From: andronicus451@gmail.com   
      
   Sarah, Hagar and Ishmael   
      
   Genesis 16   
   1 Now Sarai Abram's wife bare him no children: and she had an handmaid,   
   an Egyptian, whose name was Hagar. 2 And Sarai said unto Abram,   
   Behold now, the LORD hath restrained me from bearing: I pray thee,   
   go in unto my maid; it may be that I may obtain children by her.   
   And Abram hearkened to the voice of Sarai. 3 And Sarai Abram's wife   
   took Hagar her maid the Egyptian, after Abram had dwelt ten years in the   
   land of Canaan, and gave her to her husband Abram to be his wife.   
   4 And he went in unto Hagar, and she conceived: and when she saw that   
   she had conceived, her mistress was despised in her eyes. 5 And Sarai   
   said unto Abram, My wrong be upon thee: I have given my maid into   
   thy bosom; and when she saw that she had conceived, I was despised in   
   her eyes: the LORD judge between me and thee. 6 But Abram said unto   
   Sarai, Behold, thy maid is in thy hand; do to her as it pleaseth thee. And   
   when Sarai dealt hardly with her, she fled from her face.   
      
   7 And the angel of the LORD found her by a fountain of water in the   
   wilderness, by the fountain in the way to Shur. 8 And he said, Hagar,   
   Sarai's maid, whence camest thou? and whither wilt thou go? And she said,   
   I flee from the face of my mistress Sarai. 9 And the angel of the LORD   
   said unto her, Return to thy mistress, and submit thyself under her hands.   
   10 And the angel of the LORD said unto her, I will multiply thy seed   
   exceedingly, that it shall not be numbered for multitude.   
      
   11 And the angel of the LORD said unto her, Behold, thou art with child,   
   and shalt bear a son, and shalt call his name Ishmael; because the LORD   
   hath heard thy affliction.   
      
   12 And he will be a wild man; his hand will be against every man, and every   
   man's hand against him; and he shall dwell in the presence of all his   
   brethren.   
      
   13 And she called the name of the LORD that spake unto her, Thou God   
   seest me: for she said, Have I also here looked after him that seeth me?   
   14 Wherefore the well was called Beerlahairoi; behold, it is between   
   Kadesh and Bered.   
      
   15 And Hagar bare Abram a son: and Abram called his son's name, which   
   Hagar bare, Ishmael. 16 And Abram was fourscore and six years old, when   
   Hagar bare Ishmael to Abram.   
      
   * * *   
      
   Genesis   
   Sarah Laughs at the Promise   
      
   Genesis 18   
   9 And they said unto him, Where is Sarah thy wife? And he said, Behold,   
   in the tent. 10 And he said, I will certainly return unto thee according to   
   the time of life; and, lo, Sarah thy wife shall have a son. And Sarah heard it   
   in the tent door, which was behind him. 11 Now Abraham and Sarah were   
   old and well stricken in age; and it ceased to be with Sarah after the manner   
   of women. 12 Therefore Sarah laughed within herself, saying, After I am   
   waxed old shall I have pleasure, my lord being old also? 13 And the LORD   
   said unto Abraham, Wherefore did Sarah laugh, saying, Shall I of a surety   
   bear a child, which am old? 14 Is any thing too hard for the LORD? At the   
   time appointed I will return unto thee, according to the time of life, and   
   Sarah shall have a son. 15 Then Sarah denied, saying, I laughed not;   
   for she was afraid. And he said, Nay; but thou didst laugh.   
      
   * * *   
      
   Here we see two sons of Abraham, the father of faith, Ishmael and   
   Isaac. Ishmael, or Yishma-El, means "God hears". Hagar also called   
   God El-Roi, "God-Who-Seeth". Compared to this, Isaac means   
   "laughter".   
      
   We also see two wives of Abraham, his legal wife Sarah and her   
   Egyptian slavegirl Hagar. While Hagar gained the notion that God can   
   hear her alone in the desert and see her also where there is not a   
   living soul, Sarah thought that merely being hidden behind the tent door   
   prevented the LORD Creator of the Universe from seeing that she laughed.   
      
   These are two characters, where one thinks constantly in fear of God,   
   Who Knows All, Sees All and Hears All, and the other thinks she can   
   get away with stuff and God will never learn about it.   
      
   Sarah once again acted cruelly towards Hagar and Ishmael, exposing   
   them to certain death in the desert, save for God's supernatural   
   intervention to save Hagar and Ishmael:   
      
   Sarah Turns against Hagar   
      
   Genesis 21   
   9 And Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian, which she had born   
   unto Abraham, mocking. 10 Wherefore she said unto Abraham, Cast out   
   this bondwoman and her son: for the son of this bondwoman shall not be   
   heir with my son, even with Isaac. 11 And the thing was very grievous   
   in Abraham's sight because of his son. 12 And God said unto Abraham,   
   Let it not be grievous in thy sight because of the lad, and because of thy   
   bondwoman; in all that Sarah hath said unto thee, hearken unto her voice;   
   for in Isaac shall thy seed be called. 13 And also of the son of the   
   bondwoman will I make a nation, because he is thy seed. 14 And Abraham   
   rose up early in the morning, and took bread, and a bottle of water, and   
   gave it unto Hagar, putting it on her shoulder, and the child, and sent her   
   away: and she departed, and wandered in the wilderness of Beersheba.   
      
   15 And the water was spent in the bottle, and she cast the child under one   
   of the shrubs. 16 And she went, and sat her down over against him a   
   good way off, as it were a bowshot: for she said, Let me not see the death   
   of the child. And she sat over against him, and lift up her voice, and wept.   
   17 And God heard the voice of the lad; and the angel of God called to Hagar   
   out of heaven, and said unto her, What aileth thee, Hagar? fear not; for God   
   hath heard the voice of the lad where he is. 18 Arise, lift up the lad, and   
   hold him in thine hand; for I will make him a great nation. 19 And God   
   opened her eyes, and she saw a well of water; and she went, and filled the   
   bottle with water, and gave the lad drink.   
      
   20 And God was with the lad; and he grew, and dwelt in the wilderness,   
   and became an archer. 21 And he dwelt in the wilderness of Paran: and his   
   mother took him a wife out of the land of Egypt.   
      
   Here we see Ishmael saved by direct intervention of the LORD God for the   
   second time, because God's Promise to multiply Ishmael was irrevocable   
   (Genesis 16:10).   
      
   God's intention was also not to leave Ishmaelites in pagan worship and   
   without the salvation of their souls, or the saving miracles and multiplication   
   of Ishmael would profit only Hellfire.   
      
   in the name of the LORD God Merciful, Almighty   
   Amen   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)