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Rev. Ronald C. Purkey, an ordained
Baptist minister, claims no
originality for this Bible study outline.
However,
every Bible study posted on this website has been taught by Rev. Purkey.
To see more Bible study outlines go
to page two: More Bible Study Outlines.
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(Abraham’s Disobedience And God’s Blessing)
January 9, 2022
SCRIPTURE: Genesis 21:8-21
KEY VERSES: “And
God heard the voice of the lad; and the angel of God called to Hagar out of
heaven, and said unto her, What aileth thee, Hagar?
fear not; for God hath heard the voice of the lad where he is. 18 Arise,
lift up the lad, and hold him in thine hand; for I will make him a great
nation.” (Genesis 21:17-18)
INTRODUCTION: The life of a child of God is one of valleys and
mountain-tops. Solomon expressed it as a "time to weep and a time to
laugh." All of us have experienced this truth in our own lives, and we can
certainly see it in a study of the life of Abraham. This chapter begins with a
mountaintop experience...the long awaited birth of Isaac, the promised son (see
Genesis 21:1-7).
But the same
people who bring us joy can also bring us sorrow. Relationships can become
strained and then change overnight, and we wonder what happened to a happy
home. A Chinese proverb says, “Nobody’s family can hang out the sign, ‘Nothing
the matter here.’”
The coming of
Isaac into their home brought both joy and sorrow to Abraham and Sarah. As you
look at the persons involved in these important events, you can learn some
valuable lessons about basic Christian doctrine and how to live the Christian
life.
I. TWO BROTHERS: ISAAC AND ISHMAEL (Genesis 21:8-11)
“And
the child grew, and was weaned: and Abraham made a great feast the same day
that Isaac was weaned. 9 And Sarah saw the son of Hagar the
Egyptian, which she had born unto Abraham, mocking. 10 Wherefore
she said unto Abraham, Cast out this bondwoman and her son: for the son of this
bondwoman shall not be heir with my son, even with Isaac.11 And
the thing was very grievous in Abraham's sight because of his son.” (Genesis 21:8-11)
INSIGHT: This is a picture of the conflict between the
spirit and the flesh. Isaac and Ishmael had the same father (Abraham) but
different mothers (Sarah and Hagar).
1. In Galatians
4:28-29, Paul makes it clear that Ishmael represents the believer’s first birth
(the flesh) and Isaac represents the second birth (the Spirit). Ishmael was
“born of the flesh” because Abraham had not yet “died” and was still able to
beget a son (Gen. 16). Isaac was “born of the Spirit” because by that time his
parents were both “dead” and only God’s power could have brought conception and
birth. Ishmael was born first, because the natural comes before the spiritual
(1 Cor. 15:46).
2. When you
trust Jesus Christ, you experience a miracle birth from God (John 1:11-13), and
it is the work of the Holy Spirit of God (John 3:1-8). Abraham represents
faith, and Sarah represents grace (Gal. 4:24-26), so Isaac was born “by grace …
through faith” (Eph. 2:8-9). This is the only way a lost sinner can enter the
family of God (John 3:16-18).
3. It is worth
noting that, in the biblical record, God often rejected the firstborn and
accepted the second-born. He rejected Cain and chose Abel (Gen. 4:1-15). He
rejected Ishmael, Abraham’s firstborn, and chose Isaac. He bypassed Esau,
Isaac’s firstborn, and chose Jacob (Rom. 9:8-13); and He chose Ephraim instead
of Manasseh (Gen. 48). In Egypt, the Lord condemned all the firstborn (Ex.
11-12) and spared only those who were “twice-born” because they were protected
by faith in the blood of the lamb.
4. Isaac
pictures the child of God not only in his birth but also in the joy that he
brought. Isaac means “laughter,” and this time it was not the laughter of
unbelief (Gen. 18:9-15). In the parables recorded in Luke 15, Jesus emphasized
the joy that results when lost sinners repent and come to the Lord. The
shepherd rejoiced when he found the lost sheep, and the woman rejoiced when she
found the lost coin; and they both asked their friends to rejoice with them.
The father rejoiced when his prodigal son came home, and he invited the
neighbors to a feast so they could share in his joy. There is even joy in
heaven when sinners turn to God (Luke 15:7, 10).
5. Nowhere do we
read that Ishmael caused great joy in Abraham’s home. Abraham loved his son and
wanted the best for him (Gen. 17:18). From before his birth, Ishmael was a
source of painful trouble (Gen. 16); and after he matured, he caused even
greater conflict in the family (Gen. 21:9). The old nature is not able to
produce the fruit of the Spirit, no matter how hard it tries (Gal. 5:16-26).
6. Notice a
third comparison between Isaac and the child of God: He grew and was weaned
(Gen. 21:8). The new birth is not the end, but the beginning; and the believer
must feed on God’s Word and grow spiritually (Matt. 4:4; 1 Cor. 3:1-3; Heb.
5:12-14; 1 Peter 2:1-3; 2 Peter 3:18). As we mature in the Lord, we must “put
away childish things” (1 Cor. 13:9-11) and allow God to “wean us” (Ps. 131)
from temporary helps that can become permanent hindrances.
7. The mother
weans the child because she loves the child and wants it to be free to grow up
and not be dependent on her. But the child interprets her actions as an
expression of rejection and hatred. The child clings to the comforts of the
past as the mother tries to encourage the child to grow up and enter into the
challenges of the future. The time comes in every Christian life when toys must
be replaced by tools and selfish security by unselfish service (John 12:23-26).
8. Like every
child of God, Isaac experienced persecution (Gen. 21:9; Gal. 4:29). Ishmael was
apparently an obedient son until Isaac entered the family, and then the “flesh”
began to oppose “the Spirit.” It has well been said that the old nature knows
no law but the new nature needs no law, and this is certainly illustrated in
Abraham’s two sons.
9. Jewish
children were usually weaned at about age three, so Ishmael was probably
seventeen years old at the time (Gen. 16:16). What arrogance that a boy of
seventeen should torment a little boy of only three! But God had said that
Ishmael would become “a wild donkey of a man” (Gen. 16:12), and the prediction
came true. The flesh and the Spirit are in conflict with each other and always
will be until we see the Lord (Gal. 5:16-26).
10. When, like
Isaac, you are born of the Spirit, you are born rich (Gen. 21:10). Isaac was
the heir of all that his father owned, and God’s children are “heirs of God,
and joint heirs with Christ” (Rom. 8:17). Abraham cared for Ishmael while the
boy was in the home, but “Abraham gave all that he had unto Isaac” (Gen. 25:5).
11. Finally,
Isaac was born free while Ishmael was the son of a slave (Gal. 4:22). Freedom
is one of the key themes in Galatians (Gal. 5:1) and one of the key blessings
in the Christian life (Gal. 4:31). Of course, Christian freedom does not mean
anarchy; for that is the worst kind of bondage. It means the freedom to be and
to do all that God has for us in Jesus Christ. “No man in this world attains to
freedom from any slavery except by entrance into some higher servitude,” said
Phillips Brooks; and that “higher servitude” is personal surrender to Jesus
Christ. No one is more free than the child of God who delights in God’s will
and does it from the heart.
II. TWO MOTHERS: SARAH AND HAGAR. (Genesis 21:12-13)
“And
God said unto Abraham, Let it not be grievous in thy sight because of the lad,
and because of thy bondwoman; in all that Sarah hath said unto thee, hearken
unto her voice; for in Isaac shall thy seed be called. 13 And
also of the son of the bondwoman will I make a nation, because he is thy seed.”(Genesis 21:12-13)
INSIGHT: Sarah and Hagar picture the conflict between grace
and Law.
1. Sarah was
wrong when she told Abraham to marry Hagar (Gen. 16:1-2), but she was right
when she told Abraham to send Hagar and Ishmael out of the camp. The Apostle Paul
saw in this event an allegory involving the Law of Moses and the grace of God
(Gal. 4:21-31). Sarah represents grace (the heavenly Jerusalem), and Hagar
represents Law (the earthly Jerusalem under bondage). The lesson is simply that
God’s children are to live under the blessings of grace and not the bondage of
Law.
2. The conflicts
in Abraham’s home could have been solved four ways. Isaac could have been sent
away, but that would mean rejecting the promises of God and all that God had
planned for the future. Isaac and Ishmael could have lived together, but that
would mean constant conflict. Ishmael’s nature could have been changed to make
him more agreeable, but that would have required a miracle. “That which is born
of the flesh is flesh” (John 3:6), and it always will be flesh. The only
solution was to send Ishmael and his mother out of the camp and make Isaac the
sole heir.
3. When you
consider the facts about Hagar, you will better understand the relationship
between Law and grace in the Christian life.
4. To begin
with, Hagar was Abraham’s second wife. She was added alongside Sarah. Likewise,
the Law was “added” alongside God’s already existing promises and was temporary
(Gal. 3:19, 24-25). God did not start with Law; He started with grace. His relationship
to Adam and Eve was based on grace, not Law, even though He did test them by
means of one simple restriction (Gen. 2:15-17). The redemption of Israel from
Egypt was an act of God’s grace, as was His provision, the sacrifices, and
priesthood. Before Moses gave the Law, Israel was already in a covenant
relationship with God (“married to God”) through His promises to the patriarchs
(Ex. 19:1-8).
5. Second, Hagar
was a servant. “Wherefore, then, serveth the Law?”
Paul asks in Galatians 3:19, and he gives the answer. The Law was God’s servant
(a “schoolmaster” or “child tutor”) to keep the infant nation of Israel under
control and prepare them for the coming of the Redeemer (Gal. 3:24-25; 4:1-5).
The Law was given to reveal sin (Rom. 3:20) but not to redeem us from sin.
Grace does not serve Law; it is Law that serves grace! The Law reveals our need
for grace, and grace saves us completely apart from the works of the Law (Rom.
3:20, 28).
6. A third fact
is obvious: Hagar was never supposed to bear a child. The Law cannot give what
only Jesus Christ can give: life (Gal. 3:21), righteousness (Gal. 2:21), the
Holy Spirit (Gal. 3:2), or an eternal inheritance (Gal. 3:18). All of these
blessings come only “by grace [Sarah] … through faith [Abraham]” (Eph. 2:8-9).
7. This leads to
a fourth fact: Hagar gave birth to a slave. If you decide to live under the
Law, then you become a child of Hagar, a slave; for the Law produces bondage
and not freedom. The first doctrinal battle the church had to fight was on this
very issue; and it was decided that sinners are saved wholly by grace, apart
from keeping the Law of Moses (Acts 15:1-32). Legalists in the church today are
turning sons into slaves and replacing freedom with slavery (Gal. 4:1-11); yet,
God calls us to freedom! (Gal. 5:1)
8. Hagar was
cast out. There was no compromise: She was cast out completely and permanently
and took Ishmael with her. Instead of subduing the flesh, the Law arouses the
flesh (Rom. 7:7-12) because “the strength of sin is the Law” (1 Cor. 15:56).
Believers don’t need to put themselves under some kind of religious law in
order to become Christlike, for they are already complete and full in Christ
(Col. 2:8-23) and have the Holy Spirit to enable them to overcome sin (Rom.
8:1-4).
9. Finally,
Hagar never married again. God gave His Law to the Jewish nation only and never
gave it to the Gentiles or to the church. Nine of the Ten Commandments are
quoted in the Epistles as applying to believers today, and we should obey them;
but we are not commanded to obey the ceremonial laws that were given only to
Israel (see Rom. 13:8-10). Paul affirms that it is love that fulfills the Law.
When we love God and love one another, we want to obey God; and in the Spirit’s
power, we do what is right.
INSIGHT: We should notice that there is a “lawful use of
the Law” (1 Tim. 1:1-11). While the Law cannot save us or sanctify us, it does
reveal the holiness of God and the awfulness of sin. The ceremonial part of the
Law illustrates the person and work of Jesus Christ. The Law is a mirror that
helps us see our sins (James 1:21-25), but you do not wash your face in the
mirror! It is also a mirror that reveals the glory of Jesus Christ; and as we
meditate on Him, we can be transformed to become more like Him (2 Cor. 3:18).
Any religious system that leads you into bondage is not magnifying the New
Testament Gospel of the grace of God (2 Cor. 3:17; John 8:31-36).
III. TWO PERSONS: GOD AND HAGAR. (Genesis 21:14-21)
“And
Abraham rose up early in the morning, and took bread, and a bottle of water,
and gave it unto Hagar, putting it on her shoulder, and the child, and sent her
away: and she departed, and wandered in the wilderness of Beersheba. 15 And
the water was spent in the bottle, and she cast the child under one of the
shrubs. 16 And she went, and sat her down over against him a
good way off, as it were a bow shot: for she said, Let me not see the death of
the child. And she sat over against him, and lift up her voice, and wept. 17 And
God heard the voice of the lad; and the angel of God called to Hagar out of
heaven, and said unto her, What aileth thee, Hagar?
fear not; for God hath heard the voice of the lad where he is. 18 Arise,
lift up the lad, and hold him in thine hand; for I will make him a great
nation. 19 And God opened her eyes, and she saw a well of
water; and she went, and filled the bottle with water, and gave the lad drink. 20 And
God was with the lad; and he grew, and dwelt in the wilderness, and became an
archer. 21 And he dwelt in the wilderness of Paran: and his mother took him a wife out of the land of
Egypt.” (Genesis 21:14-21)
INSIGHT: God and Hagar are a picture of promise and
blessing. God keeps his promises.
1. It was
“grievous” (Gen. 21:11-12) for Abraham to say good-bye to his son, but this was
God’s command, and he had to obey. Little did he realize that his obedience was
preparation for an even greater test when he would have to put Isaac on the
altar. The word translated “grievous” means “to shake violently,” like curtains
blowing in the wind. Abraham was deeply moved within and perhaps somewhat
displeased at this turn of events.
2. However, God
did not abandon Hagar and Ishmael; for Ishmael was the son of Abraham, God’s
friend (Gen. 21:13). If Ishmael and Hagar had any bad feelings toward Abraham,
they were certainly in the wrong; everything God did for them was because of
His faithfulness to Abraham. The Lord reaffirmed His promise that Ishmael would
become a great nation (Gen. 21:13, 18; 17:20), and He kept His promise (Gen.
25:12-16). The Arab world is a force to be reckoned with today, and it all
began with Ishmael.
INSIGHT: In spite of the pictures in some Sunday School
papers and Bible story books, Ishmael was a teenager and not a child when this
event took place. The word translated “child” can refer to a fetus (Ex. 21:22),
newborn children (Ex. 1:17-18), young children (1 Kings 17:21-23), or even
young adults (1 Kings 12:8-14; Dan. 1:4ff). In this case, it refers to a boy at
least fifteen years old.
3. Ishmael and
Hagar got lost in the wilderness, their water ran out, and they gave up in
despair. This experience was quite different from the time Hagar first met God
in the wilderness (Gen. 16:7ff). Sixteen years before, she had found a fountain
of water; but now she saw no hope at all. Apparently Hagar had forgotten the
promises God had made concerning her son; but Ishmael must have remembered
them, for he called on the Lord for help. God heard the lad’s cries and rescued
them both for Abraham’s sake.
4. So often in
the trials of life we fail to see the divine provisions God has made for us,
and we forget the promises He has made to us. We open our hands to receive what
we think we need instead of asking Him to open our eyes to see what we already
have. The answer to most problems is close at hand, if only we have eyes to see
(John 6:1-13; 21:1-6).
INSIGHT: Hagar is certainly a picture of the needy
multitudes in the world today: wandering, weary, thirsty, blind, and giving up
in despair. How we need to tell them the good news that the water of life is
available and the well is not far away! (John 4:10-14; 7:37-39) God is kind and
gracious to all who call on Him, because of His beloved Son, Jesus Christ. “If
any man thirst, let him come unto Me, and drink” (John 7:37). “And whosoever
will, let him take the water of life freely” (Revelation 22:17).
ABRAHAM’S LESSON ON OBEDIENCE
Read: Genesis 21:1-21
The Old
Testament records the life and trials of Abraham. While the patriarch had a
special relationship with God, his faith was not perfect. Over the course of
his life, he came to understand how important it is to obey -- and how costly
it can be to rebel.
Abraham learned
the hard way that manipulating circumstances to gain a desired result can bring
heartache. The Lord had promised him and Sarah a child, but the couple was
still waiting for that blessing when they were elderly. Already in her 80s,
Sarah suggested that Abraham get an heir by having a child with her servant
Hagar. The result was jealousy, family strife, and a bloody conflict that still
rages today between the descendants of Hagar’s son Ishmael and Sarah’s son
Isaac.
Obedience will
bring the Lord’s best, but it requires waiting on Him. Abraham was already an
old man when God promised him descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky.
(Genesis 15:5). This would not be fulfilled until he was 100 and Sarah was well
past her child-bearing years, which meant that all the glory for Isaac’s
miraculous conception and birth went to the Lord. Jumping ahead of God had
harsh, long-term consequences. But the good news is that the couple’s mistakes
could not prevent Him from carrying out His plan (Genesis 21:1-8).
The Lord has
given us His Word (the Bible) so we might learn from the saints of old.
Abraham’s life teaches us that obedience is essential. When we place our trust
in a sovereign God and wait upon His timing, we have nothing to fear from the
world. -- By Charles Stanley, In Touch Daily Devotional,
February 6, 2008
CONCLUSION: What have we learned from our lesson today?
·
We learned that we should not get ahead of God –
stay in the will of God.
·
We learned that God always keeps His promises – do things
His way.
·
We learned to seek God’s help when we have a problem
-- He has the solution.
·
We learned that we must be obedient to God’s will –
we must do right.
INSIGHT: Our lesson reminds us that God gives us the
total picture in Genesis 21. We see the mountain top experience as well as the
valley of conflict. We are also reminded that we all will go through similar
situations. There will be times of joy and times of sorrow…but we are to live
by faith…believing God's Word!
THOUGHT TO REMEMBER: “Only one life, twill soon be past,
Only what’s done for Christ will last.” -- C.T. Studd
REFERENCES: References used in these Bible
studies are the Moody Bible Commentary, J. Vernon
McGee’s Thru the Bible Commentary: (www.ttb.org), the Scofield Study Bible,
the Believer’s Bible Commentary, Dr. Charles J. Woodbridge Bible Outlines, Dr.
Lee Roberson’s Sermons, Dr.
Charles Stanley: (http://www.intouch.org/), Don Robinson’s Bible
Outlines, Women’s Study Bible, The Bible Reader’s Companion Ed. 3, The Nelson
Study Bible: New King James Version, Dr. Tony Evans (https://tonyevans.org/), KJV Bible Commentary,
Wiersbe’s Expository Outlines of the New Testament ed. 4, Dr. David
Jeremiah: (http://www.davidjeremiah.org/site/), Dr. Cliff Robinson’s Bible
Outlines, Dr. Robert Jeffress’ Pathway to Victory (https://ptv.org/), Wiersbe’s Expository
Outlines of the Old Testament, Dr. Alan Carr’s The Sermon
Notebook (www.sermonnotebook.org), With the Word Bible
Commentary, Wiersbe’s “Be” Series: Old & New Testaments, Radio Bible Class
Ministries (http://rbc.org/), selected illustrations
and other references.
REV. RONALD PURKEY’S OFFICE
E-mail: Ronald Purkey
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