Genesis17_18-20

Genesis 17:18-20

And Abraham said unto God, O that Ishmael might live before thee!

And God said, Sarah thy wife shall bear thee a son indeed; and thou shalt call his name Isaac: and I will establish my covenant with him for an everlasting covenant, and with his seed after him.

And as for Ishmael, I have heard thee: Behold, I have blessed him, and will make him fruitful, and will multiply him exceedingly; twelve princes shall he beget, and I will make him a great nation.

When a man has a son, he will focus all his spirit on him. Even though God Elohim told Abraham that his wife would conceive a son for him, Abraham still spoke to God about his son Ishmael. Abraham responded to God based on his own judgment that he and his wife were too old to bear a son. He thought what God had promised referred to Ishmael.

However, God said to him that his wife would bear a son. God also named his son Isaac and established His covenant with Isaac as an everlasting covenant, and with his seed after him. This was a strong confirmation to Abraham of what God had promised him. What is Abraham’s reaction — strange or special? As we know, Abraham is called the father of faith. Why did he misunderstand God’s word several times? Believing is one thing, and how to listen to or receive another’s word is another.

God knew what Abraham cared about. Hence, He also told him what He had planned for Ishmael. It was not only a plan, but also a blessing to Abraham’s descendants. That is perhaps why Abraham married other wives and bore children after Sarah died.

Although Abraham wanted to fulfill God’s plan by his own natural power by bearing a son, God still showed mercy to his son Ishmael. According to the history of Ishmael and Isaac, we know that on one hand human beings develop their society freely, and on the other hand God also carries out His plan among humanity. Hence, there are human forces and God’s work in human history, each pursuing their own purposes according to their own will.