Abraham
Genesis 20
Abraham moves his tribe and all his livestock to the wilderness of Shur. I imagine with all the livestock Abraham had acquired that he needed to move from time to time to find more pastureland. For the second time, Abraham asked Sarah to lie about being his wife. She is to say that Abraham is her brother; that is technically correct because she is Abraham’s half-sister. King Abimelek saw Sarah and brought her into his household to marry her after telling him that Abraham was her brother. God intervened and struck Abimelek with an illness so that he could not complete the marriage with Sarah. Also, his other wives and concubines quit having children. Sarah must have been in that household for a length of time.
Then one-night, Abimelek had a dream, and God told him that Sarah was Abraham’s wife and that was the reason for all the trouble that had befallen his house. He is told to give Sarah back to Abraham. He is also told that Abraham is a prophet, and if he would ask Abraham to pray for him that he and his household would be healed. He confronts Abraham about what he has done, but oddly enough, he gives Abraham money.
This passage and the account in Genesis 12 when Pharoah took Sarah into his harem make her his wife, trouble me. I think, “come on, Abraham, show some faith!” After reading this account carefully, I have become convinced that I am more bothered by it than the Torah writer or God. God doesn’t rebuke Abraham but protects him, and both times increases his wealth as a result.
I do not believe this passage is in chronological order. It would surprise me if Abimelek were attracted to a 90-year-old Sarah. A lot of the Old and New Testament are not in chronological order. The writers were more concerned about teaching God's story with His people than they were about keeping a correct timeline.
I do believe Genesis 20 is strategically placed. This account immediately proceeds the birth of Isaac's account. Without God's intervention, the author shows that Abraham's promised blessing to be a great nation through him and his wife Sarah wouldn’t have happened. God was watching and intervening to ensure Abraham’s blessing.
Genesis 21
Birth of Isaac
Finally, with all the promises of God and the years of waiting, Abraham and Sarah have a son. Abraham is 100 years old, and Sarah is 90. This is the son God promised to carry out the promised blessing. Sarah has been brought to laughter, and she says that all who hear will laugh with her. They name him Isaac, which some interpret to mean “laughter.” I have also heard it translated, “He makes me smile.” Great joy has come to Abraham and Sarah.
Sarah’s Jealousy
Sarah saw Ishmael one day making fun of Isaac. She demands that Abraham get rid of that slave woman and her son. Abraham is greatly distressed at this because Ishmael is his son too. God assures Abraham that Ishmael will be a great nation also, and he will be blessed as well. Abraham sent Haggar and Ishmael off with water and food.
The God Who Hears
Haggar and Ishmael begin to wonder in the Canaanite wilderness. They run out of food and water. Haggar doesn’t want to see Ishmael die, and so she puts him under a bush and goes a distance from him so that she doesn’t have to hear him cry. Then God speaks to Haggar. God speaks to Haggar in her distress a second time. Haggar doesn’t hear Ishmael crying, but God does. In Genesis 21:17, God tells Haggar He has listened to the boy crying. He then shows her a spring close by, and she can give her son a drink. Ishmael grows up, and his mother gets him a wife from Egypt, and he becomes a great nation as well.
The first time Haggar is in trouble, “God saw her.” The second time, “God heard.” It is good to know that God both sees and hears us when we are in a situation.
Genesis 22
Abraham Commanded to Sacrifice Isaac
God appears to Abraham and commands him to sacrifice his son Isaac. Child sacrifice to the god of Molech was shared in Abraham’s day and took place in the valley right before going up to Mount Moriah (modern-day Jerusalem). Abraham doesn’t question God. He just takes Isaac with some servants to sacrifice Isaac on the mountain. He leaves the servants in a distant place and told them that they would come back.
How Old is Isaac?
I grew up believing that Isaac was a child when this happened, but in learning Hebrew, the word na’ar is the word that is translated as “boy” in most English translations. The Hebrew word can mean anything from a teenage boy to a young man. Some think Isaac was close to 40 when this happened. Whatever age, he was not a child, so a young man would be able to overpower a 100-year-old Abraham. This means that Isaac was submissive to this request and allowed himself to be tied to the altar.
Beginning of Sacrificial System
When Abraham stretches out his hand to kill Isaac, a voice from heaven calls out to stop him. A ram is in the thicket that is offered as a substitute sacrifice. This appears to be the beginning of the sacrificial system that Moses set up on Mt. Sinai. Also, it is no accident that the Temple was later built on the same site Abraham offered Isaac.
After reading this passage, I once had a young father who couldn’t sleep, and he prayed and fretted all night. He called me the next morning and confessed, “I just don’t if I love God enough to sacrifice my son.” I replied to him, “You don’t have to because God sacrificed his son for you and your son.” God did what He didn’t ask Abraham or any of us to do. “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son.” (John 3:16).
Abraham and Isaac
It is interesting to note that Isaac did not accompany Abraham down the mountain. He doesn’t go back down the same side of the mountain. The Bible also doesn’t ever have Abraham and Isaac speaking to one another again, even when Abraham arranges a wife for Isaac. Perhaps this caused a fissure in their relationship.
Genesis 23
Sarah’s Death
In Genesis 23, Sarah dies at the age of 127. Some scholars think when she found out what Abraham did that it killed her. That is why some think Isaac is almost 40. Abraham’s problem is that he doesn’t own any land and, indeed, no cave to bury Sarah. Abraham negotiates to buy a cave to bury Sarah near Hebron. They offer to give him the cave, but Abraham insists on paying for it. Abraham doesn’t want them later to dispute his ownership and maybe disturbing the burial grounds. Also, it is a sign of the future when his descendants will own all of the lands of Canaan through Isaac.
Genesis 24
Wife for Isaac
Abraham sends his servant (probably Eliezer) to go back to his people in Haran and bring Isaac a wife. The servant worries about failing this assignment. Abraham tells him that if he can’t convince any of the girls to come back to be Isaac’s wife, then he is no longer responsible. So Eliezer takes ten camels, some beautiful clothes, and expensive gifts and goes to Haran.
Pray of Guidance
When Eliezer gets to Haran, he stops by the spring, where the young girls would come out to draw water. Eliezer prays, and it is the first recorded pray we have in the Bible for guidance. He asks God to give him a sign; the sign is that the first girl to offer him a drink and also offers to water his camels will sign that she is the one for Isaac. Rebekah came to get water, and she offered Eliezer a drink and then offered to water his ten camels. This is no small task. A thirst camel can drink 20 to 30 gallons of water. Rebekah had to draw out 200 to 300 gallons of water for the camels. Rebekah is the daughter of Abraham’s nephew. Eliezer gives her a nose ring and other expensive bracelets. After explaining the purpose of his visit to Rebekah’s family, it was decided that she would go and be Isaac’s wife.
Isaac and Rebekah
When they get back to Canaan, Isaac is coming in from the field. Rebekah asks if that was him, and she puts a veil on. When Isaac gets there, Eliezer explains what he has done. Isaac then takes Rebekah into his mother’s tent, and he is comforted by Rebekah in his grief over his mother’s death. Again, I find it strange that Abraham sets up a marriage for Isaac without mentioning it. Eliezer has to tell him. It leads me to believe that Abraham and Isaac aren’t speaking to each other.
Truths about the Rebekah Story
I find two helpful things from this passage that is helpful in our spiritual formation. One, as Eliezer prayed for guidance and success in his mission, so should we pray. God is looking for those with servant spirits like Rebekah that will do extra in ministering to people, like watering camels, to fulfill His work.