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.