For today’s meditation we will look at Galatians 4:22-23, “Scripture says that Abraham had two sons, one by a woman who was a slave and the other by a free woman. Now, the son of the slave woman was conceived in a natural way, but the son of the free woman was conceived through a promise [made to Abraham].” (GW)
We read about two children, both of whom were sons of Abraham. However, there was a big difference between the two of them.
Those of us who claim to be the children of Abraham must examine ourselves to see whether we are children who live according to the flesh or if we are children of the promise who live by the Spirit of God.
Abraham obeyed God’s call
Abraham lived almost two thousand years before Jesus did, and when Abraham was 75 years old, God called him. The land of Ur from which God called Abraham was a well-established place, but the Lord wanted to bless Abraham in an extraordinary way, and hence He called him out of his native place. In that land that Abraham lived, the people made idols and worshipped them. When God called Abraham, he left his country, his people and his father’s house in obedience to God’s call. God could have blessed Abraham right where he was, but God called him out. Only when Abraham stepped out by faith, did God pour out His blessings on him. Abraham did not know where he was going, but He went ahead trusting in the God who called him out.
If we want God’s plans to be fulfilled in our lives, sometimes we may need to move away from certain people and some places too. Only obedience to God can help us accomplish God’s will, and not our nationality, family background or the wealth we possess.
Abraham did not wait
Abraham was 75 years old when he stepped out of his country, and Abraham and his wife Sarah were childless. When after ten years of waiting there were still without child, and it was at this time that Sarah suggested a plan to her husband. She decided to give her slave Hagar to Abraham so he could bear a child through her, and Abraham also consented. As per their plan Abraham and Hagar had a son, whom Abraham named Ishmael. Abraham was 86 years old when Ishmael was born.
If we want the plans of God to be fulfilled in our lives, waiting is most crucial. We must learn to be patient, and many find it extremely hard to be patient. For instance a person who desires to get married must do so after they have completed their education and secured a good job, so that they can have a happy family life. However, many don’t want to wait and in their haste get married even without completing their education. They later face all sorts of hardships all through their lives. Whatever we desire to do must be done without haste, and only then we will find that things will work out for our good. When we rush ahead of the time, we will be inviting unwanted trouble on ourselves.
The son of promise
When Abraham turned 99 years of age and Sarah turned 89, the Lord spoke to Abraham.
We read in Genesis 17:1, When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the LORD appeared to him and said, "I am the Almighty God. Obey me and always do what is right. (GNB)
Then we read in Genesis 17:16, I will bless her, and I will give you a son by her. I will bless her, and she will become the mother of nations, and there will be kings among her descendants." (GNB)
We may wonder why God waited for so many years to fulfill His promise to Abraham. The Lord confirmed with Abraham that though he was 99 years old that He would grant him a son, and that Sarah would become a mother of nations. Though they would only have one son, the Lord would multiply his descendants bountifully, and kings would rise up from among his descendants.
Oftentimes when we look at our lives we only have a narrow view, and are not able to see the bigger picture. We may not know all the reasons for God’s delays, because our mind and our wisdom is limited when compared to God’s wisdom. However, when we wait for God’s timing we will be filled with immense joy. The bible teaches us in Proverbs 10:22, “The blessing of the LORD makes rich, and he adds no sorrow with it.”(ESV) We may think that we have gone way beyond the time to receive the blessings of God, but God is able to do wonders in our lives because He is a faithful promise keeping God. So also when we wait for the Lord, He will certainly bless us, and we will be astounded by His blessings which would be beyond human comprehension.
God keeps His promise
We read in Genesis 17:17, Abraham bowed down with his face touching the ground, but he began to laugh when he thought, "Can a man have a child when he is a hundred years old? Can Sarah have a child at ninety?" (GNB)
When Abraham heard these words from the Lord he laughed with amusement in his heart wondering how he at the age of hundred, and his wife at ninety could actually bear a child. At one point God promised Abraham that his descendants would be as numerous as the stars in the sky which to Abraham might have sounded hilarious as he did not even have one child of his own. However when we look back on the life of Abraham we realize that timing, age and agility were immaterial as far as God is concerned, and He will fulfill what He had promised.
Often times when God makes a promise we may be humored as Abraham was, as it would defy all logic. In worldly point of view it may seem impossible, but when God says it will happen be sure that it will be fulfilled.
Abraham still doubted
This was Abraham’s response to God in Genesis 17:18, Then Abraham said to God, "Why not let Ishmael be my heir?"(GW)
Abraham now suggested to God that He should bless Ishmael who was born to the slave woman, since he assumed that it would be impossible for Sarah and him to have a child in their old age.
Remember that only when things are done according to the will of God, we will receive God’s blessing in their fullness. We may have numerous plans, but none of them will be accomplished as long as they are based on our own understanding or our own strength. Let us sincerely seek to understand God’s plans and do accordingly. When we do that we will receive miracles from the Lord. It doesn’t matter how many are the plans of men, but we can be sure that God’s purposes alone will prevail. It is therefore important that we examine ourselves to see that all that we do is in accordance with God’s will and plan alone.
God’s eternal covenant was with Isaac
We read in Genesis 17:19, “But God said, "No. Your wife Sarah will bear you a son and you will name him Isaac. I will keep my covenant with him and with his descendants forever. It is an everlasting covenant.” (GNB)
God had to reassure Abraham that his wife Sarah would bear a child. In another place when Sarah heard this news she too laughed at the thought. The Lord assured Abraham that he would have a son whom he should name ‘Isaac’ which actually meant ‘laughter.’ You can imagine that every time Abraham and Sarah called out to Isaac their hearts would have been filled with laughter. The Lord also reminded Abraham that the covenant that he made with him would be carried out only through his own son Isaac, and not through the Ishmael who was the son of the slave. God told him that his covenant would not be with the son of the slave who was born according to Abraham’s plan and scheme, but rather the son who was born in God’s timing according to God’s promise.
We must examine ourselves to see if we want to pursue our plans or the plans of the Lord in our lives. Only when we submit ourselves to the will of God, will we and our descendants be blessed. Let us set aside all our plans and ask God to lead us according to His own plans.
God brought laughter to Abraham and Sarah
These are the words of Sarah in Genesis 21:6, “Sarah said, "God has brought me laughter, and everyone who hears about this will laugh with me.” (GW)
Abraham was hundred years old when his son Isaac was born, and Sarah declared that God had indeed brought laughter to their life and their home. All through that chapter we can sense the joy and laughter that God had brought into their lives.
Whenever God blesses us we will have the joy that God alone can bring. Things may be delayed, but when we wait in God’s timing, set aside all our efforts only then will all that God has in store for us will be made available to us which will also bring us immense joy. You may make many plans, but don’t do so without understanding God’s will for our lives. Do everything according to the will of God alone, and make your plans accordingly. When you do so you will be overwhelmed by all that God can do in your life.
Think about the testimony that Abraham and Sarah would have been to those around them when they were blessed with Isaac. The ones around them who may have taunted them, and looked down on them would have witnessed the wonderful way in which God elevated Abraham and Sarah. Remember that the same God is able to raise you up if you too are ready to submit to His will and plan.
Abraham now had two sons, Ishmael who was born according to his own plan, and Isaac who was the son born according to the will of God and God’s promise. I want us to understand the meaning of the two names of Abraham’s son. The name ‘Ishmael’ means ‘God hears’ and the name ‘Isaac’ means ‘laughter.’ God’s eternal covenant was only with Isaac and never with Ishmael.
Often times we do our own thing, and then we use God’s name to testify that God did it for us. This is faulty and those kind of things will not bring the blessing of God in our lives.
There were major differences between these two sons of Abraham.
We read Romans 9:7-8, “Nor are all of Abraham's descendants the children of God. God said to Abraham, "It is through Isaac that you will have the descendants I promised you." This means that the children born in the usual way are not the children of God; instead, the children born as a result of God's promise are regarded as the true descendants.”(GNB)
God authenticates those who are born according to the will of God. Let us not think that this is an incident the happened many thousands of years ago, but we see how it is compared to us today. Ishmael who was born according to the flesh, and Isaac who was born according to the promise were totally different. Remember that those born according to the flesh are not the children of God.
One can say that they are born in a Christian family, have a Christian name, go to church and follow all the traditions of a Christian, but all of this does not make us a child of God if we have been born only according to the flesh. There was a Pharisee named Nicodemus who came to meet Jesus secretly at night. Jesus had to remind Nicodemus that unless a man is born again, and born of the Spirit, he would never be able to enter the kingdom of God.
There are many who assume that they too are children of God because they are born according to the flesh, but let me caution you that unless you are born again, you will never be able to enter the kingdom of God. Anyone who has accepted the Lord Jesus as their personal Saviour, believe that His blood was shed on the cross for their sins, acknowledge with their mouth that Jesus is the Lord, and commit their lives to Him to walk in His ways, they alone are the true children of God.
Let me explain the differences that the word of God clearly depicts to us.
We are not children of God if we are born according to the flesh. Ishmael thought he too was a son of Abraham, but he did not receive the promises of God. The Lord did not establish His covenant with Ishmael or his descendants, but the Lord established His covenant with Isaac only.
I will share some differences between Isaac and Ishmael and as I do so, we can check to see if we are like Isaac or if we resemble the ways of Ishmael.
1. Ishmael was sent away from Abraham and was separated from him
While Ishmael was sent away, Isaac stayed with his father and inherited all the blessings of his father Abraham. Isaac also walked in the ways of his father, because he was the son of the promise.
There are many who think they are the children of God, but are in reality far away from God. If you are like Ishmael, you cannot inherit the blessings of God, and will be sent away. If we too don’t walk closely with God, we may call ourselves children of God, but are cautioned that we will miss out on the blessing that should be ours.
2. Ishmael did not depend on God
As we read about Ishmael it does not appear that he trusted in the Lord, but rather it seemed he depended on his own strength. We read about Isaac, and know that Isaac trusted in the Lord, and he reflected his father Abraham in so many ways.
To be a child of God means we reflect the characteristics of God in our lives. The disciples of Jesus so resembled Him that they were called ‘Christians’ (meaning they were like Christ).
3. Ishmael did not serve the living God
Ishmael did not follow after the living God, but Isaac and his descendants followed the Lord and served Him though they did have their ups and downs. They set the Lord before them, and walked in His ways.
We need to examine ourselves to see if we are serving the Lord, or if we are serving our own selves.
4. Ishmael tormented Isaac
Though Ishmael was a son born according to the flesh, we read that he troubled Isaac who was born according to the promise.
If we decide to follow the Lord and be faithful to Him, we will encounter several hardships. These are often from those who like Ishmael claim to be children of God. Though they claim to be children of Abraham, they oppose, and resist God’s people just like Ishmael did. The Lord blessed Isaac and his descendants, and even today they are God’s chosen people. Notice how there is enmity between the descendants of Abraham and those of Ishmael.
5. Ishmael was a fighter
If we compare Ishmael with Isaac we see that Isaac was a man of peace unlike Ishmael.
We must examine our lives to see if we resemble Isaac or Ishmael, and if there are qualities of Ishmael in us, we must ask the Lord to remove them from us. Let us live our lives reflecting the Lord, and pray to the Lord that we will be inheritors of His promise.
Rev. F. Andrew Dixon
www.goodnewsfriends.net
Transcribed by: Sis. Esther Collins
