BIRTH OF ISAAC (GEN 21)
And as promised, YAHUAH visited Sarah the following year at the Appointed Time of Passover and allowed her and Abraham to fall pregnant with a son. And when the child was born they circumcised him on the 8th day as YAHUAH had instructed, and they called him Isaac. Abraham was 100 years old when his only son (from his circumcision) was born (HIS OLDER SON ISHMAEL WAS BORN TO HIM BEFORE HE WAS CIRCUMCISED, SO HE WAS BORN OUTSIDE THE BLOOD-COVENANT).
And Sarah laughed and laughed with great joy, saying “Yahuah has caused me to laugh out loud, and everyone who hears about this laughs with me as well, I mean who would have ever said that Sarah would nurse children and give Abraham a son at this age? Not me!”
And Isaac was nursed by Sarah, and on the day he was weaned and able to eat solid foods, Abraham threw a grand feast for him and was rejoicing that he was favoured by YAHUAH in having two wonderful sons. But in the midst of the celebration Sarah saw Ishmael (the son of Hagar her servant) bullying Isaac and giving him a hard time, then he proceeded to dance with Abraham with great joy and celebration and Sarah was jealous of the feeling and relationship Abraham was having with Ishmael (and the day before this she’d seen Ishmael taunting her little Isaac, threatening to shoot him with an arrow!)
So in her fired up emotions she put her husband in a dreadful position saying “This is the last straw Abraham, I’ve had it up to here with this disgusting woman and her son.
There is no way he is going to inherit the promises of Yahuah with our son Isaac, no way, get rid of them immediately and let us live in peace!”
And Abraham ‘saw red’ (with fury) because he loved Ishmael very much and he hated the way Sarah felt about him (despite his son’s mocking behaviour). But while his anger was still stewing, YAHUAH said to Abraham, “Calm down Abraham and stop taking this situation so personally. Listen to the words of your wife and don’t be troubled or angry for I am going to make a great nation out of your son Ishmael as well, for even though My Eternal Blood Covenant will flow through Isaac, Ishmael is still your son and I will look after him and his mother”.
THERE WAS VERY GOOD REASON THAT YAHUAH PROMISED ABRAHAM THAT ISHMAEL WOULD BE DIVINELY BLESSED, AND DIVINELY PROSPERED. LAW CODES OF THIS ERA AND THIS AREA DICTATE THAT ABRAHAM HAD THE RIGHT TO ACCEPT OR DENY ISHMAEL AS AN HEIR TO HIS ESTATE, BECAUSE ISHMAEL WAS BORN TO A SLAVE WOMAN. IT IS OBVIOUS BY ALL ACCOUNTS THAT ISHMAEL HAD BEEN ACCEPTED BY ABRAHAM AS THE HEIR-APPARENT OF THE CLAN. THEREFORE, ISHMAEL WAS TO HAVE BEEN GIVEN THE FIRSTBORN’S SHARE OF ABRAHAM’S VERY SUBSTANTIAL WEALTH; AND BY THIS, HAGAR, ISHMAEL’S MOTHER, WOULD ALSO HAVE BENEFITED.
HOWEVER, BECAUSE HAGAR WAS A SLAVE, THE SLAVE’S OWNER HAD AT ALL TIMES THE RIGHT TO GRANT FREEDOM TO THE SLAVE. HAGAR, BELONGED, LEGALLY, TO SARAH. WHEN SARAH WENT TO ABRAHAM AND TOLD HIM TO CAST OUT HAGAR AND THAT SON OF HERS, ISHMAEL, IT WAS SARAH’S LEGAL RIGHT TO DO SO. HOWEVER, WHEN A SLAVE WOMAN WAS RELEASED, IT WAS THE CHOICE OF THE FATHER OF HER CHILDREN IF THOSE CHILDREN WERE TO BE RELEASED ALONG WITH HER. SARAH COULD NOT LEGALLY ORDER ISHMAEL OUT…….BUT SHE COULD BANISH HAGAR. ABRAHAM’S DECISION TO ORDER HAGAR OUT WAS NOT HIS TO MAKE; BUT…..HIS DECISION TO FOLLOW SARAH’S DESIRE FOR ISHMAEL TO ALSO LEAVE MOST DEFINITELY WAS ENTIRELY UP TO ABRAHAM. AND, WHEN HE AGREED TO DO AS SARAH ASKED, ISHMAEL’S INHERITANCE WENT DOWN THE DRAIN. ISHMAEL AND HAGAR, IN A MOMENT, WENT FROM BEING WEALTHY AND HAVING AUTHORITY, TO BEING PENNILESS AND HOMELESS.
THIS WAS NOT SOME VAGUE LEGAL SITUATION THAT CAUGHT ABRAHAM OR ANY OF THE OTHER PLAYERS BY SURPRISE; THE ENTIRE SCENARIO WE READ ABOUT HERE IS BASED ON THEIR UNDERSTANDING OF THIS LAW. THEREFORE, TO SOOTHE ABRAHAM, BY HIS MERCY, YAHUAH PROMISED TO SUPPLY THE EARTHY PORTION OF THE BLESSING THAT HAD JUST BEEN TAKEN FROM ISHMAEL. THEREFORE, WE FIND THAT JUST AS ISAAC WILL PRODUCE 12 GRANDSONS…..12 PRINCES….CALLED THE 12 TRIBES OF YISHARAL, SO ISHMAEL WILL ALSO BE BLESSED WITH AN EQUAL AMOUNT OF TRIBAL PRINCES AND MUCH WEALTH. ISHMAEL RECEIVED, BY YAHUAH’S PROVISION, EVERY BIT AS MUCH….PERHAPS EVEN MORE…..THAN ISAAC. BUT…..THE ONE THING ISHMAEL COULD NOT HAVE WAS THE BLESSING OF YAHUAH TO BE THE PROMISED SON. THE HEIR TO THE BLOOD-COVENANT PROMISE WAS TO BE ISAAC.
ABRAHAM OBEYS YAHUAH, AND SENDS HAGAR AND ISHMAEL AWAY. HOW THIS MUST HAVE HURT ABRAHAM. HE LOVED ISHMAEL; HE HAD COUNTED ON ISHMAEL AS HIS ONLY BEGOTTEN SON FOR 13 YEARS. IT’S AMAZING THAT HE EVEN DID IT !
So early the next morning he took bread and a large skin of water and, placing it over both Hagar and Ishmael’s shoulders, he kissed them, and with much sadness, he sent them away. And the two left Abraham’s camp and wandered in the wilderness of Beersheba. And after the water in the skin was all used up, Hagar sat Ishmael under some shrubs and fell down nearby (so she didn’t have to see her son die) and she wept loudly. And YAHUAH heard the cries of Hagar and her son, saying “What’s wrong my daughter? Don’t be afraid for I’ve heard your cries and will indeed make a great nation from your boy. Now rise up and keep going”.
And YAHUAH opened Hagar’s eyes so she could see a nearby well of water. And she filled up the skins and they both drank and were refreshed.
And YAHUAH indeed looked after Ishmael, and as a man he became an archer, living in the wilderness, where Hagar found an egyptian woman for him to marry.
ABRAHAM’S COVENANT WITH THE ABIMELEK
Around this same time ‘the Abimelek’ (King of Gerar) visited Abraham with his army commander, saying “We have seen your success and blessings (AND WORD OF THE MIRACULOUS BIRTH OF ISAAC HAD OBVIOUSLY TRAVELLED) and it’s obvious that your Alahim walks with you Abraham. Now let us make an agreement that you will be honest and true, not only with me but my children and their descendants too. I’ve been loyal to you so grant me the same courtesy, since you are a stranger in this land of mine”. ABRAHAM’S WEALTH AND ENTOURAGE WAS ACTUALLY BIGGER THAN THE ABIMELEK’S
And Abraham said “Yes of course I will.”
But not before confronting the Abimelek about the well of water (a very big deal for the survival of his family) which the Abimelek’s people had seized by force from Abraham’s servants. “This is the first I’ve heard about this, I’m not responsible for your well being taken, and why haven’t you mentioned this before?”
Then Abraham made a Covenant-Agreement with the Abimelek using sheep, goats and cattle, but he also gave Abimelek seven additional female lambs. “What are these extra female lambs for?” The Abimelek said.
“I want to make it official between us that this well of water belongs to my family because we dug it ourselves”, said Abraham. And in agreeance they called the place ‘Beersheba’ ...
... because the two of them had formed a Covenant-Agreement in that place, allowing Abraham to take claim of the land surrounding the well.
Then the Abimelek returned to Gerar and Abraham planted a tamarisk tree in his new homeland of Beersheba, rejoicing and celebrating that YAHUAH had ended his days of travelling to and fro like a gypsy and (even though he was still technically a foreigner) Abraham settled in Beersheba (the future land of the Philistines) for a very long time.
The translation has altered somewhat since this (1st EDITION) recording, but still easy-to-grasp :-)