Genesis 21 · The Lantern

The Birth of Isaac

And the LORD visited Sarah as he had said, and the LORD did for Sarah as he had spoken.

And Sarah conceived and bore Abraham a son in his old age, at the appointed time of which God had spoken to him.

And Abraham called the name of his son who was born to him — whom Sarah bore to him — Isaac.

And Abraham circumcised Isaac his son at eight days old, as God had commanded him.

And Abraham was a hundred years old when Isaac his son was born to him.

And Sarah said, “God has made laughter for me; everyone who hears will laugh with me.”

Isaac is interpreted as 'laughter' or 'joy'. Who then is he who begets such a son? Surely that one who said of those whom he had begotten through the gospel: "for you are my joy and my crown of boasting." Over sons of this sort, when they have been weaned from milk, there is a feast and great gladness—over those who "no longer need milk, but strong food, who by reason of their…

In our father Isaac or the origin is sufficiently expressed, either by grace or by glory: to whom all glory redounds, that he was born to Abraham, a reward for such a worthy and admirable man. Nor is it surprising, since he preceded in the figure of the Lord's generation and passion.

Come now, today too, dearly beloved, let us take up the thread of yesterday's remarks and thus set before you this spiritual meal so that we may once more come to learn, as you heard yesterday, the good God's ineffable care and considerateness and the patriarch's remarkable obedience and gratitude. Do you see how the birth of Isaac made Sarah joyful?

And she said, “Who would have said to Abraham, ‘Sarah will nurse children’? Yet I have borne a son in his old age.”

And the child grew and was weaned, and Abraham made a great feast on the day Isaac was weaned.

Sarah Turns against Hagar

And Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian, whom she had borne to Abraham, laughing.

And yet, according to the things that are written, I do not see what moved Sarah to order the son of the slave-woman to be expelled. He was playing with her son Isaac. What harm had he done or what injury, if he was playing? As though this ought not to have been even pleasing at that age, that the son of the slave-woman should play with the son of the free-woman.

See, I ask you, dearly beloved, in this instance once again Sarah not tolerating the brashness of Ishmael and unable to put up equably with the maidservant's son being reared with Isaac. So just as she previously wished to check Hagar's arrogance and in her extreme irritation had her sent packing, so in this case too she wanted to nip Ishmael's forwardness in the bud.

And when Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian playing, she said to Abraham: "Expel this slave woman and her son, for the son of the slave woman shall not be heir with my son Isaac." Some manuscripts have: "The son of Hagar the Egyptian playing with her son Isaac," which does not appear in the Hebrew; but whether he was playing with Isaac or in the presence of Isaac, Sarah di…

And she said to Abraham, “Drive out this slave woman and her son — for the son of this slave woman shall not inherit with my son, with Isaac.”

Tell me, ye that desire to be under the law, do ye not hear the law? For it is written, that Abraham had two sons, the one by a bondmaid, the other by a freewoman. But he who was of the bondwoman was born after the flesh; but he of the freewoman was by promise.

Then Sarah, who showed no envy in any matter that concerned herself, became envious in this matter concerning her son. She was not envious of Hagar whom she had given to her husband.

For the son of the bondwoman shall not be heir with my son Isaac. Which the Apostle states as with the son of the freewoman, because in no way should false teachers, who affirm that this grace benefits us only if we are also consecrated by circumcision according to the rite of the law, be received with the preachers of the truth, who proclaim that we should be saved by the grac…

And the thing was very evil in Abraham’s eyes, on account of his son.

And God said to Abraham, “Let it not be evil in your eyes concerning the boy and concerning your slave woman. All that Sarah says to you — listen to her voice. For in Isaac shall your seed be called.

And the son of the slave woman also I will make into a nation, for he is your seed.”

And Abraham rose early in the morning and took bread and a skin of water and gave them to Hagar, setting them on her shoulder — and the child — and sent her away. And she went, and wandered in the wilderness of Beersheba.

Let us see meanwhile what Abraham does, after Sarah was indignant. He casts out the slave-woman and her son, but nevertheless gives her a skin of water. For his mother does not have a well of living water, nor could the boy draw water from a well.

But was the just Abraham inhumane in that he did not even supply Hagar and the boy with a donkey, with all the cattle he possessed? Some say it was a gesture of kindness, so that she would not have to look after the donkey; others say that he did this believing that God would protect the boy. But why does he throw her out in the first place?

(Verse 14) And he took bread and a skin of water, and gave it to Hagar, putting it on her shoulder, along with the child, and sent her away. When Isaac was born, Ishmael was thirteen years old. And after he was weaned, he was expelled from the house with his mother.

And the water from the skin was finished, and she threw the child under one of the bushes,

and went and sat down opposite him, a good way off, about a bowshot away — for she said, “Let me not watch the child die.” And she sat opposite him, and lifted up her voice and wept.

And God heard the voice of the boy. And the angel of God called to Hagar from the heavens and said to her, “What is it, Hagar? Do not be afraid, for God has heard the voice of the boy, right where he is.

Get up, lift the boy, and hold him fast with your hand — for I will make him into a great nation.”

And God opened her eyes, and she saw a well of water. And she went and filled the skin with water, and gave the boy a drink.

And God was with the boy, and he grew; and he lived in the wilderness and became an archer.

And he lived in the wilderness of Paran, and his mother took a wife for him from the land of Egypt.

The Covenant at Beersheba

And it happened at that time that Abimelech, with Phicol the commander of his army, said to Abraham, “God is with you in all that you do.

Now, therefore, swear to me here by God that you will not deal falsely with me, or with my children, or with my descendants. According to the loyal love I have done with you, you shall do with me, and with the land in which you have sojourned.”

And Abraham said, “I swear it.”

And Abraham confronted Abimelech about the well of water that Abimelech’s servants had seized.

And Abimelech said, “I do not know who has done this thing. You did not tell me, and I did not hear of it until today.”

And Abraham took sheep and cattle and gave them to Abimelech, and the two of them cut a covenant.

And Abraham set seven ewe lambs of the flock apart by themselves.

And Abimelech said to Abraham, “What are these seven ewe lambs that you have set apart by themselves?”

And he said, “These seven ewe lambs you shall take from my hand, so that they may be a witness for me that I dug this well.”

Therefore that place was called Beersheba — for there the two of them swore an oath.

And they cut a covenant at Beersheba. And Abimelech rose, with Phicol the commander of his army, and they returned to the land of the Philistines.

And he planted a tamarisk tree at Beersheba, and there he called on the name of the LORD, the Everlasting God.

And Abraham sojourned in the land of the Philistines many days.

Genesis21

The Birth of Isaac

Sarah Turns against Hagar

The Covenant at Beersheba