from WL Worcester (H Blackmer, ed.), 
The Sower.  Helps to the Study of the Bible in Home and Sunday School
 
(Boston: Massachusetts New-Church Union, n.d.)

Table of Contents
 

 

Lesson 15

Genesis 21:1-21:  Ishmael and Isaac

The Story

Primary

Where had Abraham been living? In his tent under the oaks at Hebron. But he moved his tent and lived for a time in the Philistine country and in the big south country and especially at Beersheba. I came one day to Beersheba after a long ride on horseback across the open pastures. I saw hardly a tree all day. At one place, Gerar, were underground chambers where grain once was stored. Now a graceful gazelle ran quickly across the hill and disappeared. There were no houses at Beersheba, but black tents of wandering Bedouins nearby, and there were wells; "Beer" means well. Abraham dug wells and Isaac dug wells in this pasture country. There are still wells at Beersheba, where sometimes toward evening thousands of sheep are gathered from the open pastures for water. Abraham now lived at Beersheba.

Here the child was born who had been promised. Isaac was his name. When he was perhaps two or three years old, the child was weaned, perhaps as old as Samuel when he was weaned and taken by his mother to the tabernacle. There was a feast of rejoicing at the weaning of Isaac. But one was seen mocking, a lad now fifteen or sixteen years old, an older son of Abraham, whose mother was Hagar, Sarah's Egyptian maid. It had been promised that Isaac should be Abraham's heir; he should follow Abraham as head of the family. Ishmael and Hagar must be sent away. Abraham was grieved to send Ishmael away, but it must be, if he could not agree with Isaac. Hagar and Ishmael went out into the desert. The bread and the bottle of water which Abraham gave them could not last long. It was a small goatskin, which in that country they use for a bottle. The Lord took care of Hagar and the boy, and when the bottle was empty He showed Hagar a spring of water. The lad grew and was skillful with his bow and arrows. He was a man of the plains and the father of wandering tribes. Isaac lived with Abraham at Beersheba.

Junior

We have to leave Hebron for a time to follow Abraham into the south country, where he lived for a while at Gerar, in the edge of the Philistine land, and made a more permanent home at Beersheba. Isaac was born and lived all his life in the south country. The birth of Isaac in fulfillment of the promise brought great joy. He was circumcised on the eighth day and received his name. The circumcision meant to them what baptism means to us. Abraham also made a feast when Isaac was weaned, now perhaps two or three years old. Ishmael was seen mocking at the feast. We must know Ishmael. He was a son of Abraham and his mother was Hagar, an Egyptian, Sarah's maid. We learn of this in chapter 16, and also of the beginning of trouble, when Hagar despised her mistress Sarah. She was punished by Sarah and fled into the wilderness. There the angel of the Lord found her and comforted her and sent her back to submit herself to Sarah. The angel said also that her son should be the father of a multitude, but he would be a "wild ass man, his hand against every man and every man’s hand against him." We are reminded of this story as we read chapter 21. Now it is Ishmael, a lad of fifteen or sixteen years old, who mocks at Isaac, and this time both Hagar and Ishmael are sent away from home. Again they were in the wilderness, but again an angel came to them in their trouble. A spring of water was shown them, and they were told that the lad would be the father of a great nation. The pictures in the two chapters are much the same: the contempt of Hagar and Ishmael toward Sarah and Isaac, the distress in the wilderness, the comfort from heaven, and the promise to Ishmael. Our new chapter also adds about Ishmael that he grew and dwelt in the wilderness and became an archer; that he dwelt in the wilderness of Paran (toward Egypt), and that his mother took him a wife from Egypt, her own country.

There is something fine about Ishmael, and he has a blessing in his place, but he is harsh and quarrelsome and set in his own opinions (a wild ass man) and disposed to be critical of others and to condemn and ridicule others who perhaps are wiser than he. Do we get a little that way sometimes, especially when we grow old enough to think some for ourselves and to have opinions of our own? It is all right to do some thinking for ourselves, but we should also be kind, and we must be respectful toward others who may be wiser than we, and especially toward what the Lord tells us in His Word.

1. Where was the South Country? What sort of country was it?

2. At what places did Abraham live in the South Country?

3. What does the name Isaac mean? What was done in Isaac’s honor when he was weaned? Who was seen mocking?

4. Who was Hagar? What as done because Ishmael mocked at Isaac? What became of Ishmael?

5. When might I be called as Ishmael was, a "wild ass man," "his hand against every man, and every man's hand against him"? What must I do then?

Spiritual Study

Intermediate

Isaac was born. Natural birth is a type of spiritual birth. (John 3:1-18) The birth of a child represents the beginning of some new spiritual state, some new development of heavenly life. The birth of Isaac represents such a new development. What is meant by the fact that Abraham was a hundred years old when Isaac was born? A hundred suggests fullness and completeness. One state must be complete, its work must be well done, before we can advance to the next state. Childhood's lessons must be well learned before we are ready for youth. (A. 2636)

"Rising up early." We find it in verse 14 of this chapter and in verse 3 of the next chapter. The spiritual thought is of doing promptly the thing that we see is right, before our perceptions become dimmed and our resolution weakened by lower considerations.

The birth of Isaac means the gaining of a heavenly understanding, and the weaning of Isaac represents the complete putting away of all claim that we are intelligent of ourselves, and the recognition that only the Lord can give true understanding. (A. 2630, 2649)

The story of Ishmael and Isaac as unfolded to us in the Arcana gives a wonderful insight into the life of the Lord, and it gives practical help in relation to our own development and our opportunity with young people. In general Abraham represents celestial states of a little child, together with childhood's eager learning. Ishmael and Isaac represent rational powers, at first more natural and afterward more spiritual. And Jacob and his sons represent the working out in life. Ishmael and Isaac picture a most interesting phase of development, when young people begin to think and reason for themselves. The rational power has two phases of development: natural, when people judge, as they must at first, largely by outward appearances; and spiritual, when windows in the mind are opened to higher light and judgments are more wise. (A. 2657) Nowhere in any psychology is the natural reason better described than in the pages of the Arcana about Ishmael. It is hard and contentious, quick to criticize and condemn. Read A. 1949, 1-964. The points of view of the natural and the spiritual reason are well contrasted in A. 1911 and 2654. We recognize the picture in boys and girls of our acquaintance and in our memory of ourselves. We can help much in this period of development by sympathy and wise companionship, by respecting the right of the young people to use their new power of reason, guiding as we can to kindly and helpful interests. If the stage of development is a little trying to others, it is more so to the one who is in it, and also the person in this state does not know but it will be permanent. We know that the Ishmael stage is passing, and that a kinder, wiser state, the Isaac stage, will come. We can be encouraging. The humbling of Hagar before her mistress and the dismissal of Hagar and Ishmael from the house mean that the natural rationality must not assume superiority and condemn the higher wisdom which is spiritually enlightened, and especially the truths of Divine things revealed to us by the Lord. In its place even the natural reason has the care of heaven and the blessing of the Lord. (A. 2650, 2655)

The phases of development of rational power that we recognize in ourselves had their place in our Lord's development, as He increased in wisdom and stature. With Him the natural reason had its attractions, but He disciplined it and put it in its right, subordinate place. A rational power was developed in Him, which by glorification became Divine. It is represented by Isaac in the story.

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