Genesis 21

The Christian life is a land of hills and valleys,’’

said Scottish preacher George Morrison, basing his words on Deuteronomy 11:11. Solomon expressed the same idea when he wrote in Ecclesiastes 3: that “[there is] a time to weep, and a time to laugh.’’ Heaven is a place of unending joy; hell is a place of unending suffering; but while we are here on earth, we must expect both joy and sorrow, laughter and tears. You cannot have hills without valleys.

This is especially true of family life, for the same people who bring us joy can also bring us sorrow. Relationships can become strained and then change overnight, and we wonder what happened to a happy home. A Chinese proverb says, “Nobody’s family can hang out the sign ‘Nothing the matter here.’”

The coming of Isaac into their home brought both sorrow and joy to Abraham and Sarah. As you look at the persons involved in this important event, you can learn some valuable lessons about basic Christian doctrine and how to live the Christian life.

Sarah had borne the burden of childlessness for many years, a heavy burden indeed in that culture and at that time. People must have smiled when they heard that her husband’s name was Abraham, “father of a multitude.’’ He was the father of one son, Ishmael, but that was far from a multitude, and Sarah had never given birth. But now all of her reproach was ended, and they were rejoicing in the arrival of their son.

But the birth of Isaac involved much more than parental joy, for his birth meant the fulfillment of God’s promise. When God had called Abraham, He promised to make of him a great nation that would bless the whole world (12:1–3). Then He repeatedly promised to give the land of Canaan to Abraham’s descendants (17:7) and to multiply them greatly (13:15–17). Abraham would be the father of the promised seed (15:4), and Sarah (not Hagar) would be the mother (17:19; 18:9–15). The birth of Isaac reminds us that God keeps His promises, in His own way, and in His own time. In spite of their occasional failures, Abraham and Sarah believed God, and God honored their faith (Heb. 11:8–11).

Isaac’s birth also meant the rewarding of patience. Abraham and Sarah had to wait twenty-five years for their son to be born, because it is “through faith and patience [we] inherit the promises’’ (Heb. 6:12; see 10:36). Trusting God’s promises not only gives you a blessing at the end, but it gives you a blessing while you are waiting. Just as Olympic athletes develop their skills as they practice hard and long before the big event, so God’s children grow in godliness and faith as they wait for the fulfillment of God’s promises. Faith is a journey, and each happy destination is the beginning of a new journey. When God wants to build our patience, He gives us promises, sends us trials, and tells us to trust Him (James 1:1–8).

The birth of Isaac was certainly the revelation of God’s power. That was one reason why God waited so long: He wanted Abraham and Sarah to be “as good as dead’’ so that their son’s birth would be a miracle of God and not a marvel of human nature (Rom. 4:17–21). Abraham and Sarah experienced God’s resurrection power in their lives because they yielded to Him and believed His Word. Faith in God’s promises releases God’s power (Eph. 3:20–21; Phil. 3:10), “for no word from God shall be void of power’’ (Luke 1: asv).

Finally, the birth of Isaac was a step forward in the accomplishing of God’s purpose. The future redemption of a lost world rested with a little baby boy! Isaac would beget Jacob, and Jacob would give the world the twelve tribes of Israel, and from Israel the promised Messiah would be born. Down through the centuries, some of the “living links’’ in the chain of promise may have seemed insignificant and weak, but they helped to fulfill the purposes of God.

You may wonder if what you do is really important to God and His work in this world, but it is if you are faithful to trust His Word and do His will. The next time you feel defeated and discouraged, remember Abraham and Sarah, and remind yourself that faith and promise go together. God keeps His promises and gives you the power you need to do what He wants you to do. No matter how long you may have to wait, you can trust God to accomplish His purposes.

In Galatians 4:28–29, Paul makes it clear that Ishmael represents the believer’s first birth (the flesh) and Isaac represents the second birth (the Spirit). Ishmael was “born of the flesh’’ because Abraham had not yet “died’’ and was still able to beget a son (Gen. 16). Isaac was “born of the Spirit’’ because by that time his parents were both “dead’’ and only God’s power could have brought conception and birth. Ishmael was born first, because the natural comes before the spiritual (1 Cor. 15:46).

When you trust Jesus Christ, you experience a miracle birth from God (John 1:11–13), and it is the work of the Holy Spirit of God (John 3:1–8). Abraham represents faith, and Sarah represents grace (Gal. 4:24–26), so Isaac was born “by grace … through faith’’ (Eph. 2:8–9). This is the only way a lost sinner can enter the family of God (John 3:16–18).

It is worth noting that, in the biblical record, God often rejected the firstborn and accepted the secondborn. He rejected Cain and chose Abel (Gen. 4:1–15). He rejected Ishmael, Abraham’s firstborn, and chose Isaac. He bypassed Esau, Isaac’s firstborn, and chose Jacob (Rom. 9:8–13), and He chose Ephraim instead of Manasseh (Gen. 48). In Egypt, the Lord condemned all the firstborn (Ex. 11—12) and spared only those who were “twice-born’’ because they were protected by faith in the blood of the lamb.

Isaac pictures the child of God not only in his birth but also in the joy that he brought. Isaac means “laughter,’’ and this time it was not the laughter of unbelief (Gen. 18:9–15). In the parables recorded in Luke 15, Jesus emphasized the joy that results when lost sinners repent and come to the Lord. The shepherd rejoiced when he found the lost sheep, and the woman rejoiced when she found the lost coin, and they both asked their friends to rejoice with them. The father rejoiced when his prodigal son came home, and he invited the neighbors to a feast so they could share in his joy. There is even joy in heaven when sinners turn to God (Luke 15:7, 10).

Nowhere do we read that Ishmael caused great joy in Abraham’s home. Abraham loved his son and wanted the best for him (Gen. 17:18). From before his birth, Ishmael was a source of painful trouble (Gen. 16), and after he matured, he caused even greater conflict in the family (21:9). The old nature is not able to produce the fruit of the Spirit, no matter how hard it tries (Gal. 5:16–26).

Note a third comparison between Isaac and the child of God: He grew and was weaned (Gen. 21:8). The new birth is not the end, but the beginning, and the believer must feed on God’s Word and grow spiritually (Matt. 4:4; 1 Cor. 3:1–3; Heb. 5:12–14; 1 Peter 2:1–3; 2 Peter 3:18). As we mature in the Lord, we must “put away childish things’’ (1 Cor. 13:9–11) and allow God to “wean us’’ (Ps. 131) from temporary helps that can become permanent hindrances.

The mother weans the child because she loves the child and wants it to be free to grow up and not be dependent on her. But the child interprets her actions as an expression of rejection and hatred. The child clings to the comforts of the past as the mother tries to encourage the child to grow up and enter into the challenges of the future. The time comes in every Christian life when toys must be replaced by tools and selfish security by unselfish service (John 12:23–26).

Like every child of God, Isaac experienced persecution (Gen. 21:9; Gal. 4:29). Ishmael was apparently an obedient son until Isaac entered the family, and then the “flesh’’ began to oppose “the Spirit.’’ It has well been said that the old nature knows no law but the new nature needs no law, and this is certainly illustrated in Abraham’s two sons.

Jewish children were usually weaned at about age three, so Ishmael was probably seventeen years old at the time (Gen. 16:16). What arrogance that a boy of seventeen should torment a little boy of only three! But God had said that Ishmael would become “a wild donkey of a man’’ (16: niv), and the prediction came true. The flesh and the Spirit are in conflict with each other and always will be until we see the Lord (Gal. 5:16–26).

When, like Isaac, you are born of the Spirit, you are born rich (Gen. 21:10). Isaac was the heir of all that his father owned, and God’s children are “heirs of God, and joint heirs with Christ’’ (Rom. 8:17). Abraham cared for Ishmael while the boy was in the home, but “Abraham gave all that he had unto Isaac’’ (Gen. 25:5).

Finally, Isaac was born free while Ishmael was the son of a slave (Gal. 4:22). Freedom is one of the key themes in Galatians (5:1) and one of the key blessings in the Christian life (4:31). Of course, Christian freedom does not mean anarchy; for that is the worst kind of bondage. It means the freedom to be and to do all that God has for us in Jesus Christ. “No man in this world attains to freedom from any slavery except by entrance into some higher servitude,’’ said Phillips Brooks, and that “higher servitude’’ is personal surrender to Jesus Christ. No one is more free than the child of God who delights in God’s will and does it from the heart.

Sarah was wrong when she told Abraham to marry Hagar (Gen. 16:1–2), but she was right when she told Abraham to send Hagar and Ishmael out of the camp. The apostle Paul saw in this event an allegory involving the law of Moses and the grace of God (Gal. 4:21–31). Sarah represents grace (the heavenly Jerusalem), and Hagar represents law (the earthly Jerusalem under bondage). The lesson is simply that God’s children are to live under the blessings of grace and not the bondage of law.

The conflicts in Abraham’s home could have been solved four ways. Isaac could have been sent away, but that would mean rejecting the promises of God and all that God had planned for the future. Isaac and Ishmael could have lived together, but that would mean constant conflict. Ishmael’s nature could have been changed to make him more agreeable, but that would have required a miracle. “That which is born of the flesh is flesh’’ (John 3:6), and it always will be flesh. The only solution was to send Ishmael and his mother out of the camp and make Isaac the sole heir.

When you consider the facts about Hagar, you will better understand the relationship between law and grace in the Christian life.

To begin with, Hagar was Abraham’s second wife. She was added alongside Sarah. Likewise, the law was “added’’ alongside God’s already existing promises and was temporary (Gal. 3:19, 24–25). God did not start with law; He started with grace. His relationship to Adam and Eve was based on grace, not law, even though He did test them by means of one simple restriction (Gen. 2:15–17). The redemption of Israel from Egypt was an act of God’s grace, as was His provision, the sacrifices, and priesthood. Before Moses gave the law, Israel was already in a covenant relationship with God (“married to God’’) through His promises to the patriarchs (Ex. 19:1–8).

Second, Hagar was a servant. “Wherefore, then, serveth the law?’’ Paul asks in Galatians 3:19, and he gives the answer. The law was God’s servant (a “schoolmaster’’ or “child tutor’’) to keep the infant nation of Israel under control and prepare them for the coming of the Redeemer (3:24–25; 4:1–5). The law was given to reveal sin (Rom. 3:20) but not to redeem us from sin. Grace does not serve law; it is law that serves grace! The law reveals our need for grace, and grace saves us completely apart from the works of the law (vv. 20, 28).

A third fact is obvious: Hagar was never supposed to bear a child. The law cannot give what only Jesus Christ can give: life (Gal. 3:21), righteousness (2:21), the Holy Spirit (3:2), or an eternal inheritance (v. 18). All of these blessings come only “by grace [Sarah] … through faith [Abraham]’’ (Eph. 2:8–9).

This leads to a fourth fact: Hagar gave birth to a slave. If you decide to live under the law, then you become a child of Hagar, a slave, for the law produces bondage and not freedom. The first doctrinal battle the church had to fight was on this very issue, and it was decided that sinners are saved wholly by grace, apart from keeping the law of Moses (Acts 15:1–32). Legalists in the church today are turning sons into slaves and replacing freedom with slavery (Gal. 4:1–11), yet, God calls us to freedom (5:1)!

Hagar was cast out. There was no compromise: She was cast out completely and permanently and took Ishmael with her. Instead of subduing the flesh, the law arouses the flesh (Rom. 7:7–12) because “the strength of sin is the law’’ (1 Cor. 15:56). Believers don’t need to put themselves under some kind of religious law in order to become Christlike, for they are already complete and full in Christ (Col. 2:8–23) and have the Holy Spirit to enable them to overcome sin (Rom. 8:1–4).

Finally, Hagar never married again. God gave His law to the Jewish nation only and never gave it to the Gentiles or to the church. Nine of the Ten Commandments are quoted in the Epistles as applying to believers today, and we should obey them, but we are not commanded to obey the ceremonial laws that were given only to Israel (see Rom. 13:8–10). Paul affirms that it is love that fulfills the law. When we love God and love one another, we want to obey God; and in the Spirit’s power, we do what is right.

Before leaving this section, we should notice that there is a “lawful use of the law’’ (1 Tim. 1:1–11). While the law cannot save us or sanctify us, it does reveal the holiness of God and the awfulness of sin. The ceremonial part of the law illustrates the person and work of Jesus Christ. The law is a mirror that helps us see our sins (James 1:21–25), but you do not wash your face in the mirror! It is also a mirror that reveals the glory of Jesus Christ, and as we meditate on Him, we can be transformed to become more like Him (2 Cor. 3:18). Any religious system that leads you into bondage is not magnifying the New Testament gospel of the grace of God (2 Cor. 3:17; John 8:31–36).

It was “grievous’’ (21:11–12) for Abraham to say goodbye to his son, but this was God’s command, and he had to obey. Little did he realize that his obedience was preparation for an even greater test when he would have to put Isaac on the altar. The word translated “grievous’’ means “to shake violently,’’ like curtains blowing in the wind. Abraham was deeply moved within and perhaps somewhat displeased at this turn of events.

However, God did not abandon Hagar and Ishmael, for Ishmael was the son of Abraham, God’s friend (v. 13). If Ishmael and Hagar had any bad feelings toward Abraham, they were certainly in the wrong; everything God did for them was because of His faithfulness to Abraham. The Lord reaffirmed His promise that Ishmael would become a great nation (vv. 13, 18; 17:20), and He kept His promise (vv. 12–16). The Arab world is a force to be reckoned with today, and it all began with Ishmael.

In spite of the pictures in some Sunday school papers and Bible story books, Ishmael was a teenager and not a child when this event took place. The word translated “child’’ can refer to a fetus (Ex. 21:22), newborn children (1:17–18), young children (1 Kings 17:21–23), or even young adults (12:8–14; Dan. 1:4ff.). In this case, it refers to a boy at least fifteen years old.

Ishmael and Hagar got lost in the wilderness, their water ran out, and they gave up in despair. This experience was quite different from the time Hagar first met God in the wilderness (Gen. 16:7ff.). Sixteen years before, she had found a fountain of water, but now she saw no hope at all. Apparently Hagar had forgotten the promises God had made concerning her son, but Ishmael must have remembered them, for he called on the Lord for help. God heard the lad’s cries and rescued them both for Abraham’s sake.

So often in the trials of life we fail to see the divine provisions God has made for us, and we forget the promises He has made to us. We open our hands to receive what we think we need instead of asking Him to open our eyes to see what we already have. The answer to most problems is close at hand, if only we have eyes to see (John 6:1–13; 21:1–6).

Hagar is certainly a picture of the needy multitudes in the world today: wandering, weary, thirsty, blind, and giving up in despair. How we need to tell them the good news that the water of life is available and the well is not far away (John 4:10–14; 7:37–39)! God is kind and gracious to all who call on Him, because of His beloved Son, Jesus Christ.

Horatius Bonar wrote these words: I heard the voice of Jesus say, “Behold, I freely give The living water; thirsty one, Stoop down, and drink, and live.’’ I came to Jesus, and I drank Of that life-giving stream; My thirst was quenched, my soul revived, And now I live in Him.

“If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink’’ (John 7:37). “And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely’’ (Rev. 22:17).

Swearing (vv. 22–24). As many as four years may have passed since the events of Genesis 20, and during that time, it was evident that God was blessing Abraham and Sarah. Whenever a believer is restored to fellowship with the Lord, God can bless once again. The purpose of discipline is restoration, and the purpose of restoration is ministry and blessing. Not only was Abraham’s wealth increasing, but Isaac had been born, and this “miracle son’’ must have been the leading topic of conversation among the neighbors.

Abimelech was an official title rather than a personal name, so we cannot be sure that the Abimelech of this episode is the same man who previously rebuked Abraham. The fact that he wanted assurance of Abraham’s fidelity indicates that the patriarch’s deception had led to a lack of trust on the part of his neighbors. They wanted assurance that Abraham would “play fair’’ with them because he was such a powerful man.

What a testimony: “God is with you in all that you do’’ (21: nkjv). Abraham did not permit one lapse of faith to cripple him; he got right with God and made a new beginning. James Strahan said, “Men are not to be judged by the presence or absence of faults, but by the direction of their lives’’ (Hebrew Ideals, 142). God is willing to bless when we are in the place of blessing (Ps. 1:1–3).

While living at Hebron, Abraham had allied himself with some of the local leaders (Gen. 14:13), so there was no problem with entering into an agreement with Abimelech. It did not compromise Abraham’s testimony. God’s people cooperate with different people at different times for different purposes, and the discerning believer knows when any alliance is not in the will of God.

Reproving (vv. 25–26). Water is still a very precious commodity in the Holy Land. Today, various methods of irrigation are used, but in Abraham’s day, it was necessary to dig wells and guard them carefully. If you did not guard your well, your enemies might seize it or fill it up (26:18). Some of Abimelech’s servants had seized Abraham’s well, so the treaty between the two men had not done much good.

Abraham did the right thing and confronted his neighbor with the facts, but Abimelech declared that he knew nothing about it. Was he telling the truth? Only God knows, but Abraham made sure the problem would never appear again.

Witnessing (vv. 27–32). The Hebrew word “to swear’’ means “to bind by seven things,’’ and the words “swear’’ (saba) and “seven’’ (seba) are very similar. This time the two men went beyond merely giving their oath: They made a covenant that involved slaying animals (21:27; 15:9–10). As Abraham and Abimelech walked between the carcasses of the sacrifices, they were saying, in effect, “May God do to us and more if we fail to keep our covenant with each other.’’ This was a serious matter.

But Abraham went a step further: He set aside seven very valuable ewe lambs as living witnesses that he had dug the well and the water belonged to him. He gave the lambs to Abimelech who would then guard them carefully. They were like “receipts’’ guaranteeing that Abraham owned the well. The name of the well (Beersheba means “well of the oath’’) was another witness to the transaction. Both men swore to uphold the covenant, and the problem was settled.

This entire transaction involved three elements: sacrifices (21:27), witnesses (vv. 28–30), and promises (vv. 31–32). You find these same elements in God’s covenant with us through our Lord Jesus Christ, as outlined in Hebrews 10:1–18. First, there is the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross (vv. 1–14); then, the witness of the Spirit within the believer (v. 15); and finally, the promise of God’s Word (vv. 16–18). Abraham’s covenant with Abimelech only guaranteed possession of a well that provides water to sustain life. God’s covenant with His people guarantees that we have the living water that gives everlasting life to all who will trust the Savior!

Planting (v. 33). This grove (or tamarisk tree) was also a part of the covenant, a witness to the promises Abraham and Abimelech had made. The tamarisk is a shrub-like tree that has very hard wood and evergreen leaves. As he built an oasis, Abraham was certainly interested in ecology (water and trees), but even more, he was giving witness of what God had done for him. He had gone through a difficult experience in life and had left some blessings behind for others. He was like the pilgrims described in Psalm 84:6, who pass through the Valley of Baca (“weeping’’) and make it a place of springs that will refresh others.

Worshipping (v. 33). You could follow Abraham’s journey by looking for the wells he dug and the altars he built (12:7–8; 13:4, 18). He was not ashamed to build his altar in the presence of his neighbors and offer his worship to the Lord. A new name for God is introduced here: El Olam, “the Everlasting God.’’ Abraham already knew El Elyon (“God Most High’’—14:19, 22) and El Shaddai (“God Almighty, the All-Sufficient One’’—17:1), but now he had a new name to use in his worship. It is important as we go through life that we learn more and more about God so we can worship Him better.

What an encouragement to know “the Everlasting God’’! Wells would disappear, trees would be cut down, ewe lambs would grow up and die, altars would crumble, and treaties would perish, but the Everlasting God would remain. This Everlasting God had made an everlasting covenant with Abraham and his descendants (17:7, 13, 19), and He had given them the land of Canaan as an everlasting possession (v. 8; 48:4). As Abraham faced the coming years, he knew that God would not change and that “underneath [were] the everlasting arms’’ (Deut. 33:27).

Waiting (v. 34). The “many days’’ of this verse could mean as much as ten to fifteen years, because Isaac was a young man when he accompanied Abraham to Mount Moriah (Gen. 22). It must have been a peaceful time for Abraham, Sarah, and Isaac, and a time of great happiness as they watched their precious son grow up. Little did they know the great test that lay before them, but God was preparing them, and they would be ready.