prophecies concerning the child himself and all four will find their fulfillment in the grown Ishmael. How happy the eighty-six year old Abraham must have been at the return o f Hagar from the desert! As she told her story o f the angel's visita tion, the first part of the prophecy, the multiplica tion o f the seed, was familiar to the kindly father. Just what he interpreted the other parts of the prophecy to mean is difficult to determine. Perhaps he ignored them as irrelevant or discounted their accuracy. Or perhaps in the proud joy o f a new father, as he held in his arms the baby he expected to be the son o f promise, all other things seemed insignificant. His life was complete; God had given him an heir! The sixteenth chapter of Genesis closes with the words, “ And Abram was fourscore and six years old, when Hagar bare Ishmael to Abram;” the seventeenth chapter being, “And when Abram was ninety years old and nine. . . .” The thirteen years of silence between these two chapters were very blissful years for Abraham. Nowhere do we have recorded that God spoke to Abraham at this time putting any type of divine censorship on his paternal relationship with Ishmael. Probably Abra ham was contented in these years and ceased to desire any other seed than the son Ishmael. There is no indication in Scripture which suggests that these were spiritually shallow years for Abraham because he put faith in a fleshly seed rather than a spiritual. As to conditions in Abraham’s camp during these years, one can only speculate. Geikie suggests that Ishmael was the darling of the camp. “ The only child of Abraham, who was now eighty-six years of age, he grew up his father’s pride and delight, and was, doubtless, regarded as the future sheik by all the members of the encampment, and, as such, flattered and caressed by old and young.” There was one dissatisfied person in the camp, how ever, for the “ first lady” was still barren and could not help but be jealous, knowing that this young prince of the camp was not her son. But the popularity of Ishmael and the serenity of conditions as far as Abraham was concerned are broken abruptly at the end of those years. God again communes with the patriarch, as recorded in Genesis 17, speaking with him concerning four dis tinct and yet related subjects. The covenant is re established, the sign of circumcision is prescribed and Sarah is named as the mother of the promised child. The fourth subject is most relevant to this study: the blessing of Ishmael. Abraham had cried out for his son and God had heard and already blessed him. There are four parts to the blessing and they are all concerned with the idea of off spring. Let us look at the verse and underline the four parts: “ And as for Ishmael, I have heard thee: behold I have blessed him, and will make him fruit ful, and will multiply him exceedingly: twelve THE KING'S BUSINESS
Mr. Kenneth O. Gam,- gel is associate profes sor of Christian edu cation and Academic Dean at Calvary Bible College, Kansas City, Missouri.
God’s promise to Abraham seems hopeless with barren Sarah. Giving her bondslave Hagar to Abra ham only results in hatred between the women and persecution o f Hagar. Finally, the slave-turned- wife flees into the desert and the stage is set for the birth of the Arab nation. Their ancestress, driven by a love of freedom, sits lonely by a foun tain of water in the wilderness of Shur. There she is met by the Angel of Jehovah. Many expositors find this designation, wherever it appears in the Old Testament, to be a reference to the pre-incar- nate Son of God. In a brief conversation, Hagar tells of her experience and why she is in the wilder ness alone. She is encouraged to return in submis sion and then given a promise by Jehovah concern ing the child in her womb. “ I will greatly multiply thy seed that it shall not be numbered for the mul titude. . . . Behold thou art with child, and shalt bear a son: and thou shalt call his name Ishmael, because Jehovah hath heard thy affliction. And he shall be as a wild ass among men; his hand shall be against every man, and every man’s hand against him; and he shall dwell over against all his brethren,” (Gen. 16:10-12). These few verses contain three distinct proph ecies concerning Hagar and three concerning her son. The angel promises that her seed would be multiplied, she would bear a son, and his name would be called Ishmael. Concerning the son, the angel says he shall be as a wild ass, his hand against all and theirs against him; and his dwelling place was to be over against, or as in the margin, to the East of his brethren. Two o f the three prophecies are fulfilled immediately as Hagar returns, bears Abraham a son, who calls the child’s name Ishmael as the angel had said. The other promise, the mul tiplication of seed, will wait a few years as the 14
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