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Offering of Isaac: Test of Faith
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you shall call his name Isaac; I will establish My covenant with him.
... As for Ishmael,” He said, “behold, I have blessed him ... and I
will make him a great nation.”
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Polygamy Brings Sorrow
The birth of Isaac filled the tents of Abraham and Sarah with
gladness, but to Hagar this event was the overthrow of her deeply
cherished ambitions. Everyone had thought of Ishmael as the heir
of Abraham’s wealth and the inheritor of the blessings promised to
his descendants. Now he was suddenly set aside. Mother and son
hated the child of Sarah.
The general rejoicing increased their jealousy, until Ishmael
dared to openly mock the heir of God’s promise. Sarah saw an
unending source of conflict in Ishmael’s stormy disposition, and she
appealed to Abraham to send Hagar and Ishmael away.
Abraham was thrown into great distress. How could he banish
Ishmael his son, whom he still loved dearly? In his perplexity he
pleaded for divine guidance. Through a holy angel the Lord directed
him to grant Sarah’s desire; in this way he could restore harmony
and happiness to his family. The angel gave him the promise that
God would not forsake Ishmael and that he would become the father
of a great nation. Abraham obeyed, but not without keen suffering.
The father’s heart was heavy as he sent Hagar and his son away.
The sacredness of marriage was to be a lesson for all time. The
rights and happiness of this relationship are to be carefully guarded,
even at great sacrifice. Sarah was the only true wife of Abraham.
No other person was entitled to share her rights. She was unwilling
for Abraham to give his affections to another, and the Lord did not
reprove her for requiring her rival to be sent away.
An Example for All Generations
Abraham was to stand as an example of faith to later generations.
But his faith had not been perfect. He had shown distrust of God in
marrying Hagar. In order that he might reach the highest standard,
God subjected him to another test, the most severe that any mortal