“When Isaac grew up and was about to be weaned, Abraham prepared a huge feast to celebrate the occasion. But Sarah saw Ishmael—the son of Abraham and her Egyptian servant Hagar—making fun of her son, Isaac. So she turned to Abraham and demanded, “Get rid of that slave woman and her son. He is not going to share the inheritance with my son, Isaac. I won’t have it!” This upset Abraham very much because Ishmael was his son. But God told Abraham, “Do not be upset over the boy and your servant. Do whatever Sarah tells you, for Isaac is the son through whom your descendants will be counted. But I will also make a nation of the descendants of Hagar’s son because he is your son, too.” So Abraham got up early the next morning, prepared food and a container of water, and strapped them on Hagar’s shoulders. Then he sent her away with their son, and she wandered aimlessly in the wilderness of Beersheba. When the water was gone, she put the boy in the shade of a bush. Then she went and sat down by herself about a hundred yards away. “I don’t want to watch the boy die,” she said, as she burst into tears. But God heard the boy crying, and the angel of God called to Hagar from heaven, “Hagar, what’s wrong? Do not be afraid! God has heard the boy crying as he lies there. Go to him and comfort him, for I will make a great nation from his descendants.” Then God opened Hagar’s eyes, and she saw a well full of water. She quickly filled her water container and gave the boy a drink. And God was with the boy as he grew up in the wilderness. He became a skillful archer, and he settled in the wilderness of Paran. His mother arranged for him to marry a woman from the land of Egypt.”
Genesis 21:8-21 NLT
There are consequences to our behavior. Despite the fact that Abraham was a loving man. He was also a fearful one. In this, he nurtured a wife who was doubtful and petty. Any love that he had for Ishmael and Hagar was seen as something to be jealous of by Sarah. Here we see that love is not enough. The virtues of mercy and justice must also be represented in a fully orbed relationship. Curiously, it seems that Abraham was perhaps willing to fight with Sarah on this issue. Nonetheless, that conflict wasn’t healthy for Isaac. And so we see God allow for him to be sent away. This point is key, however. Ishmael and Hagar were not abandoned, they were commissioned to start their own nation. God would also bless them. But Abraham would have to live with the fruit that he had cultivated between him and Sarah. This fruit of petty jealousy and manipulative behavior would continue through Abraham’s descendants, all the way to Joseph. It is not enough to love. Those who simply love, but still allow sinful practices to flourish in that love will undoubtedly live with the effects of that sin. For a man like Abraham, who had a heart that loved Sarah when she was barren, Lot when he was a fool, and Ishmael when he was unwanted, his daily emotions at the thought of being separated this way from his son must have been filled with guilt.
JOSH McGARY.COM 