God approached Abraham to make a great nation out of him. He called him out of his native land, away from his people who were idol worshippers, and Abraham obeyed. God changed his name from Abram to Abraham and his wife’s name from Sarai to Sarah. Abraham was an obedient man who served God with much faith. He is known as the father of faith, but even he made mistakes, one of them being taking Hagar to conceive a child. God told Abraham that his descendants would be as numerous as the stars in heaven and as plentiful as the sand on the seashore. However, Abraham was concerned because he had no heir.
God assured him that he would indeed have one. Sarah grew impatient and decided to take matters into her own hands, giving her Egyptian servant Hagar to Abraham. They conceived Ishmael. When Hagar became pregnant, Sarah felt despised and treated her harshly, leading Hagar to flee. An angel appeared to Hagar, promising to make a great nation out of her son. God approached Abraham again, telling him that Sarah would conceive. Sarah laughed at the idea due to her old age, but God confirmed it. She gave birth to Isaac. Abraham faced a dilemma because Ishmael, though not from Sarah, was his firstborn. God blessed both boys, but the covenant would be established with Isaac. If they had gotten what they deserved: Perhaps God would not have blessed Isaac with the covenant, or worse, their unbelief could have prevented his birth altogether.
The Bible tells us that it is impossible to please God without faith, and Sarah’s actions almost seemed to forfeit the promise. However, thank God for grace. God blessed both Isaac and Ishmael. Although Ishmael and his mother were eventually asked to leave, God saved his life, and his bloodline still exists today. Despite Abraham’s mistakes, he is accredited as the father of faith, even being considered the spiritual father of all believers in Christ. God kept his promises, extending them to all believers throughout time, making his descendants as numerous as the stars.
Scripture Reference: Genesis 12:1-3, Genesis 15:1-6, Genesis 17:1-8, Genesis 21:8-14 After reading the summary above, answer the following questions in your workbook or journal.
1.Explain in your own words how this bible character did NOT get what they deserved.
2.Choose one of the scripture references above, after looking them all up in a King James Bible.