A Plan for Ishmael - The Book of Genesis

In this Bible Story, after decades of waiting, Abraham and Sarah have a son named Isaac. Hagar and Ishmael are sent into the wilderness and God saves them. This story is inspired by Genesis 21:8-21. Go to BibleinaYear.com and learn the Bible in a Year.

Today's Bible verse is Genesis 21:22 from the King James Version.

Episode 15: The promised son Isaac is finally born! In joy, Abraham and Sarah laugh over the amazement of their situation. And when the boy is old enough to be weaned, Abraham gives a feast in his honor! However, Ishmael, Abraham's son by Hagar, is displeased, causing strife between Sarah and Ishmael, leading to Hagar and her son being sent away. But, even in their exile, God would not abandon them.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Let us pray. And it came to pass at that
time that a bimelech and Phi call, the chief captain
of his host, spake unto Abraham, saying God is with
thee in all that thou doest Genesis twenty one, twenty two. Lord,
Thank you that through your faithfulness you watch over your

(00:23):
word to make sure that no one of your promises
falls short. Thank you that, even though time passes, your
word to me and my family will come to pass.
I praise you because even through family dysfunction, you still
preserve your promise for us all. Even when I experience

(00:46):
moments of abandonment like Hagar and Ishmael, I know you
will provide divine miracles and refreshing wells for me to
drink from. Thank you, Lord that you hear my prayers.
Thank you for the warrior spirit you've placed in me.
Thank you for showering me with talent and grace. I

(01:08):
will continue in my attitude of gratitude by also thanking
you for your many signs of steadfast love and for
making all things work together for my good. My future
is safe and my promise is secure in you. In Jesus' name, Amen,

(01:33):
thank you for making prayer a priority in your day.
To learn more about the Bible, stay tuned for today's story,
brought to you by Bible in a Year dot.

Speaker 2 (01:43):
Com, A Plan for Ishmael. Before this story, we learned
about Abraham and how he told King Abimelech, Sarah is
my sister to protect himself. He took her, but God

(02:03):
warned him in a dream and restored Abraham and Sarah.
Now we will learn about how Abraham and Sarah will
have a son named Isaac, just as God promised. Inspired
by the Book of Genesis.

Speaker 3 (02:21):
Hello, I'm Pastor Jack Graham with today's episode of the
Bible in a Year podcast, A long Awaited Birth. That's
where we begin today. Long awaited it seems like an understatement.
Abraham and Sarah have waited and prayed and strayed so
many times over these decades, and now God is giving

(02:41):
them a son, Isaac. It's a joyous celebration of a
promise fulfilled, but not everyone is thrilled. And today we're
going to see what happens with Abraham's first son, Ishmael
and his mother Hagarth. As you listen to the story,
try to imagine what each of the characters would have
been feeling. Sarah, who finally has her son and now

(03:04):
sees him being mistreated by the offspring of her servant, Hagar,
whom she gave to Abraham to try to speed up
and short circuit God's plan. Ishmael, the eldest son, who
knows he's not the chosen one, he was not received
with this kind of fanfare and jubilation, And Hagar, who
is sitting on the sidelines again, knowing that Sarah holds

(03:26):
a deep contempt for her and her son, even though
it was her idea, Sarah's idea in the very beginning.
And think of Abraham caught in the crossfire trying to
handle such a very messy family situation with wisdom, caring
for his new son and his oldest son and his
wife Sarah. Finally, watch how God works in the situation

(03:49):
to bring good out of such a dysfunctional family dynamic.
How once again he pours grace out on his children,
just as he does for you and me. Now, let's
listen to the passage today and hear Ishmael's story.

Speaker 2 (04:05):
Abraham was one hundred years old and Sarah was ninety
years old. At last, the promises of God were realized.
After months of an unexpected pregnancy, Sarah gave birth to
a son. The promised son of God emerged from the
once barren womb of Sarah. Abraham named him Isaac, which

(04:27):
means laughter, a suitable name, since Sarah's old age had
made it impossible for her to have children. Yet nothing
was impossible for God. Sarah rejoiced, saying, God has made
laughter for me, and everyone who hears of this will
laugh over me, for I have had a child in

(04:48):
my old age. Isaac grew older, and when he was weaned,
Abraham held a great feast in his honor. During the feast,
Sarah noticed that Ishmael, the the son of her servant Hagar,
was scoffing at Isaac. Ishmael, no doubt, feeling jealous and unloved,
looked upon Isaac with contempt. Sarah irrupted with anger and

(05:12):
once again lashed out at Abraham and Hagar. Banish this
slave woman and her son, for the son of this
slave woman shall not be heir with my son Isaac.
Abraham grieved over this. Though Ishmael was a son born
from disobedience, he was his son. Nonetheless, distressed and frustrated,

(05:36):
Abraham looked to God once again, be not disheartened because
of the boy and his mother. God said, whatever Sarah
says to you, do as she tells you, for I
have chosen Isaac to be your heir. Yet I will
not forget Ishmael, and I will make a great nation
out of him as well. So Abraham did as the

(05:58):
Lord and Sarah asked. He packed water and food and
sent Hagar and Ishmael into the wilderness alone. Abraham, who
had spent years raising Ishmael, said his final goodbye. The
two wandered in the wilderness of Beersheba, slowly losing water, food,
and hope. The days grew longer and the nights colder. Thirsty,

(06:24):
starving and alone, Hagar had lost all hope. She let
Ishmael sleep under a bush and walked several yards away.
She could not bear to watch him die, so she
would abandon him altogether. Hagar, as she did before, when
in despair, lifted her voice to heaven, and God, as

(06:45):
he did before, heard her fear not, for I have
heard the voice of the boy where he is up.
Lift up your child and hold him fast with your hand,
for I will make him into a great nation. Justice
I promised. Soon after, Hagar discovered a well filled with water.

(07:05):
The two drank, regained their strength, and found.

Speaker 1 (07:09):
A life for themselves.

Speaker 2 (07:11):
God continued with Ishmael as he promised. He showered Ishmael
with grace, giving him talent and a warrior's spirit. Hagar
would do right by her son, finding him an Egyptian
wife and helping him start a family. This would be
another sign of the steadfast love of God working in

(07:32):
family brokenness, restoring all things to make them better.

Speaker 3 (07:39):
The birth of a child is an occasion that calls
for great celebration, as a new life enters the world.
This is true of any birth, So how much more
was this true for the birth of Isaac. For years
and years God had promised the day would come, and
finally it was here. I love how Sarah again turns

(08:00):
to laughter, this time a laughter of joy and astonishment
at what has happened, what God has done. We've seen
her laugh in disbelief before. Now is the laugh of faith.
Now she is experiencing pure joy. And not only that
she knows that she will no longer be laughed at
by others, but laughed with. Look at what it says

(08:23):
in Genesis twenty one six and seven. Sarah said, God
has made laughter for me. Everyone who hears will laugh
with me. And she said, who would have said to
Abraham that Sarah would nurse children? Yet I have borne
him a son in his old age. Once Isaac was weaned,
around the age of two or three, there was a

(08:45):
great feast in his honor. This was, after all, cause
for extravagant celebration. I can just imagine the party that
Abraham and Sarah threw for their son, their pride and joy,
the fulfillment of God's promise. But not everyone was excited.
Someone who was bound to feel left out, rejected and replaced.

(09:08):
His name is Ishmael. Ishmael, No doubt, he wasn't anyone's
first choice other than Hagar, his mother. He probably knew
this day would come, but now that it was here,
the sting of rejection would have been almost too much
to bear. This child, of course, had done nothing to him,
but his existence alone was a threat and an insult.

(09:29):
So what did he do? Ishmael mocked Isaac. Sarah witnessed
this and understandably burned with anger. She would protect this child,
her child, at all costs, especially from the son of
her servant, Hagar, whom she had resented for years. So
she tells Abraham to drive them off, send them away

(09:50):
into the wilderness. Abraham is torn. He doesn't know what
to do. He cares deeply for both his sons and
for his wife and for Hagar. There seems to be
no good answer, So what does he do? You and
I often face tough issues, possibly even family strife and separation,

(10:14):
situations that seemingly have no solutions. We can try to
figure it out ourselves and risk making things even worse,
or we can do what Abraham did. He turned to God,
and God told him to remember his first loyalty, his
first commitment, the one to his wife Sarah. Isaac is,

(10:35):
after all, the one through whom God's promise of a
chosen people, a great nation to rescue all other nations
would be fulfilled. This does not mean that God neglected
Ishmael and Hagar, or that he would abandon them. He
reassures Abraham of this very thing, saying that he will
also make Ishmael into a great nation because he is

(10:56):
Abraham's descendant. Wandering in the wilderness, nearly out of water,
it probably seemed to Hagar and Ishmael that God had
forgotten them, but at the right moment, God comes in
and rescues them, promising Hagar that he would prosper Ishmael
and multiply his descendants as well. One thing this passage

(11:17):
shows us is that God's blessings and promises for one
person in the case of Isaac, do not preclude him
from also blessing others, people like you and me. And
rather than envying and mocking Isaac, Ishmael could rest in
what God has also promised him, knowing God will deliver,
just as he is doing to Isaac, that he would

(11:40):
deliver Ishmael. This is still a very tragic and sad story.
A family has forever been divided, but God's grace abounds,
and even in the messiness of his family, he blesses
and provides according to his purpose and fulfillment of his promises. God,
thank you for the story of Isaac and Ishmael. Thank

(12:03):
you for the hope it gives us, for your ability
to intervene in family conflicts and strife and bring about
blessing for all who are involved. May we trust in
You and the promises that you have given us. In Jesus' name. Amen.
Thank you for listening to today's Bible in a Year podcast.
I'm pastor Jack Graham from Dallas, Texas. Download Theprey dot

(12:27):
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