For your consideration

[rebeccanew]

Abraham was going to sacrifice his only son, but if that were so it could have been Ishmael (Father of Islam) because when Isaac was born he was Abrahams second son. Isaac ( Father of Jews) was the first son to be born after God made his promise to Abraham with Sarah. But what is important is not whether it was Ishmael or Isaac, it was that God was going to provide the sacrificial Lamb.

 

[nickybr38]

Abraham was going to sacrifice his only son, but if that were so it could have been Ishmael (Father of Islam) because when Isaac was born he was Abrahams second son. Isaac ( Father of Jews) was the first son to be born after God made his promise to Abraham with Sarah. But what is important is not whether it was Ishmael or Isaac, it was that God was going to provide the sacrificial Lamb.

Actually, Ishmael was the first to be born after God made His promise but God promised that Abraham would have a child with Sarah NOT with Sarah’s handmaid. God NEVER acknowledged Ishmael as the son that He promised. In God’s eyes ISAAC was the beloved son, the son that He had promised to Abraham. Ishmael was the result of Abraham’s shaky faith in God.

Fact is God promised Abraham a child with Sarah. God provided, then God said: I will make your son a great nation. And then He said: Sacrifice your son.

Abraham was given his beloved son, born from his wife, and he still agreed to sacrifice that dear, long awaited child. So, in effect, he redeemed his initial shaky faith, now didn’t he?

 

[TimothyH]

To build upon what nickybr38 stated, God promised Abraham that his descendants would be more numerous than the stars in the sky. Abraham and Sarah laughed however, and didn’t trust God, didn’t believe that his promise was trustworthy or that God would do what he said. So Abraham and Sarah waited a while and when it didn’t happen, they devised their own plan and decided to have a child through Hagar.

Don’t we do the same thing? Don’t we sometimes have a “Plan B” just in case God doesn’t come through for us in the way we want?

It was really Sarah’s idea to have a child through Hagar and her plan backfired on her, brought her nothing but grief. It wasn’t until Sarah sends Hagar and Ishmael away that God starts to act in their lives, eventually making Sarah pregnant in Abraham’s 99th year and giving him a child when he is 100 years old.

Now Abraham trusts God. Abraham trusts God’s promise to make his descendants more numerous than the sand in the seashore that when God tells him to sacrifice Isaac, he still believes and recons that God can raise people from the dead.

It’s a story of trust. Adam didn’t trust God and for the first time in history, man is learning to trust God, to trust in his promises.

God’s promise was fulfilled in Jesus Christ, yet we still don’t trust.

-Tim-