Genesis 21: Birth of Isaac; Hagar and Ishamel Sent Away

A recap of our discussion
of Genesis 21
on 7/19/09

Some questions that came out of our discussion:
Did Moses write the first five books of the Bible?
Why is it that people in the Bible always go up on a mountain to speak to God?

The birth of Isaac
How Sarah feels, after Isaac is born: Disbelief. Giddy. Tired. Joyful.
How can Sarah and Abraham’s experience encourage us to be more patient while we wait for prayers to be answered? - S &A didn’t have patience, and that made a mess! ... The secret to patience is to do something while you wait.
Who was laughing? Whose was the joke? Sarah laughs, Abraham laughs. It is God’s joke on A & S.

Hagar and Ishmael are sent away
Sarah’s motive for sending H & I away – it could be jealousy, maternal instinct, she could see that there would be friction between the two sons, she wanted her son to have the birthright, rather than the firstborn. Footnote said that the treatment of Hagar was in accordance with the Code of Hammurabi, ancient lawbook.

From God’s point of view, H & I had to be sent away because: maybe in order to relieve household tension. “When Sarah ain’t happy, ain’t nobody happy.”

If we were in Sarah’s place, it would be hard to do what she did. Maybe the events didn’t unfold the way God intended them to, but God used the situation for his purposes. Sarah seems fickle, competitive.

God didn’t really exclude Ishmael. God thought it would turn out differently than it did.

May 3, 2009 Hagar and the birth of Ishmael

Genesis 16 : The Birth of Ishmael

One commentary states that in this passage “the basic conflict is between certain specific legal rights and natural human feelings.” What are the feelings of the major characters, and how do these feelings influence their actions?


What action does Hagar take and what does she learn about the Lord in this traumatic experience (16:6-14)?