How much sin does it take to be sinful?
It’s not a trick question. It’s a brief review of our nature. Even one sin makes us sinful. We’re sinners because we sin.
One of the most dangerous sins is taking matters into our own hands when the Lord says, “Wait.” We can’t control anything. However, we will certainly mess things up when we do it our way instead of the Lord’s way.
We’ve seen the good and bad of Abraham and Sarah. They’re sinners; they’re forgiven. Yet, their sin of getting in front of the Lord’s plan produced conflicts we still see today.
As we continue our study in Genesis, we’re in Genesis 21:8-21. Today, we’ll see where today’s conflict truly ignited.
8 The child grew and was weaned, and on the day Isaac was weaned Abraham held a great feast. 9 But Sarah saw that the son whom Hagar the Egyptian had borne to Abraham was mocking, 10 and she said to Abraham, “Get rid of that slave woman and her son, for that woman’s son will never share in the inheritance with my son Isaac.”
Genesis 21:8-21, New International Version
11 The matter distressed Abraham greatly because it concerned his son. 12 But God said to him, “Do not be so distressed about the boy and your slave woman. Listen to whatever Sarah tells you, because it is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned. 13 I will make the son of the slave into a nation also, because he is your offspring.”
14 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.
15 When the water in the skin was gone, she put the boy under one of the bushes. 16 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.
17 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. 18 Lift the boy up and take him by the hand, for I will make him into a great nation.”
19 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.
20 God was with the boy as he grew up. He lived in the desert and became an archer. 21 While he was living in the Desert of Paran, his mother got a wife for him from Egypt.
A lot is happening behind the scenes of this story. Understanding and applying this passage depends on grasping what’s happening behind the scenes.
- First, Isaac would have been two or three years old at the time of this “great feast.” These were celebrations of life because children often died in infancy. This was their culture’s celebration that they made it through infancy.
- Second, sending Hagar away would not have shocked the people of their era. Hagar was a slave, and Abraham would have given Hagar her freedom. But in doing so, Ishmael lost all normal inheritance rights.
- Third, the Lord’s blessing extended to all the children of Abraham. Isaac was special, but the Lord also blessed Ishmael.
At the great feast to celebrate Isaac, Hagar was mocking. In Hebrew, the meaning here is uncertain. Hagar’s mocking could have been flirtatious (towards Abraham). It could have been playful jabs, like kidding around among friends. It could also have been malicious and harmful to Sarah. Sarah’s reaction seems to indicate the latter.
The issue really centered on Isaac and Ishmael’s relationship. Even here, there’s something behind the scenes we must know: Ishmael was Abraham’s firstborn. As such, he would have inherited Abraham’s estate. It seems Sarah saw this as a problem with the Lord’s promise. She recommended giving Hagar her freedom. This action removed the issue.
But giving Hagar her freedom introduced the issue of her protection. She was a freed slave with a child. She has no resources to support herself. Yet, the Lord assured Abraham that Ishmael would father a nation, and they would be fine.
As the passage concludes, we see the start of this promise from the Lord to Ishmael.
As I’ve pointed out before, the issues in the Middle East today are part of what we saw in the passages today. These are only a few verses. Yet, they explain thousands of years of hostility between the people of Isaac (Israel) and the people of Ishmael (Arabs).
That might be interesting from a geopolitical point of view. It also reminds us how sin can have far-reaching ramifications. We’ll never be perfect, but that doesn’t mean we’re not called to pursue righteousness.
Remember this story when we’re tempted to get ahead of the Lord. Remember how the region-wide conflicts of today started thousands of years ago as a family squabble.
Seek the Lord and wait on Him. It’s worth the wait!
Life Meets Theology 