ed unbelief. To this supplication God answered, “Nay!” Compare Genesis 17:18, 19. Such is the background of the life of Ishmael. Isaac, on the other hand, was the child o f prom ise. Read the record: “And God said, Nay, but Sarah thy wife shall bear thee a son; and thou shalt call his name Isaac: and I will establish my covenant with him for an everlasting covenant for his seed after him” (Gen. 17:19). Paul states clear ly that “ the son by the freewoman is bom through promise” (Gal. 4:23). Isaac was the seeding of the coming Messiah in whom all God’s redemptive purposes were and are centered. The promise stat ed that “ in thee shall all the families of the earth be blessed” (Gen. 12:3). That this definitely pre dicted the Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ, is con firmed by the word of the Holy Spirit through the apostle Paul in Galatians 3:16: “Now to Abraham were the promises spoken, and to his seed. He saith not, And to seeds as o f many; but as o f one, And to thy seed, which is Christ.” And this prom ise included Isaac, because the genealogy in the Gospel of Matthew (1:2) and that in the Gospel o f Luke (3:34) both incorporate the name of Isaac in the honored lineage of the Messiah of Is rael. Moreover, to Isaac was given the land of promise with all the blessings attendant upon occu pation therein. Note these passages: Genesis 12:7 and 13:14-17 among a number o f others. Do you not see the recurring words of importance: “ land” and “ seed ?” Isaac was the child of promise and by virtue of that was related to all the blessings in the land of promise. Put it down as an incontrovertible fact of the Bible that the land of promise and the seed o f promise are not to be separated for all time. They are inseparably linked. At this point one may be inclined to ask why, then, was Ishmael the first born? The Bible principle is that the natural ever comes first and is superseded by the spiritual. First it is the natural Adam, then it is the spiritual Last Adam; first Ishmael, then Isaac; first Esau, then Jacob: first the natural birth, then the spiritual birth: first the natural body in this life, then the spiritual body in the resurrection (I Cor. 15:44). The natural seed, as Ishmael, is ever motivated by unbelief. The incident is told that a friend once said to Dr. Agnew Johnson, “ It will be ten thousand years before India becomes Christian.” “ You are draw ing a hard line on God,” said the doctor. “Oh, I forgot about Him,” was the startling reply. “Then,” said the doctor, “you can make it ten million years if you leave Him out.” Unbelief never reckons on the power and promise of the living God. THE PORTION OF ISHMAEL AND ISAAC What portion was allotted to these respective children of Abraham? With respect to Ishmael God had promised: “ And as for Ishmael, I have heard thee: behold, I have blessed him, and will make 22
him fruitful, and will multiply him exceedingly; twelve princes shall he beget, and I will make him a great nation” (Gen. 17:20). A great people and nation are promised to Ishmael. Indeed, the peo ples that have come from Ishmael are fruitful and populous. A further word was spoken concerning this son: “ 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. 16:12). This pas sage is full of light on Ishmael and contains im portant details. It informs us that Ishmael as a wild ass among men will be of unbridled and un restrained nature. His will be a rough and raw existence. Just as the wild ass makes his home in the desert (Job 39:5-8), so the sons o f Ishmael have been known as the sons of the desert. Fur thermore, he will be at sword’s point with all men and all men will be in conflict with him. He will be a hostile and belligerent nation. And he was to dwell eastward (see Genesis 25:18) o f his breth ren, where his stronghold has been ever since that time. The portion of Isaac was a blessed one indeed, and has been touched upon in part already. He was in the line of promise with all the spiritual bless ings promised Abraham descending directly to him (Genesis 12:1-3; 15:12-21 — the exact title deed to the land in perpetuity; 22:15ff.—the confirma tion o f the covenant blessings after the offering up of Isaac in intent; 26:1-5 — the reaffirmation of all the promises to Isaac in a time of famine and need). Subsequent history shows Isaac was drawn to spiritualities. It is true that the experiences of Genesis 22 were meant to test and prove the faith of Abraham (verse 1), but we submit that Isaac was no inanimate object without thought or feel ing during those tremendous events o f that hour. He willingly submitted himself to the altar of sac rifice when he saw that preparation was being made for his own offering up. The Scriptures pass over that phase in silence, it is true, but neither do they record any word of drawing back or re bellion on the part of Isaac. He definitely was mindful of the higher things o f life, the spiritual things. On the contrary part, Ishmael was ever attracted to temporalities, and the things o f time and sense. When we read of Ishmaelites they are merchants going down to Egypt (see Genesis 37: 25; 39:1). The world and its interests loomed all important for Ishmael and his descendants. But with Isaac were the great and exceeding promises of God which were and are o f a world-comprehen sive character. His was a blessed and full portion. THE PERSECUTION OF ISAAC BY ISHMAEL If the reader should consider at this point that we have employed too strong a word in the word “ persecution,” let him only turn to Galatians 4:29 where he will find the word “ persecuted.” It is the THE KING'S BUSINESS
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