Isaac and Ishmael
Background and Printed Text: Genesis 21:1-21
Genesis 21:1 And Yehovah visited Princess just as He said. And Yehovah did to Princess just as He spoke. 2And she conceived. And Princess childed a son to Avraham to his elderlinesses to the appointment that Elohim spoke him.
3And Avraham called the name of his son childed to him, whom Princess childed to him, Isaac.
4And Avraham circumcised Isaac his son, a son of eight days just as Elohim commanded him. 5And Avraham is a son of 100 year(s) via Isaac his son being childed to him.
6And Princess said, “Elohim did a laugh to me! Every hearkener will laugh to me!” 7And she said, “Who is wording to Avraham, ‘Princess is breastfeeding sons’? For I childed a son to his elderlinesses!”
8And the child got-big. And he was weaned. And Avraham made a big drinking-party in the day of the weaning with Isaac. 9And Princess saw the son of HaGar the Egyptian, who childed to Avraham, laughing. 10And she said to Avraham, “Expel this slave-woman and her son! For the son of this slave-woman will not inherit with my son—with Isaac!” 11And the saying was-very-bad in the eyes of Avraham concerning fire-brands of his son.
12And Elohim said unto Avraham, “He will not be bad in thine eyes concerning the youth and concerning thy slavewoman. All that Princess will say unto thee, hearken into her voice. For He will call seed to thee via Isaac. 13And I will also put him with the son of the slavewoman to a race. For he is thy seed.”
14And Avraham early-rose in the morning. And he took bread and heat of water [hot-water-bottle]. And he gave unto HaGar. He put upon her shoulder and with the child. And he sent her.
And she walked. And she wandered in the desert Well-Of-Oath. 15And the waters finished from the hot [-water-bottle]. And she cast the child under one of their meditation. 16And she walked. And she sat to her from straight-in-front of the distance as from shots of a bow. For she said, “I will not see during dying of the child.” And she sat straight-in-front. And she lifted her voice. And she wept.
17And Elohim hearkened-to the voice of the youth. And Messenger Elohim called unto HaGar from the heavens. And He said to her, “What is to thee, HaGar? Fear-thou not, for Elohim hearkened unto the voice of the youth via where he is there! 18Arise-thou! Lift-thou the youth! And grasp-thou thine hand into him! For I will put him to a big race!”
19And Elohim perspicated her eyes. And she saw a well of water. And she walked. And she filled the hot of water. And she watered the youth.
20And Elohim was with the youth. And he got-big. And he dwelt in the desert. And he was a great-one of bow. 21And he dwelt in the Paran desert. And his mother took a woman for him from the land of Egypt.
I. The Birth and Circumcision of Isaac (verses 1-7)
Yehovah kept His word. Everything happened just as He said. Princess (Sarah) became pregnant. This was impossible.
She childed a son to Avraham and to all the various forms of elderlinesses that he now had. This occurred exactly when Elohim had spoken.
The son was named He-Will-Laugh (Isaac) as Yehovah had commanded.
Avraham did what Yehovah commanded, and circumcised Isaac on the eighth day. Avraham is 100 years old!
Sarah rejoiced and laughed. She said, “Elohim did a laugh to me! Every hearkener will laugh to me!” It was humorous to all who heard. She also said, “Who is wording to Avraham, ‘Princess is breastfeeding sons’? For I childed a son to his elderlinesses!” This aged lady is breastfeeding a child! And Avraham has a son in his old age.
Questions
1. Why was Sarah’s pregnancy impossible?
2. What does “Princess childed a son to Avraham to his elderlinesses” mean?
3. What does Isaac mean?
4. What was this appointment?
5. What does circumcise mean?
6. What does circumcision picture?
7. Does circumcision hurt?
8. When Sarah said, “Elohim did a laugh to me! Every hearkener will laugh to me,” was she concerned that God had done a joke on her and that others would laugh at her?
9. Explain what Sarah is saying by, “Who is wording to Avraham, ‘Princess is breastfeeding sons’?”
II. The Last Straw (verses 8-13)
Avraham celebrated the weaning of Isaac. The child could now eat without requiring breast milk. It was a time of great joy.
The other child (Ishmael, not named in this text), made fun of young Isaac. Sarah saw this. Her joy was gone. She responded, “Expel this slave-woman and her son! For the son of this slave-woman will not inherit with my son—with Isaac!”
Avraham was upset.
Elohim corrected Avraham’s perspective: “He will not be bad in thine eyes concerning the youth and concerning thy slavewoman. All that Princess will say unto thee, hearken into her voice. For He will call seed to thee via Isaac.”
Then Elohim told Avraham what he needed to hear in order for him to be at some peace: “And I will also put him with the son of the slavewoman to a race. For he is thy seed.”
Questions
1. What does HaGar mean, and who is she?
2. What was wrong with HaGar’s son Ishmael laughing?
3. How old was Ishmael, HaGar’s son at this time?
4. What does Ishmael’s behaviour (verse 9) show about HaGar’s rearing of the youth?
5. Was Sarah right to insist that the slavewoman, HaGar and her son be thrown out? Is it right that both suffer for the silly behaviour of the child?
6. Does God show favoritism?
7. Why was the expelling of Ishmael so bad in the eyes of Avraham, and what does that mean?
8. Explain “The saying was-very-bad in the eyes of Avraham concerning fire-brands of his son”:
III. The Departure (verse 14)
Hagar could not carry much provision. Avraham took bread and a bottle skin, and he gave them to HaGar and Ishmael to carry. He then sent her.
Questions
1. Avraham fathered Ishmael. Did Avraham do right by sending this teenager away with his mother, leaving him to be reared in a broken home without a father, and abdicating (giving up his rightful place) his (Avraham’s) responsibility as a father, and abandoning his sons’ mother—all over a nasty comment of an immature youth?
2. Why didn’t Avraham send them both on a pack animal so that they could go where they needed to go with transportation?
3. Was HaGar a weak woman?
IV. The Wandering and the Hopelessness (verses 14-16)
The wilderness of Beersheba is no friendly place. Water is rare, and the wells often must be very deep. Their water ran out, and soon their energy was drained. The teenager became faint, and she put him under a meditation (which I take to be a shade tree).
She walked on for a distance, about the distance of a bow shot. That way, the teenager was in sight, but not close enough to see the details of his dying. She sat straight in front of him. (A bowshot is probably in the range of 400 feet, or one city block.)
Her own death was not what brought her sorrow, but watching her son die was too much. She began to weep.
Questions
1. Why did the teenager’s strength fail before his mother’s strength?
2. If meditation refers to a shade tree, why would it be called that?
3. Why did she cast Ishmael there?
4. Why did she sit at a distance, but straight in front of him?
5. Why did she weep only after she went from the child?
V. Yehovah’s Rescue and Promise (verses 17-19)
Elohim hearkened to the voice of Ishmael. Messenger Elohim called unto HaGar from the heavens. He asked, “What is to thee, HaGar?”
He told her to not fear, telling her that Elohim hearkened unto the voice of Ishmael by means of his own location.
He then commanded her to do three things: “Arise!” “Lift the youth!” “Grasp- thine hand into him!” He made her a promise: “I will put him to a big race!”
At this point, Yehovah perspicated her eyes so that she saw the well. (This very rare word means to cause eyes to see what would otherwise be hidden.)
She walked over to it and filled the skin bottle. She ‘watered’ Ishmael.
Questions
1. Why did Elohim hearken to the voice of the youth (Ishmael) instead of the weeping of his mother?
2. Who is Messenger Elohim?
3. Why did Messenger Elohim call unto HaGar instead of the youth to whom He hearkened?
4. Why did Messenger Elohim ask, “What is to thee, HaGar,” when He already knew?
5. What do “Arise-thou! Lift-thou the youth! And grasp-thou thine hand into him!” imply?
6. Why did Messenger Elohim tell her, “I will put him to a big race,” at this time?
7. Had that well been there all the time?
8. What is a “hot of water”?
9. Why is the text worded, “she watered the youth”?
VI. The Rest of the Story (verses 20-21)
Elohim was with Ishmael. He grew. He lived in the very environment that nearly killed his mother and him.
He became a great archer, and therefore was very good at obtaining animals for food.
He lived in the Paran desert.
His mother got a wife for him from the land of Egypt, HaGar’s native land.
Questions
1. What occurs if Elohim is with someone?
2. Why would anyone want to live in a desert?
3. What advantage could there be for a mother to obtain a wife for her son?