The conflict we are witnessing today is not new. When we try to help God fulfill His promises, it seldom turns out the way we think.
Abraham’s wife, Sarah, had been unable to give him any children. She hit on the idea of Abraham taking her slave, Hagar, as another wife and that perhaps in that way, she could have children. He should have said, “No, we are going to wait for God to fulfill His promise to us.” But he didn’t wait. He slept with Hagar, she conceived and there has been trouble ever since.
When Sarah saw that Hagar was pregnant, she began to treat her with contempt and Hagar ran away. (You can read the entire story yourself in Genesis 16.) An angel appeared to her by a spring in the wilderness. He told her to go back and be submissive to Sarah, so she did.
In Genesis 17 you can read about the covenant the Lord established with Abraham. There was the promise that God would make him the father of many nations and that his descendants would be great in number. Hagar did bear him a son, but Ishmael was not the promised son. Even though both Abraham and Sarah were well beyond the age when one would be able to have children, God assured them that Sarah would bear a son. She laughed (Genesis 18:12) and God asked why she laughed and she said she hadn’t laughed. But God said, “No, you did laugh.” Genesis 18:15. God said to them “Is anything impossible for the Lord?”
Folks, our God is the God of what seems to be impossible. In Ephesians 3:20 Paul wrote, “Now to Him who is able to do above and beyond all that we ask or think according to the power that works in us. (21) To him be glory in the church and Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.”
In Genesis 21 we read about the birth of Isaac, the son promised by God. What a miracle!
In all of this, God was teaching Abraham a dramatic, but painful, lesson. When we take matters into our own hands, He sometimes lets us struggle in our darkness. God’s purpose is always for our good to teach us to trust Him rather than ourselves. He wants to direct our paths into His perfect will. (Proverbs 3:5-6)
Folks, we need to remember that Ishmael was born as a result of a fleshly decision. Isaac was born because of a promise made by God. Have you ever acted impulsively rather than in accord with God’s will? I know I have and the result was very painful.
In Genesis 21, we read of Abraham holding a great feast in honor of Isaac when he was weaned. Sarah saw Ishmael mocking Isaac and she demanded that Abraham send Hagar and her son away. I’m sure he didn’t want to, but he did as she demanded. You can read in Genesis 21 how God spoke to Hagar and assured her that He would care for her and that He would make Ishmael a great nation. God kept that promise, but there has been strife between the descendants of Isaac and the descendants of Ishmael ever since.
In Deuteronomy 7:6-9 (CSB) we read, “For you are a holy people belonging to the Lord your God. The Lord your God has chosen you to be his possession out of all the peoples on the face of the earth.”
7 “The Lord had his heart set on you and chose you, not because you were more numerous than all peoples, for you were the fewest of all peoples. 8 But because the Lord loved you and kept the oath he swore to your ancestors, he brought you out with a strong hand and redeemed you from the place of slavery, from the power of Pharaoh king of Egypt. 9 Know that the Lord your God is God, the faithful God who keeps his gracious covenant loyalty for a thousand generations with those who love him and keep his commands.
Even though God chose the Jews to be His special people, they have not always honored Him. Time and again they rebelled against Him, got caught up in idolatry, and more. As a loving Father, God has disciplined them again and again. He promised them that they would have their land and in time, He gave them Canaan. At one point, God was so fed up with His chosen people that He scattered them to the ends of the earth, but even then, He promised that in due time He would bring them back to their homeland after about 2,000 years He began regathering.
On May 14, 1948, the provisional government of Israel proclaimed a new state of Israel. On the same day, the United States, in the person of President Truman, recognized the provisional government as the de facto authority of the Jewish state. That recognition was extended on January 31, 1949. The people in that region did not want Israel there and vowed they would cease to exist. That is the struggle that is going on right now.
Folks, Satan is the mastermind behind all of this. Ever since the fall of Adam and Eve, he has been doing his best to sabotage the sovereign plans of God. One thing is certain … Israel is still the nation He chose to carry out His plan of redemption for all mankind. Even though Israel, at present, does not recognize Jesus as their Messiah, the day will come when they will. In the meantime, we need to pray for Israel to humble themselves and get their hearts right with God.
Jesus is the only Savior for the whole world. (John 14:6; Acts 4:12) Let’s keep our eyes on Him, our hearts right before Him, and go forward by faith to honor Him.
Shalom, Pastor Leonard
