Participants: Shakeela Yasuf
Series Code: DOA
Program Code: DOA000005
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00:41 As-Salaam-Alaikum to our Muslim brothers and sisters,
00:44 shalom to our Hebrew cousins, 00:47 peace be upon you our Christian friends. 00:51 Welcome to "The Descendants of Abraham." 00:53 We're blessed by your presence with us. 00:57 We'll be encouraged by Abraham, the father of faith 01:01 who was trained by a very patient and merciful God, 01:04 so that his faith may be strengthened. 01:08 In our previous program we looked that 01:10 how God kept His promise to Abraham 01:13 and blessed his first born son Ishmael with 12 sons. 01:18 These 12 sons of Ishmael became 12 princesses 01:22 just as God said would happen. 01:25 Always, God always keeps His promise. 01:28 Abraham loved Ishmael and wanted him to be the son of promise. 01:34 But God said, "this cannot be so." 01:37 And Abraham accepted the will of God. 01:42 He knew that his faith failed him. 01:45 And he would experience heartbreak 01:48 when he was asked to make a very difficult decision 01:51 regarding his beloved son Ishmael. 01:58 I call today's program the Abandonment of Ishmael, 02:02 the Abandonment of Ishmael 02:03 because you see Ishmael was abandoned. 02:06 He was abandoned by his father. 02:08 He was abandoned from the only home he knew, 02:15 he was asked to leave. 02:17 Ishmael had been instructed by his mother 02:19 that he was to be especially blessed of God. 02:23 And as the son of Abraham, 02:25 he was to inherit all that was promised to Abraham. 02:29 But that was man's way, not God's way. 02:33 That was never God's plan. 02:36 You see, God never approved of adulatory or polygamy. 02:43 He is a holy God. 02:45 He cannot approve of man's sinful ways. 02:50 God's plan for marriage is one man, 02:53 one woman, one husband, one wife, 02:57 Satan has corrupted this plan. 03:01 We see today, so much pain and sorrow 03:04 in broken relationships, broken marriages, 03:09 children without fathers and mothers and so on. 03:13 Satan started destroying the family in the Garden of Eden 03:18 when he first tempted Eve to eat of the forbidden fruit. 03:25 Let's take a look at this in Genesis 1. 03:29 Well, let's read verses 26-28 and 31, 03:33 Genesis 1:26-28 and 31. 03:39 It says, "Then God said, 03:41 "Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness. 03:47 So God created man in His image, 03:50 in the image of God He created him, 03:53 male and female, He created them. 03:58 Then God blessed them, and God said to them, 04:01 "Be fruitful and multiply." 04:04 Then God saw everything that He had made, 04:07 and indeed it was very good." 04:12 The Creator God had a plan for Abraham and Sarah. 04:18 But Satan was going to interfere with that plan. 04:23 We know from history that Abraham's wife Sarah 04:27 thought that she would help God. 04:30 She was going to help God fulfill his promise 04:33 to give them a son. 04:35 When she asked Abraham to marry Hagar, 04:38 again not God's plan, this was Sarah's plan. 04:42 Sarah was not being patient and waiting upon God. 04:47 She was going to do it man's way. 04:50 And she asked Abraham to marry Hagar, 04:54 so that this promised son could be born. 04:58 God didn't need help. 05:01 When we try to help God with his plans for mankind, 05:06 all we do is make a mess of things. 05:11 Abraham's first son Ishmael was born to Hagar, Sarah's maid, 05:17 but Ishmael was not the son of promise. 05:21 Abraham had to accept this decision from the holy God, 05:27 the Creator and as much as 05:30 we have difficulties in accepting this. 05:35 And as much as we would like to believe otherwise, 05:40 we have to accept the reality and the truth 05:47 that Isaac, Isaac not Ishmael was the son of promise. 05:54 Here is what the Creator tells us 05:57 in the Book of Isaiah 55:8-9. 06:01 Let's read that, the Book of Isaiah 55:8-9. 06:07 "For My thoughts are not your thoughts, 06:11 neither are your ways My ways, says the Lord. 06:16 For as the heavens are higher than the earth, 06:19 so are My ways higher than your ways, 06:23 and My thoughts than your thoughts." 06:28 The practice of polygamy was acceptable 06:33 in society in Abraham's days. 06:37 And it was not considered sinful then. 06:41 But again as we just read that was man's way, 06:46 those were man's ideas. 06:48 For God said, "My thoughts are not your thoughts, 06:52 neither are My ways your ways." 06:56 And He says that what sometimes 06:59 what man think is right, is wrong. 07:05 We have to accept the Creator's plan. 07:09 We have to accept His way, His word. 07:14 We cannot go against that, 07:16 no matter how difficult it is for us. 07:21 The Creator never approved of the practice of polygamy 07:25 because it actually violated his laws. 07:30 It violated his law. 07:32 Only through Abraham's true wife Sarah 07:36 would the promised son be born. 07:39 God appeared again to Abraham 07:41 when he was almost 100 years old. 07:44 And reminded him of the promise of a son through his wife Sarah 07:50 who at that time was 99 years old. 07:54 We see the fulfillment of God's promise 07:58 to this faithful couple. 07:59 Let's read Genesis 22:1-3 08:02 "And the Lord visited Sarah as He had said, 08:06 and the Lord did for Sarah as He had spoken. 08:09 For Sarah conceived and bore Abraham a son in his old age, 08:15 at the set time of which God had spoken to him. 08:20 And Abraham called the name of his son 08:23 who was born to him, 08:24 who Sarah bore to him, Isaac." 08:31 After the birth of Isaac, Abraham and Sarah 08:34 was full of joy over the birth of their son in their old age. 08:40 The promise that God made to them had come to pass. 08:44 They stirred up jealousy in Hagar's heart. 08:49 A very natural what mother, what wife, what woman, 08:55 would not be hurt and even feel that, 08:58 that feeling of jealousy and anger at this whole situation. 09:07 Hagar knew Ishmael was not the one promised by God. 09:12 She allowed her disappointment and jealousy to spread 09:15 to her son Ishmael who disliked Isaac 09:20 because he thought that Abraham 09:23 his father Abraham preferred Isaac over him. 09:27 Sarah did not like what was happening. 09:30 She saw that there will be trouble between 09:32 Hagar's son Ishmael and her son Isaac. 09:35 She told her husband Abraham of the disrespect 09:39 of Ishmael to her and to her son Isaac 09:42 and asked Abraham to send them away. 09:46 And we can read about the sad moment in Genesis 21:10. 09:52 Let's read that Genesis 21:10. 09:55 "Therefore she said to Abraham, 09:58 "Cast out this bondwoman and her son, 10:01 for the son of this bondwoman 10:04 shall not be heir with my son, namely Isaac." 10:11 Abraham was greatly distressed. 10:15 Ishmael was his son, 10:17 his only son before Isaac came along 10:22 and Abraham bonded with him, he became his father, 10:27 he was his father, Isaac was his beloved son 10:31 and Abraham loved him with all of his heart, 10:34 the heart of a father. 10:36 He couldn't possibly send him away. 10:39 Would you my brother or my sister 10:42 be willing to part with your child 10:44 just because your husband or wife asked you to? 10:49 Abraham did not know what to do. 10:52 So he asked God for guidance. 10:55 Abraham should have asked his the Creator God for guidance 10:59 when Sarah tried to lead him to marry Hagar, 11:02 before the birth of Ishmael, 11:05 Abraham should have gone to God first. 11:09 Now, the trouble between the two women 11:11 and the sons of Abraham was becoming 11:14 too much for him to bear. 11:17 The Lord tells Abraham to listen 11:19 to the voice of Sarah his wife. 11:21 And that he should not let his affections for his son, 11:25 Ishmael or for Hagar, 11:28 get in the way of doing the right thing. 11:32 This was the only path he could take to restore 11:35 harmony and happiness again to his family. 11:42 In Genesis 21:11-12, we read, 11:47 "And the matter was very displeasing in Abraham's sight 11:51 because of his son. 11:53 But God said to Abraham, 11:56 "Do not let it be displeasing in your sight 11:59 because of the lad or because of your bondwoman. 12:03 Whatever Sarah has said to you, 12:05 listen to her voice; 12:07 for in Isaac your seed shall be called." 12:15 Abraham had to obey. 12:19 If God had approved of polygamy, 12:22 He would not have directed Abraham 12:24 to send away Hagar and Ishmael. 12:29 This lesson was not just for Abraham but for all of us. 12:33 God teaches us that a husband and wife 12:36 must cherish the sanctified relationship. 12:41 It must be respected and protected 12:43 whatever sacrifice has to be made. 12:47 God does not change, He cannot change His laws, 12:51 He does not change His ways. 12:53 It is up to us to be obedient to Him 12:56 and it is up to us to change. 13:00 In the Creator's eyes Sarah was the only wife of Abraham, 13:05 there was no other. 13:08 She was entitled to rights as a wife and mother 13:11 which no other woman 13:13 or no one else could have in the family. 13:16 She was betrothed to her husband. 13:21 And she did not want to share 13:23 his love and affection with Hagar. 13:26 She loved Abraham. 13:30 God did not rebuke Sarah for her part and encouraging 13:33 her husband to marry Hagar. 13:35 He never did, even though they both sinned 13:38 by believing in the power of the Creator God. 13:41 Abraham was held responsible for not trusting in God's power 13:47 which led him to take Hagar as his wife 13:51 and to think that through her the promise would be fulfilled. 13:55 You see, Abraham could have said no, 13:58 when Hagar asked him to-- I'm sorry, 14:01 when Sarah asked him to take Hagar as his wife 14:07 and to bring that promised son 14:10 Abraham could have said no, he didn't. 14:13 So that's why God held him responsible. 14:17 When God makes His plans man cannot change that. 14:20 We must accept it, even when we don't like 14:23 the outcome we must accept it. 14:27 Even when we don't like it, we must always praise God 14:31 for His blessing in our life. 14:37 Being a merciful God, He also promised Abraham 14:41 that Ishmael although separated from his father's house 14:45 will not die nor be forsaken by God. 14:49 He would be preserved because he was the son of Abraham. 14:53 God promised to make of Ishmael a great nation 14:57 and as we learned in our previous program, 15:00 God fulfilled his promise 15:01 regarding Ishmael as He always does. 15:05 Let's read Genesis 21:13-14. 15:10 It says here and this again is from God. 15:14 "Yet I will also make a nation of the son of the bondwoman, 15:19 because he is your seed." 15:22 So Abraham rose early in the morning, 15:25 and took bread and a skin of water; 15:28 and putting it on her shoulder, 15:31 he gave it and the boy to Hagar, and sent her away. 15:36 Then she departed and wandered 15:38 in the Wilderness of Beersheba." 15:44 Abraham's heart was breaking of what he had to do, 15:49 even though this command came from God 15:53 again to send Ishmael away and Hagar away, 15:58 it wasn't easy for Abraham. 16:01 He was brought down with grief and his feelings 16:04 as a father were deeply moved, as he sends away Hagar 16:09 and his first born son Ishmael to wander 16:13 as strangers in a strange land. 16:17 As Hagar and Ishmael wandered in the wilderness, 16:20 they ran out of water. 16:24 The distressed mother placed her son Ishmael under a shrub, 16:29 a tree in the desert for shade and she walked away, 16:33 she moved faraway from him. 16:36 She did not want to hear his cries of thirst and hunger, 16:41 she believed he was going to die in the wilderness. 16:45 They had no more water, they had no more food 16:49 and Hagar like any other mother could not bear to see 16:54 her precious son die. 16:58 But she did not have to doubt, 17:01 the word of God foresee, God was there. 17:04 He was always with Ishmael 17:07 and if we look at Genesis 21:17-18, 17:12 here is what God said, He said 17:15 "And God heard the voice of the lad. 17:20 Then the angel of God called to Hagar out of heaven, 17:24 and said to her, "What troubles you, Hagar? 17:28 Fear not, for God has heard 17:31 the voice of the lad where he is. 17:34 Arise, lift up the lad and hold him with your hand, 17:38 for I will make him a great nation." 17:43 The Creator God again reminded Hagar of the promise 17:47 He made to Abraham concerning Ishmael. 17:51 God loved Ishmael and did not hold him responsible 17:56 for the choices that Abraham made. 18:00 But God because of His holiness, His purity, His righteousness 18:06 and His laws could not answer Abraham's prayer 18:11 that Ishmael be the promised son, He couldn't. 18:16 If He could have, if He could have taken away the pain 18:20 and the broken heartedness from Abraham, 18:22 He would have but He couldn't. 18:25 The promised son must come from a lawful marriage 18:30 and we too must accept God's way and His laws. 18:39 Let us look at how God was still working in the life 18:43 of Ishmael and Hagar even through all of this. 18:46 In Genesis 21:19-21. 18:51 Let's read that together, "God opened her eyes, 18:57 and she saw a well of water. 19:00 And she went and filled the skin with water, 19:03 and gave the lad to drink. 19:06 So God was with the lad and he grew and dwelt 19:10 in the wilderness and became an archer. 19:13 He dwelt in the Wilderness of Paran 19:16 and his mother took a wife for him from the land of Egypt." 19:23 I believe that Ishmael kept in touch with his father Abraham 19:29 and his brother Isaac. 19:31 I believe that Ishmael continued to worship his father's God, 19:36 the God of Abraham. 19:41 Here is why I believe this. 19:43 Because in the Torah, 19:45 in the book of the beginnings in Genesis 19:47 again we read in Chapter 25:8-9, it tells us, 19:54 "Then Abraham breathed his last and died in a good old age, 20:00 an old man and full of years, and was gathered to his people. 20:06 And his sons Isaac and Ishmael buried him 20:11 in the cave of Machpelah," 20:17 Isaac and Ishmael came together to bury their father. 20:25 If we study the scriptures, 20:27 we will see that there was a lot of connection 20:32 between Abraham and Ishmael. 20:35 Remember, Ishmael and his mom dwelt in Paran. 20:42 They moved, he married an Egyptian 20:45 but as we study more of the scriptures which we will do. 20:48 You'll see that they lived in Beersheba. 20:51 And you'll see that that's where Abraham moved too. 20:55 So the connection was there, they stayed closed 20:58 and Ishmael accepted that he was not the son of promise 21:03 but that Isaac was. 21:06 And they came together to bury their father. 21:10 And Ishmael continued to worship the God of Abraham. 21:16 The Creator God called Abraham to be 21:20 the father of the faithful. 21:22 And he was to be the example of faith for all of us. 21:29 I would like to add my voice to the voice of our Creator 21:34 who is inviting his Ishmaelite children to come home. 21:38 Our father is missing you. 21:41 He is calling you to return to him. 21:44 He wants you to come home Ishmaelites. 21:48 He called me home. 21:53 And now he is using me to call you home. 22:01 He loves you and He continues to take care of you 22:07 even though you may have forgotten Him. 22:13 Won't you try His way, Ishmael knew the God of Abraham, 22:19 the Creator, the One true God and he worshipped Him. 22:25 Somewhere, somehow man made a mess of things. 22:30 We always try to do it our own way. 22:34 We don't know what the truth is anymore. 22:37 We're told so many different things 22:40 by so many different people, so many different nations, 22:44 so many different cultures. 22:46 That is why God, the One God, 22:49 the true living God had to come to this earth to show us 22:54 the way and the truth. 22:58 Won't you try His way, just try? 23:03 He does not force us to love Him. 23:12 Call upon God, He says, call me Abba, 23:20 the one that Abraham called upon 23:23 and allow Him to direct you to His truth. 23:27 Abba, father, is what He wants us to call Him. 23:32 It's an intimate close personal relationship. 23:38 I hope I pray, that you will search 23:45 and I know if you search and if you pray and ask God 23:51 reveal to me the truth, 23:54 the true God that He will do that. 23:57 He will reveal Himself to you. 24:01 My brothers, my sisters, my fellow Ishmaelites, 24:08 accept Him, accept the truth. 24:15 I want to pray for you right now. 24:18 I want to pray with you. 24:24 I want to ask our Abba, 24:26 our father to come into your heart. 24:33 He is merciful, He is kind. 24:36 And everyday He shows us who He is and His love. 24:42 When you wake up in the morning, when you feel the rain, 24:45 when you see the son, when you-- 24:47 all the food you're eating, 24:49 He is the one that supplies it for you. 24:52 Let's pray together. 24:55 Abba, thank You for Your mercy and kindness 24:59 that You show us everyday. 25:02 Open our eyes, that we may see Your blessings in our lives. 25:07 Help us to let go of man's ways and traditions. 25:12 You have rescued us from the bondage of sin 25:16 and from Satan himself who wants to destroy us 25:20 and who wants to deceive us for this our life belongs to You 25:26 and You only because of Your mercy, 25:30 and Your grace upon us, we belong to You. 25:34 Bless us as we continue on our journey 25:37 to learn Your truth for us, amen. 25:46 Next time on the next program I hope you'll join us again. 25:51 We'll continue to follow the life of Abraham 25:54 and the ultimate test from his God that he will face. 26:01 It will be very difficult for him but he will face it. 26:08 If you have any questions, 26:11 if you would like to know more about the God of Abraham, 26:16 please won't you contact us, email us and send us a letter. 26:24 And you can go to our website at www.descendantsofabraham.org. 26:33 Contact us, email us with all questions, 26:36 any questions you may have or just let us know 26:40 if you're being blessed by this program. 26:45 All correspondence from you is kept confidential. 26:49 None of your information will ever be given to anyone. 26:53 God bless you and Inshaallah we'll see you again. 26:59 When you get to the Descendants of Abraham, 27:02 you can be sure that you're lighting the way 27:04 for all in search of the Creator God 27:07 and His message of love and forgiveness to all nations. 27:11 Thank you for your support and for your prayers. 27:14 All contributions are tax deductible. 27:17 Please visit us online today at www.descendantsofabraham.org 27:22 or write to us at the address you see listed on your screen. 27:26 All correspondence will be kept confidential. |
Revised 2014-12-17