Permissive Will: Genesis 25:1-6
When we make choices, God asks we make them with His ways in our heart. There are some things in this world that God forces to happen. Examples are creation, the exile into Babylon, and the birth of Jesus. None of us can stop God’s absolute will. God’s permissive will is far more subtle. God is so omnipotent He gives us free will to make whatever decisions we want knowing He can still use them. God’s absolute will is a jarring demonstration of His omnipotence; God’s permissive will is far more subtle.
After Sarah’s death, Abraham married again. He took Keturah and produced six more children. There is practically nothing known about these six sons other than Midian, the father of the Midianites. The fact that Abraham had these six sons is often not known, although it does shed light to why Moses would marry the daughter of a Midianite priest.
The Bible does not condemn to this act; neither does it claim it as God’s will. This is a part of Abraham’s story. It is God’s permissive will giving Abraham free will.
Sarah died. Isaac was young and married. Abraham felt life still within, so he took another wife. Abraham still wanted companionship, so he married again.
Moments like this require intentionality among spiritual people. It could be easy to get upset at Abraham for remarrying and producing more children. After all, God gave Abraham Isaac. What more does he need?
The Bible never condemns remarriage if one’s spouse dies. The Bible never condemns producing children from a remarriage. Specifically, the Bible doesn’t condemn Abraham or his choices here. This is a logical human choice Abraham makes within the bounds God created for him to live. Unlike Abraham’s encounter with Hagar, which was done to circumvent God’s timing, Abraham does nothing wrong in these verses.
In fact, Abraham shows considerable love. He shows love to his offspring through Keturah by giving them an inheritance. He gives them a means to go into the world and make a name for themselves. But he gave more than that. As mentioned earlier, when Moses flees into the desert, he finds a priest of God among the Midianites. It’s highly probable that the Midianites had priests of God in their midst because Abraham taught the children from Keturah about God. Abraham gave them both a worldly inheritance and access to a spiritual one.
Abraham also shows love towards God in his obedience. The sons of Keturah are not included in God’s plan of redemption. Isaac is the child God promised. Isaac will be the next member of the genealogy of Christ. The sons of Keturah may have a spiritual inheritance, but Abraham does not force them into Isaac’s God-given purpose.
God grants us considerable freedom. He gives us great leeway regarding how we live our days. He is powerful enough to work His hand through our choices. When we make choices, God asks we make them with His ways in our heart.
