Abraham. Whatever the reason, she was determined to separate Ishmael from Isaac. She did not want any more of the mockery to continue. But truth be known, the separation did not end that mockery  which is still going on to this day. It grieved Abraham because he evidently had feelings for Hagar and for Ishmael; yet he was going to send them away.  It was in that time of grief that God came to Abraham with the words, "hearken unto her voice; for in Isaac shall thy seed be called."

As I read these verses, my mind wanders to our individual lives. The question comes to me, "How difficult is it to let go of the material things of life in order to experience the better blessings in the spiritual realm?"  How difficult is it to choose going to church over going to the lake? How difficult is it to choose reading the Bible over watching TV? How difficult is it to set time aside every day in order to spend time with God in prayer? How difficult is it to turn away from the off-color jokes being told because you know that is not what the Lord wants your mind to be filled with? How difficult is it to think more on the spiritual matters of life than the things of this world that can capture our attention?  The truth of the matter is that God has promised blessings to us in this life, but the greater promise is that of eternal life with Him in heaven's glory.  Which do we hold more dear? Today is a day of questions more than answers; for, we all must answer these questions for ourselves.  May God help us to think about these things.

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