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“Early the next morning Abraham took some food and a skin of water and gave them to Hagar. He set them on her shoulders and then sent her off with the boy. She went on her way and wandered in the Desert of Beersheba. W hen the water in the skin was gone, she put the boy under one of the bushes. Then she went off and sat down about a bowshot away, for she thought, “I cannot watch the boy die.” And as she sat there, she began to sob.

(Genesis 21:14-16)

You've got to be impressed with the fact that in spite of it being a difficult situation, Abraham immediately obeyed. I suggested in yesterday’s podcast that the fact that God has fulfilled this promise may have encouraged Abraham to obey and will have strengthened his faith. The result being even thought this was probably very hard for him, he trusted that God knew what was best for everyone in what was a very complicated situation. Anyway, God said do this, so he did it. On first reading, God seems to be being pretty harsh here, but read the rest of the story. Because when she leaves and is out wandering in the wilderness, and it's called the wilderness because it is a desert. Verse 15 suggest that she got lost and her water was used up and she placed the boy under one of the scrub tree and goes to off one side and sobs. She is in despair, but it is at this point that God steps.

 “God heard the boy crying, and the angel of God called to Hagar from heaven and said to her, “What is the matter, Hagar? Do not be afraid; God has heard the boy crying as he lies there”. 

(Genesis 21: 17)

God heard her cries, and then the Angel of the Lord appears. Now this is the Angel of God appearing again and that's very important. I’m not being dogmatic about this but I think and many Christians agree this is probably the pre Incarnate Christ the same Angel of the Lord who's comes in order to help keep the covenant that he made with Abraham earlier in chapter 12. He's made a promise that he's going to take care of Ishmael and that he does here.

“Lift the boy up and take him by the hand, for I will make him into a great nation.” Then God opened her eyes and she saw a well of water. So, she went and filled the skin with water and gave the boy a drink”.

(Gen 21: 18-19)

I'm going to take care of you I'm going to protect you, Part of what was involved in getting sent away included God plan to bless them and make him a great nation. What's the great nation that came out of Ishmael, maybe I should say nation(s). Abraham had two sons and out of one came the Jews then out of the other came the Arabs. Then God opened Hagar’s eyes and she sees a well of water nearby and she goes and refills the skin of water and gave the young lad a drink and they are saved.

“God was with the boy as he grew up. He lived in the desert and became an archer. While he was living in the Desert of Paran, his mother got a wife for him from Egypt”.

(Genesis 21: 20-21)

Remember Hagar was an Egyptian and so she goes and gets him an Egyptian wife and we find out later he ends up having twelve sons. Jacob has twelve sons and that produced the Jewish nation and Ishmael has twelve sons and that produced the Arab nations. God fulfilled his promise to protect and bles Ishmael and he became a great nation. These verses are simply telling us that Abraham had two sons Isaac and Ishmael he made a covenant to cover Isaac and he made a different promise to cover Ishmael and he fulfilled both of them, both produce great nations which is exactly what God said from the very beginning. I want to close by summing up this whole chapter up and we will begin to do that in the next episode.