Ishmael and Isaac
Genesis 21:8 – The child grew and eventually was weaned, so Abraham threw a tremendous banquet on the very day Isaac was weaned. 9 – Nevertheless, when Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian – whom Hagar had borne to Abraham – making fun of Isaac, 10 – she told Abraham, “Throw out this slave girl, along with her son because this slave’s son will never be a co-heir with my son Isaac!”
Everything happening around these two boys seemed to have a deeper spiritual significance. On the surface, Ishmael was making fun of Isaac. Ishmael was older and was probably more physically capable. Who knows what else Ishmael could have pointed out to Isaac that would have been perceived as bullying or mockery.
These two boys were the product of two different ways of doing things. Ishmael was the child of human accomplishment; a child of slavery. Isaac was the child of faith; the child of God’s accomplishment; a child of freedom. This is described in Galatians 4:21-31.
In terms of salvation, the two cannot co-exist together. The slave had to be sent away. The promise of God would be fulfilled through the child of faith, not the child of slavery. Salvation is bestowed as a gift of faith. It is not something that can be earned. The heavenly inheritance would be handed down only to the child of faith.
Genesis 21:11 – Abraham was very troubled about what was being said about his son, 12 – but God told Abraham, “Don’t be troubled about the youth and your slave girl. Pay attention to Sarah in everything she tells you, because your offspring are to be named through Isaac. 13 – Nevertheless, I will make the slave girl’s son into a nation, since he, too, is your offspring.”
Today, we get to choose which spiritual bloodline we want to be a part of. Ishmael, the child of human accomplishment; of law and slavery. Or, Isaac, the child of God’s promise; of faith.
Like Abraham this will greatly trouble us because we love both children and will hate to send the slave away. Who wants to leave the products of their accomplishments? Yet these are the things that pull us away from God. How can we both take credit for our salvation and embrace Jesus Christ, our Savior, who died on the cross for our sins? Remember the words of Jesus: we “cannot serve two masters. “Matthew 6:24, Luke 16:13.
Jesus went to the cross to demonstrate how far He would go to keep his promise to Abraham and to us. Let Jesus and His love persuade us to get rid of the slave and embrace the freedom He desires to give us, by faith.
Where two are gathered 