Isaac or Ishmael on the Mount

by David Epstein

February 14, 2001

 

Why did God choose Isaac over Ishmael? Did it have something to do with Sarah being a great lobbyist? In Genesis, Chapter 21, verse 10, Sarah says unto Abraham, “Cast out this bondwoman (Hagar) and her son; for the son of this bondwoman shall not be heir with my son, even with Isaac”. To which God replies to Abraham in verse 12, “ ... in all that Sarah saith unto thee, hearken unto her voice; for in Isaac shall seed be called thee. And also of the son of the bondwoman will I make a nation, because he is thy seed.”

 

Clearly, God listened to Sarah. That was a decisive factor in his decision. The fact that she was Abraham’s wife was also significant, for marriage took precedence over maidenship when it came to issues of descendency. Yet notice how God handles the situation. He doesn’t demand that Abraham follow his orders. Rather, he advises him to listen to Sarah, implying that she speaks with wisdom. God does pass the torch to Isaac, indeed. Perhaps that was God’s plan all along. Regardless, he could have just as easily give Abraham a series of instructions without reaffirming what Sarah has to say. In another respect, he asks him to rekindle his relationship with her.

 

God does not abandom Hagar and Ishmael. He grants them a nation of their own. They become the Arab people.

 

A different interpretation is that Sarah is jealous of Hagar. Remember that Sarah was barren for many years, whereas Hagar was able to conceive with Abraham. Sarah was threatened by the presence of Hagar because she was a constant reminder of Sarah’s infertility. By casting her away, she is regaining her dominance over Abraham and their relationship can proceed forward. In addition, it also gets Ishmael out of the picture. Ishmael was the first born, but because he was “illegitimately” conceived, he didn’t stand a chance of becoming the patrilineal descendant for the Jewish People. Nor would he get his inheritance after all.

 

Whatever Sarah’s motives, there is no question of God’s compassion for Hagar and Ishmael. When he hears the voice of the lad in verse 17, God quickly responds. He dispatches his angel to speak to Hagar: “What aileth thee, Hagar? Fear not; for God hath heard the voice of the lad where he is. Arise, lift up the lad, and hold him fast by thy hand; for I will make him a great nation.” God opened her eyes, and she spotted a well and fetched some water for her son to drink.

 

Despite annointing Isaac as the future torch carrier of the Jews, the hardest part of the ordeal was yet to come. It could be argued that Ishmael was the lucky one to be cast out. For not only did he receive a great nation, but he didn’t have to endure the burdens of Isaac. One has to ask how a God who just confirmed Isaac to be the heir apparent could put Abraham and Isaac through such a genuine trial by ordeal. The only conclusion that can be drawn is that God wished to further test Abraham’s commitment to him.

 

But why did God ask Abraham to sacrifice his only son? Could he not have tested him another way? What if Abraham refused to sacrifice him like a burnt offering? Couldn’t it be argued that his commitment to his son and love for him was so great that God would have recognized this to be one of the highest virtues and thus spared their lives? In other words, it’s not clear what God would have done if Abraham was disobedient. He might have been punished, but then again, he could have been rewarded with God’s protection.

 

As we discover in Chapter 22, these are rhetorical questions. Abraham reflexively acts without a moment of thought. He prepares Isaac for the sacrifice unto his God on Mount Moriah. He builds an altar, binds his son, places him on the altar, and gets ready to kill his only son for his God. But God intervenes and doesn’t let it happen. Quite a different scenario from the human sacrifices of many ancient civilizations. Think about how they were performed as rites to appease the gods, and how these gods did nothing to stop them. Also think about how their bodies were often unceremoniously dumped off the sides of hills or mountains.

 

God is quite please with Abraham. In verse 12, he says “Lay not thy hand upon the lad, neither do thou any thing unto him; for now I know that thou art a God-fearing man, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son from Me.” That’s the gist of it: God was testing Abraham to see if he was sufficiently fearful of him. I don’t get this. Chapter 22 doesn’t illustrate Abraham’s fear of God, but his obedience to him. Abraham doesn’t say or do anything to suggest he’s fearful; rather, we see evidence that he was following orders. Witness how he was so quick at going about the business of sacrificing Isaac (verse 3: he arose the next morning, saddled his ass, retrieved wood for the offering, etc).

 

Finally, we see how Abraham was rewarded. Oh, those divine seeds reenter the picture! Verses 16-18, the angel of the Lord says unto him: “By Myself have I sworn, saith the Lord, because thou hast done this thing, and hast not withheld thy son, thine only son, that in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the seashore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies; and in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast hearkened to My voice.”

 

Ah, Isaac becomes the heir apparent because Abraham hearkened unto the voice of Sarah, but all the nations of the earth are blessed because he hearkened unto the Lord’s voice. A lot of hearkening going on. And a lot of seeds multiplying, as they may be in the stars of heaven.