Genesis 21:8-21
21:8 The child grew, and was weaned; and Abraham made a great feast on the day that
Isaac was weaned.
21:9 But Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian, whom she had borne to Abraham,
playing with her son Isaac.
21:10 So she said to Abraham, "Cast out this slave woman with her son; for the son
of this slave woman shall not inherit along with my son Isaac."
21:11 The matter was very distressing to Abraham on account of his son.
21:12 But God said to Abraham, "Do not be distressed because of the boy and
because of your slave woman; whatever Sarah says to you, do as she tells you, for it is
through Isaac that offspring shall be named for you.
21:13 As for the son of the slave woman, I will make a nation of him also, because he
is your offspring."
21:14 So Abraham rose early in the morning, and took bread and a skin of water, and
gave it to Hagar, putting it on her shoulder, along with the child, and sent her away. And
she departed, and wandered about in the wilderness of Beer-sheba.
21:15 When the water in the skin was gone, she cast the child under one of the bushes.
21:16 Then she went and sat down opposite him a good way off, about the distance of a
bowshot; for she said, "Do not let me look on the death of the child." And as
she sat opposite him, she lifted up her voice and wept.
21:17 And God heard the voice of the boy; and the angel of God called to Hagar from
heaven, and said to her, "What troubles you, Hagar? Do not be afraid; for God has
heard the voice of the boy where he is.
21:18 Come, lift up the boy and hold him fast with your hand, for I will make a great
nation of him."
21:19 Then God opened her eyes and she saw a well of water. She went, and filled the
skin with water, and gave the boy a drink.
21:20 God was with the boy, and he grew up; he lived in the wilderness, and became an
expert with the bow.
21:21 He lived in the wilderness of Paran; and his mother got a wife for him from the
land of Egypt.
Interesting... preaching on this passage and couple it with jeremiah.... Thinking of the Abraham promise and Israel...and Ismael and the Palestinians... Muslims.... tie it with Terror in jeremiah... pastor mary in ohio
I've read this story many times, but this time through,I'm thinking about the angel. Why didn't the angel come to Hagar, but instead, shouted to her from heaven? Was it because she was Egyptian and not Jewish? I picture the celestial dome that the ancient Jews depicted as resting on the mountaintops, and the angel peering through one of the holes in the dome (through a star?). Was the angel meeting her "half-way"? MTSOfan
In her wonderful book, Just a Sister Away, Renita Weems (OT prof at Vanderbuilt Divinity School and ordained elder in the African Methodist Episcopal Church )sees parallels in the story of Hagar and Sarah with that of black slavewomen and white mistresses. She writes: "no race or culture has a monopoly on evil. At some point in its history, virtually every culture has, if not instituted slavery, then profited from the bartering of human flesh." (p. 9) She also points out that it is about more than ethnic differences as it also is about economic stratification. And ultimately it is a story about neither woman, but about Abraham.
"Sarai forgot that in a patriarchal society she and her female slave Hagar had more in common as women than that which divided them as Hebrew mistress and Eyptian slave woman. In fact, the only things which separated the two women were a couple of cattle and some sheepskins (which in today's language translates to a paycheck and a diploma). What bound them as women in Abram's house - their fate as women in a society that seemed to reward only men - also brought them back together." (p. 12)
But we cannot forget the exploitation of one woman by another that sits at the center of the story, for that continues to happen today. The entire story seems to point out the brokenness that exists in so many relationships of all sorts: husband/wife; father/child; mother/child; woman/woman and so on.
Revsophia
I've been paging through Norman Cohen's book "Self, Struggle and Change". He makes a couple interesting observations. One is the comparison of sacrifice stories involving Ishmael and Isaac. In both, Abraham is required to be obedient to God in letting go of his offspring. He finds some comfort with Ishmael, knowing that God has assured him that God will also bless Ishmael with a great nation. The other observation has to do with the complexities of the blended family. How do the half-siblings fare when a new child enters the mix? How does a father treat the children of different relationships? Perhaps this pericope offers an opportunity to explore the struggles of the blended family as well as offers the assurance that God is faithful and that God hears the cries of the outcast child. ERS in SD
Still looking at this passage and can't help putting it with matthew... my liturgist will read the OT Lesson and psalm.... I can allude to it...God took care of hagar and Ismael...whether the angelshouted or made personal contact... Why palestinians claim a homeland too... But for the fact that Angel was afar off... means Ismael's descendants will be cared for...But Issac's are still the chosen... Favoritism... Yes unfortunately it exists...of earth I was thinking about being created in God's image, God is a jealous God- He tells us that #1 Commandment right. and He has favorites? Really? I would rather be a peon in heaven then a princess for the devil though! So what, if the Jews are the Chosen? We are saved by grace...anyway... we say when I get heaven I'll ask Jesus this, I'll talk to moses about this... Honey, when we get to heaven, we will not ask that stuff We will just be so glad to get there and be with Jesus Busy worshipping Jesus... I believe we'll have an awareness of people there, like I'll know Mom dad grandpa is there...but, I will just be happy Worshipping and Praising JESUS!!! Lady Pastor in OH
My sermon topic on this text is "When Life Isn't Fair." Sometimes even when we do everything we are expected to do (like Hagar) we are still not treated fairly. Yet God is still God and God can make all things work together for good. -- Fred in NC
I think the stage is being set here for Abraham to receive the call to sacrifice Isaac . . . but that probably has more to do with next week's text! It's not apparent to me from this text that Abraham was playing favorites between his two sons. He is very distressed at Sarah's demand. He is torn between the wife he loves and the son he loves. Who's to say what he would have decided to do if God had not intervened. It is really God who sends Hagar and Ishmael away, and we do violence to the text when we try to place any other interpretation on it. You have to ask, "Why did God send Hagar & son away?" Well, it's not because God doesn't care for them, the story bears this out.
In the previous discussion section, DR writes, "Would the Middle East have the problems it has today if Ishmael and Isaac had grown up side-by-side, equally loved?" My question is, how much worse might the situation have become if they had stayed together, under the growing influence of the mothers' growing enmity? My focus is still going to be, however, that God cared for, and still cares for, Ishmael. God separated Ishmael and Isaac, I think, for a reason. Now, I believe it's God's will that they come back together, for God still cares for both. Ken in WV
Bill Mallard from Candler was at our Annual Conference last week and taught on this passage. He talked about Ishmael as the unchosen son. However being unchosen wasn't a rejection by God, but a movement to working in a different way, offering salvation by a different means. Of course this leads to all sorts of questions regarding universality (which Mallard dealt with extensively but I was too tired to take notes).
My focus so far (and yes I am working late to pull this together) is to focus on life in the wilderness, that is, those times when we feel like we have been "unchosen" to wander unto our deaths. How does God offer the promise of great things, streams in the desert, etc.
But then again, there's still time to change.
jay from nashvegas
lp - No, the Samaritans were not / are not Ishmaelites. The Samaritans were a product of intermarriage of the Israelite tribes conquered by the Assyrians and the Assyrians themselves. The Samaritans tried to be neighborly, but were despised by the true Israelites from the south, the Jews.
Blessings, Eric in KS
I don't think the Samaritans were descended from Ishmael -- the woman at the well in John 4 claims Isaac's son, Jacob, as her ancestor; the nation of Israel divided into the northern kingdom and the southern kingdom and becames enemies long after settling into the land; both came from Isaac's line, not Ishmael.
On the other hand, God did make a nation of Ishmael's line, too--clearly did not abandon him or his mother. Before and after Abraham was diverted from sacrificing Isaac, Abraham seemed to be living in Beersheba, (21:22-34; 22.19)where Hagar was said to be wandering according to this Sunday's texts. Sarah died in Hebron. Looks like Abraham lived with Hagar after she was cast out instead of with Sarah. The next time he is linked with Sarah, is at her death distant from where he is recorded to have been living. (Gen 23)
LaLuz in Texas
One thought for those looking for illustrations. This story reminds me of Wanda Holloway, the Houston woman who attempted to hire a hit man to kill her neighbor because the neighbors child was in competition over a cheerleading spot at the Junior High School. It seems that Wanda's father had never let her try out for the cheerleading squad, and when she had a child of her own nothing was going to get in the way of fulfilling her dream through her child. I won't go into all the details (a google search on "Wanda Holloway" will get you to several articles) but the issues of envy and jealousy about the "promises" for kids is interesting.
jv
Late Saturday, Guess you all got your sermons done by now.
We had an outstanding Bible study on this text by Bill Mallard at Annual Conference a couple of weeks ago. His observation was that there were a lot of decisions God wish we hadn't made, but none that would undo God's overall plan of total redemption. He said when Saria demanded of Abram that he dismiss Hagar and Ishmael that God said,"Go ahead, Abram. Do as Saria says. I can work with this. I'll make a nation out of Ishmael, too." That became the repeated mantra as he outlined a number of bad decisions through human history. God continues to say,"Hmm...I can work with this." Jesus becomes the final solution. If it seems God is taking a long time finishing, maybe it is because we keep throwing monkey wrenches in the plan which God has to "work with" to get us all where God wants us, redeemed. I went back to the Genesis lection discussion on 6/9 and some remarks by JG in WI as to what problems Abram encountered because he did not fully comply with God's directives about going to Canaan the first time.
Roughly, I've come up with three points(not my usual style).
1. Because we do not fully trust God but often try to put our own spin on things, we make trouble for ourselves.
2. Touching on the Matthew text about family divisions, I will point out that even when we make good decisions we will face troubles, because of Sin in the world opposing us.
3. So where's the good news? That God is "working with" all the things life shovels on us, and if it ain't over 'til the fat lady sings then, praise God, someday it's going to be good to be fat! Or words to that effect, you know. God bless each preacher and each message tomorrow. tom in TN(USA)
