As-Salaam-Alaikum,
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to our Muslim
brother and sisters,
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shalom to our Hebrew cousins,
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peace be upon you
our Christian friends.
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Welcome to "The
Descendants of Abraham."
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We are happy that you have
decided to join us again today.
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On today's program we are going
to look at Abraham's failure,
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once again to
remain true to his God.
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Our Muslim brothers and sisters
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believe that the son
of promise was Ishmael,
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and our Hebrew cousins believe
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that the son of
promise was Isaac.
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Who was the
promise son of Abraham?
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We know that
Abraham had other sons too,
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but they did not
play a prominent role
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in the word of God.
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The sons of
Abraham that were propelled
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to centre stage of
this world's religions
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are Ishmael and Isaac.
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There has been conflict
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between these descendants
for thousands of years
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and it continues
into the 21st century.
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Which of these descendants,
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which of these
are sons of Abraham?
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And which one is worshiping
the true God of Abraham.
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The world we know is
rapidly coming to an end
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and each one of us
individually must search
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for the true God of Abraham.
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Even if it means
we have to surrender
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our long held
beliefs and traditions.
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Abraham was asked by
God to leave his country
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and his relatives to choose
God over family and tradition.
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Even though he was
obedient to the call of God,
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his journey was not easy,
he faced famine in Canaan,
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death in Egypt
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and now we will see
the test of man's faith
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in his Creator God
starting to unfold.
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When Abraham returned to Canaan
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from Egypt after
the famine was over,
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he and his nephew
Lot decided to split up.
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There was trouble
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between their
herdsmen and their possessions.
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They were too great for
them to dwell in the same land.
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There was not enough pastor
for the animals to grace on,
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Abraham asked Lot to choose
where he wanted to settle.
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Lot showed the
selfishness of his nature,
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his selfish heart.
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Let's take a look at
what the Holy Scripture say.
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The benevolent and
godly spirit of Abraham
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is revealed in his life.
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We can see the interaction
between Abraham and Lot,
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Let's go once again to
the Book of Beginnings,
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Genesis 13:8.
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"So Abram said to Lot,
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"Please let there be no
strife between you and me,
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and between my herdsmen
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and your herdsmen
for we are brethren."
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Abraham was
reminding this nephew
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that there were not
related only by blood
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but as
worshipers of the true God.
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God considers all
his children one family
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but Lot on the other hand
revealed a selfish spirit.
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We read in the same book
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Genesis 13:10-13
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"And Lot lifted his eyes
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and saw all the plain of Jordan,
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that it was well
watered everywhere
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before the Lord
destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah
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like the garden of the Lord,
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like the land of Egypt
as you go towards Zoar.
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Then Lot chose for himself
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all the plain of
Jordan and Lot journeyed east.
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And they
separated from each other.
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Abram dwelt in
the land of Canaan,
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and Lot dwelt in
the cities of the plain
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and pitched his tent
even as far as Sodom.
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But the men of Sodom
were exceedingly wicked
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and sinful against the Lord."
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Lot chose the plain of
Jordan in which to settle.
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Lot thought he had chosen
the better part of the land
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but this was not the case.
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Most of us know the terrible
consequences of Lot's choice,
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which was made
through selfishness
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and ingradtitude
toward his uncle Abraham.
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It was through Abraham
that Lot acquired his riches.
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But he seemed to
have forgotten that.
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After Lot departed,
God spoke to Abraham.
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Here is what he said.
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Again in Genesis 13:14-17. "
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13:14-17.
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And the Lord said to Abram,
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after Lot had
separated from him,
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"Lift your eyes now
and look from the place
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where you are
northward, southward, eastward,
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and westward for all the land
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which you see I give to you
and your descendants forever."
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And I will make your descendants
as the dust of the earth,
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then your descendants
also could be numbered.
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Arise and walk in the land,
through its length and its width
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for I give it to you."
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Abraham was not a young man.
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He was 75 years of
age when he left Haran.
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He had questions
that needed answers
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and Abraham took these
questions directly to his God.
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In Genesis 15:1-4
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we read, "After these things
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the word of the Lord came
to Abram in a vision, saying,
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"Do not be afraid, Abram.
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I am your shield, your
exceedingly great reward."
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But Abram said, "Lord
God, what will You give me,
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seeing I go childless,
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and the heir of my
house is Eliezer of Damascus?"
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Look, you have
given me no offspring
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indeed one born in
my house is my heir.
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And behold, the word of
the Lord came to him, saying,
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"This one shall
not be your heir,
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but one who will
come from your own body
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shall be your heir."
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This conversation
between Abraham and God
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shows us a Creator
that is so patient with us.
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He knows that we have troubles
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seeing beyond the natural world
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into his super natural works.
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He will allow us
to search and question
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and he will always
guide us to his truth.
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Abraham's God is a God of love
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forgiveness
compassion and mercy.
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He is always available to us.
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He invites us to reason with him
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to tell him what
troubles are hearts.
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He is active and
present in each of our lives.
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He is not an
unknown or distant God
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and he wants you to
allow him to get close to you.
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Even when we make
a mess of our lives,
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God stands with us patiently
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training and
guiding as our father.
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Let's see what happens next.
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Let's go
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to the Book of
Genesis 16:1, 2 and 4.
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Here is what it says.
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"Now Sarah, Abram's wife,
had borne him no children.
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And she had an
Egyptian maidservant
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whose name was Hagar.
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So Sarai said to Abram,
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"See now, the
Lord has restrained me
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from bearing children.
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Please, go in to my maid,
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perhaps I shall
obtain children by her."
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And Abram heeded
the voice of Sarai.
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So he went in to
Hagar, and she conceived.
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And when she saw
that she had conceived
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her mistress became
despised in her eyes."
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We see here what happens
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when we try to
help God with his plans.
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Sarai became impatient in
waiting on the promise of God
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and decided to take
things into her own hands.
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She caused her
husband to sin against God.
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Sarah was Abraham's lawful wife
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and he sinned by
taking another woman
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to bare the child
that God promised.
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Abraham was not
without blame here.
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He never questioned
God's promise of a son
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but he did not
wait upon the Lord.
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God has his time and his ways
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to delay that Abraham
and Sarah were experiencing
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which was about 10
years was a test from God,
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testing Abraham's
faith in the power of God.
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This test Abraham failed.
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Polygamy was considered
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an acceptable
lifestyle at that time
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but it was never
acceptable in the side of God.
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He is a holy God.
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He does not accept
what man sees is right.
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This was a
violation of God's law
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and the
consequences of disobedience
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are still with us today.
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By heeding Sarah's
wishes to marry Hagar,
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Abraham invited
evil into his house.
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By this act it had reached
into his decedents of today.
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Abraham brought some
of his cultural traditions
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with him when he
left his homeland.
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God chose Abraham because
He knew he was trainable.
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God was giving him
insight to his character flaws
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and lack of faith and patience.
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Now that Hagar who had
no choice in the matter
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became pregnant
with Abraham's child,
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jealousy and hate rate
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between Sarah and
Hagar was also conceived.
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We read in Genesis 16:5.
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"Then Sarai said to
Abram, "My wrong be upon you!
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I gave my maid
into your embrace,
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and when she saw
that she had conceived,
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I became despised in her eyes.
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The Lord judge
between you and me."
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Sarah was the one that insisted
that Abraham marry Hagar
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but now she held him responsible
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for the problems
that plagued their home.
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Hagar became proud and boastful
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that she was now
carrying the son of Abraham,
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the promised one and she
treated Sarah with contempt.
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Abraham tried to bring
peace back into the home
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but it was in vain.
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Sarah wanted
Abraham to send Hagar away
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but he would not do that,
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Hagar was the
mother of his child
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and he hoped to
see the son of promise.
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But remember that Hagar
was Sarah's maidservant,
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he left her in Sarah's control.
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Here is what he
said in Genesis 16:6,
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we read, "So
Abram said to Sarah,
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"Indeed your
maid is in your hand,
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do to her as you please.
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And when Sarai
dealt harshly with her,
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she fled from her presence."
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Hagar and Sarah
could not repair the damage
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that had been done between them.
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Hagar holding on to her pride
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and anger toward her
mistress ran off into the desert
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and it was there that an angel
of the Lord appeared to her.
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Again in the Book
of Genesis 16:7, 8
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we read, "Now an
Angel of the Lord found her
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by a spring of
water in the wilderness,
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by the spring
on the way to Shur.
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And He said,
"Hagar, Sarai's maid,
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where have you come
from, and where are you going?"
00:14:01.88\00:14:05.40
And she said, "I am fleeing
00:14:05.43\00:14:07.52
from the presence
of my mistress Sarai."
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Notice here how
the Angel of the Lord
00:14:11.93\00:14:14.92
addressed Hagar as Sarah's maid.
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This was to remind
Hagar of her position
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and her duty with
this stern reminder,
00:14:21.71\00:14:25.86
God also gave comfort to
this hurting and lonely woman.
00:14:25.89\00:14:31.38
Let's take a look
at the conversation
00:14:31.41\00:14:33.16
that took place between the
Angel of the Lord and Hagar.
00:14:33.19\00:14:37.18
Again in Genesis 16:9, 10, 11,
00:14:37.21\00:14:42.89
we read" The Angel
of the Lord said to her,
00:14:42.92\00:14:46.97
"Return to your mistress,
00:14:47.00\00:14:48.74
and submit
yourself under her hand.
00:14:48.77\00:14:51.68
Then the Angel of
the Lord said to her,
00:14:51.71\00:14:53.70
"I will multiply your
descendants exceedingly,
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so that they shall not
be counted for multitude.
00:14:57.08\00:15:00.81
Behold, you are with
child, and you shall bear a son.
00:15:00.84\00:15:05.31
You shall call his name
Ishmael, God shall hear,
00:15:05.34\00:15:09.59
because the Lord has
heard your affliction."
00:15:09.62\00:15:14.90
Hagar returned to
her mistress Sarah
00:15:14.93\00:15:18.62
and gave birth to
a son name Ishmael,
00:15:18.65\00:15:22.81
Abraham was 86 years old
00:15:22.84\00:15:26.80
when Hagar gave
birth to Ishmael.
00:15:26.83\00:15:30.51
Thirteen years
later at 99 years of age
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the Lord again
appeared to Abraham.
00:15:34.59\00:15:38.45
God at this time
changes Abram and Sarah's name
00:15:38.48\00:15:43.42
and explains to Abram,
00:15:43.45\00:15:45.10
why their names
are being changed.
00:15:45.13\00:15:47.65
Let's look at Genesis 17:1-5,
00:15:47.68\00:15:54.00
"When Abram was 99 years old,
00:15:54.03\00:15:56.41
the Lord appeared to
Abram and said to him,
00:15:56.44\00:15:59.74
"I am Almighty
God walk before Me
00:15:59.77\00:16:02.93
and be blameless.
00:16:02.96\00:16:04.92
No longer shall your
name be called Abram,
00:16:04.95\00:16:08.20
but your name shall be Abraham
00:16:08.23\00:16:10.86
for I have made you a
father of many nations.
00:16:10.89\00:16:15.61
And in verses 15 and 16 we read,
00:16:15.64\00:16:19.89
"Then God said to Abraham,
"As for Sarai your wife,
00:16:19.92\00:16:24.55
you shall not
call her name Sarai,
00:16:24.58\00:16:27.52
but Sarah shall be her name.
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And I will bless her and
also give you a son by her,
00:16:30.59\00:16:34.84
then I will bless her,
00:16:34.87\00:16:36.52
and she shall be
a mother of nations
00:16:36.55\00:16:39.30
kings of peoples
shall be from her."
00:16:39.33\00:16:44.02
At that time
Ishmael was a young boy
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about 13 years of age.
00:16:47.30\00:16:50.31
His father
Abraham loved him so much,
00:16:50.34\00:16:54.40
the natural
thing for this father
00:16:54.43\00:16:56.56
is to believe that
Ishmael was a promise son.
00:16:56.59\00:17:01.15
But the Creator
God had this to say.
00:17:01.18\00:17:04.62
In Genesis 17:18, 19,
00:17:04.65\00:17:08.82
here is what God said
"Then Abraham said to God,
00:17:08.85\00:17:13.56
"Oh, that Ishmael
might live before You!
00:17:13.59\00:17:17.08
Then God said,
00:17:17.11\00:17:18.71
"No, Sarah your wife
shall bear you a son,
00:17:18.74\00:17:22.32
and you shall
call his name Isaac
00:17:22.35\00:17:25.31
I will establish
my covenant with him.
00:17:25.34\00:17:31.81
Anytime that we
the created beings
00:17:31.84\00:17:36.25
speak with our
Creator God, it is a prayer.
00:17:36.28\00:17:41.55
We see that Abraham prayed
00:17:41.58\00:17:44.31
that Ishmael might
be the promised son,
00:17:44.34\00:17:47.95
but that was not God's plan,
00:17:47.98\00:17:50.29
that was man's
interference with God's plan.
00:17:50.32\00:17:55.73
However we
worship a merciful God
00:17:55.76\00:18:00.05
who tells us to
call him father Abba.
00:18:00.08\00:18:05.23
When we disobey him
00:18:05.26\00:18:06.87
and take things
into our own hands,
00:18:06.90\00:18:09.57
we can not expect him
to change his plans for us.
00:18:09.60\00:18:14.21
We must
acknowledge our disobedience
00:18:14.24\00:18:16.84
and ask for His forgiveness.
00:18:16.87\00:18:20.53
Our father Abba
will always forgive us.
00:18:20.56\00:18:25.37
Here is God's
response to Abraham's prayer.
00:18:25.40\00:18:30.37
In Genesis 17:20,
00:18:30.40\00:18:33.92
we read," And as for Ishmael,
00:18:33.95\00:18:37.12
I have heard you.
00:18:37.15\00:18:38.65
Behold, I have blessed him,
00:18:38.68\00:18:40.56
I will make him fruitful, I
will multiply him exceedingly.
00:18:40.59\00:18:45.81
He shall beget twelve princes,
00:18:45.84\00:18:48.20
and I will make
him a great nation."
00:18:48.23\00:18:52.35
History tells us that this
promise of God was fulfilled.
00:18:52.38\00:18:57.18
Ishmael did indeed have 12 sons.
00:18:57.21\00:19:00.41
The record of
their names are found
00:19:00.44\00:19:02.94
in the Bible in
the Book of Genesis.
00:19:02.97\00:19:06.00
Genesis 25:13-16.
00:19:06.03\00:19:11.50
Here is what it says,
00:19:11.53\00:19:13.46
"And these were the
names of the sons of Ishmael,
00:19:13.49\00:19:16.33
by their names,
according to their generations.
00:19:16.36\00:19:19.58
The firstborn of
Ishmael is Nebajoth then Kedar,
00:19:19.61\00:19:24.21
Adbeel, Mibsam, Mishma, Dumah,
00:19:24.24\00:19:28.07
Massa, Hadar, Tema, Jetu,
00:19:28.10\00:19:32.01
Naphish, and Kedemah.
00:19:32.04\00:19:34.82
These were the sons of Ishmael
00:19:34.85\00:19:36.77
and these were their names,
00:19:36.80\00:19:38.28
by their towns
and their settlements,
00:19:38.31\00:19:41.15
twelve princes
according to their nations."
00:19:41.18\00:19:46.07
Abraham loved Ishmael
00:19:46.10\00:19:48.99
and wanted him to
be the son of promise
00:19:49.02\00:19:52.09
but God said this cannot be.
00:19:52.12\00:19:54.97
Abraham
accepted the will of God.
00:19:55.00\00:19:58.32
He knew that
his faith failed him
00:19:58.35\00:20:01.41
and he will
experience deep anguish
00:20:01.44\00:20:04.14
when he was asked to
make a difficult decision
00:20:04.17\00:20:07.34
regarding his
beloved son Ishmael.
00:20:07.37\00:20:11.44
We can take heart
00:20:11.47\00:20:12.93
that when things do not
go according to our plans,
00:20:12.96\00:20:16.47
it is a blessing.
00:20:16.50\00:20:18.56
The blessing is that
God is working things out
00:20:18.59\00:20:21.28
in our lives
according to His plans.
00:20:21.31\00:20:25.04
We should be
encouraged by Abraham,
00:20:25.07\00:20:28.15
the father of faith who
was patiently trained by God
00:20:28.18\00:20:32.85
so that his faith
may be strengthened.
00:20:32.88\00:20:38.18
When you get to the
Descendants of Abraham,
00:20:38.21\00:20:40.66
you can be sure that
you're lighting the way for all
00:20:40.69\00:20:43.77
in search of the Creator God
00:20:43.80\00:20:45.99
and His message of love
and forgiveness to all nations.
00:20:46.02\00:20:49.40
Thank you for your
support and for your prayers.
00:20:49.43\00:20:52.96
All contributions
are tax deductible.
00:20:52.99\00:20:55.43
Please visit us online today
at www.descendantsofabraham.org
00:20:55.46\00:21:00.82
or write to us at the address
you see listed on your screen.
00:21:00.85\00:21:04.40
All correspondence
will be kept confidential.
00:21:04.43\00:21:06.64
Let us pray.
00:24:13.73\00:24:16.15
Abba, father in heaven,
00:24:16.18\00:24:19.77
I pray for my
brothers and sisters
00:24:19.80\00:24:22.04
that are
searching for the true God,
00:24:22.07\00:24:24.72
the God of Abraham.
00:24:24.75\00:24:27.63
I pray that they will seek You
00:24:27.66\00:24:30.06
and find You as
you have promised.
00:24:30.09\00:24:34.18
Father many are in
darkness trapped by traditions
00:24:34.21\00:24:39.74
and lies that they
have been told about You.
00:24:39.77\00:24:43.79
Please reveal Yourself to them.
00:24:43.82\00:24:47.08
Show them that You have a
higher purpose for their life.
00:24:47.11\00:24:52.54
Let them
experience Your infinite love
00:24:52.57\00:24:56.18
and Your
forgiveness for their sins.
00:24:56.21\00:25:00.41
I pray that they will come
00:25:00.44\00:25:03.21
and taste and see
00:25:03.24\00:25:06.28
that the Lord is good. Amen.
00:25:06.31\00:25:13.74
God kept His promise to Abraham
00:25:13.77\00:25:17.46
and God keeps His
promises to us, His children.
00:25:17.49\00:25:23.17
He has proven His love for you
00:25:23.20\00:25:27.25
and He will never let you down.
00:25:27.28\00:25:30.67
He is faithful, He is
loyal, He is trustworthy.
00:25:30.70\00:25:37.32
My brothers and sisters,
00:25:37.35\00:25:39.62
the God of Abraham is our God.
00:25:39.65\00:25:44.51
Abraham is a created
being just like you and me.
00:25:44.54\00:25:50.38
He sinned
against the Creator God
00:25:50.41\00:25:53.98
just like you and me.
00:25:54.01\00:25:57.15
He made many
mistakes in his life,
00:25:57.18\00:26:01.17
but he knew that his
Father Abba God in heaven
00:26:01.20\00:26:07.92
is a merciful
and forgiving Father.
00:26:07.95\00:26:12.99
Abraham's life story
shows us that we will sin
00:26:13.02\00:26:18.51
but we have a God
who is very personal
00:26:18.54\00:26:22.66
who invites us to approach Him
00:26:22.69\00:26:25.73
and approach His
throne in heaven,
00:26:25.76\00:26:29.08
the throne of grace
and approach it boldly,
00:26:29.11\00:26:33.63
not to be afraid,
not be be shy, boldly.
00:26:33.66\00:26:40.04
Our God who wants
us to call Him Abba.
00:26:40.07\00:26:43.97
Father does not want
us to be afraid of Him.
00:26:44.00\00:26:48.37
He loves us so much
00:26:48.40\00:26:50.60
and wants us to
be reconciled to Him
00:26:50.63\00:26:54.56
Satan has come between
us and our heavenly Father.
00:26:54.59\00:26:59.16
He is the one that puts
lies and fear into our hearts
00:26:59.19\00:27:05.45
but all we have to do is
surrender our life to God.
00:27:05.48\00:27:10.55
And he will be our refuge.
00:27:10.58\00:27:14.67
We hope that you
will join us again
00:27:14.70\00:27:17.46
as we continue to explore
the struggles of Abraham,
00:27:17.49\00:27:21.84
the one called a friend of God.
00:27:21.87\00:27:27.11
Please don't forget
to visit our website
00:27:27.14\00:27:30.62
at www.descendantsofabraham.org,
00:27:30.65\00:27:37.45
www.descendantsofabraham.org,
00:27:37.48\00:27:44.40
and email us at
info@descendantsofabraham.org.
00:27:44.43\00:27:51.94
All email will be
kept confidential.
00:27:51.97\00:27:55.70