Gênesis 21

Gênesis 21

Morgan - God hath heard the voice of the lad where he is.—Gen. 21.17. This was the word of the Angel of God (ED: CLEARLY MORGAN ALSO FAVORS THIS AS A THEOPHANY) about Ishmael, and it is one which we do well to ponder. Ishmael was the son of the bond-woman, the offspring of a failure of faith. When Isaac, the child of faith, was born, the bond-woman mocked. That is a suggestive statement. It was necessary that Hagar and Ishmael should be sent forth. They could have no part in the purposes of God, which were being wrought out through the chosen people. But when thus sent out, they had not passed out of the sight of God, nor beyond His care and government. God provided for him what he needed at the moment to preserve his life; God was with the lad, and he grew; God made of him a great nation. This story, rightly apprehended, will help us to that view of all history which is necessary to intelligent understanding thereof. God's elections never mean His abandonment of those not elected. There is no nation which He has not made. There is no people which He has excluded from the purposes of His goodness. Those elected are elected to serve the others. When at last His city is built, all the nations shall walk in the light thereof. When the seed, called in Isaac, has won the final triumph, Ishmael will share in the glorious results. A remembrance of that fact will purge our hearts from the possibility of all contempt for any "less-favoured" peoples. We shall see in them those whom God sees, for whom God cares, and for whose ultimate recovery and blessedness God is ever working All Alone? God heard the boy crying. Genesis 21:17 Today's Scripture & Insight :Genesis 21:9–19 Sue’s family was falling apart before her eyes. Her husband had suddenly left the home, and she and her children were confused and angry. She asked him to go for marriage counseling with her, but he wouldn’t because he claimed the problems were hers. Panic and hopelessness set in when she realized he might never come back. Would she be able to care for herself and her children alone? Hagar, a servant of Abraham and Sarah, faced those thoughts as well. Impatient for God to give them a son as promised (Genesis 12, 15), Sarah gave Hagar to her husband, and Hagar gave birth to Ishmael (16:1–4, 15). However, when God fulfilled His promise and Sarah gave birth to Isaac, family tensions erupted such that Abraham sent Hagar away with their son Ishmael with just some water and food (21:–21). Can you imagine her desperation? Soon they ran out of provisions in the desert. Not knowing what to do and not wanting to see her son die, Hagar put Ishmael under a bush and walked a distance away. They both began to sob. But “God heard the boy crying” (v. 17). He heard their cries, provided for their needs, and was with them. How has God provided for you when you’ve felt alone? How have you responded to Him? I’m grateful, God, that I never really walk alone. Help me in my desperation. Learn more about communicating with God. J J Knapp - The Voice of the Lad Gen. 21:17 It had been a moving farewell early in the morning between Abraham and Hagar. Nothing was said at it,—only superficial hearts fill the last moments with a multitude of words, while deep natures know how to express their whole soul in a glance or a handshake. However, love was shown when Abraham himself put the bread and the water bottle upon Hagar’s shoulder and gave her the boy. This was a carefulness that betrayed how heavy the separation was to him,—just like our fathers and mothers show their great love in small services to the leaving child. What must have moved in the mother heart, when the water supply was depleted, and Hagar made her son to lie down in the shadow of one of the spindly desert bushes to not see him perish from thirst, while she sat down at a distance of a bow’s shot, wailing with a loud voice? Comforting is the commentary of the Holy Scripture concerning that groaning boy: “And God heard the voice of the lad.” More comforting yet was the assurance that the mother received from heaven: “God hath heard the voice of the lad where he is.” This is a truth to think upon when there is a suffering child in our home. Oh, those little sufferers, who lie upon a sickbed, stir our compassion. At first we don’t take it too seriously, and we speak with encouraging words to keep the little one brave. However, when the doctor comes every day and soon twice or three times a day, fear enters the heart and the voice stalls in our throat, when someone comes to ask how brother or sister is doing. Particularly mother suffers greatly under it. Once the fever rages in the blood and the little boy lies there, heaving and gasping, with dry lips and a parched throat, and sometimes uttering gibberish, or if it screams in agony, then the mother’s heart skips a beat, and the terrible thing is that she is as impotent as Hagar had to watch,—the groaning goes through the marrow of her soul. Mothers, remember in such instances the word that is written down here, “And God heard the voice of the lad.” That groaning, even the softest moaning, is not hidden for Him, but He hears in those incoherent sounds a voice, He hears in it the voice of prayer. Think of it, when there is a little sufferer in the home. It is not too little for the high God to listen to it. He sent for that one small moaning child under the bush the Angel of the Covenant from heaven to comfort the mother and to save the child. How should the heart overflow with joy and praise when it pleases God to give us our dear child again: “Arise, lift up the lad, and hold him in thine hand.” Genesis 21:18 “Arise, lift up the lad, and hold him by the hand, for I will make a great nation of him.” I will: Ge 21:13 Ge 16:10 17:20 25:12-18 1Ch 1:29-31 Genesis 21 Resources - Multiple sermons and commentaries YAHWEH'S PROPHETIC PROMISE TO HAGAR Arise, lift up the lad, and hold him by the hand, for I will make a great nation of him - Note the 3 commands. First, she is told to get up and then get Ishmael up and hold him, these latter two commands indicating he was definitely in a weakened condition from dehydration. God's promise would have greatly encouraged Hagar. Whether Abraham had related this truth to Hagar is uncertain, but twice God had given him this same promise in Ge 17:20+ and Ge 21:13. Recall that God had some 15 years promised Hagar "I will greatly multiply your descendants so that they will be too many to count.” (Ge 16:10+). As noted above I believe this is the same speaker as the "angel" in verse 17, which would support the premise that this Angel of God is a THEOPHANY (in my opinion). Genesis 21:19 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. Nu 22:31 2Ki 6:17-20 Isa 35:5,6 Lu 24:16-31 Genesis 21 Resources - Multiple sermons and commentaries Related Passages: 2 Kings 6:17; 20 Then Elisha prayed and said, “O LORD, I pray, open his eyes that he may see.” And the LORD opened the servant’s eyes and he saw; and behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.....(20) When they had come into Samaria, Elisha said, “O LORD, open the eyes of these men, that they may see.” So the LORD opened their eyes and they saw; and behold, they were in the midst of Samaria. Genesis 22:13 Then Abraham raised his eyes and looked, and behold, behind him a ram caught in the thicket by his horns; and Abraham went and took the ram and offered him up for a burnt offering in the place of his son. GOD PROVIDES WATER FOR HAGAR & ISHMAEL Then - This time sensitive word marks progression in a narrative and alway begs the simple question "When is then?" In this case it was when she and Ishmael were at the end of themselves and in great need of help. God does not only make promises, He also makes provision. God opened her eyes and she saw a well (beer; Lxx- phrear) of water; and she went and filled the skin with water and gave the lad a drink - Notice that the description would indicate that God did not create this well. Apparently the well was there but she simply could not see it. So God enabled her to see the well of water that was already there! THOUGHT - Are you going through a difficult time like Hagar and Ishmael? Have you tried asking God to open your eyes and show you the solution that He has already provided? In this same chapter we encounter a new name for Jehovah, El Olam: Everlasting God, and the words from Chris Tomlin's related song "Everlasting God" are so apropos to God's provision for Hagar and Ishmael.... You're the defender of the weak You comfort those in need THOUGHT - Could we not all say an "Amen" to the words of that chorus, for we too have been continually in need of our great Defender to protect us from our enemies the world, the flesh and the devil. And has not the Spirit of the Living God time after time led us to words of comfort in His precious Word? And so Lord, we join together and say "Thank You our Everlasting God. Amen!" F B