The Children of Abraham--Part I

The Children of Abraham—Part I

Genesis 16

            Before Isaac there was Ishmael—in fact, Ishmael was Abraham’s first born son.  Because customs of the day were so different from ours it is difficult for us to think in the ancient mindset.  It will be necessary for us to do so in order to understand how marriage and inheritance worked.

            The most important reason for marriage in the ancient world was to have children.  Inheritance depended on having offspring.  Without an heir the property would pass out of the family.  This meant not merely children, but sons—and Abraham had none.  He was eighty-six years old and he and Sarah were childless.

            It was assumed that if a couple were not able to have children it was the woman’s fault and not the man’s.  They must have found it inconceivable (pun intended) that men could not father children.  Medical knowledge has come a long way since then.  Sarah, knowing how important it was for Abraham to have a son, came up with a solution.  He would take her servant, Hagar, as his second wife.  Perhaps she would be able to bear him an heir.

            And bear one she did.  Sarah’s solution, however, turned out to be more of a problem than a help.  When Hagar became pregnant she felt she was superior to her mistress.  After all, she had been able to do what Sarah could not—the one thing necessary for the future of the family.  Human nature being what it is, Sarah held Abraham responsible for the mess.  Like a good husband he had done what his wife had asked.  Now he found himself in trouble for it.  Rather than fight his wife, he let her handle the situation.  Sara “dealt harshly” with Hagar, who ran away. 

            Here’s the situation:  Hagar is pregnant and alone in the wilderness, presumably without food or water or any hope of finding any.  Sarah is at least partially content because she has gotten rid of an irritation.  Abraham would have been uneasy at best, since the mother of his unborn child had run away.  He was worse off than he had been before.  Now he had an heir, but the heir had been taken away.

            As we might expect, God enters the picture.  Greek drama often features a deus ex machina, one of the ancient gods who miraculously appears and works everything out.  We have such a God—a God who works things out not just for the stage, but for the good of all creation.  God, YHWH, the Holy One of Israel, tells Hagar to return to Abraham and Sarah.  Everything will work out.  Her son will be born and will grow to be his own man.

            Later, in Chapter 21, we find that Ishmael has indeed come into the world, as has Isaac, the son Sarah bore Abraham.  Once more there is trouble in the camp, this time between the two boys.  Once more Sarah wants the irritation eliminated.  This time Abraham sends Hagar and Ishmael away with food, water, and God’s blessing.  God tells Abraham that while Isaac will be the heir of Abraham’s goods and God’s promised blessing, Ishmael will also be blessed.

            And so he was.  Those who follow the Islamic faith claim their descent from Abraham just as do the Jews.  The difference is that the Jewish descent is through Isaac, while the Islamic descent is through Ishmael.  In fact, the story of God asking Abraham to sacrifice his son is part of the Islamic tradition.  In that version the son is Ishmael rather than Isaac.

            God created Islam as surely as Judaism.  They are two separate threads God has used in weaving the fabric of the world.  What does this mean for civilization today?