Sarah's Choice: Genesis 21:8-14

Sometimes God lets us take control knowing He can work through whatever paths we decide are best traversed.  That’s part of what being omnipotent and omniscience means.  What’s the point giving us free will if we don’t get to make decisions once and a while?  He is omniscient and powerful enough to work in all things.

The first event we have after the circumcision is Isaac’s weaning.  Customarily, this would put Isaac’s age around 3, although historical records would accept any age between 2 and 5 years.  Isaac would be old enough to walk, to talk, to play, to make memories, and to have his personality show.  He would also be old enough for Abraham to start giving him more attention.

Ishmael enters the celebration.  For most of his development, Ishmael was the focus of Abraham’s attention.  The Bible indicates he was a bit of an unruly wild child to raise.  He was certainly independent and strong-willed, but he had the eye of his father.  He may not have been the promised child from God, but he still enjoyed being the eldest heir of Abraham.  Now, Isaac would take more of the attention away.  Ishmael would share his father’s eye.  It makes sense that Ishmael would poke at the boy, regardless of how it displays an unfortunate side of humanity.

Seeing this, Sarah asks for Hagar and Ishmael to be sent away.  Abraham is saddened, because Ishmael is an heir even if he isn’t the heir of God’s appointed plan.  Abraham raised the boy, taught him important skills, watched him grow up and start to become a man.  Now his wife asks for Ishmael’s dismissal.  As Abraham decides, God intervenes and makes Abraham’s decision for him.  God tells Abraham to follow Sarah’s wishes.

Here's where some care is needed.  Just because God tells Abraham to follow Sarah’s wishes doesn’t mean it was God’s choice for the boy to be sent away.  God is fine with Isaac and Ishmael grow up separately; God might have been okay with Ishmael and Isaac learning to be family together.  We don’t know God’s wish here and that’s an important point.  What we know is God allows Sarah’s wish to become reality.  God’s promise was Abraham would become a father of many.  God could fulfill that promise whether Ishmael and Isaac learned to live together or if they learned to live apart.

Ishmael demonstrated he would have needed to work on sharing Abraham.  Sarah demonstrated she would have a hard time giving Ishmael the space to learn to work on sharing.  With both parties seeming to indicate that giving each other space is the easier path, Sarah makes the decision that it is best for Isaac and Ishmael to be blessed by God separately.  God tells Abraham her plan is acceptable.  God will take of Ishmael; God will take care of Isaac. Sometimes God lets us take control knowing He can work through whatever paths we decide are best traversed.