Lesson 12 The True Son of Abraham: Laughter in the Tent

Reading: Genesis 16, 21, and 22

It seems impossible for Abraham and Sarah that they should still receive a son. They are just getting too old. Sarah’s body seems to be telling her that this will no longer happen. So, she decides that God’s promise about Abraham’s son did not necessarily imply that Sarah would be the mother. Therefore, she suggests that Abraham could use Hagar as surrogate mother. So, he “borrows” Sarah’s servant so God could finally give Abraham his promised son.

Yet, Sarah’s proposal, to which Abraham too readily agrees, does not produce the hoped for joy and satisfaction. Neither is it the fulfillment of God’s promise. Rather, it causes grief and hardship for all parties involved. Yet, there are also blessings. Hagar is strengthened and blessed by God, for she does carry “Abraham’s seed.” Notice the parallels between chapter 16: 1 - 16 and 21: 1 - 21. They open with a reference to Sarah’s state (infertility; fertility). It describes Sarah’s response to her situation. Next we read about the mocking (by Hagar; her son) of the meant recipient of God’s blessings (Sarah; her son). Hagar is sent out into the wilderness, yet God is there with her. She receives his promises and his blessings (birth of Ishmael; wife for Ishmael). Ishmael, as “the other son” of Abraham, will also bring forth a great nation! Hagar experiences God’s presence and his providence. She confesses that God has taken notice of her, and that God hears her.

So, the result of this ‘experiment’ is a rather mixed blessing, for it causes hardship for all parties. Yet, God uses these events to teach Abraham and Sarah to trust God that He can raise the dead. God also teaches the slave woman Hagar that she can obtain her freedom through submission.

So, for a while there are two sons in Abraham’s tents: Ishmael (God hears; as in Samuel) and Isaac (laughter; literally: he laughs). God has heard Hagar’s complaint and He has noticed her misery. Isaac has brought laughter to the tent; first the laughter of unbelief, but later the laughter of amazing grace. Yet, Ishmael disturbs this laughter when he laughs a scornful, mocking laugh about his little half-brother. Sarah perceives this laugh as a threat to her joy and blessing, so she wants Abraham to send mother and child out of his household into the wilderness. For Abraham this is a difficult thing, for he loves also this son. But God tells them it must happen. He himself will be looking after Hagar and her son.

The Final Exam for Abraham

After a long period of training and testing, God is giving Abraham one final test. Has Abraham come to know and trust God so much, that he would give up everything for Him? Is he –now he has lost his son Ishmael- willing to give up his son Isaac, the one he loves so much and has brought laughter to the tents of Abraham?

When Abraham was young, God told him to follow Him to the land that He would show. Now he tells Abraham to come and follow Him to the mountain that He will “tell him about”. This time it is not accompanied by a promise of the gift of a son, but by a request to give up his son. Abraham does not delay; early the next morning he leaves. He has no idea what will happen during this trip. It must have been three days of darkness for his soul, the journey to that mountain. But when he arrives, he tells his

servants with confidence that both he and his son will return. He leaves the servants behind; the journey is now a lonely struggle. He has learned to trust God so much, that he knows that God will raise his son again from the dead, for it is through this son that God has promised him a great offspring and a blessing for all nations! Read Hebrews 11: 17 – 19.

When the boy Isaac asks about the sacrificial lamb, Abraham again expresses confidence that God himself will provide the lamb; He will see to it that it will happen! Did he see the link with the covenant ceremony where God Himself went through the cut animals- symbolizing that He would be broken, while Abraham would be spared? When Abraham had passed the exam, God did provide a ram for the sacrifice. Yet, Abraham’s words contained a much greater prophecy! Thousands of years later, God Himself would offer up his Son. Jesus Christ was sacrificed, apparently on the same mountain where Abraham offered up his son, on the mountain where God would provide! God stopped Abraham, yet he did not stop the sacrifice of his own Son. All nations would be blessed through Abraham, the model of “trust and obedience”. And, indeed, one of the sons of Abraham was the Son of God, who demonstrated the perfect “trust and obedience”, even into death. Read Hebrews 10: 5 – 7.

Where is the True Son of Abraham?

So, finally after almost a whole life time of waiting, the promised son of Abraham has come! Even as we read the stories, it seems to take forever, so for Abraham it certainly did!

And now this son has been born, all hopes are raised: what will this promised son be like? What glories and blessings can be expected? He is the son of promise of the man who was blessed so much by God.
Is he the one through whom all nations will be blessed? Perhaps, this might be the “seed of the woman” to conquer “the seed of the serpent”?

Yet, we don’t read so much (and what little we read is not so good) from this son Isaac. Where is this son of Abraham? As readers we almost feel cheated; what happened to God’s promises? With hope and anticipations so high, we experience a vacuum, a kind of hangover: now this son of promise has finally arrived, he seems to be such a disappointment!

Well, perhaps the story was written with the purpose that we should feel this way. It should keep us wondering; is there perhaps another one still to come? Until we come to the New Testament, which seems to throw open the doors, “Surprise! Here He is! Jesus Christ, He is the real Son of Abraham! He is the one who brings laughter to the world!” Therefore, this is a great introduction to the Good News stories: Jesus Christ will be the one through whom all nations will be blessed, for anyone who believes if his words and follows Him, will not perish, but he will be saved and have everlasting life with Him!

Food for Thought

1. 1  How does Abraham and Sarah’s experiment with Hagar result in problems for all parties concerned?

2. 2  Read the Acts of the Apostles, and see how the Jews often got furious when they aw how Jews and Gentiles gathered to follow Jesus of Nazareth. They were unable to destroy the “Jesus Movement”; after his death it continued to grow and it will continue to grow until it fills the whole world! What does Jesus call those Jews who claim to be Abraham’s children while they persecute his church? Revelation 3: 9.

http://www.discoverynews.us http://www. ldolphin.org

3 The map shows the outline of the city of David (Jerusalem) and the temple complex. It is suggested that Mount Moriah includes both the temple mount and Golgotha, where Jesus died. Use Google Earth (download for free) to find these locations as they appear today.