Some years passed, but things were about to get ever so interesting, again!
When Abraham was 99 years old, the Lord appeared to him with wonderful messages and directions about his future. One of the grandest messages was about his wife Sarai whose name would change to Sarah, and in her advanced years (90), miracle of miracles, she would conceive and have a son to be named Isaac. Sarah laughed! How could this be?
Abraham was 100 years old when Isaac was born. Ishmael was now approximately 14 years old and Scripture doesn’t give us much information regarding those years, so it would seem that Hagar and her son lived their lives without too much upheaval.
But that was about to change! (Gen. 21:9-21)
The trouble began when Abraham made a great feast on the day that Isaac was weaned. (Could have been about 3 years of age). Sarah witnessed Hagar’s son Ishmael mocking Isaac. ( Galatians 4:29 used the word persecuting!) You can imagine Sarah’s response, it was less than gentle, and she said to Abraham, “Drive out this maid and her son, for the son of this maid shall not be an heir with my son Isaac.” Gen. 21:10 A distressed Abraham rose early in the morning, took bread and a skin of water, and sent her on her way with her son, to wander in the wilderness. Soon the water was gone and she left the boy under one of the bushes as she lifted up her voice and wept saying “Do not let me see the boy die.”
Another miracle was about to occur for Hagar! God heard the boy crying, and THE angel of God, ( the preincarnate Christ), called to Hagar and said, “What is the matter with you Hagar? Do not fear for God has heard the voice of the lad where he is. Arise, lift up the lad and hold him by the hand; for I will make a great nation of him.” Hagar listened to God, and did as He said, (always the very best idea) Gen. 21:17-18
God was with the boy who lived in the wilderness and became an archer, and Hagar took a wife for him from Egypt.
God always keeps His promises and Ishmael did become a great nation. Ishmael had 12 sons living from east of Egypt, from Havilah to Shur (Gen. 25:13-18) And just has God had said, Ishmael would be a wild donkey of a man and he and his sons settled in defiance of all their relatives! Some things never change!
We could assume that Hagar enjoyed her grandsons, and perhaps her great grandsons.
Hagar’s life was filled with disappointments and joys, but she trusted the Lord, and got to witness first hand the miracles in all of it!
Kind of like our lives!
Image by wirestock on Freepik
