Birth of Isaac - Ishmael sent away - Trail of Abraham's faith in the Command to sacrifice Isaac -Death of

Sarah - Death of Abraham

(GENESIS 21-25:18)

AT last the time had come when the great promise to Abraham should receive its fulfillment. The patriarch

was in his hundredth and Sarah in her ninetieth year when Isaac was born to them. Manifestly, it had been

the Divine purpose to protract as long as possible the period before that event; partly to exercise and mature

Abraham's faith, and partly that it should appear the more clearly that the gift of the heir to the promises

was, in a manner, supernatural. As we have seen, the very name of their child was intended to perpetuate

this fact; and now Sarah also, in the joyousness of her heart, said, "God hath made me to laugh, so that all

that hear will laugh with me," - literally, "Laughter has God prepared for me; every one that heareth it will

(joyously) laugh with me." Thus, as Abraham's laughter had been that of faith in its surprise, so the laughter

of Sarah was now in contrast to that of her former weakness of trust, one of faith in its gratitude. But there

might be yet a third kind of laughter, - neither of faith, nor even of unbelief, but of disbelief: the laughter of

mockery, and it also would receive its due recompense. According to God's direction (Genesis 17:12),

Abraham had circumcised Isaac o n the eighth day. When the period for weaning him arrived, the patriarch

made, after the manner of those times, a great feast. We can scarcely say what the age of the child was, -

whether one year, or, as Josephus implies, three years old. In either case, Ishmael must have been a lad,

springing into manhood - at least fifteen, and possibly seventeen years of age. "And Sarah saw the son of

Hagar, the Egyptian, which she had born unto Abraham, mocking," - literally, "that he was a mocker." As a

German writer observes: "Isaac, the object of holy laughter, serves as the target of his unholy wit and

profane banter. He does not laugh; he makes merry. 'What! this small, helpless Isaac, the father of nations!'

Unbelief, envy, and pride in his own carnal pre -eminence, - such were the reasons of his conduct. Because

he does not understand, 'Is anything too hard for Jehovah?' therefore he finds it laughable to connect such

great issues with so small a beginning." It was evidently in this light that the apostle viewed it , when

describing the conduct of Ishmael in these words.

"As then he that was born after the flesh persecuted him that was born after the Spirit." (Galatians 4:29) On

this ground, and not from jealousy, Sarah demanded that the bondwoman and her son should be "cast out."

But Abraham, who seems to have misunderstood her motives, was reluctant to comply, from feelings of

paternal affection quite natural in the case, till God expressly directed him to the same effect. The expulsion

of Ishmael was necessary, not only from his unfitness, and in order to keep the heir of the promise unmixed

with others, but also for the sake of Abraham himself, whose faith must be trained to renounce, in obedience

to the Divine call, everything, - even his natural paternal affection. And in His tender mercy God once more

made the trial easier, by bestowing the special promise that Ishmael should become "a nation." Therefore,

although Hagar and her son were literally cast forth, with only the barest necessaries for the journey - water

and bread, - this was intended chiefly in trial of Abraham's faith, and their poverty was only temporary. For,

soon afterwards we read in Scripture, that, before his death, Abraham had enriched his sons (by Hagar and

Keturah) with "gifts;" (Genesis 25:6) and at his burying Ishmael appears, as an acknowledged son, by the

side of Isaac, to perform the last rites of love to their father. (Genesis 25:9)

Thus "cast out," Hagar and her son wandered in the wilderness of Beersheba, probably on their way to

Egypt. Here they suffered from what has always been the great danger to travelers in the desert -want of

water. The lad's strength failed before that of his mother. At length her courage and endurance also gave

way to utter exhaustion and despondency. Hitherto she had supported the steps of her son; now she let him

droop "under one of the shrubs," while she went "a good way off," not to witness his dying agony, yet still

remaining within reach of him. To use the pictorial language of Scripture, "She lift up her voice and wept."

Not her cry, however, but that of Abraham's son went up into the ears of the Lord; and once more was

Hagar directed to a well of water, but this time by an "angel of God," not, as before, by the "Angel of