Sunday Praise & Worship 10:00
Christian Education - 10:00 - Casual Dress - Loving Childcare
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Key verse: Genesis 21:13 “But I will make a nation of the descendants of Hagar’s son because he also is you son.” Twenty-five years have passed since God promised to give Abraham and Sarah a child. In the meantime, these two get tired of waiting and try to “make” God’s promise come true by having a child, named Ishmael, through Hagar, Sarah’s slave. By now, Ishmael is sixteen and Abraham and Sarah are well past the time of life when children are possible. We find out today that God kept the promise and gave Sarah a child, whom they name, Isaac, which means “laughter,” a laughter of joy not of derision, for no matter how bleak the future looks, God always brings new life. Soon, however, the joy brought by the child of promise turns to jealousy, as Sarah desires to protect the inheritance rights of her only child. We may be quick to judge her, but we all know of families who argue over who gets what after the parents die, especially when the families are “blended.” This Biblical blended family struggles over the same issue as Isaac approaches the celebration of his weaning. This celebration may be unfamiliar to us, but in a time when many children died in infancy, families celebrated when their children lived through the early difficult years and were weaned usually at about five years old. Family celebrations can tend to bring up family issues, however, and when Sarah saw Ishmael playing with Isaac all of her old insecurities about herself and her initial inability to have children come rushing back. So Sarah proposes a solution: send Hagar and Ishmael away. Abraham, though upset, hears from God that it will be all right for God will take care of Ishmael, too, making a nation from his descendants as well. Abraham gives Hagar food and water and sends them away into the desert. When the water runs out, Hagar leaves Ishmael under a tree so that she does not have to watch him die, then she cries out. God hears her cry and calls her by name, telling her not to be afraid, repeating the promise of making a nation of his descendants, and opening her eyes to see a well of water to save their lives. Hagar and Ishmael continue to live in the wilderness and Hagar eventually goes to find him a wife from her people, the Egyptians. This story of Ishmael and Hagar parallels that of Israel’s story in several ways. First, the language that Sarah uses for “send them away” is the same Hebrew construction as when Pharaoh “sends away” Israel—to their freedom! Hagar and Ishmael wander in the wilderness just as the Israelites did, and run out of water, again paralleling the Israelite story. God opens Hagar’s eyes to provide water just as God provided water for the Israelites through a rock. People of the Islam faith believe that God called Abraham to sacrifice Ishmael, not Isaac, again demonstrating another parallel. Just as God keeps his promise to Abraham and Sarah, God keeps his promise to Ishmael, making a mighty nation of his descendants. We last hear of Ishmael in the Bible in Genesis 25, when he and Isaac both return for Abraham’s burial and the text lists Ishmael’s twelve sons by name. (Notice, also, that the number of sons-twelve-is the same as the number of tribes of Israel.) Muslim people believe that later in his life Abraham sought and found Ishmael near Mecca. When he heard about Hagar’s experience of the miracle of God’s provision in the desert, he and Ishmael rebuilt a temple, called “Kaaba,” originally thought to have been built by Adam as a tribute to the one true God. Muslims continue to revere the Kaaba as their most sacred place, and it is in this direction that they turn when they pray five times daily. Muslims also continue to remember God’s deliverance of Hagar during their pilgrimages to Mecca. During the pilgrimage, they circumnavigate the Kaaba seven times as a way to focus on spiritual contact with God. They also walk or run seven times a passage that is a quarter-mile long to remember Hagar’s desperate search for water for her son in the desert and they drink water from a well where they believe Hagar found water for Ishmael. This part of the pilgrimage focuses on the human struggle in life whereas walking around the Kaaba focuses on human contact with God. As you can see, this story remains a key deliverance story for the Muslim people and for us as well. Questions for Reflection 1-When in your life have you seen an example of God’s timing that did not at first make sense? Did you, like Sarah and Abraham, try to solve the issue yourself first? What happened? What did this story teach you about trusting God? 2-What insecurities do you struggle with in your life? What life events tend to exacerbate them? How do God’s promises help you overcome them? 3-How has God “delivered” you, providing life when nothing else could? 4-How did the Holy Spirit speak to you in worship today? |
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