*Genesis 21:8-21
Sarah expels Hagar and Ishmael, but God intervenes, promising Hagar that Ishmael will become a great nation and providing for them in the wilderness.
- Ishmael’s Mockery:
- Sarah gives birth to Isaac, fulfilling God’s promise to Abraham and Sarah in their old age.
- Isaac grows and is weaned, and Abraham prepares a great feast to celebrate the occasion.
- Ishmael, Abraham’s son through Hagar the Egyptian maidservant, mocks Isaac during the feast, causing Sarah to become distressed.
- Sarah’s Demand:
- Sarah demands that Abraham cast out Hagar and her son Ishmael, fearing that Ishmael, as the older son, might pose a threat to Isaac’s inheritance and well-being.
- Although Abraham is distressed by Sarah’s demand, God reassures him to listen to Sarah and do as she says, promising to make a nation of Ishmael as well, since he is Abraham’s offspring.
- Hagar and Ishmael Cast Out:
- Early the next morning, Abraham provides Hagar with bread and a skin of water and sends her and Ishmael away, as Sarah had requested.
- Hagar and Ishmael wander in the wilderness of Beersheba, with their water running out and Hagar fearing for her son’s life.
- God’s Intervention:
- As Hagar sits apart from Ishmael so she does not have to witness his death, God hears the boy’s cry and speaks to Hagar, asking her what is troubling her.
- God reassures Hagar, promising to make a great nation of Ishmael as well, and He opens her eyes to see a well of water nearby.
- Hagar’s Relief:
- Hagar fills the skin with water and gives Ishmael a drink, saving his life and providing them with sustenance in the wilderness.
- Ishmael grows up in the wilderness of Paran and becomes an archer, eventually marrying an Egyptian woman, as his mother had arranged.
Genesis 21:8-21 teaches us that God sees us, cares for us, and provides for our needs. When Hagar and her son, Ishmael, were sent away, they felt alone and hopeless, but God heard their cries and showed them a way forward. This reminds us that even in difficult times, God is with us and will take care of us. No matter how lost or forgotten we may feel, He sees our struggles and has a plan for our future. This passage encourages us to trust in God’s love and provision, knowing that He will never abandon us.
Genesis 21:8-21 (WEB)
21:8 The child grew and was weaned. Abraham made a great feast on the day that Isaac was weaned. 9 Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian, whom she had borne to Abraham, mocking. 10 Therefore she said to Abraham, “Cast out this servant and her son! For the son of this servant will not be heir with my son, Isaac.”11 The thing was very grievous in Abraham’s sight on account of his son. 12 God said to Abraham, “Don’t let it be grievous in your sight because of the boy, and because of your servant. In all that Sarah says to you, listen to her voice. For your offspring will be named through Isaac. 13 I will also make a nation of the son of the servant, because he is your child.” 14 Abraham rose up early in the morning, and took bread and a container of water, and gave it to Hagar, putting it on her shoulder; and gave her the child, and sent her away. She departed, and wandered in the wilderness of Beersheba. 15 The water in the container was spent, and she put the child under one of the shrubs. 16 She went and sat down opposite him, a good way off, about a bow shot away. For she said, “Don’t let me see the death of the child.” She sat opposite him, and lifted up her voice, and wept. 17 God heard the voice of the boy.The angel of God called to Hagar out of the sky, and said to her, “What troubles you, Hagar? Don’t be afraid. For God has heard the voice of the boy where he is. 18 Get up, lift up the boy, and hold him with your hand. For I will make him a great nation.”19 God opened her eyes, and she saw a well of water. She went, filled the container with water, and gave the boy a drink.20 God was with the boy, and he grew. He lived in the wilderness, and as he grew up, he became an archer. 21 He lived in the wilderness of Paran. His mother got a wife for him out of the land of Egypt.