King James Version, with Nii Okai's journal notes · 8 notes
1And the LORD visited Sarah as he had said, and the LORD did unto Sarah as he had spoken.
2For Sarah conceived, and bare Abraham a son in his old age, at the set time of which God had spoken to him.
3And Abraham called the name of his son that was born unto him, whom Sarah bare to him, Isaac.
4And Abraham circumcised his son Isaac being eight days old, as God had commanded him.
5And Abraham was an hundred years old, when his son Isaac was born unto him.
6And Sarah said, God hath made me to laugh, so that all that hear will laugh with me.
7And she said, Who would have said unto Abraham, that Sarah should have given children suck? for I have born him a son in his old age.
Interestingly, she never gave birth again, and that goes to show the miracle of his birth.
Isaac was indeed a very special child 🧒.
8And the child grew, and was weaned: and Abraham made a great feast the same day that Isaac was weaned.
9And Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian, which she had born unto Abraham, mocking.
10Wherefore 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.
11And the thing was very grievous in Abraham’s sight because of his son.
12And 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.
God sided with Sarah, though Sarah's actions were unfair because she started this whole mess.
But her jealousy aligned with God's purpose and so Ishmael had to go.
It's funny how God works. For God to have come into such a very domestic problem as HE did indicates Abraham was not willing to let Ishmael go.
13And also of the son of the bondwoman will I make a nation, because he is thy seed.
14And 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 Beer-sheba.
He that is blessed is indeed blessed. With just these emblems of survival. A nation was born. 🤔.
Abraham rose up early in the morning. As usual prompt to obey the lord.
15And the water was spent in the bottle, and she cast the child under one of the shrubs.
16And she went, and sat her down over against him a good way off, as it were a bowshot: 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.
17And 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.
Interesting the arrangements and protocols of the spirit realm.
God heard the child because he was a covenant child of Abraham and an angel does not appear but rather speaks from heaven.
Why this methodology. Hmm 🤔.
18Arise, lift up the lad, and hold him in thine hand; for I will make him a great nation.
19And 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.
20And God was with the lad; and he grew, and dwelt in the wilderness, and became an archer.
Woe unto him who contends with Ishmael, for he is blessed and a covenant child.
There are many requirements to build a nation.
One of which is length of days for the progenitor of that nation and subsequent unity and preservation of progenies.
21And he dwelt in the wilderness of Paran: and his mother took him a wife out of the land of Egypt.
22And it came to pass at that time, that Abimelech and Phichol the chief captain of his host spake unto Abraham, saying, God is with thee in all that thou doest:
23Now therefore swear unto me here by God that thou wilt not deal falsely with me, nor with my son, nor with my son’s son: but according to the kindness that I have done unto thee, thou shalt do unto me, and to the land wherein thou hast sojourned.
24And Abraham said, I will swear.
25And Abraham reproved Abimelech because of a well of water, which Abimelech’s servants had violently taken away.
Which same thing was to repeat itself later in his son's life.
26And Abimelech said, I wot not who hath done this thing: neither didst thou tell me, neither yet heard I of it, but to day.
27And Abraham took sheep and oxen, and gave them unto Abimelech; and both of them made a covenant.
28And Abraham set seven ewe lambs of the flock by themselves.
29And Abimelech said unto Abraham, What mean these seven ewe lambs which thou hast set by themselves?
30And he said, For these seven ewe lambs shalt thou take of my hand, that they may be a witness unto me, that I have digged this well.
31Wherefore he called that place Beer-sheba; because there they sware both of them.
32Thus they made a covenant at Beer-sheba: then Abimelech rose up, and Phichol the chief captain of his host, and they returned into the land of the Philistines.
Is this not the same place that Isaac covenanted with Abimelech's son? Let me check.
I've checked, the covenant of Isaac with Abimelech was not at Beer-sheba but right after that covenant, Isaac found again the well of Beer-sheba. Abraham's wells had been stopped by the philistines but now discovered again.
We live in a very strange dispensation, a dispensation of godlessness.
In our world 🗺 today people do not believe there is a God or gods, and God is silent 😶 among them that believe not, though mightily alive to and in us who believe.
And God is not interested in showing himself in a supernatural physical way to the world 🗺.
He is too big for that, he moves with his own plans.
In like manner there was a time when the children 🧒 of Israel in the times of Gideon wondered where the God who divided the red Sea was 🌊 and who did so many miracles as told by their fathers was?
They had heard all these fantastic stories and now they were in oppression and God was silent 😶.
He, God, will speak when he sees fit to do so.
33And Abraham planted a grove in Beer-sheba, and called there on the name of the LORD, the everlasting God.
34And Abraham sojourned in the Philistines’ land many days.