#55 The laughter of Ridicule Genesis 21

So the child grew and was weaned. And Abraham made a great feast on the same day that Isaac was weaned. And Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian, whom she had borne to Abraham, scoffing. Therefore she said to Abraham, "cast out this bondwoman and her son; for the son of this bond woman shall not be heir with my son, namely with Isaac." And the matter was very displeasing in Abraham's sight because of his son. But God said to Abraham, "do not let it be displeasing in your sight because of   the lad or because of your bondwoman. Whatever Sarah has said to you, listen to her voice; for in Isaac your seed shall be called. Yet I will also make a nation to the son of the bondwoman, because he is your seed." So Abraham rose early in the morning, and took bread and a skin of water; and putting it on her shoulder, he gave it and the boy to Hagar, and sent her away. Then she departed and wandered in the Wilderness of Beersheba. And the water in the skin was used up, and she placed the boy under one of the shrubs. Then she went and sat down across from him at a distance of about a bowshot; for she said to herself, "let me not see the death of the boy." So she sat opposite him, and lifted her voice and wept. and God heard the voice of the lad. Then the angel of God called to Hagar out of heaven, and said to her, "what ails you, Hagar? Fear not, for God has heard the voice of the lad where he is. Arise, lift up the lad and hold him with your hand, for I will make him a great nation." Then 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. So God was with the lad; and he grew and dwelt in the wilderness, and became an archer. He dwelt in the Wilderness of Paran; and his mother took a wife for him from the land of Egypt. Genesis 21: 8-21 NKJV

Ishmael is caught scoffing, or in the Hebrew, the laughter of ridicule, Sarah is offended and demands the removal of Ishmael from the settlement. He is about 17 years old at this time, and Abraham, though close to Ishmael and uncomfortable with Sarah's demand, sends both Hagar and Ishmael away. God speaks to Abraham before this course of action, and settles his reservations. He has promised to make a nation from Ishmael, but like the tower of Babel, it is neither His covenant nor His command, so He is asking Abraham to trust Him with the life of his firstborn. Abraham acts in obedience by faith in God's word, and the angel of the Lord visits Hagar and Ishmael in the wilderness. "In Isaac your seed shall be called," yet, "what ails you Hagar?', and 'lift up the lad and hold him with your hand, for I will make him a great nation."

This is the same visitor from before, the "Messenger of Yahweh", who reveals Himself as God both to Abraham, in the earlier passages preceding the destruction of Sodom, and later to Moses within the context of Exodus 3. The angel appears to Moses in a flaming bush and then is identified by the writer as Lord, followed by a quote from the messenger in vs. 6 saying, "I am the God of your father - the God of Abraham," identifying Himself.

This is an amazing passage that draws on God's Sovereignty, His will, the divine nature of Messiah, and the separation of the flesh. There are days here either way you go, but I will leave the reader with this:

• Are Sarah's words and behavior from a pure heart? No, they cannot be because she does not have a pure heart. Remember there are none righteous, our righteousness is accounted to us only by faith. It is Sarah's natural instincts towards her child that rise up against one who is not happy about the miracle she has just received. 
• Is Ishmael's response warranted? From the physical point, through worldly eyes, it would seem so. He is by man's tradition, the eldest son, and even though of a bondwoman, without the birth of Isaac, he would be the heir. Ishmael has the circumcision of the flesh and is yet not part of the circumcision. Later, Paul, in Galatians 4 will use the historical story of Isaac and Ishmael as an analogy in defense against the teachings of the Judaizers, or those who would turn from grace back to the law. Ishmael cannot see the big picture and acts according to his feelings.
• Abraham's seed will become a blessing to all nations, and through the separation of the flesh, we ,who believe in Christ, will be grafted into the vine. It is the inward circumcision of the heart that allows enemies to now be friends, and to interpret the natural in view of the spiritual and eternal promise of God. Many of Ishmael's children come to Christ even now, and many Christians are still tempted to return to a justification not of grace but of works. 
• God is Sovereign, so witness to all men, as you were born a sinner like all men. Trust God in every situation, and try to see it through eyes that have been opened, and understand with a mind that has been renewed. Pray for peace, but know that it is only the peace of God that is true and everlasting.