From abaptist.org:
Daily Devotional:
Genesis 25:12-18
Tuesday, December 28
The Descendants of Ishmael
KEY VERSE: "Now these are the generations of Ishmael, Abraham's son, whom Hagar the Egyptian, Sarah's handmaid, bare unto Abraham," Genesis 25:12.
My father once traced his family history to see whether there were any other preachers in the family. The only one he found was a holiness preacher who spent time in jail for bootlegging. Some branches of the family tree are better than others.
Ishmael was the son of Abraham and Hagar, his wife Sarah's handmaid. Sarah did not believe that she could bear a child in her old age and felt this was a way for Abraham's seed to continue as God promised. The son she bore was not the son promised by God. Sarah was jealous over any attention Abraham gave to Ishmael. The existence of Ishmael created turmoil between Sarah and Abraham. There still is turmoil between the descendants of Ishmael and the descendants of Abraham today. Non Christians in the Arab world claim that Ishmael, not Isaac, is the son of promise.
This sad story reminds us that it is always wrong to violate God's Law no matter how justified it might seem at the moment. Abraham had the best of intentions in fathering a child with Hagar. He was simply trying to find a way to fulfill God's promise of a son. He violated God's moral standard with his sinful action. If Abraham had waited for God to fulfill His promise in His time, Abraham would have saved himself much grief
JUST A THOUGHT: There is no situation where it is proper to sin.
Marc Shultz
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