It’s All About Whom You Know

Genesis 21:1-34
Bob Bonner
May 29, 2005

There is an old saying that states, “Getting along in life is not about what you know, but whom you know.” Whether it is knowing that key alumni who writes a letter of recommendation that leads to a graduating senior getting a scholarship or acceptance to a university, or whether it is knowing a friend of a friend who holds the key to being introduced to a great job or a quality investment, or knowing somebody in the medical community who can get you in to see the right doctor, oftentimes who you know is critical for your advancement, provision and protection. So, in a real sense, a life can really be changed, not so much by what you know, but if you know the right people.

But for those of us who don’t know some of the “right people” or who don’t have “contacts,” where does that leave us? When we find ourselves in a difficult situation with nowhere to go, we feel abandoned, helpless and or hopeless that we can ever get by. When our fears of the future control our lives and our anxieties awaken us in the middle of the night, and we have no other key human being we can call on for help, are we doomed to failure or disaster or starvation and death?

In our passage of Scripture today, Abraham is going to illustrate for us that in the end, when all the doors seem to be closed to us, that an outcome appears impossible, we can still experience God’s supernatural peace in the midst of heartache and overwhelming challenges because we know the most important person in the universe, Jesus Christ. This morning, I’m convinced that God wants to remind us and show us that He truly cares for, covers, provides and protects those who seek His face. He promises to meet the needs of all of His children. God wants you to know that He is worthy of your complete and total trust.

The subject matter of Genesis 21 focuses upon the fulfillment of God’s promises to Abraham and Sarah. It breaks down into two parts: the first part, verses 1-21, concerns God’s promised seed, or that they would have a child through whom the nation of Israel will come. The rest of the chapter concerns God’s promise that this new land was going to be theirs. Through the fulfillment of His promises in this chapter, we will be introduced to a new name for God that Abraham will learn, that enables him and us to more confidently put our trust in God.

As it concerns God’s promise that Abraham and Sarah would have a son, God also later made a second promise to Abraham and Sarah. This second promise was more of a curse than a promise, but nonetheless, God said it would happen. God told them that because they had not believed Him about Sarah having a child, and tried to give Abraham a son through Hagar, that son, Ishmael, would not be the promised son of God, and would instead, be a thorn in the side to Abraham’s descendants forever.

Both of these promises, the birth of Isaac and the rejection of Ishmael come true in verses 1-21. Let’s begin our study by looking at the fulfillment of God’s promise that Isaac would be born, in verses 1-8. “Then the Lord took note of Sarah as He had said, and the Lord did for Sarah as He had promised. So Sarah conceived and bore a son to Abraham in his old age, at the appointed time of which God had spoken to him.”

“Then” ties the previous chapter to this chapter. It tells us that following Abraham and Sarah’s failure in faith in the previous chapter, and their subsequent confession, judgment and repentance of their sin of deception, now God is ready to move on in their behalf, to bless them and to fulfill His promises to them.

The proof of that is seen in the next words, “the Lord took note” or as it is more warmly and personally stated in Hebrew “the Lord visited Sarah.” This same verb “to take note” or “to visit” is translated elsewhere (50:24) as “come to your aid.” God does what He promised her He would do, opens her womb and gives her a son. Furthermore, it should be noted that three times in these verses we are told that God did what He said He would do, underscoring and emphasizing the reliability of God’s promises and God’s Word.

Immediately following Isaac’s birth we read, “Abraham called the name of his son who was born to him, whom Sarah bore to him, Isaac. Then Abraham circumcised his son Isaac when he was eight days old, as God had commanded him. Now Abraham was one hundred years old when his son Isaac was born to him. Sarah said, “God has made laughter for me; everyone who hears will laugh with me.” And she said, “Who would have said to Abraham that Sarah would nurse children? Yet I have borne him a son in his old age.” The child grew and was weaned, and Abraham made a great feast on the day that Isaac was weaned.”

Weaning usually occurred at about three years of age. So, Ishmael is probably 16 years of age at this time, and firmly rooted in the love of his father Abraham’s heart. But we can’t have the promised son Isaac and this other son, Ishmael growing up in the same household. So, as God had warned Hagar, back in chapter 16, her son would not remain as a member of this family. In fact, these two brothers and their descendants would remain at odds forever. And that promise of the rejection of Ishmael is realized in the next five verses. “Now Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian, whom she had borne to Abraham, mocking.”

Why do you think Ishmael was mocking his baby half-brother? This was probably a very tough time in Ishmael’s life. As a 16-year-old, Ishmael had been the focus of his father’s attention up until this point. Life was great for the boy. He probably had been told that one day Isaac would be his father’s number one son, but it did not strike home to his heart until this great feast was held for the day of Isaac’s weaning. Up until this point in time, Ishmael had the undivided attention and loyalty of the family and the other staff of the household. But now he could see that was going to end.

So, under the appearance of sporting jesting, Ishmael jeered at Isaac in a way that the bitterness of his soul could not be missed by Sarah, who was nearby. This mother’s jealousy and desire to protect her baby boy’s rights could stand it no longer and Ishmael had to go! Up until now, everyone seemed to treasure the duet of Hagar/Ishmael: the Lord had spoken to her before He had spoken to Sarah, back in chapter16; and the angel of the Lord, none other than Jesus Christ, had appeared to Hagar and had spoken to her about her boy before He ever spoke to Sarah about her son; and her husband Abraham had adored Ishmael so much that she wondered if there was enough room in Abraham’s heart to love her son, Isaac. This was all too much for Sarah to take.

“Therefore 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!’”

Notice how, through her very words, Sarah has progressively demoted Hagar’s status before the household. In Genesis 16:1, in English, Hagar is called a “maid,” but in Hebrew it is the word for “handmaid,” a specific and more honorable role, that signified that Hagar was once married to Abraham, at his first wife’s request. And for twenty years, Hagar was Sarah’s personal attendant! But here in verse 10, although in English the word is “maid,” in Hebrew it is “slave girl,” a pretty harsh title for one who has served her so faithfully for so long, even after having been humbled by her running away and subsequently instructed by God to return to serve Sarah. This manner of addressing Hagar by Sarah reveals a demotion or put-down of Hagar.

She puts down Hagar’s son, as well, by not even using his name, but calling him “Hagar’s son,” “her son,” “his son,” “the son of the slave girl” or “that slave woman’s son” and “the boy” in stark contrast to emphatically referring to her own son, Isaac by name as “my son, Isaac” (v. 10). She was bound and determined that Ishmael would not be allowed to share in Abraham’s inheritance, all of it was to go to “my son, Isaac.”

According to a cultural code of the time, it stipulates that if a slave woman bears children by her master, and then the master grants freedom to her and her children or sends them away, the children of the slave shall not receive any of their master’s inheritance. Hence, Sarah’s demand to expel Hagar and Ishmael from any share of Abraham’s inheritance had moral and legal grounds at the time.

And as you can expect, “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.’”

Poor Abraham. His first and only child up to this point--a boy growing into a young man with whom he had hunted, played and showed the ropes of life. Forced to choose between his wife and his son. So God shows him that as a married man, his priority always lays with his wife and her needs, over and above the needs of a child. To have violated that principle would only have brought further harm to their marriage and the well-being of their future family. In addition, God showed Abraham that he was to obey God’s instructions, not his emotional pulls, if he wanted God’s blessings to continue.

Sadly, this will not be the only time that Abraham faces the real possibility of having to say goodbye to a son. In the next chapter, we will see Abraham literally being instructed to kill his son Isaac, who will be at least the same age as Ishmael was when Abraham had to say goodbye to Ishmael. Because of this loss of Ishmael, the potential grief over the loss of Isaac will be even greater, requiring even more trust and confidence in God and God’s instructions.

At this point, knowing the heartache Abraham was feeling, God makes a promise to Abraham concerning Ishmael. He says, “And of the son of the maid I will make a nation also, because he is your descendant.” In other words, “Abraham, don’t worry about Ishmael, I will bless him too. Because you won’t be able to be his father, I will. I will provide for and protect him.”

With those words of consolation, Abraham is satisfied, and we read in verse 14, “So Abraham rose early in the morning and took bread and a skin of water and gave them to Hagar, putting them on her shoulder, and gave her the boy, and sent her away. And she departed and wandered about in the wilderness of Beersheba.”

Once again, “early the next morning” reveals two things to us about Abraham: first, that Abraham was going to be quick to obey God. And second, that he cared about Hagar and Ishmael, in that if he sent them away to begin their journey in the heat of the day, rather than in the cool of the morning, they would have suffered more due to the heat. At least, starting out in the morning, they would have an easier time of survival.

But even with that courtesy and care, in verses 15-19, Hagar and Ishmael quickly run into hard times. We read, “When the water in the skin was used up, she left the boy under one of the bushes (in the scorching desert, I might add). Then she went and sat down opposite him, about a bowshot away, for she said, (or prayed to God) “Do not let me see the boy die.” And she sat opposite him, and lifted up her voice and wept. God heard the lad crying; (literally, “God heard the voice of the lad” meaning Ishmael was crying out in prayer to God) and the angel of God (I believe this is the same pre-incarnate Jesus coming to her again, as He did in chapter 16) called to Hagar from heaven (revealing His divine authority) and said to her, “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.” 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.” Like Abraham, the father, God now comforts the mother with the promise that He will take care of her and her son.

Now, I don’t want you to miss a very significant observation in this text. So think with me for a moment about who is involved here, and about Hagar’s past visitation with Jesus. At the end of that first visitation with the Lord, He told Hagar to name her child, “Ishmael” which means God who hears and attends to or answers. God told Hagar to name her son Ishmael so that every time she calls his name, she would be reminded that God hears her prayers and that He is there to care for her.

Now, when the same Lord tells her, “I, the God who hears people’s prayers and attends to them, I have heard Ishmael, your sons prayers and have answered his prayers as well. Open up your eyes and see, I have provided for your needs. There is water.” What impact do you think God’s statement makes on this mother’s concern for her son? It’s huge! God is saying to her, “Hagar, even though you can’t see what I’m going to do in the future, know this: I will care for your son, even when you can’t. I will be his Father, his provider and protector just as I have taken care of you. I will even make him into a great nation.” What a great consolation and peace that must have brought to this mother’s heart, even though her situation has not immediately changed. It was not so much what she knew about the future that brought her this internal peace, because she knew very little about the future. Instead, that which brought her peace was whom she knew.

As this scene comes to a close, we read, “God was with the lad, and he grew; and he lived in the wilderness and became an archer.” Meaning that he was more than just a good hunter. He would learn to survive by being a warrior using weapons. “He lived in the wilderness of Paran, and his mother took a wife for him from the land of Egypt.”

Beginning with verse 22, the scene and subject matter changes. For the balance of the chapter, the subject changes from God’s fulfilling His promise about the promised seed or child of Abraham and Sarah to the evidence that this land has been promised by God to Abraham and his descendants and now they are going to start taking possession of it.

“Now it came about at that time (meaning the same time as Hagar and Ishmael have been forced to leave) that Abimelech and Phicol, the commander of his army, spoke to Abraham, saying, “God is with you in all that you do; now therefore, swear to me here by God that you will not deal falsely with me or with my offspring or with my posterity, but according to the kindness that I have shown to you, you shall show to me and to the land in which you have sojourned.” Abraham said, “I swear it.”

In chapter 20, as a result of Abimelech’s encounter with God, he realized that God was not only very powerful, but that Abraham was God’s right-hand man. He also knew that Abraham’s posterity would continue to live in the land and he wanted his people to be able to live in peace there as well. Abraham agrees to the covenant of peace, but he sees a problem for both of them. We read about that problem in the next verses. “But Abraham complained to Abimelech (literally he made a legal complaint or charge against Abimelech) because of the well of water which the servants of Abimelech had seized.”

Water was very scarce in those parts. It has an average annual rainfall of about four inches. Whoever controls the waterholes controls the land. This isn’t the only waterhole, but it is a significant one, and Abimelech’s men have taken it away from Abraham’s by force. The word “seized” in Hebrew was used in law to refer to “wrongfully and violently taking something.” Hence, Abraham makes a formal and legal complaint to Abimelech about what his men have done. This action by his people was news to Abimelech. So he responds, “I do not know who has done this thing; you did not tell me, nor did I hear of it until today.” Remember, from the last chapter we saw that Abimelech was an honorable man and Abraham knew it. Hence, he believes in Abimelech’s innocence and takes the next natural step. Abraham took sheep and oxen and gave them to Abimelech, and the two of them made a covenant. Then Abraham set seven ewe lambs of the flock by themselves. Abimelech said to Abraham, “What do these seven ewe lambs mean, which you have set by themselves?” He said, “You shall take these seven ewe lambs from my hand so that it may be a witness to me, that I dug this well.” Therefore he called that place Beersheba, because there the two of them took an oath.”

It’s important to recognize that Abraham is the one giving these gifts. His giving these gifts signifies that he is the greater and Abimelech, who used to be the greater man in the region is now the lesser. Abraham gives these gifts to Abimelech to guarantee no further infractions to Abraham’s rights and he is insuring Abimelech his future is safe for at least as long as Abraham is alive. And by Abimelech accepting Abraham’s gift, he acknowledges that Abraham has the rights to the water and that Abraham is his superior.

The name given to this waterhole, “Beersheba,” is a significant name. In Hebrew, it is one word made up of two Hebrew words. One part of the word means “well.” The second word is the number “seven.” Hence, the name “Beersheba” means the well of the seven. The reason that it was called “the well of the seven” is that at this place, there were seven wells in such close proximity, that they called it one well. It is why Abraham gave Abimelech seven ewe lambs, one for each well, just in case their may be a future question as to their agreement covering all seven wells. Archaeologists have found Beersheba and it lies just southeast of Gerar, and is about a twelve hour walk south of Hebron. Beersheba marks the southernmost boundary of the promised land.

“So they made a covenant at Beersheba; and Abimelech and Phicol, the commander of his army, arose and returned to the land of the Philistines. Abraham planted a tamarisk tree at Beersheba, and there he called on the name of the Lord, the Everlasting God. And Abraham sojourned in the land of the Philistines for many days.”

In verse 33, Abraham has learned something about God that has increased his faith. Here is mentioned for the first time, a new name for God. It is the name “El Olam.” This title for God is more rare in Scripture than some of His other titles. The word “El” means God and the word “Olam” expresses the idea of eternal duration. However, “Olam” also expresses more than just eternality. It also refers to things concealed, hidden and secretive. When you put these two ideas together, there is an expanded meaning to this name. The point of this name being this: “He who is eternal, is also the only one who understands that which is hidden.” In other words, although there are things in life that are hidden from our understanding, they are not hidden from the eternal God who knows the end from the beginning. Therefore, we are wise to trust God and to obey God’s instructions in situations in which we find it difficult to obey Him, because He sees and knows the end from the beginning; He knows what’s best. It was hard for Abraham to put Sarah his wife first and to say goodbye to Ishmael. It was going to be even harder for Abraham to obey God and to kill his son Isaac. But knowing who God is, made it reasonable for Abraham to obey God in this difficult time.

Look, for instance at Psalm 90:2. The psalmist writes, “Before the mountains were born, or Thou didst give birth to the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, Thou art God.” The message of that verse is that “From Olam to Olam thou art God; from the hidden, secret, measureless ages of the past to future, you know all and are in charge.”

This new name for God comes at a time when Abraham has seen God be faithful to His promises...promises that Abraham could no way in this world have seen how God would fulfill them. Promises about having a son with a barren woman in both of their twilight years. Promises that foreign and powerful kings would submit to an unwanted foreign nomad. This eternal all-knowing God had secret plans that Abraham knew not of, but one thing Abraham had learned through all of this, and that is that “El Olam” was worthy of his trust. “El Olam” meant what He said and would do what He promised even though it seemed impossible to Abraham. It was in knowing and trusting “El Olam” that Abraham found his security and peace in troubling times.

Likewise, El Olam will always be there for you and me, even as He was for Abraham.

Furthermore, Abraham discovered, with a God like that, his everlasting home was never somewhere on this earth. In fact, it didn’t matter where he lived from now on. It didn’t matter if he would have a permanent home or continue to be a nomad. Because he discovered that his everlasting home would be with and wherever His everlasting God, El Olam was.

he planting of the Tamarisk tree is significant in that it indicates to Abimelech and all who were there that Abraham planned to stay in that region. He was claiming these wells as his own. It also served as a landmark of God’s grace and a symbol of God’s eternal shading presence, to remind all who pass it that El Olam rules. El Olam is responsible for giving this land to Abraham. This was a supernatural work of God, not man.

When you face circumstances in which you see no way out, remember, it is not so much what you know as it is whom you know, the El Olam who sees what is hidden to you. Remember God’s directive in Psalm 46:10, “Cease striving and know that I am God.” Proverbs 3:5-6 also adds wise counsel: “Trust in the Lord with all of your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding; (remember, it is not what you know but whom you know) in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your path straight.” Hence, When the eternal God promises you something about the future, believe in His Word, because He has already been there, and He will do it! He knows what’s going to happen tomorrow before it happens. If He says there will be judgment for evil-doers, justice will be served. If His word promises that He will meet your needs, which it does for all who seek after Him, then He will meet your needs.

There is something else this passage teaches those of us who have been rejected, abandoned or feel like the helpless widow or orphan. For those who feel alone or vulnerable, you can find hope in God’s blessing both Hagar, who was now living like a widow, and Ishmael, who was living as an orphan.

We are not specifically told that Ishmael and Hagar are believers, but I take the view that they probably were, based on the fact that they cried out to the Lord and that the Lord heard and blessed both of them, and that we are told in verse 20 that God was going to be with Ishmael. If you know Jesus as your personal Savior and Lord, then you can take hold of God’s commitment to care for you just as He promised to care for them. How do I know that? Because there are other Scriptures that teach us so.

For instance: For the widow who is exposed, vulnerable and has no one to protect or to provide for her, God promises to be especially attentive to her needs. Isaiah 54:5 tells us, “For your husband is your Maker, whose name is the Lord of hosts; and your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel, Who is called the God of all the earth.” God becomes the husband to those who have been abandoned or left widowed. He promises to provide and protect those who trust in Him. God promises to be the husband to the widow.

As to those who feel like Ishmael, an orphan, the psalmist declares in Psalm 68:5-6, “A father of the fatherless and a judge for the widows, is God in His holy habitation. God makes a home for the lonely; He leads out the prisoners into prosperity, only the rebellious dwell in a parched land.” To those who feel like orphans, God promises to be the Father to the fatherless.

God promises, just as Jesus said in His Sermon on the Mount, “Seek ye first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be added unto you (meaning that all your needs will be met).” You seek after, follow and obey the Lord, and He will make sure your needs are met.

It really is true: It’s not so much what you know, but whom you know. When you know, El Olam, Yahweh, the King of Kings, you will always be in good hands.

back to top