Genesis 21:9-10

2007.Nov.15 04:11

(Too Much) Takin’ Care of Business

Read Genesis 21:9-10 Full Chapter

But Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian, whom she had borne to Abraham, laughing. So she said to Abraham, “Cast out this slave woman with her son, for the son of this slave woman shall not be heir with my son Isaac.” (Genesis 21:9-10, ESV)

Sarah is in a class with David. For the most part, seems pretty righteous, pretty holy. But with respect to one situation, a punk. I mean, Sarah refrains from actually murdering anyone, but the kind of treating people terribly because of emotions is consistent with these two, and, well, a good half or more of everyone who’s ever tried to be righteous.

For Sarah, Ishmael is a reminder of a foolish and probably sinful decision she made. Tangent: I’ve probably said this before, I’ll say it again: every last one of us humans, including Jesus Christ–can chase the line to our birth back to a sin. Every one of us. If 1) that bothers you, or 2) that makes you think you can judge others whose “ancestral sin” is more identifiable, you need to read the Bible. And, in the second case, be beaten with Texas lawyer’s truck. Ishmael is not punished for Sarah’s decision, except in this case by Sarah herself and his father. And although Yahweh doesn’t give Ishmael the full Isaac blessing, Yahweh does indeed bless Ishmael, quite a bit more than the average nomad of those days.

Anyway, returning from that foray, Ishmael and Hagar’s presence reminds Sarah that her faith in God lapsed and she tried to take matters into her own hands. Well, that’s my guess, actually. I really don’t have any Biblical reason to back that up. Sarah also is jealous of Ishmael’s place as first-born instead of her son, Isaac.

David could have fessed up to Uriah. Sarah could have tried to make this family work. I say could have in the sense of “I can’t imagine how”. Because the sin that results in Sarah turning against her slave and the child she (Sarah) had desired, the sin that resulted in Uriah being murdered, occurred way before. Before even Hagar or Bathsheba came into the pictures. Yeah, at any point either Sarah or David could have changed things, but doing so becomes exponentially more difficult with each step.

And so Sarah finds herself telling Abraham to send away the woman who has been so faithful to her (by any accounts I’ve read) and the child she had so wanted.

It’s not about obsessing over what possible butterfly effects your each action could have. It’s about being obedient to Jehovah, about making decisions about the lines in your life and trying hard not to cross them and every time you realize you have, flying back across. Easy to say. Incredibly difficult to practice. I love about God’s grace that he allows me to keep trying to obey him better.

Genesis 21:11-13

2007.Nov.18 23:37

Distressing Decisions

Read Genesis 21:11-13 Full Chapter

The matter distressed Abraham greatly because of his son. But God said to Abraham, “Do not be distressed because of the lad and your maid; whatever Sarah tells you, listen to her, for through Isaac your descendants shall be named. And of the son of the maid I will make a nation also, because he is your descendant.” (Genesis 21:11-13, NASB)

Abraham is in a difficult situation. I imagine this makes splitting up with Lot and such seem easy to the man from Chaldea. As I discussed regarding Sarah in my last entry, he made a bad decision that got him into this mess. I’ll grant that decision (to have sex with Hagar based on Sarah’s suggestion) involved some difficulties, but I still think the wise decision (“no”) was obvious. Now he faces another distressing decision.

Here’s the two major options, now: 1. Keep Hagar and Ishmael in the family; piss off Sarah. 2. Do as Sarah requests; send Hagar and Ishmael (his (mistress?) and son) off, quite possibly to die.

What the f— do you do in a situation like that? Seriously. I want to say #1, but how would he? Granted, I’m not too concerned with figuring it out. I can’t conceive of getting into this situation in the first place. But, then, I suppose it’s pretty normal, predicted or not, to end oneself up in a situation simply with no good solution, by the slow accretion of foolish decisions.

I guess I could quote most of Proverbs here, about wisdom and such. But when I’m thinking of distressing decisions, what comes to my mind is Paul talking himself and others going out and sharing about Jesus.

Therefore, since we have this ministry, as we received mercy, we do not lose heart, but we have renounced the things hidden because of shame, not walking in craftiness or adulterating the word of God, but by the manifestation of truth commending ourselves to every man’s conscience in the sight of God.

And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, in whose case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving so that they might not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.

For we do not preach ourselves but Christ Jesus as Lord, and ourselves as your bond-servants for Jesus’ sake. For God, who said, “Light shall shine out of darkness,” is the One who has shone in our hearts to give the Light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.

But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, so that the surpassing greatness of the power will be of God and not from ourselves; we are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not despairing; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying about in the body the dying of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body. (2 Corinthians 4:1-10, NASB)

I’m not sure why that passage is so precisely my response to this situation. In part, because if Abraham and Sarah had taken on this mindset that Paul is talking about, they might have faced perplexing decisions, but not ones causing despair. They forgot at times–as we all do–that our bodies are earthen vessels. If we fall of the table, we’re gonna bust. There’s just no way around it. We might land a little better or a little worse–Abraham might have made a more or less wise decision here–but (unless God intervenes, which I think he generally doesn’t at that point) we’re gonna break into pieces.

Yahweh makes beautiful things out of shards of pottery. But he didn’t say we had to have all that pain.

He steps in here and tells Abraham to go ahead and send off Hagar and Ishmael. Ishmael was not going to be the heir to all the promises God had given Abraham, but that had already been established. But, also, God has plans of wonderful blessing for Ishmael. He is going to be the heir to a promise, but a different one from Isaac. There really ought to have been no solution to this, but God, even though it’s come about because of sinful attitudes, makes a way. For one thing, he’s not going to punish Ishmael for the sins of his parents (and psuedo-parents). More generally, he’s got a beautiful plan.