His Eye Is on the Sparrow - PART 58

In order to effectively balance our presentation on separating the wheat from the tares, it is necessary to explain in more detail what the scriptures reveal concerning Abraham's son. By Abraham's son, we mean the son born to him by Sarah’s maid Hagar. The situation that was emerging in the Old Testament is, admittedly, quite complicated and particularly difficult to comprehend for those only learning of God's miraculous interventions.

If it is easier to comprehend, consider the following analogy as a starting point. There was a man that always wanted to visit Hawaii. He lived on the American mainland. This man was terrified of flying so during one of his prayers, he expressed to the Lord his desire to visit Hawaii. The Lord answered him by granting him two wishes. The man suggested to the Lord that maybe a causeway could be constructed, to which the Lord replied that a bridge logistically would be a near impossibility. (At least from man's point of view) The man then, in contemplating his second wish asked the Lord for a woman that he could, as a man understand. Well, the Lord replied,"How many lanes do you want this causeway to have?"

So the message that we need to understand is that Sarah instigated the situation. The maid, willing or unwillingly, had her life rearranged as a consequence of her subservience to Sarah’s whims. The child is born and named Ishmael (defined as a social outcast in Webster’s dictionary). Abraham, like most men prior to the birth of a child are totally clueless as to a woman’s mood swings, repeated episodes of morning sickness, her ice cream /chocolate cravings, and the birth pains which yet await her.

In Hagar’s case, she is being forced into playing the role of a surrogate mother, but in form only. During the span of the next nine months, Abraham watched things transpire, beholding Hagar’s form changing. Well, by this time, Abraham must have had his own thoughts. When the child was born, Abraham viewed his offspring and the delight of fatherhood swelled up inside him. Note here that even though Abraham knew what it was like to be a son, he had stepped into the role of a father. Still he looked like a son.

Undoubtedly, Abraham wanted to throw his arms around Hagar, this beautiful girl who mothered his first born son. Little would Abraham have known at this time, that this child Ishmael in turn would father twelve sons/princes. However, Sarah who had contrived the plan initially began to recognize that her plan had backfired. She had by her cunning created an impossible situation to dwell in. Once again the axe was to fall on Hagar’s head. Abraham loved Sarah but yet his love for Sarah did not mean that he was detached from Hagar and his first born son Ishmael. Unfortunately, because of the awkwardness of the situation, Hagar and Ishmael had to go.

You can imagine that both Hagar and Abraham were singing the blues. But as we also know from the scriptures, God does not fail us. When tears fall down like falling rain, then, I turn around and I call upon your name. God’s eye is on the sparrow and that meant that He was watching Hagar. God watched Hagar in her grief, crying. Her world had caved in leaving her all alone. But then God turned up as God always does. The sparrows are never far from God's loving intervention.

In quickly summarizing the scriptures in Genesis chapters 16, 17, 25, 28, and 36, and I Chronicles chapter 1,it is important to note that Ishmael was born to Sarah’s maid Hagar when Abraham was 86 years old. Ishmael was circumcised at the age of 13 years along with his father Abraham and his servants. Here, at this time, promise was given by God that Ishmael should father 12 princes and become a great nation. Ishmael met Isaac at least once after Hagar and Ishmael had been sent away. That meeting was at the burial of their father Abraham.

In Genesis, chapter 16 verse 12, we further note that Ishmael would become a wild man. His hand would be against every man, and every man's hand would be against him. He shall dwell in the presence of his brethren but his nature none can tame. In opposition to all his kin shall he encamp. Indeed, he would live at odds with all his kinsmen. In other words, Hagar, this son of yours will be a wild one, free and untamed as a wild ass.

It is in this context that we all need to be reborn! God Himself as a Son, made himself as a curse, a castaway Jesus for us!