Genesis 21:1-34 • 3 events in the life of Abraham

► We are nearing the end of our time with our friend Abraham. The focus is going to change to Isaac very soon, and we will close the book, so to speak, on Abe. But before we do, there are still a few episodes to wander through. Today's passage actually has three parts to it...

→ 1st • in Gen 21:1-8 we're going to look at the birth of Isaac.

→ 2nd • in Gen 21:9-21 we're going to look at the impact that the birth of Isaac has on Abraham's other son, Ishmael.

→ 3rd • in Gen 21:22-34 we're going to see Abraham clear up a few legal issues with his old friend Abimelech.

► We've watched with Abram/Abraham as he's ventured and adventured these 25 years, but now, even though he will live for another 75 years, our focus is very soon going to move toward Isaac and his role in the future of the nation of Israel.

   Isaac Is Born • Gen 21:1 to 8

Genesis 21:1-34 → 1Then the LORD took note of Sarah as He had said, and the LORD did for Sarah as He had promised. 2So Sarah conceived and bore a son to Abraham in his old age, at the appointed time of which God had spoken to him. 3Abraham called the name of his son who was born to him, whom Sarah bore to him, Isaac. 4Then Abraham circumcised his son Isaac when he was eight days old, as God had commanded him. 5Now Abraham was one hundred years old when his son Isaac was born to him. 6Sarah said, “God has made laughter for me; everyone who hears will laugh with me.” 7And she said, “Who would have said to Abraham that Sarah would nurse children? Yet I have borne him a son in his old age.”

8The child grew and was weaned, and Abraham made a great feast on the day that Isaac was weaned.

• This section almost seems understated to me.

→ Beginning in chapter 12, God had promised to Abram/Abraham, that He will make of Abraham "a great nation" (Gen 12:2). Abram was 75 years old when this promise was made.

→ Later, in chapter 15, Abram is specifically told again that his descendants would be as numerous as "the stars, if you are able to count them" (Gen 15:5). And also in verse 4 where he is told that his heir would be "one who will come forth from your own body,..." (Gen 15:4).

→ In chapter 16, When Abram is 86 years old, we see Abram and Sarai trying to help God out by using Hagar, Sarai's maid, to create a son for Abram, which they did. Ishmael. The WRONG son.

→ In chapter 17, God reiterates that Abraham will have a by Sarah. Abraham is now 99 years old. Sarah is 90 years old. Abraham "laughed" (Gen 17:17) when he heard this, thinking of the fact that both he and Sarah were so old. Abraham is also told to name his child "Isaac", which means "he laughs".

→ In chapter 18, God once again repeats that a son will be born to Abraham by Sarah. This time it is Sarah who laughs, but when caught at it, she denies that she did it, but the LORD responds with "No, but you did laugh" (Gen 18:15).

• So now here we are in chapter 21. Abraham is 100 years old, making Sarah 90 or 91. And she delivered to Abraham a healthy baby boy that they named "Isaac". The name is not lost on them. They are probably both remembering the laughing they did before, possibly more like a snort of disbelief, but now their laughter is of joy. Sarah responded that "God has made laughter for me; everyone who hears will laugh with me." In 8 days Isaac is circumcised. When he is weaned Abraham made a feast to celebrate.

• It took 25 years, but they finally had their son. But what about the other son, Ishmael?

   Sarah Turns against Hagar • Gen 21:9 to 21

9Now Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian, whom she had borne to Abraham, mocking. 10Therefore she said to Abraham, “Drive out this maid and her son, for the son of this maid shall not be an heir with my son Isaac.” 11The matter distressed Abraham greatly because of his son. 12But God said to Abraham, “Do not be distressed because of the lad and your maid; whatever Sarah tells you, listen to her, for through Isaac your descendants shall be named. 13And of the son of the maid I will make a nation also, because he is your descendant.” 14So Abraham rose early in the morning and took bread and a skin of water and gave them to Hagar, putting them on her shoulder, and gave her the boy, and sent her away. And she departed and wandered about in the wilderness of Beersheba.

15When the water in the skin was used up, she left the boy under one of the bushes. 16Then she went and sat down opposite him, about a bowshot away, for she said, “Do not let me see the boy die.” And she sat opposite him, and lifted up her voice and wept. 17God heard the lad crying; and the angel of God called to Hagar from heaven and said to her, “What is the matter with you, Hagar? Do not fear, for God has heard the voice of the lad where he is. 18Arise, lift up the lad, and hold him by the hand, for I will make a great nation of him.” 19Then God opened her eyes and she saw a well of water; and she went and filled the skin with water and gave the lad a drink.

20God was with the lad, and he grew; and he lived in the wilderness and became an archer. 21He lived in the wilderness of Paran, and his mother took a wife for him from the land of Egypt.

• This passage is so sad. Through no fault of her own, Hagar, and her son Ishmael, because of a rivalry between Sarah and her maid, are being cast away, like a pet they no longer want. Indeed, what pushed Sarah over the line was seeing Ishmael mocking, presumably her son Isaac. Sarah took offense at this and brought the issue to Abraham.

• Abraham, upset over the situation, is told by God to "listen to" Sarah. He tells Abraham, that even though God's promise of a nation coming from him will actually be fulfilled by Isaac, that He will also make a nation from Ishmael, if for no other reason that he is also a son of Abraham. You can understand, that Ishmael is probably about 13 or 14 at this point, so more than likely there is some affection for the boy on Abraham's part, even if there is none on Sarah's.

• Abraham loads Hagar and Ishmael up on food and water and watches them walk away to the south, one would assume that she might be heading back to her home in Egypt.

• When their water had run out, Hagar assuming that they would both die, hid Ishmael in the bushes, then wandered off by herself as she didn't want to see Ishmael die.

• God intervenes by showing her where there was some water nearby, and also by telling her the same thing He had told Abraham about the boy, that he also would become a great nation.

• As Ishmael grew, he became an "archer", I'm assuming that he was a hunter, rather than a warrior, and Hagar secured a wife for him from Egypt.

   Covenant with Abimelech • Gen 21:22 to 34

22Now it came about at that time that Abimelech and Phicol, the commander of his army, spoke to Abraham, saying, “God is with you in all that you do; 23now therefore, swear to me here by God that you will not deal falsely with me or with my offspring or with my posterity, but according to the kindness that I have shown to you, you shall show to me and to the land in which you have sojourned.” 24Abraham said, “I swear it.” 25But Abraham complained to Abimelech because of the well of water which the servants of Abimelech had seized. 26And Abimelech said, “I do not know who has done this thing; you did not tell me, nor did I hear of it until today.”

27Abraham took sheep and oxen and gave them to Abimelech, and the two of them made a covenant. 28Then Abraham set seven ewe lambs of the flock by themselves. 29Abimelech said to Abraham, “What do these seven ewe lambs mean, which you have set by themselves?” 30He said, “You shall take these seven ewe lambs from my hand so that it may be a witness to me, that I dug this well.” 31Therefore he called that place Beersheba, because there the two of them took an oath. 32So they made a covenant at Beersheba; and Abimelech and Phicol, the commander of his army, arose and returned to the land of the Philistines. 33Abraham planted a tamarisk tree at Beersheba, and there he called on the name of the LORD, the Everlasting God. 34And Abraham sojourned in the land of the Philistines for many days.

• In this last section of chapter 21, we see our old friend Abimelech, yes, the same one that wanted Sarah for his harem, now realizing that God was favoring Abraham. Fearful of any future antagonism between them, or between their progeny, Abimelech reaches out to Abraham to enter into a covenant relationship of perpetual peace between them. To which Abraham agrees.

• In light of this open dialogue between them, Abraham takes this opportunity to bring up an existing issue that he would like cleared up ASAP. Which would be the seizure by Abimelech's servants of the well dug by Abraham and his men (speculation about his men on my part; I'm assuming Abe had help with the digging). Abimelech pleads ignorance of the event.

• Abraham then provides the animals required for a sacrifice and they make the covenant between themselves. Abraham also gives to Abimelech an additional 7 ewe lambs, sort of like the purchase price for the land on which the well had been dug.

• Abraham calls the name of the place "Beersheba", which literally means both "well of oath" and/or "well of seven". Giving a name to the place that corresponds to the transaction that was made to officially acquire it. After Abimelech and those with him return to their city, Abraham plants a tamarisk tree there, and worships the LORD there.

► It feels to me like, at least within the context of the pages we've read, that Abraham is starting to get some order in his life in light of the arrival of his long awaited heir. Now that he has the promised son, he's needing to organize things to protect his son's legacy and/or future.

► Sending off Ishmael, as hard as it seems, at the time probably felt like what was best for Isaac. It would reduce the opportunity for a Cain and Abel like situation to arise because of the conflict between the two sons. I'm not saying it's right - I'm just calling it like I see it.

► And now this somewhat official ownership of land. I'm not sure how much land is involved, but Abraham is now the owner of it. They came to an agreement, signed the contract, and Abraham dished out the payment price for the property.

► I'm hoping that Abraham took some time after all of this to reflect on the fact, that he's now at a point where those promises God made to him so long ago are starting to be something he can see and touch. He's got the promised son. He's got the promised land, at least a little bit of it. All he needs now is the blessing, and the opportunity to be a blessing.

► I'm sure that some people in Abraham's reach have or will experience some form of blessing from having known him. But for us, the real blessing he provides is the understanding that what really saves us, what really brings us back into a right relationship with God, is when we trust in who He is and in what He has promised us. God sent His Son to save us, by taking our punishment upon Himself, and paying the price for it. So that, like Abraham, it can be said of us that we "believed in the LORD; and He reckoned it to us (him) as righteousness."

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Photo • 2025/05/06 - The Alabama Hills, Lone Pine, CA

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