Isaac and Ishmael

Abraham breathed his last and died in a ripe old age, an old man and satisfied with life; and he was gathered to his people. Then his sons Isaac and Ishmael buried him in the cave of Machpelah, in the field of Ephron the son of Zohar the Hittite, facing Mamre, the field which Abraham purchased from the sons of Heth; there Abraham was buried with Sarah his wife.  (Genesis 25:8-10, NASB)

Isaac and his brother Ishmael came together to bury their father Abraham. There’s a lesson for us in this story for us. 

God promised Abraham that he would have a son, even though he and his wife Sarah were past their child bearing years.  Sarah decided to take matters into her own hands, and she gave her Egyptian maid, Hagar, to her husband, to procreate.  As a result, Ishmael was born.  However, God had other plans.  He promised Abraham that the child born to him and Sarah would be a blessing to him, and would multiply Abraham’s seed.  God told Abraham to send Ishmael and Hagar away, and promised to make a great nation from the descendants of Ishmael. The sons of Isaac would become Israel; the sons of Ishmael would become the Islamic nation, who would contend with Israel over many centuries. 

Which brings us to today.  We see the events of October 7th in Israel.  However, many Arab nations have made peace with Israel.  Because Ishmael and Isaac came together in peace to bury their father, the name for the most recent agreements is, fittingly called the Abraham Accords.  So, it CAN be done!  God has allowed us to take matters into our own hands to make peace in this world.  

Worship:  “God of Abraham,” by Vertical Worship