The Final Judgment
Revelation 20:1-15 Shp Kevin Jesmer 5/14/11
Key verse 20:6
“Blessed and holy are those who have part in the first resurrection. The second death has no power over them, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with him for a thousand years.”
Today we want to examine the final judgment of God. There seem to be three stages of the final judgment. First, Satan is locked in the Abyss for a thousand years. Those who do not have the mark of the beast will reign with Christ. After a thousand years, Satan will be released for a short time to deceive many people, then he will be cast into the lake of burning sulfur to dwell forever. On the final day of judgment the living and the dead will stand before the throne of God. The books will be opened and every person will be judged according to what they have done. Those whose names are not written in the book of life will be cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. This all sounds very ominous and foreboding. But those who are in Christ have nothing to fear. In fact, the blood of Jesus will enable them to pass through the judgment all the way to the kingdom of heaven. Through a study of this passage, may you not just be scared, but may you thank God for his grace given us through the blood of Jesus that put our names in the book of life. Also may we stand firm in faith, to the end, holding onto the grace of Jesus and knowing that our final victory is assured. We are true victors when we hold onto the Gospel. Let’s see.
Part l: The Thousand Years (20:1-6)
It has always been a controversy about the 1000 years, also known as the millennium. By the controversy is not an issue. It does not demand an absolute view. What is important is that we Christians believe exactly what the Bible tells us to believe. About the 1,000 years, we believe that Jesus will return according to his promise. He will also bind the devil for 1,000 and Jesus Christ will rule. After the 1,000 year, Christ will release the devil from his prison and he will do so for a short time. The devil will make his final stand against Christ and his people. It is really an amazing story. There are things that we don’t understand. For example, why would God bind the devil and then set him loose for a short time and then send him to his final judgment which is the lake of burning sulfur. There are things that we don’t understand, but we will try to understand.
Just how and when this 1,000 years takes place is understood differently among Christian scholars. The three major positions on this issue are referred to as postmillennialism, pre-millennialism and amillennialism. I began to ponder these different views after a rousing discussion at Maggie Burke’s house a few weeks ago. Briefly, postmillennialism looks for a literal 1,000 year period of peace on earth ushered in by the church. At the end of the 1,000 years, Satan will be unleashed once more, but then Christ will return to defeat him and reign forever. Christ’s coming will not occur until after the 1,000 year period. Pre-millennialism, also views the 1,000 years as a literal time period, but holds that Christ’s second coming initiates his 1,000 year reign and that his reign occurs before the final removal of Satan. Finally, amillennialism understands the 1,000 year period to be symbolic of the time between Christ’s accession and his return. Thus millennium is the reign of Christ in the hearts of believers and in his church now. This it is another way of referring to the church age. This period will end with the second coming of Christ. What viewpoint do you hold? Do you know? If you don’t that’s O.K. It took me 25 years to even begin to start asking the question.
These different views about the millennium need not cause divisions and controversy among believers, because each view acknowledges what is crucial to Christianity. Do you know what it is? Yes! That Jesus Christ shall return one day. Christ will return, defeat Satan, and reign forever! Whatever and whenever the Millennium is, Jesus Christ will unite all believers. Therefore we shall not let this issue divide us. And since we are not divided then let’s continue to look closely at the text…
God and his powerful angels are much more powerful than the devil. Let’s read verses 20:1-3, “ And I saw an angel coming down out of heaven, having the key to the Abyss and holding in his hand a great chain. 2 He seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil, or Satan, and bound him for a thousand years. 3 He threw him into the Abyss, and locked and sealed it over him, to keep him from deceiving the nations anymore until the thousand years were ended. After that, he must be set free for a short time.” Look how a powerful angel of God dealt with the devil in verses 1 & 2, ““ And I saw an angel coming down out of heaven, having the key to the Abyss and holding in his hand a great chain. 2 He seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil, or Satan, and bound him for a thousand years.” He seized the devil decisively. There doesn’t seem to be much of a struggle. The devil is bound in chains. When one is bound in chains, they cannot get free. He will surely be held securely until the final day of judgment.
Now, in this age, the power of the devil over the lives of believers is dramatically weakened. The Bible says that at the beginning, “The great dragon was hurled down—that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, who leads the whole world astray. He was hurled to the earth, and his angels with him.” (Rev 12:9) Satan roams throughout the earth and leads the whole world astray. One look at the news shows that he is very busy. Before meeting Jesus personally, we were all prey to the devil and his whiles. We spent our entire days being deceived and led astray into the paths of sin. There was nothing stopping us from sinning. In fact there seemed to be some mysterious force at work in our hearts making us sin more. When I was not a Christian, I really felt that giving into my sinful desires and gratifying them was actually healthy for me. How blind I was! I was becoming more and more estranged from God and bearing the bad fruit in my life. I was being driven into the depths of depression and despair, when I was being led astray my the devil. But then Jesus came to this world to save sinners like me. Hebrews 2:14 reads, “ 14 Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might destroy him who holds the power of death—that is, the devil—“ Through Jesus’ suffering death and resurrection, the head of Satan has been crushed. (Gen 3:15) We are set free from his deceptive clutches. But still we seem to he harassed from time to time by our sinful nature. We do what we do not want to do. We fall into the trap of sin and bear the fruit of the sinful nature, even if we are Christians. What is happening to us? !!
Sure we are harassed by the devil from time to time. But picture this. The devil’s head is crushed but the devil’s tail is flailing back and forth causing some mischief. But the good news is that we are no longer enslaved by the devil. Believers can repent and decide by faith to follow the word of God. They can come out of the darkness of sin and walk in the light of God. They can actually grow stronger, spiritually, through their struggle with evil. But in the final judgment the devil will be bound in chains for a time. His tail will not be flailing around to torment anyone anymore. In the Millennium believers will not be harassed by him and his angels even one iota. The time of oppression and misrule ends. The time of toil ends in rest and reward. The time of suffering ends in glory. The time of Israel’s blindness ends in restoration and conversion. The time of creation’s bondage ends in the deliverance at the manifestation of the sons of God.
This is something that we can look forward to. Can you imagine a time when you don’t have to struggle with the sinful desires that creep up in our hearts, or the sinful thoughts that flood our minds, robbing us of the peace of God and that keep us separated from God and one another? What a great time that will be! That time is coming.
Next we learn about the first resurrection. Look at revelation 20:4-6, “I saw thrones on which were seated those who had been given authority to judge. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of their testimony for Jesus and because of the word of God. They had not worshiped the beast or his image and had not received his mark on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life and reigned with Christ a thousand years. 5 (The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were ended.) This is the first resurrection. 6 Blessed and holy are those who have part in the first resurrection. The second death has no power over them, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with him for a thousand years.” Who is involved in the first resurrection? Look at verses 4-5a again, ““I saw thrones on which were seated those who had been given authority to judge. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of their testimony for Jesus and because of the word of God. They had not worshiped the beast or his image and had not received his mark on their foreheads or their hands….” These are sincere believers who have given their hearts and lives over to Jesus. Peter once asked Jesus, “We have left everything to follow you! What then will there be for us?”28 Jesus said to them, “I tell you the truth, at the renewal of all things, when the Son of Man sits on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. 29 And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother[a] or children or fields for my sake will receive a hundred times as much and will inherit eternal life.” (Matt 19:27-29) Jesus also said to his disciples in Luke 22:27-31, “28 You are those who have stood by me in my trials. 29 And I confer on you a kingdom, just as my Father conferred one on me, 30 so that you may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom and sit on thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. 31 “Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift you[a] as wheat.”
We not despair, thinking that we can never be holy enough to be part of the first ressurrection. We can not be holy enough on our own. We also do not have any authority in ourselves to reign over our own households. But because Jesus died for us and is pleased to give us his spirit, we are made holy by grace. We are made his sons and daughters with authority to reign. Believe and accept these basic facts of the Gospel.
Will there will be people to reign over and govern. Yes! There will be millions of people living at the time of the Millennium. There was not complete destruction of the earth during the time of tribulation. The majority of the populace perished because of their unrepentant hearts. But millions survived in the rubble and the wastelands. They are the ones who will come to Jesus and live under his kingship. During the 1,000 year they will have a chance to hear the word of God. They will not have eternal life, but each will have their own lifetime. They will be discipled. They will have a chance to submit to Jesus and live under his lordship. They will also multiply until their numbers become vast.
Part ll: Satan’s Doom (20:7-10)
At the end of the thousand year reign, the devil will be released. Look at Rev 20:7-8a. It reads,” When the thousand years are over, Satan will be released from his prison 8 and will go out to deceive the nations in the four corners of the earth—Gog and Magog—to gather them for battle….” John doesn’t say why God once again sets Satan free, but it is God’s plan for judging the world. Those living in the millennium will have been given ample opportunity to accept Jesus and his lordship. No one, not even the devil himself, could accuse Jesus as being unfair and not giving people enough time. The devil’s release would sift people, exposing those who are prone to rebel against God in their hearts and confirm those who are faithful to God. Ultimately, Satan’s release results in the final destruction of all evil and the revelation of those who will spend eternity with Christ.
In this life there are circumstances that God allows that serve to sift us. Their origins may be from the devil. How we react to different events shows what is in our hearts. In some ways these are tests. I pray that we may have the strength and the grace to stand up under any test the devil may throw at us. The best way to pass the test is to always respond in humility, repentance and faith. The you will pass.
Apparently there were lots of people, at the end of the Millenium, who were not given over completely to Jesus. Look at verses 8-9a, “and will go out to deceive the nations in the four corners of the earth—Gog and Magog—to gather them for battle. In number they are like the sand on the seashore. 9 They marched across the breadth of the earth and surrounded the camp of God’s people, the city he loves.” How could this be, even after 1,000 years of Jesus’ reign and careful shepherding? This shows us that our hearts have to be made right by the gospel before we can enter into heaven. If our hearts are not right there will battle lines drawn in heaven, against God over and over again. Only those who repent and accept Jesus and believe now will be able to dwell with Jesus forever with no chance of rebellion, ever, just pure joy and gratitude and love in their hearts for the savior who loves them.
This really amazes me how people just don’t get it! Maybe having Jesus reigning and teaching in Jerusalem for 1,000 years made them “home blind” to God. They could have said, “Oh I know Jesus is God, but I don’t care about his presence and I think we have chance to over throw him if we just unite together.” How soon people forget! How indifferent we become to God! How desensitized! How we are ready to commit past mistakes over and over again! May God help each of us to return to our first love!
We know the outcome of this battle. Look at verses 9b-10, “But fire came down from heaven and devoured them. 10 And the devil, who deceived them, was thrown into the lake of burning sulfur, where the beast and the false prophet had been thrown. They will be tormented day and night for ever and ever.” – the beast and his forces are captured and thrown into the fiery lake of burning sulfur. (19:20-21), and fire from heaven devours Satan and his attacking armies. (20:9-10) For God is as easy as that. There should be no doubt, no worry, no second thoughts for believers about whether they have chosen the right side or not. When we are on Jesus side, we are on the winning side!
Part lll: The Great White Throne (11-15)
John then gives us a vision of the final judgment. Look at verse 11-15, “Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. Earth and sky fled from his presence, and there was no place for them. 12 And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books. 13 The sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them, and each person was judged according to what he had done. 14 Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death. 15 If anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.” This is the resurrection of all people, billions of them. Some of them have not accepted Jesus as their own personal Lord and Savior. Some them have, but they were not the ones involved in the first resurrection.
At this judgment, the Book of Life was opened. These books represented God’s judgment, and in them are recorded the deeds of everyone, good or evil. People want to live as if there is on God. They think that they will get away with all the sins they have committed. But that is not true. 2 Corinthians 5:10 reads, “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive what is due him for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad.” No body will get away with anything. They will all answer to God one day. Therefore we should live with a fear of God in our hearts.
Does this mean that some of our deeds will save us? For instance, if you volunteer at “Feed ‘Em Soup” 100 times then you can go to heaven? Does it mean that if you are always nice to people and never say anything that is prejudice or judgmental and never “rock the boat”, and never hurt anyone, then you are going to heaven? No. It means, that while you are in the body, now…in this life…, if you have done things that invite Christ’s salvation in your life, then you will pass through the judgment, all the way to the kingdom of heaven. Doing things like confessing and repenting of your sins. Doing things like listening to what Jesus has to say through his word and deciding to believe it from the heart. It means placing all of your hope and trust in Jesus and deciding to live for his glory and serving his purposes. These are things that will be in your credit at the final judgment. We are not saved by our deeds. We are saved by our personal relationship with Jesus, through faith in his Gospel. But deeds are seen as clear evidence of a person’s actual relationship with God.
The sad reality is that most people will not make it through this judgment. The lake of fire is the ultimate destination of everything wicked – Satan, the beast, the false prophet, the demons, death, Hades, and all those whose names are not recorded in the book of life because they did not place their faith in Jesus Christ. They will have to face an eternity, separated from their Creator and their Savior. Their eternal reality is nothing to be desired. In fact it should be dreaded, for it is hell where their inner torment never dies. John’s vision does not permit any gray areas in God’s judgment. If, by faith we are not identified with Jesus, confessing him as Lord, there will be no hope, no second chance, no other appeal.
But this reality is not for those who take head of Jesus’ words and repent and accept the life giving Gospel. This is how our names get written in the Lamb’s Book of life. Place your reservations today. Right now! Come to Jesus and know that your name will be there. Why put it off?
Unbelieving people are not the last to be thrown into the lake of fire, Death and Hades will also be. Look at verse 14, “Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death.” Hades is the abode of the dead, where the dead await their final judgment. When Death and Hades are thrown into the lake of fire, God’s judgment is finished. Paul talks about this great and glorious time, in 1 Corinthians 15:25-28, “For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. 26 The last enemy to be destroyed is death. 27 For he “has put everything under his feet.”[a] Now when it says that “everything” has been put under him, it is clear that this does not include God himself, who put everything under Christ. 28 When he has done this, then the Son himself will be made subject to him who put everything under him, so that God may be all in all.” Paul also says in 1 Corinthians 15:54-57, “54 When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: “Death has been swallowed up in victory.” 55 “Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?”[b] 56 The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. 57 But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” Praise the Lord, that there will be no more death!” Praise God that in Jesus’ kingdom, there is no more death, there is only life, love and peace everylasting! Jesus will bring all of this about in his time and in his way. Since we have this faith, how shall we live? 1 Corinthains 15:58 reads, “ 58 Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.”
In today’s passage, we learned that through faith in Jesus we can be part of the first resurrection and reign with Jesus in the Millenium. We can be part of Christ’s complete victory over all evil and death. We can also look forward to one day when we will not be harassed by the devil any longer but live in Christ’s peace. We also learned that it is through faith in the blood of Jesus that we can know with certainty that our names will be written in the Lamb’s Book of Life. Don’t you want your name written there? I sure do. Come to Jesus and renew your relationship with him. And in then give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord. It is not in vain.
Part l: The Thousand Years (20:1-6)
1. Read verses 20:1-3. How did an angel seize the devil and throw him into the Abyss? (2) Why was Satan bound in chains? (3) What does it symbolize? (12:9, Mk3:27, Heb2:14, Lk10:18) What is the purpose of rendering the devil powerless? What happens after the Millennium? What is God’s plan about his future release? (3, 17:8;13:1,7,13;16:13)
2. What happens in the first resurrection? (5-6) How are the believers given authority to reign with Christ a thousand years? (6b,1:6)
Part ll: Satan’s Doom (20:7-10)
3. What happens when the thousand years has ended? (7) How has the devil work against the Lord after his release from the Abyss? (7,13:2,7;16:14)
4. Describe the last battle with evil in verses 8-10. What is the sphere of his battle campaign? (8,9) What will finally happen to all the forces of evil? (10) How does the Lord destroy him and throw him into the lake of burning sulfur? (9,10) Think about how the Lord has destroyed all his enemies.
Part lll: The Great White Throne (11-15)
5. What happens at the final judgment when the books are opened? (11-15) How does the
Lord judge after having defeated the devil and his agents? (11) How will people be
judged? (11-14) Who stands before the judgment seat of Christ? (12,13, 2Cor5:10) How
are they judged? What are the books and the book of life, and what are recorded in
them?
6. Who was thrown into the lake of fire? (14) What is the last enemy to be destroyed?
(14,1Cor15:26) Why do we need Jesus?
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
Sunday, May 15, 2011
Revelation 19:12-21
The Rider On The White Horse
Revelation 19:12-21
Key verse 19:11 Shp Kevin Jesmer NIU UBF 5-1-11
“I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True. With justice he judges and makes war.”
We have just come back from our wonderful Easter conference at Timber Lee Wisconsin. There we studied Luke 24, concerning Jesus’ appearance to two disciples on the road to Emmaus. While on the road, Jesus had a deep conversation with the disciples, helping them to understand about the messiah throughout the Old Testament. He pointed out how the Christ was to suffer die and then rise again from the Scriptures. The disciples’ hearts were burning within them as Jesus spoke. And then, when they share an intimate moment of breaking bread together and sharing personal spiritual fellowship, the disciples hearts, and spiritual eyes are were open. They had met the Risen Jesus very personally. Their hearts were elated. They were set free from despair and fear and the power of death. They did a complete 180 and ran to tell the others the good news that Jesus has risen, just as he said, and he was alive forever more.
Currently we are in the midst of studying the biographies of various obscure people in Genesis. But since we just studied all about Jesus’ death and resurrection at the Easter conference, this is a good time to finish off where we had left off in Revelation, for in this last portion we find teachings on God’s judgment, his grace, resurrection and eternal life in the kingdom of God. We can discover what is in store for believers because Jesus suffered, died and rose again for us.
In this passage we will discover the rider on the white horse. He is Jesus. He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood and his name is the Word of God. Out of his mouth comes a sharp sword. With it he strikes down all rebellious nations. He executes God's wrath on the nations of the world. He is King of kings and Lord of lords. Through a study of this passage may we learn more about the rider. May we know his truth and his grace. And may we know that we, who are in Christ, are on the winning side of the King of Kings and Lord of lords. Let’s see….
Part l: The Rider On The White Horse (11-16)
And so, who is this rider? Let’s read verses 11-16. “I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True. With justice he judges and makes war. His eyes are like blazing fire, and on his head are many crowns. He has a name written on him that no one knows but he himself. He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and his name is the Word of God. The armies of heaven were following him, riding on white horses and dressed in fine linen, white and clean. Out of his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations. ‘He will rule them with an iron scepter.’ He treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God Almighty. On his robe and on his thigh he has this name written: King Of Kings And Lord OF Lords.” There is no doubt as to the identity of this glorious King who sits on the white horse. He is Jesus Christ. He is coming with the fury of God to deal judgment on Satan and his cohorts who have stood against God and himself and have corrupted the hearts of people across the centuries. In this image we can learn many important things about Jesus.
First, he is faithful and true. This means that he is constant. The Bible says that Jesus Christ is the same, yesterday, today and forever. (Heb 13:8) His love is the same, unconditional and unfailing. His truth is the same, eternal and steadfast. His promises are the same, faithful and fulfilled. Jesus works faithfully throughout our lifetime, and beyond, to fulfill each and every one of his promises to us. What are his greatest promises? Is it not to forgive us of all of our sins when we repent and place all of our hope and trust in him? Is it not to raise us up again from the dead so that we may spend eternity with him forever? Is it not to produce good fruit in our lives as we follow Jesus during our pilgrimage here on earth? Yes indeed.
I thank God that Jesus is faithful and true. There are very few people in our lives who are faithful and true. There are spouses, our kids, our family, church family and a handful of friends. But even these beautiful relationships fall short of our faithful and true Savior and friend Jesus Christ. Only Jesus can be with us 24/7 and forever. He is with us each and every day of our journey while on this earth. We will be with him in heaven for all eternity.
Second, “With justice he judges and makes war.” His first coming brought forgiveness of sins to us. His second coming will bring judgment. Jesus came first as a Lamb to be sacrificed for sin. But Our God is not just our forgiving friend. He is not just some benevolent grandfather. He is also a righteous judge and he will come to make war on all that is opposition to God. He will return as a Conqueror and King to execute his righteous judgment.
Third, “His eyes are like blazing fire,” Jesus’ eyes are blazing fire. It is not because he was up all night playing video games and watching TV with his friends until 3 in the morning. It is because his vision can penetrate all darkness and burn away all that is impure and unholy to clearly reveal what lies underneath the surface. Sometimes we cover ourselves with our own self righteousness in order to appear holy. But we must know that nothing can be hidden before the eyes of Jesus. All will be laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account. (Heb 4:13) And so the best thing to do is be honest with God right from the beginning.
Fourth, “on his head are many crowns.” Jesus has many crowns on his head. It is because one crown does not do him justice. He is not an ordinary king or ruler. He is the King of kings and the Lord or lords…of all kings and lords that have ever lived. He is the Son of God, the Savior, the Messiah, the One before whom every knee bows to and every tongue confesses. How great and awesome is our King Jesus! Let us submit to his reign in our lives.
Fifth, “He has a name written on him that no one knows but he himself.” Does this confuse anyone? How can the John write this when we know that his name is Jesus. In verse 16 we read, “On his robe and on his thigh he has this name written: King Of Kings And Lord OF Lords.” It seems all you have to do is look at Jesus’ robe and the writing on his thigh to discover his name. But we need to know that the Jews did not even venture to know the name of God. They call him Yahweh or Adonai (rendered: The Lord, the Lord Almighty), but this is just an attempt to represent God. When God spoke to Moses in the burning bush, he told him the name that he Moses should tell Pharaoh. What was that name? “I am who I am.” I once had a poster with over 300 names of Jesus. Why get so touchy about a name? In the Bible when a person knows your name, he knows all about you, your character and personality. He knows the parents and God’s hope and possibly even a prophecy about that person’s life and future. The fact that we can not know the name of the rider on the white horse, reflects the fact that we can not know Jesus fully. No matter how long you have followed Jesus, there is still a mystery about him. He is like a cut diamond, glorious and brilliant and ever changing in beauty each time you look at him from different angles. That is what Jesus is like to us this world. But in the Kingdom of heaven Jesus will be fully known, as we are fully known by God. (1 Cor 13:12) We shall see Jesus fully face to face.
Sixth, “He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood,” This is every house wives cleaning nightmare, for blood is so hard to get out of clothing. Why did he have blood on his robes? Look at verse 19:15b, “…He treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God Almighty.” This blood is a testament of God’s justice. The imagery behind this verse is troubling to think of. The wine press of God’s wrath is a harvest that all people should fear being part of. Revealtion 14:17-20 reads, “Another angel came out of the temple in heaven, and he too had a sharp sickle. 18Still another angel, who had charge of the fire, came from the altar and called in a loud voice to him who had the sharp sickle, ‘Take your sharp sickle and gather the clusters of grapes from the earth's vine, because its grapes are ripe’. 19The angel swung his sickle on the earth, gathered its grapes and threw them into the great winepress of God's wrath. 20They were trampled in the winepress outside the city, and blood flowed out of the press, rising as high as the horses' bridles for a distance of 1,600 stadia.” A winepress was a large vat or trough where grapes were collected and then smashed. The juice flowed out of the spout that emptied into a large holding container. The winepress is used in the Bible as a symbol of God’s wrath and judgment against sin. The blood of billions of people poured out of that wine press for it created a stream of blood 5 feet tall and it spread out for 180 miles. This shows us the urgency of proclaiming the gospel of salvation. According to the book of revelation, billions of people are going to perish in their sins. We should care about this and respond accordingly by sharing the life giving Gospel of Jesus with the world. Again true Christians need not fear this harvest but rather become vigilant.
This imagery would have been especially comforting to the early Christians. They were persecuted beyond belief, by the Roman Empire and Gentile idol worshippers. Hebrews 11:35b-38 reveals some of the persecutions that people of faith have received from the world over the centuries. They read, “…Others were tortured and refused to be released, so that they might gain a better resurrection. 36 Some faced jeers and flogging, while still others were chained and put in prison. 37 They were stoned[f]; they were sawed in two; they were put to death by the sword. They went about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, persecuted and mistreated— 38 the world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts and mountains, and in caves and holes in the ground.” The first century Christians were receiving similar persecutions in their generations. They were receiving very unjust treatment. Some might have prayed, “Lord, I gave my whole life to you. How could you let this happen?”
But in John’s vision we see that victorious conquering Lord Jesus Christ come into this world to bring about his perfect justice. It is kind of hard to understand why a vision of a righteous judge would bring about such comfort and joy to believers. We may not understand because we really have not been persecuted for our faith by the people of the world that much. Maybe we have been ignored. Maybe we have been rejected and hated and excluded from time to time. But we have not had our homes confiscated, been falsely accused and thrown to the lions! Some Christians do experience this type of injustice in other countries. They known the joy of beholding the King of kings and Lord of Lords coming in a robe dipped in blood.
We do undergo injustices sometimes in America. At school one of Mark’s classmates blurted our, “God is a crazy old man!”. Mark stood up for God publically saying, “No he is not!” and the other boy blurted out, “And you’re crazy too!” Last week Jenn was going to take the ACT test. She prayed with two other FCA members in the open, in front of others. There was a person who was really uncomfortable witnessing this. There are times when I think I am raising up more people who hate me than disciples of Jesus. Jesus tells us that if we are his disciples the world will hate us. (Jn 15:18) We should not be hated for our mistakes and foolishness, but persecution should be because we love and follow Jesus.
We are also unjustly treated by the devil himself. The devil will not stop. He is like a roaring lion ready to pounce on you. He will accuse you night and day. He will work on your weaknesses to wear you down. If you try to do good, he will take all you do and say and twist it around and throw it back at you in an attempt to bring you down. Sometimes we are tempted to say, “why me?” I hear this from time to time, “Why God? I have been a good person.” And last week, “If this suffering is the way God is trying to get my attention then it is not working.” Some students may wonder why they failed or why their relationships have broken up or why they are so lonely. They blame God. But I think they should blame the devil for his unjust treatment on their souls and come to Jesus, their conquering Savior who will bring about perfect justice in their lives when they humble themselves and submit to the Lordship of Jesus, Our King of kings and Lord of Lords.
Jesus is the King of Kings who will come to tread out the winepress of God’s wrath, yes…but that is not his initial desire. Jesus did not come to into this world to enslave people, by shedding their blood. He came to set us free and fulfill his perfect justice by suffering and shedding his blood. The sins we have perpetrated towards God and others are very unjust and should be dealt with by God. But because Jesus came into this world, suffered and died as the Pascal Lamb, the price has been paid in full. God’s justice is satisfied. We can be totally forgiven. This is the mark of merciful king Jesus. He is the only one worthy, of our all our love and worship. He is worthy because he did not exercise his power to subject us, but he used his power to free us from the grip of Satan who enslaved us for generations. How precious is Jesus! Jesus’ precious blood dripped down from the cross in order to rescue you and me from sin. Who would do this for us, when we have turned our heads away from him every time a temptation or a pleasure or a temptation to seek personal comfort rose up in our hearts? But Jesus did. And for this he is worthy of our love and devotion.
Seventh, “and his name is the Word of God.” Jesus is the word of God incarnate. John says of Jesus in John 1:1, “In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the word was God.” We use words to communicate with people. We share our hearts, our hopes our dreams, our likes and yes even our dislikes with words. We text our friends with words. God, the Father, is communicating with us through his Son, Jesus. What is his trying to communicate to us in this vision? Jesus is our conquering King, and Lord who his binging about his perfect justice and salvation. We just need to come to him by faith, stand in his side and taste his glorious salvation.
The fact that his name is the “Word of God” means that Jesus did not rule us with human rules and regulations. He ruled us with the living and active word of God. Jesus came to replace the lies in our hearts with the word of God, with the truth. He came to give us a new life based on the eternal word of God which alone can give us newness of life and clear direction. His word is above all things in heaven and on earth. We should cherish it always, rely on it always, uphold it always, and share it with others always.
Eighth, “The armies of heaven were following him, riding on white horses and dressed in fine linen, white and clean.” Who are the armies of heaven? They are the saints of God. Verse 19:8 reads, “Fine linen, bright and clean, was given her to wear.” (Fine linen stands for the righteous acts of the saints.)” They could be born again believers who were made holy by the blood of Jesus and who were raised again to eternal life. They follow their Lord in glorious power and splendor. Their robes were not dipped in blood. Only Jesus’ were. It is because only Jesus is the judge of the living and dead. Vengeance is mine saith the Lord.
He alone had robes dipped in blood because there was no one who could help him. Isaiah 63:1-5 reads, “ 1 Who is this coming from Edom, from Bozrah, with his garments stained crimson? Who is this, robed in splendor, striding forward in the greatness of his strength? It is I, speaking in righteousness, mighty to save.” 2 Why are your garments red, like those of one treading the winepress? 3 ‘I have trodden the winepress alone; from the nations no one was with me. I trampled them in my anger and trod them down in my wrath; their blood spattered my garments, and I stained all my clothing. 4 For the day of vengeance was in my heart, and the year of my redemption has come. 5 I looked, but there was no one to help, I was appalled that no one gave support; so my own arm worked salvation for me, and my own wrath sustained me.’” Only one who is without sin can judge. As for people, all have sinned and have fallen short of the glory of God. No one was qualified. But let us face the facts. Jesus does a lot of things alone because no one wants to help or is qualified to help. Let’s decide to help Jesus and become qualified to help Jesus.
Ninth, “Out of his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations. ‘He will rule them with an iron scepter.’” Jesus is has a sharp double edged sword. It is a very effective spiritual weapon. Hebrews 4:12 reads, “For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.” Some people may think that such an image is too authoritarian. But I personally don’t mind being ruled by Jesus in this way. I welcome it actually. To those who are saved and who know the grace of God, Jesus’ iron scepter feels more like a shepherd’s rod. It is like children who live in a household with a strict dad, but they know that their dad is full of love and they feel safe and secure under his care.
The fact that Jesus rules with an iron scepter is also why not everyone is going to be happy going to heaven,. If they do not like living under the Lordship of Jesus now, then they will baulk at Jesus Lordship in heaven. Some think that life in heaven is a fully paid, all expense paid trip to Club med in the Caribbean where God pays for everything, but doesn’t bother them much. But this is not so. Jesus is the king of Kings and Lord of lords. He has an iron scepter. If you don’t enjoy his lordship in your present condition of heart, you will not enjoy heaven. Our hearts need to be changed by repenting of our sins and asking Jesus into your heart as Lord and Savior.
Part ll: Jesus The Bringer Of Complete Justice (17-21)
Jesus will bring about complete justice. Look at Verses 17-21, “And I saw an angel standing in the sun, who cried in a loud voice to all the birds flying in midair, “Come, gather together for the great supper of God, 18 so that you may eat the flesh of kings, generals, and mighty men, of horses and their riders, and the flesh of all people, free and slave, small and great.” The birds are probably vultures. They gather where there are dead bodies. This image is one of complete victory over the enemies of God.
Jesus is more powerful that the devil and his cohorts. Look at verses 19-21. “Then I saw the beast and the kings of the earth and their armies gathered together to make war against the rider on the horse and his army. 20 But the beast was captured, and with him the false prophet who had performed the miraculous signs on his behalf. With these signs he had deluded those who had received the mark of the beast and worshiped his image. The two of them were thrown alive into the fiery lake of burning sulfur. 21 The rest of them were killed with the sword that came out of the mouth of the rider on the horse, and all the birds gorged themselves on their flesh. This is a very difficult scene. It is a vision of the final demise of the devil and his people whose end will be in the lake of burning sulfur. Sometimes we think that the devil and evil are more powerful than God and his “good”. But this is not so. Jesus is the all power, sovereign Lord. He is more powerful than the devil himself. Nothing can stand in the way of Jesus. In the Lord’s Prayer there is line, “Deliver us from the evil one.” Jesus can and will deliver us from the evil one. We must trust Jesus to work out his good and perfect will in our lives. We must trust Jesus that he will bring all believers to glory.
Jesus is the rider on the white horse. He is truly the King of kings and the Lord of lords. He is my King and my Lord. Would you confess him your King and Lord today and always? It is not a small question. It is a real question that touches our hearts. There are those who confess him by mouth, but their lives are a far cry from him being the King of their lives. Let us renounce and repent of any hypocrisy we find in our hearts and ask his mercy, for he is faithful and true and will cleanse us from all our sins and count us among the blessed. Amen. And we must stand as witnesses to the King whose robe is dipped in blood, and whose name is faithful and true. We must witness that the Lamb is still is willing to pay the price for the sins of everyone who turns from sin and embraces the cross of Jesus and calls for forgiveness and new life. We must witness to all people that the Lamb will triumph. And in the mean while, let us give praise and worship to him, for he is worthy.
Part l: The Rider On The White Horse (11-16)
1. Read vs. 11-16. At last, Jesus returns riding on a white horse to fight his enemies. Why
is he called Faithful and True? How does the appearance of his eyes, head and dress
highlights his character and his truthful judgment? (12,13,15)
2. Why are his clothes dipped in blood? Who are the armies of heaven following him riding
on white horses? (14, 8) How will he rule in the kingdom of God? (16)
Part ll: Jesus The Bringer Of Complete Justice (17-21)
3. Read vs. 17-21. How does an angel invite all the birds to the great supper of God? (17) What is the purpose of birds in this imagery?
4. How have the beast and the false prophet made war against the saints? (20b, 13:7,11:7) How have they gathered to fight the Lord? (19,16:14,16) What is their final destiny? (20,21) Think about the progression of their destruction. Whose side shall we be on?
Revelation 19:12-21
Key verse 19:11 Shp Kevin Jesmer NIU UBF 5-1-11
“I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True. With justice he judges and makes war.”
We have just come back from our wonderful Easter conference at Timber Lee Wisconsin. There we studied Luke 24, concerning Jesus’ appearance to two disciples on the road to Emmaus. While on the road, Jesus had a deep conversation with the disciples, helping them to understand about the messiah throughout the Old Testament. He pointed out how the Christ was to suffer die and then rise again from the Scriptures. The disciples’ hearts were burning within them as Jesus spoke. And then, when they share an intimate moment of breaking bread together and sharing personal spiritual fellowship, the disciples hearts, and spiritual eyes are were open. They had met the Risen Jesus very personally. Their hearts were elated. They were set free from despair and fear and the power of death. They did a complete 180 and ran to tell the others the good news that Jesus has risen, just as he said, and he was alive forever more.
Currently we are in the midst of studying the biographies of various obscure people in Genesis. But since we just studied all about Jesus’ death and resurrection at the Easter conference, this is a good time to finish off where we had left off in Revelation, for in this last portion we find teachings on God’s judgment, his grace, resurrection and eternal life in the kingdom of God. We can discover what is in store for believers because Jesus suffered, died and rose again for us.
In this passage we will discover the rider on the white horse. He is Jesus. He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood and his name is the Word of God. Out of his mouth comes a sharp sword. With it he strikes down all rebellious nations. He executes God's wrath on the nations of the world. He is King of kings and Lord of lords. Through a study of this passage may we learn more about the rider. May we know his truth and his grace. And may we know that we, who are in Christ, are on the winning side of the King of Kings and Lord of lords. Let’s see….
Part l: The Rider On The White Horse (11-16)
And so, who is this rider? Let’s read verses 11-16. “I saw heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and True. With justice he judges and makes war. His eyes are like blazing fire, and on his head are many crowns. He has a name written on him that no one knows but he himself. He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and his name is the Word of God. The armies of heaven were following him, riding on white horses and dressed in fine linen, white and clean. Out of his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations. ‘He will rule them with an iron scepter.’ He treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God Almighty. On his robe and on his thigh he has this name written: King Of Kings And Lord OF Lords.” There is no doubt as to the identity of this glorious King who sits on the white horse. He is Jesus Christ. He is coming with the fury of God to deal judgment on Satan and his cohorts who have stood against God and himself and have corrupted the hearts of people across the centuries. In this image we can learn many important things about Jesus.
First, he is faithful and true. This means that he is constant. The Bible says that Jesus Christ is the same, yesterday, today and forever. (Heb 13:8) His love is the same, unconditional and unfailing. His truth is the same, eternal and steadfast. His promises are the same, faithful and fulfilled. Jesus works faithfully throughout our lifetime, and beyond, to fulfill each and every one of his promises to us. What are his greatest promises? Is it not to forgive us of all of our sins when we repent and place all of our hope and trust in him? Is it not to raise us up again from the dead so that we may spend eternity with him forever? Is it not to produce good fruit in our lives as we follow Jesus during our pilgrimage here on earth? Yes indeed.
I thank God that Jesus is faithful and true. There are very few people in our lives who are faithful and true. There are spouses, our kids, our family, church family and a handful of friends. But even these beautiful relationships fall short of our faithful and true Savior and friend Jesus Christ. Only Jesus can be with us 24/7 and forever. He is with us each and every day of our journey while on this earth. We will be with him in heaven for all eternity.
Second, “With justice he judges and makes war.” His first coming brought forgiveness of sins to us. His second coming will bring judgment. Jesus came first as a Lamb to be sacrificed for sin. But Our God is not just our forgiving friend. He is not just some benevolent grandfather. He is also a righteous judge and he will come to make war on all that is opposition to God. He will return as a Conqueror and King to execute his righteous judgment.
Third, “His eyes are like blazing fire,” Jesus’ eyes are blazing fire. It is not because he was up all night playing video games and watching TV with his friends until 3 in the morning. It is because his vision can penetrate all darkness and burn away all that is impure and unholy to clearly reveal what lies underneath the surface. Sometimes we cover ourselves with our own self righteousness in order to appear holy. But we must know that nothing can be hidden before the eyes of Jesus. All will be laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account. (Heb 4:13) And so the best thing to do is be honest with God right from the beginning.
Fourth, “on his head are many crowns.” Jesus has many crowns on his head. It is because one crown does not do him justice. He is not an ordinary king or ruler. He is the King of kings and the Lord or lords…of all kings and lords that have ever lived. He is the Son of God, the Savior, the Messiah, the One before whom every knee bows to and every tongue confesses. How great and awesome is our King Jesus! Let us submit to his reign in our lives.
Fifth, “He has a name written on him that no one knows but he himself.” Does this confuse anyone? How can the John write this when we know that his name is Jesus. In verse 16 we read, “On his robe and on his thigh he has this name written: King Of Kings And Lord OF Lords.” It seems all you have to do is look at Jesus’ robe and the writing on his thigh to discover his name. But we need to know that the Jews did not even venture to know the name of God. They call him Yahweh or Adonai (rendered: The Lord, the Lord Almighty), but this is just an attempt to represent God. When God spoke to Moses in the burning bush, he told him the name that he Moses should tell Pharaoh. What was that name? “I am who I am.” I once had a poster with over 300 names of Jesus. Why get so touchy about a name? In the Bible when a person knows your name, he knows all about you, your character and personality. He knows the parents and God’s hope and possibly even a prophecy about that person’s life and future. The fact that we can not know the name of the rider on the white horse, reflects the fact that we can not know Jesus fully. No matter how long you have followed Jesus, there is still a mystery about him. He is like a cut diamond, glorious and brilliant and ever changing in beauty each time you look at him from different angles. That is what Jesus is like to us this world. But in the Kingdom of heaven Jesus will be fully known, as we are fully known by God. (1 Cor 13:12) We shall see Jesus fully face to face.
Sixth, “He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood,” This is every house wives cleaning nightmare, for blood is so hard to get out of clothing. Why did he have blood on his robes? Look at verse 19:15b, “…He treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God Almighty.” This blood is a testament of God’s justice. The imagery behind this verse is troubling to think of. The wine press of God’s wrath is a harvest that all people should fear being part of. Revealtion 14:17-20 reads, “Another angel came out of the temple in heaven, and he too had a sharp sickle. 18Still another angel, who had charge of the fire, came from the altar and called in a loud voice to him who had the sharp sickle, ‘Take your sharp sickle and gather the clusters of grapes from the earth's vine, because its grapes are ripe’. 19The angel swung his sickle on the earth, gathered its grapes and threw them into the great winepress of God's wrath. 20They were trampled in the winepress outside the city, and blood flowed out of the press, rising as high as the horses' bridles for a distance of 1,600 stadia.” A winepress was a large vat or trough where grapes were collected and then smashed. The juice flowed out of the spout that emptied into a large holding container. The winepress is used in the Bible as a symbol of God’s wrath and judgment against sin. The blood of billions of people poured out of that wine press for it created a stream of blood 5 feet tall and it spread out for 180 miles. This shows us the urgency of proclaiming the gospel of salvation. According to the book of revelation, billions of people are going to perish in their sins. We should care about this and respond accordingly by sharing the life giving Gospel of Jesus with the world. Again true Christians need not fear this harvest but rather become vigilant.
This imagery would have been especially comforting to the early Christians. They were persecuted beyond belief, by the Roman Empire and Gentile idol worshippers. Hebrews 11:35b-38 reveals some of the persecutions that people of faith have received from the world over the centuries. They read, “…Others were tortured and refused to be released, so that they might gain a better resurrection. 36 Some faced jeers and flogging, while still others were chained and put in prison. 37 They were stoned[f]; they were sawed in two; they were put to death by the sword. They went about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, persecuted and mistreated— 38 the world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts and mountains, and in caves and holes in the ground.” The first century Christians were receiving similar persecutions in their generations. They were receiving very unjust treatment. Some might have prayed, “Lord, I gave my whole life to you. How could you let this happen?”
But in John’s vision we see that victorious conquering Lord Jesus Christ come into this world to bring about his perfect justice. It is kind of hard to understand why a vision of a righteous judge would bring about such comfort and joy to believers. We may not understand because we really have not been persecuted for our faith by the people of the world that much. Maybe we have been ignored. Maybe we have been rejected and hated and excluded from time to time. But we have not had our homes confiscated, been falsely accused and thrown to the lions! Some Christians do experience this type of injustice in other countries. They known the joy of beholding the King of kings and Lord of Lords coming in a robe dipped in blood.
We do undergo injustices sometimes in America. At school one of Mark’s classmates blurted our, “God is a crazy old man!”. Mark stood up for God publically saying, “No he is not!” and the other boy blurted out, “And you’re crazy too!” Last week Jenn was going to take the ACT test. She prayed with two other FCA members in the open, in front of others. There was a person who was really uncomfortable witnessing this. There are times when I think I am raising up more people who hate me than disciples of Jesus. Jesus tells us that if we are his disciples the world will hate us. (Jn 15:18) We should not be hated for our mistakes and foolishness, but persecution should be because we love and follow Jesus.
We are also unjustly treated by the devil himself. The devil will not stop. He is like a roaring lion ready to pounce on you. He will accuse you night and day. He will work on your weaknesses to wear you down. If you try to do good, he will take all you do and say and twist it around and throw it back at you in an attempt to bring you down. Sometimes we are tempted to say, “why me?” I hear this from time to time, “Why God? I have been a good person.” And last week, “If this suffering is the way God is trying to get my attention then it is not working.” Some students may wonder why they failed or why their relationships have broken up or why they are so lonely. They blame God. But I think they should blame the devil for his unjust treatment on their souls and come to Jesus, their conquering Savior who will bring about perfect justice in their lives when they humble themselves and submit to the Lordship of Jesus, Our King of kings and Lord of Lords.
Jesus is the King of Kings who will come to tread out the winepress of God’s wrath, yes…but that is not his initial desire. Jesus did not come to into this world to enslave people, by shedding their blood. He came to set us free and fulfill his perfect justice by suffering and shedding his blood. The sins we have perpetrated towards God and others are very unjust and should be dealt with by God. But because Jesus came into this world, suffered and died as the Pascal Lamb, the price has been paid in full. God’s justice is satisfied. We can be totally forgiven. This is the mark of merciful king Jesus. He is the only one worthy, of our all our love and worship. He is worthy because he did not exercise his power to subject us, but he used his power to free us from the grip of Satan who enslaved us for generations. How precious is Jesus! Jesus’ precious blood dripped down from the cross in order to rescue you and me from sin. Who would do this for us, when we have turned our heads away from him every time a temptation or a pleasure or a temptation to seek personal comfort rose up in our hearts? But Jesus did. And for this he is worthy of our love and devotion.
Seventh, “and his name is the Word of God.” Jesus is the word of God incarnate. John says of Jesus in John 1:1, “In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the word was God.” We use words to communicate with people. We share our hearts, our hopes our dreams, our likes and yes even our dislikes with words. We text our friends with words. God, the Father, is communicating with us through his Son, Jesus. What is his trying to communicate to us in this vision? Jesus is our conquering King, and Lord who his binging about his perfect justice and salvation. We just need to come to him by faith, stand in his side and taste his glorious salvation.
The fact that his name is the “Word of God” means that Jesus did not rule us with human rules and regulations. He ruled us with the living and active word of God. Jesus came to replace the lies in our hearts with the word of God, with the truth. He came to give us a new life based on the eternal word of God which alone can give us newness of life and clear direction. His word is above all things in heaven and on earth. We should cherish it always, rely on it always, uphold it always, and share it with others always.
Eighth, “The armies of heaven were following him, riding on white horses and dressed in fine linen, white and clean.” Who are the armies of heaven? They are the saints of God. Verse 19:8 reads, “Fine linen, bright and clean, was given her to wear.” (Fine linen stands for the righteous acts of the saints.)” They could be born again believers who were made holy by the blood of Jesus and who were raised again to eternal life. They follow their Lord in glorious power and splendor. Their robes were not dipped in blood. Only Jesus’ were. It is because only Jesus is the judge of the living and dead. Vengeance is mine saith the Lord.
He alone had robes dipped in blood because there was no one who could help him. Isaiah 63:1-5 reads, “ 1 Who is this coming from Edom, from Bozrah, with his garments stained crimson? Who is this, robed in splendor, striding forward in the greatness of his strength? It is I, speaking in righteousness, mighty to save.” 2 Why are your garments red, like those of one treading the winepress? 3 ‘I have trodden the winepress alone; from the nations no one was with me. I trampled them in my anger and trod them down in my wrath; their blood spattered my garments, and I stained all my clothing. 4 For the day of vengeance was in my heart, and the year of my redemption has come. 5 I looked, but there was no one to help, I was appalled that no one gave support; so my own arm worked salvation for me, and my own wrath sustained me.’” Only one who is without sin can judge. As for people, all have sinned and have fallen short of the glory of God. No one was qualified. But let us face the facts. Jesus does a lot of things alone because no one wants to help or is qualified to help. Let’s decide to help Jesus and become qualified to help Jesus.
Ninth, “Out of his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations. ‘He will rule them with an iron scepter.’” Jesus is has a sharp double edged sword. It is a very effective spiritual weapon. Hebrews 4:12 reads, “For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.” Some people may think that such an image is too authoritarian. But I personally don’t mind being ruled by Jesus in this way. I welcome it actually. To those who are saved and who know the grace of God, Jesus’ iron scepter feels more like a shepherd’s rod. It is like children who live in a household with a strict dad, but they know that their dad is full of love and they feel safe and secure under his care.
The fact that Jesus rules with an iron scepter is also why not everyone is going to be happy going to heaven,. If they do not like living under the Lordship of Jesus now, then they will baulk at Jesus Lordship in heaven. Some think that life in heaven is a fully paid, all expense paid trip to Club med in the Caribbean where God pays for everything, but doesn’t bother them much. But this is not so. Jesus is the king of Kings and Lord of lords. He has an iron scepter. If you don’t enjoy his lordship in your present condition of heart, you will not enjoy heaven. Our hearts need to be changed by repenting of our sins and asking Jesus into your heart as Lord and Savior.
Part ll: Jesus The Bringer Of Complete Justice (17-21)
Jesus will bring about complete justice. Look at Verses 17-21, “And I saw an angel standing in the sun, who cried in a loud voice to all the birds flying in midair, “Come, gather together for the great supper of God, 18 so that you may eat the flesh of kings, generals, and mighty men, of horses and their riders, and the flesh of all people, free and slave, small and great.” The birds are probably vultures. They gather where there are dead bodies. This image is one of complete victory over the enemies of God.
Jesus is more powerful that the devil and his cohorts. Look at verses 19-21. “Then I saw the beast and the kings of the earth and their armies gathered together to make war against the rider on the horse and his army. 20 But the beast was captured, and with him the false prophet who had performed the miraculous signs on his behalf. With these signs he had deluded those who had received the mark of the beast and worshiped his image. The two of them were thrown alive into the fiery lake of burning sulfur. 21 The rest of them were killed with the sword that came out of the mouth of the rider on the horse, and all the birds gorged themselves on their flesh. This is a very difficult scene. It is a vision of the final demise of the devil and his people whose end will be in the lake of burning sulfur. Sometimes we think that the devil and evil are more powerful than God and his “good”. But this is not so. Jesus is the all power, sovereign Lord. He is more powerful than the devil himself. Nothing can stand in the way of Jesus. In the Lord’s Prayer there is line, “Deliver us from the evil one.” Jesus can and will deliver us from the evil one. We must trust Jesus to work out his good and perfect will in our lives. We must trust Jesus that he will bring all believers to glory.
Jesus is the rider on the white horse. He is truly the King of kings and the Lord of lords. He is my King and my Lord. Would you confess him your King and Lord today and always? It is not a small question. It is a real question that touches our hearts. There are those who confess him by mouth, but their lives are a far cry from him being the King of their lives. Let us renounce and repent of any hypocrisy we find in our hearts and ask his mercy, for he is faithful and true and will cleanse us from all our sins and count us among the blessed. Amen. And we must stand as witnesses to the King whose robe is dipped in blood, and whose name is faithful and true. We must witness that the Lamb is still is willing to pay the price for the sins of everyone who turns from sin and embraces the cross of Jesus and calls for forgiveness and new life. We must witness to all people that the Lamb will triumph. And in the mean while, let us give praise and worship to him, for he is worthy.
Part l: The Rider On The White Horse (11-16)
1. Read vs. 11-16. At last, Jesus returns riding on a white horse to fight his enemies. Why
is he called Faithful and True? How does the appearance of his eyes, head and dress
highlights his character and his truthful judgment? (12,13,15)
2. Why are his clothes dipped in blood? Who are the armies of heaven following him riding
on white horses? (14, 8) How will he rule in the kingdom of God? (16)
Part ll: Jesus The Bringer Of Complete Justice (17-21)
3. Read vs. 17-21. How does an angel invite all the birds to the great supper of God? (17) What is the purpose of birds in this imagery?
4. How have the beast and the false prophet made war against the saints? (20b, 13:7,11:7) How have they gathered to fight the Lord? (19,16:14,16) What is their final destiny? (20,21) Think about the progression of their destruction. Whose side shall we be on?
Genesis 24:1-66
What Ever Happened To Eliezer Of Damascus?
Genesis 24:1-66 Shp Kevin Jesmer NIU UBF
Key Verse 24: 12
“Then he prayed, ‘O LORD, God of my master Abraham, give me success today, and show kindness to my master Abraham.’”
Eliezer of Damascas, was a servant who, with great diligence and faith in God carried out the tasks assigned to him, to carefully and meticulously find a spouse for Abraham’s son. The meaning of his name is, “God is (of) help.” Eliezer was Abram’s chief servant, and "son of his house," that is, one of his large household. Eliezer demonstrated a high priority on the desires of his master and not one iota on his own needs. As servants of our master Jesus Christ, we need to emulate both the selflessness and obedience of Eliezer as well as his deep dependency upon God. We can learn from him what it means to be a servant of God and an ambassador of Jesus. We can learn how to be a most trusted servant of our Lord Jesus in our mission field.
Part l: A Faithful And Trusted Servant (Gen 15:2, 24:1)
Eliezer of Damascus and Abraham go a log way back, at least to the time of Abraham’s original call from God. He was there when Lot left Abraham for good in Genesis 14. You may recall that Lot had abandoned Abraham in order to live in Sodom and Gomorrah. Even when Abraham and his 318 trained men and his allies went in pursuit of Lot and rescued him from Kedorlaomer’s armies and from certain slavery, Lot decided to go back to Sodom to live. It was a hard blow to Abraham. He had hoped that Lot would return and live as the “son he never had.” But he did not. He once again abandoned Abraham for he sake of his worldly desires. Abraham was in deep despair and was searching for someone else he could hope to pass on his inheritance and ultimately the blessings of God. He thought about one of his most faithful and trusted people in his life, Eliezer of Damascus.
Here is an interesting fact. Eliezer’s name, if you translate the name to Hebrew add up the sum of the letters, it comes out to 318. This may reveal that Eliezer fought next to Abraham’s side when they routed Kedorlaomer and his army.
Abraham was convinced that Eliezer would inherit his estate and a great and powerful nation would come from him. And so Abraham cried out to God in Genesis 15:2,3, “But Abram said, ‘O Sovereign LORD, what can you give me since I remain childless and the one who will inherit [c] my estate is Eliezer of Damascus?" 3 And Abram said, "You have given me no children; so a servant in my household will be my heir." God made it clear in verse 4 that this servant would not be the heir. Rather a son from Abraham’s own body would be an heir. But it does illustrate the close relationship they had. Eliezer was loyal to Abraham. He was there when Abraham was called at 75 years old. He was there at Sarah’s death when she was 137. He was there when Abraham want to get a son for his son, Isaac, who was 40 years old. Abraham had known Eliezer for at least 65 years! Wow! Can you imagine having such a loyal friend in your life for at least 65 years!
It is not easy to make and keep friendships and co-working relationships. We all tend to drift apart. Those who keep their friends over a decade are truly blessed. There could be one person or two. Julie’s mother has a friend that she has kept from kindergarten, almost 6 decades! We may have many companions, but the Bible says that there is one who sticks closer than a brother. (Proverbs 18:24) A professor/shepherd friend once posted one thing his dad taught him. He said that if he could do it all over again, he would have more friends. One senior told me that when his father died, his father did not have one single friend. We need to have and keep friendships in our lives. To do so requires forgiveness, loyalty, faithfulness and commitment. Then you have a chance to have a co-working/friendship like that of Abraham and Eliezer that spans the decades. I thank God co-working friendships with Shp Teddy and Liz and Triton co-workers that have spanned 20 years now and the co-working friendships that I have had with Msn David and other DuPage UBF members for the last 10 years. May God grant you such co-working friendships in your life and ministry.
Eliezer was Abraham’s most trusted servant. We can get a glimpse in the Bible what it means to be a most trusted servant. Let us think of Joseph. Genesis 39:2-6b reads, “… 2 The LORD was with Joseph and he prospered, and he lived in the house of his Egyptian master. 3 When his master saw that the LORD was with him and that the LORD gave him success in everything he did, 4 Joseph found favor in his eyes and became his attendant. Potiphar put him in charge of his household, and he entrusted to his care everything he owned. 5 From the time he put him in charge of his household and of all that he owned, the LORD blessed the household of the Egyptian because of Joseph. The blessing of the LORD was on everything Potiphar had, both in the house and in the field. 6 So he left in Joseph’s care everything he had; with Joseph in charge, he did not concern himself with anything except the food he ate.” This was Joseph, but it is also anyone who becomes a trusted servant. One who is such a person has some personal stewardship over a household. They have a sense of ownership. Whatever they find to do, they do it with their whole hearts. (Ecc 9:10) In our ministry we pray to raise up such a person. We call such a person, “An Abraham of faith.” It is a person who says, “even if nobody stays, I will stay because this is where God wants me to be and this is the work that he wants me to build up.”
It is not easy to have such an attitude. It is hard to be faithful to even fulfill our own needs. We drift here and there like a ship without an anchor. But we can be like Eliezer when we have experienced Jesus’ faithfulness and commitment to us. Jesus is our good shepherd. He lays down his life for the sheep. (Jn 10:10) He is very faithful and true to his mission to live and die as the Lamb of God. If you think about it, Jesus has been faithfully loving and serving us for decades and he will never stop. When we taste Jesus’ faithful serving and his true friendship, we can become a little more like Eliezer of Damascus ourselves.
Part ll: A Servant Of God On A Mission (24:2-67)
In Chapter 24 we get a glimpse of what kind of servant Eliezer was. He set a perfect example of a person who carries out his mission from God. In 24:2-3, we find 139 year old Abraham wanting to find a wife for his son Isaac. This was a very serious mission. The proper wife would help Isaac live by faith and grow as a man of God who could live by faith his entire life. When Eliezer put his hand under Abraham’s thigh he was committing himself to Abraham’s mission, but also to the mission of God. It really had nothing to do with him and his personal benefit. It was all about Abraham’s mission and God’s will. Do we only do things that give us personal benefit? Or do we ask God in prayer what he wants us to do and do it? Let’s try to be a little more like Eliezer?
Eliezer had faith in God. Look at verse 5. “The servant asked him, "What if the woman is unwilling to come back with me to this land? Shall I then take your son back to the country you came from?" He foresaw a problem. What if the girl would not come back with him to marry Isaac? Abraham taught him faith. He promised that the angel of the Lord would go on ahead of him. He accepted this word of counsel. We want to go places where the road is clear and well marked. But Jesus calls us to places where there are no charted roads at all. He calls us to embrace tasks that are much greater than ourselves and impossible for us to accomplish on our own. How can we do such things? We can not. We can only do so when we have faith that God is with us and he is going on ahead of us to help us fulfill our mission in the Lord. That is the basis of Jesus’ world mission command. Let’s read it, Matthew 28:18-20, “Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age." Jesus is with you to obey Jesus’ world mission command. This was Eliezer’s faith.
Eliezer was man who was totally prepared for his mission. Look at verse 10. “Then the servant took ten of his master's camels and left, taking with him all kinds of good things from his master. He set out for Aram Naharaim [h] and made his way to the town of Nahor.” He prepared ten camels and all the essentials for his journey. He did not just do things off the cuff. He was prepared, not only in prayer, but also in practical matters. Paul urges us to be prepared servants of God in 2 Timothy 2:21, “If a man cleanses himself from the latter, he will be an instrument for noble purposes, made holy, useful to the Master and prepared to do any good work.” We need to be prepared servants of God and then we can be ready when God calls us to a mission. I thank God for Hope. The opportunity came up for her to teach the Bible to one of her friends. She was prepared. She took good notes during group Bible study and kept them in a binder. She was ready to share what she knew from Revelation even though she is eleven years old. We may fly by the seat of our pants on many issues of life, but we can not do it with Jesus and the mission of God. Let’s be prepared servants of God, like Eliezer!
Eliezer was a man of prayer. Look at verse12-14. “ 12 Then he prayed, ‘O LORD, God of my master Abraham, give me success today, and show kindness to my master Abraham. 13 See, I am standing beside this spring, and the daughters of the townspeople are coming out to draw water. 14 May it be that when I say to a girl, 'Please let down your jar that I may have a drink,' and she says, 'Drink, and I'll water your camels too'-let her be the one you have chosen for your servant Isaac. By this I will know that you have shown kindness to my master.’" He prayed at the beginning. He prayed during. And he prayed at the end of his mission. He depended on God in prayer. He prayed specifically for God to guide him to right woman. He did not jump to conclusions and become presumptuous. He was very careful that God was answering his prayer in detail.
We need to learn pray from Eliezer. We must pray before we do anything for Jesus. The truth is that more things are wrought from our prayers than from our actions. Do you pray before you practice music or have a Bible study? We are so overconfident in ourselves and in our own abilities, which are ineffective compared to God’s abilities. But Eliezer was not proud. He prayed. He depended on God. He knew he was weak and helpless, and that God is almighty. Let’s learn to depend on God in prayer as we serve Jesus’ mission.
Eliezer was also a generous man. When he discovered that God answered his prayer he unloaded treasures on Rebekah and her family. Look at verses 22 and 53, “When the camels had finished drinking, the man took out a gold nose ring weighing a beka [i] and two gold bracelets weighing ten shekels.” and “Then the servant brought out gold and silver jewelry and articles of clothing and gave them to Rebekah; he also gave costly gifts to her brother and to her mother.” He gave away bracelets and a nose ring of 4 oz of gold. That is worth $2,000 today. He gave the best things of Canaan to the family. He did not hold back. Some may say, “Well that was not his, it was Abraham’s”. But it still required generosity on his part. He could have kept some for himself and checked a few bars and shopping malls on his way back to the Promised Land. All that we have is given to us by God. God gives us wealth to serve others with. None of it is our own. And yet we become misers and want to hoard our wealth for ourselves. How selfish! Eliezer battled with the same feelings. Yet he never kept things for himself. He overcome and was very generous. Jesus became poor so that we can be made rich spiritually. 2 Corinthians 2:9:11, reads, “You will be made rich in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God.” We need to be generous Christians and dole out the blessings of God, like Eliezer did. Cast your bread upon the waters and it will come back on every wave. (Ecc 11:1)
He was a bold and confident servant of God. Once he knew that his prayers were answered he boldly put a nose ring in a girl’s nose. Can you do that? He also invited himself to her house and he confidently told the facts about how God was leading in this whole situation. He was totally committed to the work of God. He was focused on God’s mission. And God’s spirit was at work in his heart to make him bold. Eliezer’s boldness reminds me of Jesus who boldly called out to Zacchaeus and invited himself and his disciples to Zacchaeus’ house for supper. (Luke 19:5) It is not easy to open our mouths and be bold when it comes to the work of God. We are bold in voicing our opinions, but not in regards to the Gospel. But Paul, in 2 Corinthians 3:12 says, “Therefore, since we have such a hope, we are very bold.” Paul also urged young Timothy to be bold. He wrote, “For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self discipline.” (2 Tim 1:7) It is not easy to be bold when we are surrounded by 95% unbelieving people. But when the hope of God is alive in your heart you can be a bold servant of God like Eliezer.
Eliezer was very earnest and focused in completing his mission. Look at verses 33a and 56. “Then food was set before him, but he said, "I will not eat until I have told you what I have to say…" and “But he said to them, ‘Do not detain me, now that the LORD has granted success to my journey. Send me on my way so I may go to my master.’" He could have kicked back and enjoyed the hospitality of Rebekah’s family, and rested for ten days. But he knew he was on a mission and the time for rest would come after his mission was complete. He was like a soldier on a mission. 2 Tim 2:4 reads, “4 No one serving as a soldier gets involved in civilian affairs—he wants to please his commanding officer.” What would it be like if our soldiers, when they went to Iraq, suddenly decided they wanted to take a short vacation? They need to be true to their mission right to the end. Jesus also said that a person who puts his had to plow and looks back is not fit for service in the kingdom of God. (Luke 9:62) Where would we be if Jesus decided to take a break from being our Savior? Taking a break and a vacation is not bad. But Eliezer knew that when he need to do something for God, he needed do it to completion.
When he had this attitude other people recognized him as a servant of God. Look at verses 34 and 50. “So he said, ‘I am Abraham's servant’” and “Laban and Bethuel answered, ‘This is from the LORD; we can say nothing to you one way or the other.’” Eliezer was very clear about his identity as Abraham’s servant doing a very important mission for God. And he served that mission with his whole heart without any duplicity. He was trustworthy and true. When he had this core quality about him, people saw him as a servant of God. People responded to him. People should not be surprised one day, to hear that we are Christians, “Oh I didn’t know you believed in Jesus.” People around you must know you are a servant of Christ Jesus, like Eliezer was known.
Eliezer had spiritual authority to help other people make decisions of faith. Look at verses 50-51 and 58. “Laban and Bethuel answered, ‘This is from the LORD; we can say nothing to you one way or the other. 51 Here is Rebekah; take her and go, and let her become the wife of your master's son, as the LORD has directed.’" and “So they called Rebekah and asked her, ‘Will you go with this man?’ ‘I will go,’ she said.” He did not procrastinate. He presented the clear facts about what God was doing and he challenged them to make a decision that required a whole lot of faith. As servants of God we can be friends with people. We can encourage them and we need to do these things. But do we have enough spiritual clout and authority to help people decide to do things that don’t come natural to them? How about convincing them to do something that requires faith, like being faithful to Sunday worship service? What about offering? What about actually deciding to teach what they know about Jesus to another person? Eliezer had this kind of authority and we need it too. Where can we get it? It does not come from having a theology degree. Such spiritual authority is found in Jesus alone. Look at the world mission command again in Matthew 28:18-20, ““Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.". “all authority..” Jesus has all authority in heaven and earth and he is willing to give it to us when we decide to strand as servants of God who want to serve Jesus’ mission in this world.
Eliezer shared all good things with his master. Look at verse 66. “Then the servant told Isaac all he had done.” Galatians 6:6 reads, “Anyone who receives instruction in the word must share all good things with his instructor.” This means to share about the great and glorious work of God going on, in and through our lives. How easy it is to become mute and stumble over our words when it comes to telling what the Lord has done in our lives and ministry. It is almost like we don’t know who to talk. In our ministry we are tending to drift away from writing testimonies. But we need to learn how to share what God is doing in our lives with others. Otherwise we don’t have anything to say or share. Testimonies are not just repenting of our sins. It is also telling the world about all God has done. Let’s be like Eliezer who can share the good things of God.
In this passage we see the importance of making and keeping friendships and co-working relationships with other people of faith. We learned what it means to be a most trusted servant who carries out a mission from God. This may not sound so appealing in our freedom obsessed culture, but it is essential for a servant of Christ. We also learned that Eliezer had faith in God. He was man who was totally prepared for his mission. He was a man of prayer and also a generous man. He was a bold and confident and very earnest and focused in completing his mission. When he had this attitude other people recognized him as a servant of God and God gave him spiritual authority to help other people make decisions of faith. May God help you be a faithful and true friend and servant of God. May God raise up a whole new generation of Eliezer’s among us.
Part l: A Faithful And Trusted Servant (Gen 15:2, 24:1)
1. Who was the Abraham’s most trusted servant? What hope did Abraham have in him? (15:2) How many years did he serve in Abraham’s tent village? (Gen 24:1) What does the fact that he put him in charge of all he had mean? Who else was like this? (Gen 29 ;20-23; 41:41) What attitude is necessary in order to be such a servant? (Eph 6:7) Summarize what it means to be a most trusted servant?
Part ll: A Servant Of God On A Mission (24:2-67)
2. What was the mission that Abraham gave his servant? (24:2-4) What shows the
seriousness of this mission? (2b) How important was it? What difficulty did the
servant foresee? (5) How did Abraham plant faith in Eliezer’s heart? (7) Why is
this the faith that God wants his servants to have? (Matt 28:18-20)
3. How did Eliezer prepare for his mission? (10; 2Tim 2:21, 4:12) Where did he start his search for a wife? How did he begin his search? (12) What can we learn from his prayer? (12-14) How was he careful to find out if God answered his prayer? (17,21) What can we learn about prayer from Eliezer?
4. When he was confident that God had answered his prayer, what did he do?
What shows his generosity? (22, 53) What did he do when he discovered God answered his prayer? (26) What identity did he have? (34) On what did he base his decisions? (35-49)What qualities does a servant of God have? (2 Cor 3:12; Luke 19:5; 2 Cor 9:11)
5. What earnestness did the servant have in regards to his mission? (33, 56; 2 Tim 2:4) How did other people see him? (31; 50)
6. How did he help the family to make a decision of faith? (50-51, 58) How can you have enough spiritual authority to help other make decisions that require faith? (Matt 28:18) What did Eliezer do when he brought Rebekah to Issac? What does this mean practically? (Gal 6:6)
Genesis 24:1-66 Shp Kevin Jesmer NIU UBF
Key Verse 24: 12
“Then he prayed, ‘O LORD, God of my master Abraham, give me success today, and show kindness to my master Abraham.’”
Eliezer of Damascas, was a servant who, with great diligence and faith in God carried out the tasks assigned to him, to carefully and meticulously find a spouse for Abraham’s son. The meaning of his name is, “God is (of) help.” Eliezer was Abram’s chief servant, and "son of his house," that is, one of his large household. Eliezer demonstrated a high priority on the desires of his master and not one iota on his own needs. As servants of our master Jesus Christ, we need to emulate both the selflessness and obedience of Eliezer as well as his deep dependency upon God. We can learn from him what it means to be a servant of God and an ambassador of Jesus. We can learn how to be a most trusted servant of our Lord Jesus in our mission field.
Part l: A Faithful And Trusted Servant (Gen 15:2, 24:1)
Eliezer of Damascus and Abraham go a log way back, at least to the time of Abraham’s original call from God. He was there when Lot left Abraham for good in Genesis 14. You may recall that Lot had abandoned Abraham in order to live in Sodom and Gomorrah. Even when Abraham and his 318 trained men and his allies went in pursuit of Lot and rescued him from Kedorlaomer’s armies and from certain slavery, Lot decided to go back to Sodom to live. It was a hard blow to Abraham. He had hoped that Lot would return and live as the “son he never had.” But he did not. He once again abandoned Abraham for he sake of his worldly desires. Abraham was in deep despair and was searching for someone else he could hope to pass on his inheritance and ultimately the blessings of God. He thought about one of his most faithful and trusted people in his life, Eliezer of Damascus.
Here is an interesting fact. Eliezer’s name, if you translate the name to Hebrew add up the sum of the letters, it comes out to 318. This may reveal that Eliezer fought next to Abraham’s side when they routed Kedorlaomer and his army.
Abraham was convinced that Eliezer would inherit his estate and a great and powerful nation would come from him. And so Abraham cried out to God in Genesis 15:2,3, “But Abram said, ‘O Sovereign LORD, what can you give me since I remain childless and the one who will inherit [c] my estate is Eliezer of Damascus?" 3 And Abram said, "You have given me no children; so a servant in my household will be my heir." God made it clear in verse 4 that this servant would not be the heir. Rather a son from Abraham’s own body would be an heir. But it does illustrate the close relationship they had. Eliezer was loyal to Abraham. He was there when Abraham was called at 75 years old. He was there at Sarah’s death when she was 137. He was there when Abraham want to get a son for his son, Isaac, who was 40 years old. Abraham had known Eliezer for at least 65 years! Wow! Can you imagine having such a loyal friend in your life for at least 65 years!
It is not easy to make and keep friendships and co-working relationships. We all tend to drift apart. Those who keep their friends over a decade are truly blessed. There could be one person or two. Julie’s mother has a friend that she has kept from kindergarten, almost 6 decades! We may have many companions, but the Bible says that there is one who sticks closer than a brother. (Proverbs 18:24) A professor/shepherd friend once posted one thing his dad taught him. He said that if he could do it all over again, he would have more friends. One senior told me that when his father died, his father did not have one single friend. We need to have and keep friendships in our lives. To do so requires forgiveness, loyalty, faithfulness and commitment. Then you have a chance to have a co-working/friendship like that of Abraham and Eliezer that spans the decades. I thank God co-working friendships with Shp Teddy and Liz and Triton co-workers that have spanned 20 years now and the co-working friendships that I have had with Msn David and other DuPage UBF members for the last 10 years. May God grant you such co-working friendships in your life and ministry.
Eliezer was Abraham’s most trusted servant. We can get a glimpse in the Bible what it means to be a most trusted servant. Let us think of Joseph. Genesis 39:2-6b reads, “… 2 The LORD was with Joseph and he prospered, and he lived in the house of his Egyptian master. 3 When his master saw that the LORD was with him and that the LORD gave him success in everything he did, 4 Joseph found favor in his eyes and became his attendant. Potiphar put him in charge of his household, and he entrusted to his care everything he owned. 5 From the time he put him in charge of his household and of all that he owned, the LORD blessed the household of the Egyptian because of Joseph. The blessing of the LORD was on everything Potiphar had, both in the house and in the field. 6 So he left in Joseph’s care everything he had; with Joseph in charge, he did not concern himself with anything except the food he ate.” This was Joseph, but it is also anyone who becomes a trusted servant. One who is such a person has some personal stewardship over a household. They have a sense of ownership. Whatever they find to do, they do it with their whole hearts. (Ecc 9:10) In our ministry we pray to raise up such a person. We call such a person, “An Abraham of faith.” It is a person who says, “even if nobody stays, I will stay because this is where God wants me to be and this is the work that he wants me to build up.”
It is not easy to have such an attitude. It is hard to be faithful to even fulfill our own needs. We drift here and there like a ship without an anchor. But we can be like Eliezer when we have experienced Jesus’ faithfulness and commitment to us. Jesus is our good shepherd. He lays down his life for the sheep. (Jn 10:10) He is very faithful and true to his mission to live and die as the Lamb of God. If you think about it, Jesus has been faithfully loving and serving us for decades and he will never stop. When we taste Jesus’ faithful serving and his true friendship, we can become a little more like Eliezer of Damascus ourselves.
Part ll: A Servant Of God On A Mission (24:2-67)
In Chapter 24 we get a glimpse of what kind of servant Eliezer was. He set a perfect example of a person who carries out his mission from God. In 24:2-3, we find 139 year old Abraham wanting to find a wife for his son Isaac. This was a very serious mission. The proper wife would help Isaac live by faith and grow as a man of God who could live by faith his entire life. When Eliezer put his hand under Abraham’s thigh he was committing himself to Abraham’s mission, but also to the mission of God. It really had nothing to do with him and his personal benefit. It was all about Abraham’s mission and God’s will. Do we only do things that give us personal benefit? Or do we ask God in prayer what he wants us to do and do it? Let’s try to be a little more like Eliezer?
Eliezer had faith in God. Look at verse 5. “The servant asked him, "What if the woman is unwilling to come back with me to this land? Shall I then take your son back to the country you came from?" He foresaw a problem. What if the girl would not come back with him to marry Isaac? Abraham taught him faith. He promised that the angel of the Lord would go on ahead of him. He accepted this word of counsel. We want to go places where the road is clear and well marked. But Jesus calls us to places where there are no charted roads at all. He calls us to embrace tasks that are much greater than ourselves and impossible for us to accomplish on our own. How can we do such things? We can not. We can only do so when we have faith that God is with us and he is going on ahead of us to help us fulfill our mission in the Lord. That is the basis of Jesus’ world mission command. Let’s read it, Matthew 28:18-20, “Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age." Jesus is with you to obey Jesus’ world mission command. This was Eliezer’s faith.
Eliezer was man who was totally prepared for his mission. Look at verse 10. “Then the servant took ten of his master's camels and left, taking with him all kinds of good things from his master. He set out for Aram Naharaim [h] and made his way to the town of Nahor.” He prepared ten camels and all the essentials for his journey. He did not just do things off the cuff. He was prepared, not only in prayer, but also in practical matters. Paul urges us to be prepared servants of God in 2 Timothy 2:21, “If a man cleanses himself from the latter, he will be an instrument for noble purposes, made holy, useful to the Master and prepared to do any good work.” We need to be prepared servants of God and then we can be ready when God calls us to a mission. I thank God for Hope. The opportunity came up for her to teach the Bible to one of her friends. She was prepared. She took good notes during group Bible study and kept them in a binder. She was ready to share what she knew from Revelation even though she is eleven years old. We may fly by the seat of our pants on many issues of life, but we can not do it with Jesus and the mission of God. Let’s be prepared servants of God, like Eliezer!
Eliezer was a man of prayer. Look at verse12-14. “ 12 Then he prayed, ‘O LORD, God of my master Abraham, give me success today, and show kindness to my master Abraham. 13 See, I am standing beside this spring, and the daughters of the townspeople are coming out to draw water. 14 May it be that when I say to a girl, 'Please let down your jar that I may have a drink,' and she says, 'Drink, and I'll water your camels too'-let her be the one you have chosen for your servant Isaac. By this I will know that you have shown kindness to my master.’" He prayed at the beginning. He prayed during. And he prayed at the end of his mission. He depended on God in prayer. He prayed specifically for God to guide him to right woman. He did not jump to conclusions and become presumptuous. He was very careful that God was answering his prayer in detail.
We need to learn pray from Eliezer. We must pray before we do anything for Jesus. The truth is that more things are wrought from our prayers than from our actions. Do you pray before you practice music or have a Bible study? We are so overconfident in ourselves and in our own abilities, which are ineffective compared to God’s abilities. But Eliezer was not proud. He prayed. He depended on God. He knew he was weak and helpless, and that God is almighty. Let’s learn to depend on God in prayer as we serve Jesus’ mission.
Eliezer was also a generous man. When he discovered that God answered his prayer he unloaded treasures on Rebekah and her family. Look at verses 22 and 53, “When the camels had finished drinking, the man took out a gold nose ring weighing a beka [i] and two gold bracelets weighing ten shekels.” and “Then the servant brought out gold and silver jewelry and articles of clothing and gave them to Rebekah; he also gave costly gifts to her brother and to her mother.” He gave away bracelets and a nose ring of 4 oz of gold. That is worth $2,000 today. He gave the best things of Canaan to the family. He did not hold back. Some may say, “Well that was not his, it was Abraham’s”. But it still required generosity on his part. He could have kept some for himself and checked a few bars and shopping malls on his way back to the Promised Land. All that we have is given to us by God. God gives us wealth to serve others with. None of it is our own. And yet we become misers and want to hoard our wealth for ourselves. How selfish! Eliezer battled with the same feelings. Yet he never kept things for himself. He overcome and was very generous. Jesus became poor so that we can be made rich spiritually. 2 Corinthians 2:9:11, reads, “You will be made rich in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God.” We need to be generous Christians and dole out the blessings of God, like Eliezer did. Cast your bread upon the waters and it will come back on every wave. (Ecc 11:1)
He was a bold and confident servant of God. Once he knew that his prayers were answered he boldly put a nose ring in a girl’s nose. Can you do that? He also invited himself to her house and he confidently told the facts about how God was leading in this whole situation. He was totally committed to the work of God. He was focused on God’s mission. And God’s spirit was at work in his heart to make him bold. Eliezer’s boldness reminds me of Jesus who boldly called out to Zacchaeus and invited himself and his disciples to Zacchaeus’ house for supper. (Luke 19:5) It is not easy to open our mouths and be bold when it comes to the work of God. We are bold in voicing our opinions, but not in regards to the Gospel. But Paul, in 2 Corinthians 3:12 says, “Therefore, since we have such a hope, we are very bold.” Paul also urged young Timothy to be bold. He wrote, “For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self discipline.” (2 Tim 1:7) It is not easy to be bold when we are surrounded by 95% unbelieving people. But when the hope of God is alive in your heart you can be a bold servant of God like Eliezer.
Eliezer was very earnest and focused in completing his mission. Look at verses 33a and 56. “Then food was set before him, but he said, "I will not eat until I have told you what I have to say…" and “But he said to them, ‘Do not detain me, now that the LORD has granted success to my journey. Send me on my way so I may go to my master.’" He could have kicked back and enjoyed the hospitality of Rebekah’s family, and rested for ten days. But he knew he was on a mission and the time for rest would come after his mission was complete. He was like a soldier on a mission. 2 Tim 2:4 reads, “4 No one serving as a soldier gets involved in civilian affairs—he wants to please his commanding officer.” What would it be like if our soldiers, when they went to Iraq, suddenly decided they wanted to take a short vacation? They need to be true to their mission right to the end. Jesus also said that a person who puts his had to plow and looks back is not fit for service in the kingdom of God. (Luke 9:62) Where would we be if Jesus decided to take a break from being our Savior? Taking a break and a vacation is not bad. But Eliezer knew that when he need to do something for God, he needed do it to completion.
When he had this attitude other people recognized him as a servant of God. Look at verses 34 and 50. “So he said, ‘I am Abraham's servant’” and “Laban and Bethuel answered, ‘This is from the LORD; we can say nothing to you one way or the other.’” Eliezer was very clear about his identity as Abraham’s servant doing a very important mission for God. And he served that mission with his whole heart without any duplicity. He was trustworthy and true. When he had this core quality about him, people saw him as a servant of God. People responded to him. People should not be surprised one day, to hear that we are Christians, “Oh I didn’t know you believed in Jesus.” People around you must know you are a servant of Christ Jesus, like Eliezer was known.
Eliezer had spiritual authority to help other people make decisions of faith. Look at verses 50-51 and 58. “Laban and Bethuel answered, ‘This is from the LORD; we can say nothing to you one way or the other. 51 Here is Rebekah; take her and go, and let her become the wife of your master's son, as the LORD has directed.’" and “So they called Rebekah and asked her, ‘Will you go with this man?’ ‘I will go,’ she said.” He did not procrastinate. He presented the clear facts about what God was doing and he challenged them to make a decision that required a whole lot of faith. As servants of God we can be friends with people. We can encourage them and we need to do these things. But do we have enough spiritual clout and authority to help people decide to do things that don’t come natural to them? How about convincing them to do something that requires faith, like being faithful to Sunday worship service? What about offering? What about actually deciding to teach what they know about Jesus to another person? Eliezer had this kind of authority and we need it too. Where can we get it? It does not come from having a theology degree. Such spiritual authority is found in Jesus alone. Look at the world mission command again in Matthew 28:18-20, ““Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.". “all authority..” Jesus has all authority in heaven and earth and he is willing to give it to us when we decide to strand as servants of God who want to serve Jesus’ mission in this world.
Eliezer shared all good things with his master. Look at verse 66. “Then the servant told Isaac all he had done.” Galatians 6:6 reads, “Anyone who receives instruction in the word must share all good things with his instructor.” This means to share about the great and glorious work of God going on, in and through our lives. How easy it is to become mute and stumble over our words when it comes to telling what the Lord has done in our lives and ministry. It is almost like we don’t know who to talk. In our ministry we are tending to drift away from writing testimonies. But we need to learn how to share what God is doing in our lives with others. Otherwise we don’t have anything to say or share. Testimonies are not just repenting of our sins. It is also telling the world about all God has done. Let’s be like Eliezer who can share the good things of God.
In this passage we see the importance of making and keeping friendships and co-working relationships with other people of faith. We learned what it means to be a most trusted servant who carries out a mission from God. This may not sound so appealing in our freedom obsessed culture, but it is essential for a servant of Christ. We also learned that Eliezer had faith in God. He was man who was totally prepared for his mission. He was a man of prayer and also a generous man. He was a bold and confident and very earnest and focused in completing his mission. When he had this attitude other people recognized him as a servant of God and God gave him spiritual authority to help other people make decisions of faith. May God help you be a faithful and true friend and servant of God. May God raise up a whole new generation of Eliezer’s among us.
Part l: A Faithful And Trusted Servant (Gen 15:2, 24:1)
1. Who was the Abraham’s most trusted servant? What hope did Abraham have in him? (15:2) How many years did he serve in Abraham’s tent village? (Gen 24:1) What does the fact that he put him in charge of all he had mean? Who else was like this? (Gen 29 ;20-23; 41:41) What attitude is necessary in order to be such a servant? (Eph 6:7) Summarize what it means to be a most trusted servant?
Part ll: A Servant Of God On A Mission (24:2-67)
2. What was the mission that Abraham gave his servant? (24:2-4) What shows the
seriousness of this mission? (2b) How important was it? What difficulty did the
servant foresee? (5) How did Abraham plant faith in Eliezer’s heart? (7) Why is
this the faith that God wants his servants to have? (Matt 28:18-20)
3. How did Eliezer prepare for his mission? (10; 2Tim 2:21, 4:12) Where did he start his search for a wife? How did he begin his search? (12) What can we learn from his prayer? (12-14) How was he careful to find out if God answered his prayer? (17,21) What can we learn about prayer from Eliezer?
4. When he was confident that God had answered his prayer, what did he do?
What shows his generosity? (22, 53) What did he do when he discovered God answered his prayer? (26) What identity did he have? (34) On what did he base his decisions? (35-49)What qualities does a servant of God have? (2 Cor 3:12; Luke 19:5; 2 Cor 9:11)
5. What earnestness did the servant have in regards to his mission? (33, 56; 2 Tim 2:4) How did other people see him? (31; 50)
6. How did he help the family to make a decision of faith? (50-51, 58) How can you have enough spiritual authority to help other make decisions that require faith? (Matt 28:18) What did Eliezer do when he brought Rebekah to Issac? What does this mean practically? (Gal 6:6)
Genesis 16:1-16; 17:19-27; 21:8-20; 25:6-18; 37:25-27;
What Ever Happened To Ishmael?
(The Biblical Ishmael: A Successful, Worldly Man Short On Decisions Of Faith)
Genesis 16:1-16; Gen 17:19-27; Gen 21:8-20; Gen 25:6-18; Gen 37:25-27;
Key verse: Genesis 17:20-21 Shpd Kevin Jesmer NIU UBF 4-3-11
“And as for Ishmael, I have heard you: I will surely bless him; I will make him fruitful and will greatly increase his numbers. He will be the father of twelve rulers, and I will make him into a great nation. 21 But my covenant I will establish with Isaac, whom Sarah will bear to you by this time next year.”
Have you every felt that God put you into the wrong family? This question must have cropped up in his mind. From the beginning, Ishmael felt like an outsider. His mother’s name meant, “Stranger” and he felt like a stranger too, the son of a stranger. His whole life and his position in society were not in his hands. It was bound up in a conflict between his mother and the matron of the clan, Sarah (Sarai). Into this tense home atmosphere, Ishmael was born. As a teenager, he grew outside of the Abraham’s tent village, away from all the friends and family he had ever known. He and his mother etched out a life for themselves in the harsh desert. Despite of the hardships he grew up as a successful man, overcoming a lot, religious, but disrespectful at times and making no decisions of faith. Later in life he was blessed with 12 sons, who became 12 Arab tribes. His descendants became enemies of ancient Israel. Today Ishmael is honored by over a billion Muslims as a spiritual forefather of their faith. We will learn today how to grow up in circumstances that are very trying, but beyond our control. We can learn the importance of how to overcome bitterness and live in God’s unfolding stream of history. We will also learn about God who blesses and who takes the mistakes of others and incorporates them into his plan. Let’s see what all this means.
Part l: Ishmael’s Early Years (Gen 16:16; 17:19-27)
Prior to his birth, there was a conflict between two women, Sarai and his mother Hagar. Sarai, impatient with God’s timetable, had taken matters into her own hands, deciding to have a child through a surrogate, her servant girl named Hagar. Hagar, because she was a servant, submitted to being used this way. She had no choice. Her pregnancy stirred strong feelings of superiority towards Sarah in her heart. She despised here mistress. Sarah sensed this and mistreated Hagar and young, pregnant and single Hagar fled finding herself all alone into the desert.
An angel of the Lord met her personally in the midst of her suffering and comforted her with words that were from God. Look at 16:7-10, “The angel of the LORD found Hagar near a spring in the desert; it was the spring that is beside the road to Shur. 8 And he said, ‘Hagar, servant of Sarai, where have you come from, and where are you going?’ ‘I’m running away from my mistress Sarai,’ she answered. 9 Then the angel of the LORD told her, ‘Go back to your mistress and submit to her.’ 10 The angel added, ‘I will so increase your descendants that they will be too numerous to count.’” God was so gracious to the expectant single mother. He was like a true husband to her.
In this encounter, God revealed a prophecy concerning her unborn child. Genesis 16:11-12 reads, “The angel of the LORD also said to her: ‘You are now with child and you will have a son. You shall name him Ishmael, for the LORD has heard of your misery. 12 He will be a wild donkey of a man; his hand will be against everyone and everyone’s hand against him, and he will live in hostility toward all his brothers.’” (We will discuss this prophecy later in the message.) Though it was not a humanly glorious prophecy concerning her son, she accepted it. Hagar’s heart was touched. She met God personally. Look at Genesis 16:13, “She gave this name to the LORD who spoke to her: ‘You are the God who sees me,’ for she said, ‘I have now seen the One who sees me.’” She did not know the name of God but she was awestruck that the Lord saw her and her misery. She commemorated the well, where she was at, calling it Beer Lahai Roi, in honor of the God who sees her. Later on, whenever Hagar and Ishmael came near this well, Hagar would share her personal faith and encounter with the Lord that occurred there.
The Lord told Hagar to go back and submit to her mistress Sarai. God had a plan to bless her and the child. She followed God’s direction. No doubt there were tense feelings between Hagar and Sarah, but they learned to live through them and co-existed. There will be times in life where we must endure “tough” feelings towards others around us as we live out the will of God. But we must not run from these difficult moments, rather overcome by practicing forgiveness and grace.
After a few months, Ishmael was born. Hagar told Abraham what the Lord said to name the child and Abraham obeyed God’s direction and gave him the name Ishmael. (16:15) which means, “God hears” in Hebrew. He would forever be reminded of the God who heard his pregnant mother’s cries in that dangerous and lonely desert. It must have been hard for Ishmael to grow up in the tense atmosphere, knowing that his mother was not a fully accepted person in the tribe.
Part ll: The Teenage Ishmael (Gen 16:15-17:27)
Ishmael grew up with a huge generation gap between him and his dad. Most of our fathers are 25 to 35 years older than us. I was 30 when Jennifer was born. But Abram was eighty-six years old when Hagar bore him Ishmael. That is almost a three generation difference! It was not easy for Abraham to keep up with young Ishmael. Not only that, but Abraham was busy taking care of his tent village of nearly 1,000 people. It must have been hard for Abraham to make time for his son. And so Ishmael grew emotionally closer to his mother, who was probably 18 or so, years older than him.
Ishmael was religious but not spiritual. Once, God told Abraham to renew his covenant with him. Part of the renewal meant that he and all the males in his household needed to be circumcised. There must have been 500 men in the little village of his. But they were all convinced to undergo that painful procedure…even Ishmael. Genesis 17:26, “Abraham and his son Ishmael were both circumcised on that same day.” Ishmael was a teenager, in his mid teens. It is not easy to get a 15 year old boy to do certain things especially to be circumcised. Ishmael must have submitted to the religious life of those who worshipped the God of Abraham. But there is no indication that he had faith in God. Just submitting to a painful and humiliating religious ritual does not mean that a person has faith. Some adherents to a certain religion whip their backs and cut their brows until they draw blood. They do it as an act of group mourning. It does not mean that they have faith in the Creator God. Ishmael was religious but not spiritual as we shall see in the some of the decisions he made later in life.
Part ll: Ishmael And His Mom…A Hard New Life Together (Gen 21:8-21)
Ishmael’s spiritual blindness was eventually revealed after 15 years. Disrespect towards what God was doing through Isaac was shown. Look at Genesis 21:8-9, “The child grew and was weaned, and on the day Isaac was weaned Abraham held a great feast. 9 But Sarah saw that the son whom Hagar the Egyptian had borne to Abraham was mocking,” Mocking in this passage is a little more serious than just poking fun at someone. The definition of mocking is “to attack or treat with ridicule, contempt, or derision.” (http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/mocking) Galatians 4:29 reveals that Ishmael’s mocking was something a little more serious. It reads, “At that time the son born in the ordinary way persecuted the son born by the power of the Spirit.” Ishmael persecuted Isaac. Why? He was bitter at the birth of Isaac. He might have been bitter about how his mother was treated and about his family’s life’s circumstances. Isaac was weaned at the age of two or three. Ishmael was fifteen. But his behavior at the weaning ceremony revealed that Ishmael was not supportive of what God was doing nor was he repentant of his bitter feelings. His spiritual eyes were not opened. He could not control his hatred nor his jealousy. He managed to hold it all in, quietly, for 15 years, but now it was coming out and he was pouring out his aggression on a little child. What did this baby ever do to him? Have you ever seen an adult give a child a hard time because of unrepentant issues in their own hearts? It is not pretty. In doing so he was creating a bad atmosphere for little Isaac to grow and to prosper as a man of faith. But Ishmael did not care about his spiritual influence. Maybe he had adopted his mother’s own personal sentiments and was playing them out. And why didn’t Hagar try to stop him?
Sarah saw a problem and wanted it solved. Look at Genesis 21: 8-10, “The child grew and was weaned, and on the day Isaac was weaned Abraham held a great feast. 9 But Sarah saw that the son whom Hagar the Egyptian had borne to Abraham was mocking, 10 and she said to Abraham, ‘Get rid of that slave woman and her son, for that slave woman’s son will never share in the inheritance with my son Isaac.’” Sarah knew that there would be a problem having Ishmael around Isaac. As Isaac grew his older brother could have verbally abused him, year after year, saying, “You’re not the blessed one. You never were and you never will…looser!” Ishmael’s persecution could have continued on forever. Some kids develop ticks, like blinking constantly or grimacing in order to overcome. If there is bitterness in our hearts and we don’t repent of it, then these feelings can last, ten, twenty or thirty years, yes…even a lifetime. We can even pass down our bitter feuds to the next generation or more. Think about the Hatfields and the McCoys. It has happened in our family. Sarah knew this and knew that Ishmael needed to be sent off to make a life for himself elsewhere so Isaac could grow unhindered.
Abraham did not want to send his son away. After all it was his son. He loved him. He watched him grow for 15 years. The sight of his boy growing up infused new life into his weary bones. But God was behind this plan. What God was asking Abraham to do was not without a word of promise. Look at Genesis 21:12-13, “But God said to him, ‘Do not be so distressed about the boy and your maidservant. Listen to whatever Sarah tells you, because it is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned. 13 I will make the son of the maidservant into a nation also, because he is your offspring.’” Abraham accepted this as God’s will. He knew that he needed to create and maintain the best spiritual environment for the child of the promise to grow. He knew the Ishmael was not going to stop and Hagar was not stopping him either. And so he made the difficult decision. Look at Genesis 21:14, “Early the next morning Abraham took some food and a skin of water and gave them to Hagar. He set them on her shoulders and then sent her off with the boy. She went on her way and wandered in the desert of Beersheba.” He provided of their physical needs and sent them off. He must have been crying as he saw them walking off over the horizon. There are times when we need to make the tough decision to send things away in our hearts, sometimes, seemingly innocent things, that are hindering the growth of the seed of faith that God is trying to blossom in your life.
We are tempted to blame Abraham and Sarah. But remember it was God who told Abram to send him away. Abraham still concerned about their welfare when he gave them food and a skin of water. The Bible says that he even gave gifts to the children of his concubines.
Hagar and Ishmael suffered a lot initially. More than we can imagine. We can see their suffering in 21:14b-17a, “…He set them on her shoulders and then sent her off with the boy. She went on her way and wandered in the desert of Beersheba. 15 When the water in the skin was gone, she put the boy under one of the bushes. 16 Then she went off and sat down nearby, about a bowshot away, for she thought, ‘I cannot watch the boy die.’ And as she sat there nearby, she began to sob. 17 God heard the boy crying …” They were wandering in then parched desert. They were thirsty. Their water was gone. The teenage boy was so weak that his own mother had to help him keep walking. They had lost all hope and felt like they were going to die. All they could do is cry. There are times in our lives when we feel that we are at the end of our ropes and there is no more hope to carry on. We are just waiting to die. But God had a plan to reveal himself in a very personal way to Hagar and Ishmael. He was going to reveal himself to Hagar once again. Indeed, it is more likely that we will meet Jesus personally in our times of extreme suffering, rather than our times of prosperity. (Psalm 78a) Is there a time in your life now that God is leading you to himself? I will wager that it is through a time of adversity.
God indeed revealed himself to them. Look at Genesis 17-18, “God heard the boy crying, and the angel of God called to Hagar from heaven and said to her, ‘What is the matter, Hagar? Do not be afraid; God has heard the boy crying as he lies there. 18 Lift the boy up and take him by the hand, for I will make him into a great nation.’” God would bless Ishmael on account of Abraham. He would become a very prosperous person, with many sons and at least one daughter and his descendants would form twelve tribes. His name would be perpetuated throughout history.
Not only that, God took care of their immediate needs. Look at verse 19, “Then God opened her eyes and she saw a well of water. So she went and filled the skin with water and gave the boy a drink.” Our God is a merciful God who takes care of our needs. Our greatest needs are spiritual needs for eternal life and salvation, but he also cares about our physical needs. Matthew 6:33 reads, “But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness and all of these things will be given to you as well.” I don’t think that they were seeking God and his kingdom, but God still took care of them.
Ishmael never went back to live with his dad in the Promised Land. He remained in the desert with his mom. Look at verse 20, “God was with the boy as he grew up. He lived in the desert and became an archer. While living in the desert of Paran, his mother got a wife for him from Egypt.” He found his career path. He would be an archer. Archers are used in battle and to hunt game. He found his profession. This would make any parent happy when their child finds out their career path and has success in it.
I am inspired that Hagar cared about her son’s marriage. She saw her son’s need to marry. To marry someone is good. Proverbs 18:22 reads, “He who finds a wife finds what is good and receives favor from the Lord.” The fruitfulness of your life is influenced by who you marry. His wife may not have been a spiritual woman, but she was fruitful. They had at least 13 kids. Julie and I need to concern over our kids future marriage. Not that we are going to tell them who to marry, but we need to pray for them and counsel them about the Biblical standards of marriage. May God raise up parents who really care about their kids marriages and dedicate themselves to pray for them.
Ishmael had enough faith to marry. That is important. He also had enough faith to have kids. His wife bore him 12 sons and at least one daughter. Our young people today need enough faith to marry and our married couples should not be afraid to have kids. I thank God for Jesus who helped me and Julie to marry in our 20’s and plant enough faith in our hearts to begin building our family. We were dirt poor and I was in nursing school. People told me marry after nursing school and not have five kids. They were planting fear in my heart. We are living on the edge financially. But God blessed our marriage and our kids. It was all through faith in God.
Part lll: Ishmael’s Later Life (Gen 25:6,9… Gen 28:9)
There were no signs of bitterness between Isaac and Ishmael and Abraham later in life. Genesis 25:6 and 9 read; “But while he was still living, he gave gifts to the sons of his concubines and sent them away from his son Isaac to the land of the east. ….. 9 His sons Isaac and Ishmael buried him in the cave of Machpelah near Mamre, in the field of Ephron son of Zohar the Hittite,”. Abraham sent gifts to Hagar and Ishmael. He still provided child support. Ishmael is seen going to his fathers’ funeral along with his half brother, Isaac. If he was bitter he would have boycotted the funeral. Ishmael also provided a wife for his nephew, Esau. We read in Genesis 28:9, “so he(Esau) went to Ishmael and married Mahalath, the sister of Nebaioth and daughter of Ishmael son of Abraham, in addition to the wives he already had.” I wonder what kind of person Ishmael was in order to give his own daughter in marriage to an ungodly person like Esau. I would never agree to that. It shows you once again that Ishmael lacked some spiritual sense.
Part lV: Ishmael’s Legacy (Gen 25:12-18; Gen 37:25-27)
Ishmael died at the age of 137. (25:17) He lived his life outside the Promised Land. The Bible gives an account of his descendants. Genesis 25:12-18 reads, “This is the account of Abraham’s son Ishmael, whom Sarah’s maidservant, Hagar the Egyptian, bore to Abraham. 13 These are the names of the sons of Ishmael, listed in the order of their birth: Nebaioth the firstborn of Ishmael, Kedar, Adbeel, Mibsam, 14 Mishma, Dumah, Massa, 15 Hadad, Tema, Jetur, Naphish and Kedemah. 16 These were the sons of Ishmael, and these are the names of the twelve tribal rulers according to their settlements and camps. 17 Altogether, Ishmael lived a hundred and thirty-seven years. He breathed his last and died, and he was gathered to his people. 18 His descendants settled in the area from Havilah to Shur, near the border of Egypt, as you go toward Asshur. And they lived in hostility toward[a] all their brothers.” Ishmael had twelve sons who became twelve tribal chiefs throughout the regions from Havilah to Shur (from Assyria to the border of Egypt). His children are listed as follows: Nebaioth , Kedar, father of the Qedarites (A northern Arab tribe that controlled the region between the Persian Gulf and the Sinai Peninsula) Adbeel, (whose people established a tribe in northwest) Arabia, Mibsam, Mishma, Dumah, associated with Adummatu (a tribe that is described as "a fortress of Arabia" in Saudi Arabia) Massa, (father of a nomadic tribe that inhabited the Arabian desert toward Babylonia or modern Iraq), Hadad, , Tema Jetur, Naphish, Kedemah, Mahalath or Bashemath, a daughter who married Esau. (Wikipedia) In the time of Joseph they traded using camel caravans and bought and sold slaves.
His descendents were fighting continuously against Israel. Gideon fought a battle against them. Judges 8:23-24 reads, “But Gideon told them, ‘I will not rule over you, nor will my son rule over you. The LORD will rule over you.’ 24 And he said, ‘I do have one request, that each of you give me an earring from your share of the plunder.’ (It was the custom of the Ishmaelites to wear gold earrings.)” Apparently they wore gold earrings. And the dead Ishmaelite soldiers’ earrings generated a significant plunder.
The were allies with other enemies of God’s people. Psalm 83:5-8, “5 With one mind they plot together; they form an alliance against you— 6 the tents of Edom and the Ishmaelites, of Moab and the Hagrites, 7 Gebal,[a] Ammon and Amalek, Philistia, with the people of Tyre. 8 Even Assyria has joined them to lend strength to the descendants of Lot.” The prophecy, “He will be a wild donkey of a man; his hand will be against everyone and everyone’s hand against him, and he will live in hostility toward all his brothers.” (16:12) came true throughout the centuries. God blessed Ishmael on account of Abraham. And he used Ishmael’s descendants in order to train ancient Israel to grow strong as a nation, through their continuous harassment.
What about Ishmael today? Today Judaism has generally viewed Ishmael as wicked though repentant. Ishmael is recognized by Muslims as the ancestor of several prominent Arab tribes and the forefather of Muhammad. Muslim scholars state that it was Ishmael, and not Isaac, who was the son that Abraham almost sacrificed. Islamic traditions hold that the Kaaba, in Mecca was first built by Adam and that Abraham and Ishmael rebuilt the Kaaba on the old foundations. The Qur'an states that Abraham dreamed he was to sacrifice his son. The son is not named in the Qur'an (Qur'an 37:99–113) and, in early Islam, there was a controversy over the son's identity. However the belief that the son was Ishmael prevailed. In some Christian biblical interpretations, Ishmael is used to symbolize the older—now rejected—Judaic tradition. Isaac symbolizes the new tradition of Christianity with its faith in Jesus Christ and his perfect sacrifice.
In conclusion we found the Biblical Ishmael as a quiet, but bitter teenager, estranged from his father and close to his mother. He grew to be a hard working and successful man who was supported and encouraged by his mom. He was very fruitful humanly, etching out a life for himself in the desert. But there are no signs of faith in Ishmael. He made decisions to work hard and succeed but no decisions to support what God was doing right before his very eyes. We can learn from him to work hard and find a good wife and a career, and you can succeed even in a harsh environment. This is good advice in a worldly sense. But we can also learn from what he failed to do. We learn to not hold bitterness in our hearts. We learn to not mock the work of God, but to recognize it and support it. We also learn to think about whom you are marrying and your influence on your own future generations. May it be an influence that pleases God and perpetuates his work.
Part l: Ishmael’s Early Years (Gen 16:16; 17:19-27)
1. What was the circumstances of Ishmael’s birth? Who was his mother and what was her social situation? What was the prophesy concerning Ishmael? (16:11-12) What was the faith of his mother? (16:13) What does Ishmael mean? Why did she give that name to her son? (16:15)
2. How old was his father, Abram? (16:16) What was it like for a young boy to grow
up with such an old father? What struggle would he have to go through? What
shows that Ishmael shared in the faith of his father? (17:26) How do you think
Ishmael felt about his place in the family for the first 13 year of his life?
Part ll: Ishmael And His Mom…A Hard New Life Together (Gen 21:8-21)
3. What happened when Isaac was weaned? How did Ishmael feel about the birth of his new brother? (21:8-9; Gal 4:29) What did Ishmael fail to recognize? (Romans 9:7-9)
4. How did Abraham and Sarah react? (21:10-11) What was God’s direction and promise towards Ishmael? (21:12-13) How did Abraham provide for Ishmael and his mother, Hagar? (Gen 21:14) How old was Ishmael? How do you think he felt?
5. Describe the suffering that they endured? (21:14b-17a) How did God reveal
himself to them at this time? What was God’s promise? (21:18) What shows his
mothers’ dedication? (21:16, 19, 21) What career path did Ishmael take?
(21:20a)
Part lll: Ishmael’s Later Life (Gen 25:6,9… Gen 28:9)
6. What shows that their was a good relationship between Ishmael and Isaac
and even his nephew, Esau, later in life? (Gen 25:6, 9; 28:9) What does the fact that he gave his daughters in marriage to Esau reveal about him? (28:9; 36:3)
Part lV: Ishmael’s Legacy (Gen 25:12-18; Gen 37:25-27)
7. When did Ishmael die? (Gen 25:17) What was his eternal destination? What is said about the descendants of Ishmael? (25:12-18) How was the prophecy given to him, just before his birth fulfilled? (25:18) What were his descendants like? (Gen 37:25-27; Judges 8:23-24; Psalm 83:5-8)
8. How is Ishmael viewed today? Think about the various viewpoints of world
religions?
(The Biblical Ishmael: A Successful, Worldly Man Short On Decisions Of Faith)
Genesis 16:1-16; Gen 17:19-27; Gen 21:8-20; Gen 25:6-18; Gen 37:25-27;
Key verse: Genesis 17:20-21 Shpd Kevin Jesmer NIU UBF 4-3-11
“And as for Ishmael, I have heard you: I will surely bless him; I will make him fruitful and will greatly increase his numbers. He will be the father of twelve rulers, and I will make him into a great nation. 21 But my covenant I will establish with Isaac, whom Sarah will bear to you by this time next year.”
Have you every felt that God put you into the wrong family? This question must have cropped up in his mind. From the beginning, Ishmael felt like an outsider. His mother’s name meant, “Stranger” and he felt like a stranger too, the son of a stranger. His whole life and his position in society were not in his hands. It was bound up in a conflict between his mother and the matron of the clan, Sarah (Sarai). Into this tense home atmosphere, Ishmael was born. As a teenager, he grew outside of the Abraham’s tent village, away from all the friends and family he had ever known. He and his mother etched out a life for themselves in the harsh desert. Despite of the hardships he grew up as a successful man, overcoming a lot, religious, but disrespectful at times and making no decisions of faith. Later in life he was blessed with 12 sons, who became 12 Arab tribes. His descendants became enemies of ancient Israel. Today Ishmael is honored by over a billion Muslims as a spiritual forefather of their faith. We will learn today how to grow up in circumstances that are very trying, but beyond our control. We can learn the importance of how to overcome bitterness and live in God’s unfolding stream of history. We will also learn about God who blesses and who takes the mistakes of others and incorporates them into his plan. Let’s see what all this means.
Part l: Ishmael’s Early Years (Gen 16:16; 17:19-27)
Prior to his birth, there was a conflict between two women, Sarai and his mother Hagar. Sarai, impatient with God’s timetable, had taken matters into her own hands, deciding to have a child through a surrogate, her servant girl named Hagar. Hagar, because she was a servant, submitted to being used this way. She had no choice. Her pregnancy stirred strong feelings of superiority towards Sarah in her heart. She despised here mistress. Sarah sensed this and mistreated Hagar and young, pregnant and single Hagar fled finding herself all alone into the desert.
An angel of the Lord met her personally in the midst of her suffering and comforted her with words that were from God. Look at 16:7-10, “The angel of the LORD found Hagar near a spring in the desert; it was the spring that is beside the road to Shur. 8 And he said, ‘Hagar, servant of Sarai, where have you come from, and where are you going?’ ‘I’m running away from my mistress Sarai,’ she answered. 9 Then the angel of the LORD told her, ‘Go back to your mistress and submit to her.’ 10 The angel added, ‘I will so increase your descendants that they will be too numerous to count.’” God was so gracious to the expectant single mother. He was like a true husband to her.
In this encounter, God revealed a prophecy concerning her unborn child. Genesis 16:11-12 reads, “The angel of the LORD also said to her: ‘You are now with child and you will have a son. You shall name him Ishmael, for the LORD has heard of your misery. 12 He will be a wild donkey of a man; his hand will be against everyone and everyone’s hand against him, and he will live in hostility toward all his brothers.’” (We will discuss this prophecy later in the message.) Though it was not a humanly glorious prophecy concerning her son, she accepted it. Hagar’s heart was touched. She met God personally. Look at Genesis 16:13, “She gave this name to the LORD who spoke to her: ‘You are the God who sees me,’ for she said, ‘I have now seen the One who sees me.’” She did not know the name of God but she was awestruck that the Lord saw her and her misery. She commemorated the well, where she was at, calling it Beer Lahai Roi, in honor of the God who sees her. Later on, whenever Hagar and Ishmael came near this well, Hagar would share her personal faith and encounter with the Lord that occurred there.
The Lord told Hagar to go back and submit to her mistress Sarai. God had a plan to bless her and the child. She followed God’s direction. No doubt there were tense feelings between Hagar and Sarah, but they learned to live through them and co-existed. There will be times in life where we must endure “tough” feelings towards others around us as we live out the will of God. But we must not run from these difficult moments, rather overcome by practicing forgiveness and grace.
After a few months, Ishmael was born. Hagar told Abraham what the Lord said to name the child and Abraham obeyed God’s direction and gave him the name Ishmael. (16:15) which means, “God hears” in Hebrew. He would forever be reminded of the God who heard his pregnant mother’s cries in that dangerous and lonely desert. It must have been hard for Ishmael to grow up in the tense atmosphere, knowing that his mother was not a fully accepted person in the tribe.
Part ll: The Teenage Ishmael (Gen 16:15-17:27)
Ishmael grew up with a huge generation gap between him and his dad. Most of our fathers are 25 to 35 years older than us. I was 30 when Jennifer was born. But Abram was eighty-six years old when Hagar bore him Ishmael. That is almost a three generation difference! It was not easy for Abraham to keep up with young Ishmael. Not only that, but Abraham was busy taking care of his tent village of nearly 1,000 people. It must have been hard for Abraham to make time for his son. And so Ishmael grew emotionally closer to his mother, who was probably 18 or so, years older than him.
Ishmael was religious but not spiritual. Once, God told Abraham to renew his covenant with him. Part of the renewal meant that he and all the males in his household needed to be circumcised. There must have been 500 men in the little village of his. But they were all convinced to undergo that painful procedure…even Ishmael. Genesis 17:26, “Abraham and his son Ishmael were both circumcised on that same day.” Ishmael was a teenager, in his mid teens. It is not easy to get a 15 year old boy to do certain things especially to be circumcised. Ishmael must have submitted to the religious life of those who worshipped the God of Abraham. But there is no indication that he had faith in God. Just submitting to a painful and humiliating religious ritual does not mean that a person has faith. Some adherents to a certain religion whip their backs and cut their brows until they draw blood. They do it as an act of group mourning. It does not mean that they have faith in the Creator God. Ishmael was religious but not spiritual as we shall see in the some of the decisions he made later in life.
Part ll: Ishmael And His Mom…A Hard New Life Together (Gen 21:8-21)
Ishmael’s spiritual blindness was eventually revealed after 15 years. Disrespect towards what God was doing through Isaac was shown. Look at Genesis 21:8-9, “The child grew and was weaned, and on the day Isaac was weaned Abraham held a great feast. 9 But Sarah saw that the son whom Hagar the Egyptian had borne to Abraham was mocking,” Mocking in this passage is a little more serious than just poking fun at someone. The definition of mocking is “to attack or treat with ridicule, contempt, or derision.” (http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/mocking) Galatians 4:29 reveals that Ishmael’s mocking was something a little more serious. It reads, “At that time the son born in the ordinary way persecuted the son born by the power of the Spirit.” Ishmael persecuted Isaac. Why? He was bitter at the birth of Isaac. He might have been bitter about how his mother was treated and about his family’s life’s circumstances. Isaac was weaned at the age of two or three. Ishmael was fifteen. But his behavior at the weaning ceremony revealed that Ishmael was not supportive of what God was doing nor was he repentant of his bitter feelings. His spiritual eyes were not opened. He could not control his hatred nor his jealousy. He managed to hold it all in, quietly, for 15 years, but now it was coming out and he was pouring out his aggression on a little child. What did this baby ever do to him? Have you ever seen an adult give a child a hard time because of unrepentant issues in their own hearts? It is not pretty. In doing so he was creating a bad atmosphere for little Isaac to grow and to prosper as a man of faith. But Ishmael did not care about his spiritual influence. Maybe he had adopted his mother’s own personal sentiments and was playing them out. And why didn’t Hagar try to stop him?
Sarah saw a problem and wanted it solved. Look at Genesis 21: 8-10, “The child grew and was weaned, and on the day Isaac was weaned Abraham held a great feast. 9 But Sarah saw that the son whom Hagar the Egyptian had borne to Abraham was mocking, 10 and she said to Abraham, ‘Get rid of that slave woman and her son, for that slave woman’s son will never share in the inheritance with my son Isaac.’” Sarah knew that there would be a problem having Ishmael around Isaac. As Isaac grew his older brother could have verbally abused him, year after year, saying, “You’re not the blessed one. You never were and you never will…looser!” Ishmael’s persecution could have continued on forever. Some kids develop ticks, like blinking constantly or grimacing in order to overcome. If there is bitterness in our hearts and we don’t repent of it, then these feelings can last, ten, twenty or thirty years, yes…even a lifetime. We can even pass down our bitter feuds to the next generation or more. Think about the Hatfields and the McCoys. It has happened in our family. Sarah knew this and knew that Ishmael needed to be sent off to make a life for himself elsewhere so Isaac could grow unhindered.
Abraham did not want to send his son away. After all it was his son. He loved him. He watched him grow for 15 years. The sight of his boy growing up infused new life into his weary bones. But God was behind this plan. What God was asking Abraham to do was not without a word of promise. Look at Genesis 21:12-13, “But God said to him, ‘Do not be so distressed about the boy and your maidservant. Listen to whatever Sarah tells you, because it is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned. 13 I will make the son of the maidservant into a nation also, because he is your offspring.’” Abraham accepted this as God’s will. He knew that he needed to create and maintain the best spiritual environment for the child of the promise to grow. He knew the Ishmael was not going to stop and Hagar was not stopping him either. And so he made the difficult decision. Look at Genesis 21:14, “Early the next morning Abraham took some food and a skin of water and gave them to Hagar. He set them on her shoulders and then sent her off with the boy. She went on her way and wandered in the desert of Beersheba.” He provided of their physical needs and sent them off. He must have been crying as he saw them walking off over the horizon. There are times when we need to make the tough decision to send things away in our hearts, sometimes, seemingly innocent things, that are hindering the growth of the seed of faith that God is trying to blossom in your life.
We are tempted to blame Abraham and Sarah. But remember it was God who told Abram to send him away. Abraham still concerned about their welfare when he gave them food and a skin of water. The Bible says that he even gave gifts to the children of his concubines.
Hagar and Ishmael suffered a lot initially. More than we can imagine. We can see their suffering in 21:14b-17a, “…He set them on her shoulders and then sent her off with the boy. She went on her way and wandered in the desert of Beersheba. 15 When the water in the skin was gone, she put the boy under one of the bushes. 16 Then she went off and sat down nearby, about a bowshot away, for she thought, ‘I cannot watch the boy die.’ And as she sat there nearby, she began to sob. 17 God heard the boy crying …” They were wandering in then parched desert. They were thirsty. Their water was gone. The teenage boy was so weak that his own mother had to help him keep walking. They had lost all hope and felt like they were going to die. All they could do is cry. There are times in our lives when we feel that we are at the end of our ropes and there is no more hope to carry on. We are just waiting to die. But God had a plan to reveal himself in a very personal way to Hagar and Ishmael. He was going to reveal himself to Hagar once again. Indeed, it is more likely that we will meet Jesus personally in our times of extreme suffering, rather than our times of prosperity. (Psalm 78a) Is there a time in your life now that God is leading you to himself? I will wager that it is through a time of adversity.
God indeed revealed himself to them. Look at Genesis 17-18, “God heard the boy crying, and the angel of God called to Hagar from heaven and said to her, ‘What is the matter, Hagar? Do not be afraid; God has heard the boy crying as he lies there. 18 Lift the boy up and take him by the hand, for I will make him into a great nation.’” God would bless Ishmael on account of Abraham. He would become a very prosperous person, with many sons and at least one daughter and his descendants would form twelve tribes. His name would be perpetuated throughout history.
Not only that, God took care of their immediate needs. Look at verse 19, “Then God opened her eyes and she saw a well of water. So she went and filled the skin with water and gave the boy a drink.” Our God is a merciful God who takes care of our needs. Our greatest needs are spiritual needs for eternal life and salvation, but he also cares about our physical needs. Matthew 6:33 reads, “But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness and all of these things will be given to you as well.” I don’t think that they were seeking God and his kingdom, but God still took care of them.
Ishmael never went back to live with his dad in the Promised Land. He remained in the desert with his mom. Look at verse 20, “God was with the boy as he grew up. He lived in the desert and became an archer. While living in the desert of Paran, his mother got a wife for him from Egypt.” He found his career path. He would be an archer. Archers are used in battle and to hunt game. He found his profession. This would make any parent happy when their child finds out their career path and has success in it.
I am inspired that Hagar cared about her son’s marriage. She saw her son’s need to marry. To marry someone is good. Proverbs 18:22 reads, “He who finds a wife finds what is good and receives favor from the Lord.” The fruitfulness of your life is influenced by who you marry. His wife may not have been a spiritual woman, but she was fruitful. They had at least 13 kids. Julie and I need to concern over our kids future marriage. Not that we are going to tell them who to marry, but we need to pray for them and counsel them about the Biblical standards of marriage. May God raise up parents who really care about their kids marriages and dedicate themselves to pray for them.
Ishmael had enough faith to marry. That is important. He also had enough faith to have kids. His wife bore him 12 sons and at least one daughter. Our young people today need enough faith to marry and our married couples should not be afraid to have kids. I thank God for Jesus who helped me and Julie to marry in our 20’s and plant enough faith in our hearts to begin building our family. We were dirt poor and I was in nursing school. People told me marry after nursing school and not have five kids. They were planting fear in my heart. We are living on the edge financially. But God blessed our marriage and our kids. It was all through faith in God.
Part lll: Ishmael’s Later Life (Gen 25:6,9… Gen 28:9)
There were no signs of bitterness between Isaac and Ishmael and Abraham later in life. Genesis 25:6 and 9 read; “But while he was still living, he gave gifts to the sons of his concubines and sent them away from his son Isaac to the land of the east. ….. 9 His sons Isaac and Ishmael buried him in the cave of Machpelah near Mamre, in the field of Ephron son of Zohar the Hittite,”. Abraham sent gifts to Hagar and Ishmael. He still provided child support. Ishmael is seen going to his fathers’ funeral along with his half brother, Isaac. If he was bitter he would have boycotted the funeral. Ishmael also provided a wife for his nephew, Esau. We read in Genesis 28:9, “so he(Esau) went to Ishmael and married Mahalath, the sister of Nebaioth and daughter of Ishmael son of Abraham, in addition to the wives he already had.” I wonder what kind of person Ishmael was in order to give his own daughter in marriage to an ungodly person like Esau. I would never agree to that. It shows you once again that Ishmael lacked some spiritual sense.
Part lV: Ishmael’s Legacy (Gen 25:12-18; Gen 37:25-27)
Ishmael died at the age of 137. (25:17) He lived his life outside the Promised Land. The Bible gives an account of his descendants. Genesis 25:12-18 reads, “This is the account of Abraham’s son Ishmael, whom Sarah’s maidservant, Hagar the Egyptian, bore to Abraham. 13 These are the names of the sons of Ishmael, listed in the order of their birth: Nebaioth the firstborn of Ishmael, Kedar, Adbeel, Mibsam, 14 Mishma, Dumah, Massa, 15 Hadad, Tema, Jetur, Naphish and Kedemah. 16 These were the sons of Ishmael, and these are the names of the twelve tribal rulers according to their settlements and camps. 17 Altogether, Ishmael lived a hundred and thirty-seven years. He breathed his last and died, and he was gathered to his people. 18 His descendants settled in the area from Havilah to Shur, near the border of Egypt, as you go toward Asshur. And they lived in hostility toward[a] all their brothers.” Ishmael had twelve sons who became twelve tribal chiefs throughout the regions from Havilah to Shur (from Assyria to the border of Egypt). His children are listed as follows: Nebaioth , Kedar, father of the Qedarites (A northern Arab tribe that controlled the region between the Persian Gulf and the Sinai Peninsula) Adbeel, (whose people established a tribe in northwest) Arabia, Mibsam, Mishma, Dumah, associated with Adummatu (a tribe that is described as "a fortress of Arabia" in Saudi Arabia) Massa, (father of a nomadic tribe that inhabited the Arabian desert toward Babylonia or modern Iraq), Hadad, , Tema Jetur, Naphish, Kedemah, Mahalath or Bashemath, a daughter who married Esau. (Wikipedia) In the time of Joseph they traded using camel caravans and bought and sold slaves.
His descendents were fighting continuously against Israel. Gideon fought a battle against them. Judges 8:23-24 reads, “But Gideon told them, ‘I will not rule over you, nor will my son rule over you. The LORD will rule over you.’ 24 And he said, ‘I do have one request, that each of you give me an earring from your share of the plunder.’ (It was the custom of the Ishmaelites to wear gold earrings.)” Apparently they wore gold earrings. And the dead Ishmaelite soldiers’ earrings generated a significant plunder.
The were allies with other enemies of God’s people. Psalm 83:5-8, “5 With one mind they plot together; they form an alliance against you— 6 the tents of Edom and the Ishmaelites, of Moab and the Hagrites, 7 Gebal,[a] Ammon and Amalek, Philistia, with the people of Tyre. 8 Even Assyria has joined them to lend strength to the descendants of Lot.” The prophecy, “He will be a wild donkey of a man; his hand will be against everyone and everyone’s hand against him, and he will live in hostility toward all his brothers.” (16:12) came true throughout the centuries. God blessed Ishmael on account of Abraham. And he used Ishmael’s descendants in order to train ancient Israel to grow strong as a nation, through their continuous harassment.
What about Ishmael today? Today Judaism has generally viewed Ishmael as wicked though repentant. Ishmael is recognized by Muslims as the ancestor of several prominent Arab tribes and the forefather of Muhammad. Muslim scholars state that it was Ishmael, and not Isaac, who was the son that Abraham almost sacrificed. Islamic traditions hold that the Kaaba, in Mecca was first built by Adam and that Abraham and Ishmael rebuilt the Kaaba on the old foundations. The Qur'an states that Abraham dreamed he was to sacrifice his son. The son is not named in the Qur'an (Qur'an 37:99–113) and, in early Islam, there was a controversy over the son's identity. However the belief that the son was Ishmael prevailed. In some Christian biblical interpretations, Ishmael is used to symbolize the older—now rejected—Judaic tradition. Isaac symbolizes the new tradition of Christianity with its faith in Jesus Christ and his perfect sacrifice.
In conclusion we found the Biblical Ishmael as a quiet, but bitter teenager, estranged from his father and close to his mother. He grew to be a hard working and successful man who was supported and encouraged by his mom. He was very fruitful humanly, etching out a life for himself in the desert. But there are no signs of faith in Ishmael. He made decisions to work hard and succeed but no decisions to support what God was doing right before his very eyes. We can learn from him to work hard and find a good wife and a career, and you can succeed even in a harsh environment. This is good advice in a worldly sense. But we can also learn from what he failed to do. We learn to not hold bitterness in our hearts. We learn to not mock the work of God, but to recognize it and support it. We also learn to think about whom you are marrying and your influence on your own future generations. May it be an influence that pleases God and perpetuates his work.
Part l: Ishmael’s Early Years (Gen 16:16; 17:19-27)
1. What was the circumstances of Ishmael’s birth? Who was his mother and what was her social situation? What was the prophesy concerning Ishmael? (16:11-12) What was the faith of his mother? (16:13) What does Ishmael mean? Why did she give that name to her son? (16:15)
2. How old was his father, Abram? (16:16) What was it like for a young boy to grow
up with such an old father? What struggle would he have to go through? What
shows that Ishmael shared in the faith of his father? (17:26) How do you think
Ishmael felt about his place in the family for the first 13 year of his life?
Part ll: Ishmael And His Mom…A Hard New Life Together (Gen 21:8-21)
3. What happened when Isaac was weaned? How did Ishmael feel about the birth of his new brother? (21:8-9; Gal 4:29) What did Ishmael fail to recognize? (Romans 9:7-9)
4. How did Abraham and Sarah react? (21:10-11) What was God’s direction and promise towards Ishmael? (21:12-13) How did Abraham provide for Ishmael and his mother, Hagar? (Gen 21:14) How old was Ishmael? How do you think he felt?
5. Describe the suffering that they endured? (21:14b-17a) How did God reveal
himself to them at this time? What was God’s promise? (21:18) What shows his
mothers’ dedication? (21:16, 19, 21) What career path did Ishmael take?
(21:20a)
Part lll: Ishmael’s Later Life (Gen 25:6,9… Gen 28:9)
6. What shows that their was a good relationship between Ishmael and Isaac
and even his nephew, Esau, later in life? (Gen 25:6, 9; 28:9) What does the fact that he gave his daughters in marriage to Esau reveal about him? (28:9; 36:3)
Part lV: Ishmael’s Legacy (Gen 25:12-18; Gen 37:25-27)
7. When did Ishmael die? (Gen 25:17) What was his eternal destination? What is said about the descendants of Ishmael? (25:12-18) How was the prophecy given to him, just before his birth fulfilled? (25:18) What were his descendants like? (Gen 37:25-27; Judges 8:23-24; Psalm 83:5-8)
8. How is Ishmael viewed today? Think about the various viewpoints of world
religions?
Genesis 16:1-15
What Ever Happened to Hagar?
(A Single Mom Who Tried Her Best Despite Her Difficult Circumstances)
Genesis 16:1-15; 21:8-21 Pastor Kevin Jesmer NIU UBF
Key verse 16:13
“She gave this name to the LORD who spoke to her: ‘You are the God who sees me,’ for she said, ‘I have now seen the One who sees me.’”
Today we want to meet Hagar. She was Abram’s maidservant, who was forced into a very difficult situation. She is a good example of a single mom who did her best to bear up under life’s hard circumstances to raise her son. Through her sufferings, Hagar met God personally and confessed her faith, "I have seen the One who sees me." She accepted God's love and comfort. Through a study of this passage may we learn about Hagar and how to be a good parent despite our difficult and unavoidable circumstances in life. May we also discover the God who sees us and promises to be with us. Let’s see.
Part l: A Young Girl In Circumstances Beyond Her Control (16:1-6)
Hagar was an Egyptian maidservant. Her name means, “Stranger” in Hebrew. She was a stranger for she was a slave. She was not a Semite like Abraham. She did not know the God of Abraham. She might have been bought or born in Abraham’s tent village, which could have had 1,000 people. Her life as a slave was not to be desired. A slave has no plans of their own. All they do, they do for the master. They can not choose the place where they live, their jobs, nor their own husbands and in Hagar’s case she could not choose whether to have children or not. A slave lived a hopeless life of servitude with no future.
One day this maidservant was told what to do even in the most intimate in realms of life. Genesis 16:2 reads, “Sarai said to Abram, ‘The LORD has kept me from having children. Go, sleep with my maidservant; perhaps I can build a family through her.’ Abram agreed to what Sarai said.” Abram and Sarai could not have any children. It had been ten years since they had been called to live by faith. They had thought that their nephew Lot may produce offspring to make a great nation. But Lot left. Now they were getting impatient. Where was this baby through whom God was going to raise up a people for himself? Sarai was already 75. She became fatalistic about herself. Things were getting too late. She loved Abram. But they did not pray. She decided to sacrifice her own feelings as a woman and solve Abram's “no son” problem in a “human” way. When she suggested that he sleep with Hagar, he was shocked but quickly acquiesced. Such things were common practice at that time. It was through Abram’s and Sarai’s desperate act that Hagar was flung into this story.
And so Hagar conceived. To this young slave a revolution of thought took place. She was a slave, a nobody with no hope for the future. But now she was pregnant with the child of the leader of this small tribe…the child of the great Abram. She could produce something that the matriarch of the tribe could not, a baby. Pride began to grow in her heart. Genesis 16:5 reads, “Then Sarai said to Abram, ‘You are responsible for the wrong I am suffering. I put my servant in your arms, and now that she knows she is pregnant, she despises me. May the LORD judge between you and me.’” Hagar had forgotten who she was. She thought that she could be Abram’s number one wife. She felt a sense of importance. She decided to challenge the authority of Abram’s true wife, Sarai. Her pride was putting her in a very dangerous situation. If she got on Sarai’s wrong side, she could suffer a lot and even be cast out of the village and into the desert wilderness where there were bandits and wild beasts, like lions and bears. She was in precarious situation.
It is always important to remember who we are and not and become proud thinking that we are more than we are. God opposes the proud and gives grace to the humble. (James 4:6) Jesus says that when we come to a banquet we should take the place of least honor and wait until we are invited to the more coveted places at the banquet table. Who are we? Are we not forgiven sinners, saved and called by the grace of Jesus alone? Our pride may lead us away from the fellowship of believers and away from God’s blessings and protection. May God always help us to take the way of humility.
Abram and Sarai did not respond to Hagar’s lack of humility very gently. Look at Genesis 16:6, “‘Your servant is in your hands,’ Abram said. ‘Do with her whatever you think best.’ Then Sarai mistreated Hagar; so she fled from her.” Maybe Sarai was responding with human emotions to Hagar, punishing Hagar with more chores, verbally abusing her, and taking away privileges. But then again, maybe it was Sarai’s attempt to help Hagar keep her place in the tribe so Hagar could continue to live there in safety. What ever the case, God was using these events, to help Hagar meet God personally as we shall see.
Part ll: Hagar…Go Back And Submit (16:7- )
Hagar felt that her back was against the wall. Pregnant, she took off into the foreboding desert. But it was at this time that God was going to reveal himself to her in a very personal way. Genesis 16:7-8 reads, “The angel of the LORD found Hagar near a spring in the desert; it was the spring that is beside the road to Shur. 8 And he said, ‘Hagar, servant of Sarai, where have you come from, and where are you going?’” Hagar had always thought that God was Abram’s God and not hers. But now the God of Abram whispered to her own heart. And where did he meet her? It was at the side of the road, in the midst of her extreme suffering.
We think that God should come to us at nice place, like an expensive church production, or over a latte at Starbucks or at a sunset on the beach at Cancun. But in the Bible, people met the Lord at times of suffering, in the desert of their lives. Jesus comes to them, when they are at the side of the road of life. He asks them the same question, “Where have you come from and where are you going.” If God came to you, what would you say? Do you know where you came from and where you are going in a spiritual sense? Some do not where their lives are head or what the meaning of their present circumstance is. They need to tune into God. Can you hear God whispering to your heart in the midst of your current sufferings? Deuteronomy 4:29 reads, “But if from there you seek the LORD your God, you will find him if you look for him with all your heart and with all your soul.” From where? Your own personal, present place of deepest sorrow and suffering. It is there you will find God.
God gave Hagar some very uncomfortable direction to follow. Look at Genesis 16:9, “ Then the angel of the LORD told her, ‘Go back to your mistress and submit to her.’” God told her to go back and submit. To submit means “To yield or surrender (oneself) to the will or authority of another.” How hard could that have been? She had to submit to Sarai who was mistreating her. She might have been punished. But it was God’s will for Hagar to go back and submit.
God calls each of us to submit to God in various situations. Nowadays marriages are prone to divorce. Maybe it could be God’s will to submit to your spouse and work things out and fall in love all over again. We may not like our professors and so we want to drop a class. But it may be God’s will to humbly submit and learn and get an “A”. We may not like our job and so we may quit without any other alternative. But maybe God wants us to submit for a promotion is just around the corner. We may rather avoid people we don’t get along with rather than saying , “I am sorry” and submitting to a relationship. We may not like a pastor and want to switch churches. But it may be God’s will to submit to his leadership. We are all called to submit to the authority of the word of God. How is God calling you to practice submission in your life right now?
. This direction, however, was not given without a blessing. Genesis 16:11 reads, “The angel of the LORD also said to her: “You are now with child and you will have a son. You shall name him Ishmael, for the LORD has heard of your misery.” Hagar had always felt like a stranger. She felt all alone. But now she had a personal relationship with God and a child was coming, who would be her very own, to love and to hold. This child’s name would be “Ishmael” which means, “God will hear”. (http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/Ishmael) Every time she would call her son’s name, she would remember the grace of God who heard her cry. The meaning of Ishmael also has a meaning, “outcast”. http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/Ishmael)
We all need to realize that God is the God who sees us and hears our cries. When Noah was floating in the ocean for almost a year the Bible says that “But God remembered Noah...” (Gen 8:1) God did not forget him and was working out a way to bring him and his whole family to a safe place. God sees you and is actively working in your life, drawing you to himself. You just need eyes to see that God is right there, shepherding your soul today and every day.
She also accepted the prophecy given her concerning her son, though it was not good. Look at what God told her in verse 16:12. “He will be a wild donkey of a man; his hand will be against everyone and everyone’s hand against him, and he will live in hostility toward all his brothers.” We all like to hear that our kids are going to be honor students; will go to the best universities; will make 6 figure incomes; will have professional careers, beautiful spouses and be involved in many charitable works. Who wants to hear that their son will be a wild donkey of a man and be in perpetual fighting with the nation of Israel? But Hagar was humble and she accepted God’s prophecy concerning her son. Her attitude was, “May the will of God be done, blessed be the name of the Lord.”
Hagar was very obedient. Maybe she learned how to obey by being a slave. First, she decided that she was going to have the child. She was a single mom, living in a hard world. She could have aborted the child. But she was willing to make any sacrifice necessary to raise her son. Though Abram named him, she also accepted God’s name for her son. To obey God, and the truth of God, takes great humility.
Hagar was very excited about God revealing himself to her. She wanted to commemorate it at a very public place where she and others would come to over and over again. Look at verses 16:13-14, “She gave this name to the LORD who spoke to her: ‘You are the God who sees me,’ for she said, ‘I have now seen the One who sees me.’ 14 That is why the well was called Beer Lahai Roi; it is still there, between Kadesh and Bered.” She would never forget the grace of God that was given to her. She wanted all future generations of her people to know that that place was where God met her personally. And they would remember, each time they came to draw water from the well.
I met the God who sees me at the MSU campus in 1986. After one month of Bible study, I went to Bible conference and thought seriously about what God was saying in the book of John in the Bible. I was amazed that the Bible had all the answers to all people’s life problems…even mine. It gave real solutions. I realized how deep the Bible was. I repented of my unbelief and accepted Jesus into my heart. Jesus forgave me of all my hedonistic sins and gave me a new hope and a new life direction to live as a shepherd and Bible teacher. I met the God who sees me. I should rename MSU campus, “Beer lahai Roi” Campus.
Part lll: Hagar Begins An Independent, New Life (21:8- )
Hagar repented and lived under Sarai’s leadership for 15 years. At that time Abraham and Sarah had a baby, Isaac. When Isaac was weaned, at 2-3 years old, something definitive happened to Hagar. Look at Genesis 21:8-9, “The child grew and was weaned, and on the day Isaac was weaned Abraham held a great feast. 9 But Sarah saw that the son whom Hagar the Egyptian had borne to Abraham was mocking” Ishmael was a teenager. He was not very respectful however. He mocked Isaac, God’s chosen one. Mocking is not good even if it done as a joke. People’s hearts are hurt when we mock. There is no indication that Hagar stopped Ishmael. Maybe she gave up trying to correct him for he was already and teenager. Maybe she was blind to what her son was doing. Maybe she felt like mocking the child herself. So often the condition of our own hearts is reflected in our children. Anyway, Hagar was not perfect. Her humanness is showing. This point is that Ishmael was beginning to be a hindrance to the growth of young Isaac.
Sarah took charge once again. She could not bear to see her son being mocked. She could not bear to see the promised son being emotionally attacked by a jealous person. She did not want anything to hinder the growth and the developing faith of young Isaac. And so she said in 21:10, “Get rid of that slave woman and her son, for that slave woman’s son will never share in the inheritance with my son Isaac.” Abram did not want this to happen. He loved Ishmael. He was his own son.
It was the last thing that he wanted, but he submitted after God spoke to his heart. God said to Abraham in 21:12-14, “But God said to him, ‘Do not be so distressed about the boy and your maidservant. Listen to whatever Sarah tells you, because it is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned. 13 I will make the son of the maidservant into a nation also, because he is your offspring.” 14 Early the next morning Abraham took some food and a skin of water and gave them to Hagar. He set them on her shoulders and then sent her off with the boy. She went on her way and wandered in the desert of Beersheba.” It was God’s will to send Hagar and her son away for good. God had a plan, not only to protect and nurture Isaac, but also to bless Hagar and her son on account of Abraham.
This family suffered a lot in the desert once again. But as with the other time, it was the best time to meet God personally. We can see their suffering in 21:15-16, “When the water in the skin was gone, she put the boy under one of the bushes. 16 Then she went off and sat down nearby, about a bowshot away, for she thought, “I cannot watch the boy die.” And as she sat there nearby, she[b] began to sob.” The teenage boy was crying and too weak to walk without the help of his mother. They were about to die of thirst. They were without hope. But the God who sees her saw her again. He saw her tears and her sorrow and he spoke words of comfort and hope to her heart. Let’s read verses 21:18-20a, “Lift the boy up and take him by the hand, for I will make him into a great nation.” 19 Then God opened her eyes and she saw a well of water. So she went and filled the skin with water and gave the boy a drink. 20 God was with the boy as he grew up….” He planted his promises, that they would not die, but live and become a great nation. God also took care of her practical, immediate needs. He revealed to her how to get water. Our God is the God of hope, comfort and grace.
With God’s help Hagar and her son survived and even thrived in the desert. Look at verse 20b, “He lived in the desert and became an archer.” She experienced the joy of seeing her son find his career path in life. I will be very happy when I live to see that all of my kids have found their career paths and have become productive adult citizens. Hagar also took personal responsibility for her son’s marriage. Look at 21:21, “21 While he was living in the Desert of Paran, his mother got a wife for him from Egypt.” Hagar was a good mom, but not very spiritual. If she was, then she would have tried to get a wife for Ishmael, from among Abraham’s relatives. She did not care if his wife worshipped idols. But she did try to help her son out in regards to his marriage. We all should care about the marriage partners our children may have. We may not be able to choose for them, but we can pray and counsel our children in regards to marriage. It is part of our responsibility as parents.
Part lV: The Heritage Of Hagar
The heritage that Hagar left behind is not a very fruitful. Her descendants are the Ishmaelites and the Hagrites. In 1000 B.C. both of these people groups were enemies of God’s people. Look at Psalm 83:5-6. It reads, “With one mind they plot together; they form an alliance against you— 6 the tents of Edom and the Ishmaelites, of Moab and the Hagrites,” They formed alliances together to fight against Israel. Israel defeated them. Listen about the outcome of one battle in 1 Chronicles 5:18-22, “ 18 The Reubenites, the Gadites and the half-tribe of Manasseh had 44,760 men ready for military service—able-bodied men who could handle shield and sword, who could use a bow, and who were trained for battle. 19 They waged war against the Hagrites, Jetur, Naphish and Nodab. 20 They were helped in fighting them, and God handed the Hagrites and all their allies over to them, because they cried out to him during the battle. He answered their prayers, because they trusted in him. 21 They seized the livestock of the Hagrites—fifty thousand camels, two hundred fifty thousand sheep and two thousand donkeys. They also took one hundred thousand people captive, 22 and many others fell slain, because the battle was God’s. And they occupied the land until the exile.”
In the New Testament, Paul used Hagar as a symbol to help illustrate the difference between being slave to the law and free spiritually by the Gospel of God’s grace. Listen to what Galatians 4:21-23 reads, “Tell me, you who want to be under the law, are you not aware of what the law says? 22 For it is written that Abraham had two sons, one by the slave woman and the other by the free woman. 23 His son by the slave woman was born in the ordinary way; but his son by the free woman was born as the result of a promise.” Paul goes on to explain what this symbolism means in verses 24-26, "These things may be taken figuratively, for the women represent two covenants. One covenant is from Mount Sinai and bears children who are to be slaves: This is Hagar. Now Hagar stands for Mount Sinai in Arabia and corresponds to the present city of Jerusalem, because she is in slavery with her children. But the Jerusalem that is above is free and she is our mother." Symbolically, the mothers represent two different covenants. Hagar represents the law, which emphasizes human beings' obligation and duty with words such as "You must do this. You must not do that." There is no salvation found in obeying the law. Sarah has come to represent faith in the promises of God and the grace of God which brings us spiritual freedom. All of this is the topic of a future message. We must be mindful of the heritage that we are laying down that will be passed on to the future generations.
There is much to learn from Hagar. Sure, she had her weaknesses. She became proud and forgot who she was in the society she was in. She did not stop her son from mocking the obvious work of God in Isaac. She also got a wife for him from among idol worshippers. She did not lay a foundation of faith in the God of Abraham for the future generations. We can learn from these weaknesses. But there were some good things about Hagar. She met the God who “sees her.” She submitted to a very difficult situation out of obedience to God. She kept the baby and raised him as best she could. She took care of her son until he could find his place in the world and she even helped him find a wife. I pray that the young people of America may meet the God who sees them in their hour of suffering. I also pray that all single moms may take a lesson from Hagar and do their best, in their situation to overcome this world and raise their child to maturity, planting faith in the God of Abraham in their hearts.
Part l: Hagar Flees From Her Situation
1. Who was Hagar? (16:1) What was the role of a maid servant? How did she come
to live in Abram’s tent village?
2. What was the situation of Abram and Sarai that brought Hagar into a very
uncomfortable situation? (16:2)
3. What happened when Hagar conceived a child? (16:5) Why is this wrong and
even dangerous for Hagar? How did Abram and Sarai react to the situation?
(16:5,6)
4. Where did Hagar flee too? (16:7-8) What was the Lord’s direction for her? (16:9)
What doe it mean to submit?
5. What promise did God give Hagar if she obeyed? (16:10) What was the
prophecy concerning her son? (16:11) How do you think she felt about this
prophecy? What shows that Hagar was obedient to God? (11b, 15) Why was it
hard to obey?
Part ll; Hagar Meets The God, Who Sees Her
6. What things did Hagar learn about God? (11b, 13) How did she commemorate
this revelation? Are there others in the Bible whom received the same
revelation? (Gen 8:1) What does it mean that God sees you?
7. What happened when Ishmael was 13 years old? (21:8-9) Did Hagar try to stop her son from mocking Issac? What did Sarah demand? (21:10) and why? What did God tell Abraham to do and why? (21:12-14) How hard was this for all of the people involved? What is the spiritual application?
8. Describe the distress that Hagar and Ishmael felt as they were wondering in the desert?
(21:15-16) What promise did God give her? How did he provide for her? (21:18-21)
What became of her descendants? (Psalm 83:1-6; 1 Chron 5:18-22; )
9. In what ways was Hagar and good example for single moms? (21:16; 19; 21) Think about
the responsibilities that we have towards our own children. How did she feel about the
man her son had become?
10. What is Hagar a spiritual symbol of, in the Bible? (Gal 4:21-31) What allegory did
Paul use to help them understand the difference between being slave and free? (21-23)
What do these two women stand for? (24-26)
(A Single Mom Who Tried Her Best Despite Her Difficult Circumstances)
Genesis 16:1-15; 21:8-21 Pastor Kevin Jesmer NIU UBF
Key verse 16:13
“She gave this name to the LORD who spoke to her: ‘You are the God who sees me,’ for she said, ‘I have now seen the One who sees me.’”
Today we want to meet Hagar. She was Abram’s maidservant, who was forced into a very difficult situation. She is a good example of a single mom who did her best to bear up under life’s hard circumstances to raise her son. Through her sufferings, Hagar met God personally and confessed her faith, "I have seen the One who sees me." She accepted God's love and comfort. Through a study of this passage may we learn about Hagar and how to be a good parent despite our difficult and unavoidable circumstances in life. May we also discover the God who sees us and promises to be with us. Let’s see.
Part l: A Young Girl In Circumstances Beyond Her Control (16:1-6)
Hagar was an Egyptian maidservant. Her name means, “Stranger” in Hebrew. She was a stranger for she was a slave. She was not a Semite like Abraham. She did not know the God of Abraham. She might have been bought or born in Abraham’s tent village, which could have had 1,000 people. Her life as a slave was not to be desired. A slave has no plans of their own. All they do, they do for the master. They can not choose the place where they live, their jobs, nor their own husbands and in Hagar’s case she could not choose whether to have children or not. A slave lived a hopeless life of servitude with no future.
One day this maidservant was told what to do even in the most intimate in realms of life. Genesis 16:2 reads, “Sarai said to Abram, ‘The LORD has kept me from having children. Go, sleep with my maidservant; perhaps I can build a family through her.’ Abram agreed to what Sarai said.” Abram and Sarai could not have any children. It had been ten years since they had been called to live by faith. They had thought that their nephew Lot may produce offspring to make a great nation. But Lot left. Now they were getting impatient. Where was this baby through whom God was going to raise up a people for himself? Sarai was already 75. She became fatalistic about herself. Things were getting too late. She loved Abram. But they did not pray. She decided to sacrifice her own feelings as a woman and solve Abram's “no son” problem in a “human” way. When she suggested that he sleep with Hagar, he was shocked but quickly acquiesced. Such things were common practice at that time. It was through Abram’s and Sarai’s desperate act that Hagar was flung into this story.
And so Hagar conceived. To this young slave a revolution of thought took place. She was a slave, a nobody with no hope for the future. But now she was pregnant with the child of the leader of this small tribe…the child of the great Abram. She could produce something that the matriarch of the tribe could not, a baby. Pride began to grow in her heart. Genesis 16:5 reads, “Then Sarai said to Abram, ‘You are responsible for the wrong I am suffering. I put my servant in your arms, and now that she knows she is pregnant, she despises me. May the LORD judge between you and me.’” Hagar had forgotten who she was. She thought that she could be Abram’s number one wife. She felt a sense of importance. She decided to challenge the authority of Abram’s true wife, Sarai. Her pride was putting her in a very dangerous situation. If she got on Sarai’s wrong side, she could suffer a lot and even be cast out of the village and into the desert wilderness where there were bandits and wild beasts, like lions and bears. She was in precarious situation.
It is always important to remember who we are and not and become proud thinking that we are more than we are. God opposes the proud and gives grace to the humble. (James 4:6) Jesus says that when we come to a banquet we should take the place of least honor and wait until we are invited to the more coveted places at the banquet table. Who are we? Are we not forgiven sinners, saved and called by the grace of Jesus alone? Our pride may lead us away from the fellowship of believers and away from God’s blessings and protection. May God always help us to take the way of humility.
Abram and Sarai did not respond to Hagar’s lack of humility very gently. Look at Genesis 16:6, “‘Your servant is in your hands,’ Abram said. ‘Do with her whatever you think best.’ Then Sarai mistreated Hagar; so she fled from her.” Maybe Sarai was responding with human emotions to Hagar, punishing Hagar with more chores, verbally abusing her, and taking away privileges. But then again, maybe it was Sarai’s attempt to help Hagar keep her place in the tribe so Hagar could continue to live there in safety. What ever the case, God was using these events, to help Hagar meet God personally as we shall see.
Part ll: Hagar…Go Back And Submit (16:7- )
Hagar felt that her back was against the wall. Pregnant, she took off into the foreboding desert. But it was at this time that God was going to reveal himself to her in a very personal way. Genesis 16:7-8 reads, “The angel of the LORD found Hagar near a spring in the desert; it was the spring that is beside the road to Shur. 8 And he said, ‘Hagar, servant of Sarai, where have you come from, and where are you going?’” Hagar had always thought that God was Abram’s God and not hers. But now the God of Abram whispered to her own heart. And where did he meet her? It was at the side of the road, in the midst of her extreme suffering.
We think that God should come to us at nice place, like an expensive church production, or over a latte at Starbucks or at a sunset on the beach at Cancun. But in the Bible, people met the Lord at times of suffering, in the desert of their lives. Jesus comes to them, when they are at the side of the road of life. He asks them the same question, “Where have you come from and where are you going.” If God came to you, what would you say? Do you know where you came from and where you are going in a spiritual sense? Some do not where their lives are head or what the meaning of their present circumstance is. They need to tune into God. Can you hear God whispering to your heart in the midst of your current sufferings? Deuteronomy 4:29 reads, “But if from there you seek the LORD your God, you will find him if you look for him with all your heart and with all your soul.” From where? Your own personal, present place of deepest sorrow and suffering. It is there you will find God.
God gave Hagar some very uncomfortable direction to follow. Look at Genesis 16:9, “ Then the angel of the LORD told her, ‘Go back to your mistress and submit to her.’” God told her to go back and submit. To submit means “To yield or surrender (oneself) to the will or authority of another.” How hard could that have been? She had to submit to Sarai who was mistreating her. She might have been punished. But it was God’s will for Hagar to go back and submit.
God calls each of us to submit to God in various situations. Nowadays marriages are prone to divorce. Maybe it could be God’s will to submit to your spouse and work things out and fall in love all over again. We may not like our professors and so we want to drop a class. But it may be God’s will to humbly submit and learn and get an “A”. We may not like our job and so we may quit without any other alternative. But maybe God wants us to submit for a promotion is just around the corner. We may rather avoid people we don’t get along with rather than saying , “I am sorry” and submitting to a relationship. We may not like a pastor and want to switch churches. But it may be God’s will to submit to his leadership. We are all called to submit to the authority of the word of God. How is God calling you to practice submission in your life right now?
. This direction, however, was not given without a blessing. Genesis 16:11 reads, “The angel of the LORD also said to her: “You are now with child and you will have a son. You shall name him Ishmael, for the LORD has heard of your misery.” Hagar had always felt like a stranger. She felt all alone. But now she had a personal relationship with God and a child was coming, who would be her very own, to love and to hold. This child’s name would be “Ishmael” which means, “God will hear”. (http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/Ishmael) Every time she would call her son’s name, she would remember the grace of God who heard her cry. The meaning of Ishmael also has a meaning, “outcast”. http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/Ishmael)
We all need to realize that God is the God who sees us and hears our cries. When Noah was floating in the ocean for almost a year the Bible says that “But God remembered Noah...” (Gen 8:1) God did not forget him and was working out a way to bring him and his whole family to a safe place. God sees you and is actively working in your life, drawing you to himself. You just need eyes to see that God is right there, shepherding your soul today and every day.
She also accepted the prophecy given her concerning her son, though it was not good. Look at what God told her in verse 16:12. “He will be a wild donkey of a man; his hand will be against everyone and everyone’s hand against him, and he will live in hostility toward all his brothers.” We all like to hear that our kids are going to be honor students; will go to the best universities; will make 6 figure incomes; will have professional careers, beautiful spouses and be involved in many charitable works. Who wants to hear that their son will be a wild donkey of a man and be in perpetual fighting with the nation of Israel? But Hagar was humble and she accepted God’s prophecy concerning her son. Her attitude was, “May the will of God be done, blessed be the name of the Lord.”
Hagar was very obedient. Maybe she learned how to obey by being a slave. First, she decided that she was going to have the child. She was a single mom, living in a hard world. She could have aborted the child. But she was willing to make any sacrifice necessary to raise her son. Though Abram named him, she also accepted God’s name for her son. To obey God, and the truth of God, takes great humility.
Hagar was very excited about God revealing himself to her. She wanted to commemorate it at a very public place where she and others would come to over and over again. Look at verses 16:13-14, “She gave this name to the LORD who spoke to her: ‘You are the God who sees me,’ for she said, ‘I have now seen the One who sees me.’ 14 That is why the well was called Beer Lahai Roi; it is still there, between Kadesh and Bered.” She would never forget the grace of God that was given to her. She wanted all future generations of her people to know that that place was where God met her personally. And they would remember, each time they came to draw water from the well.
I met the God who sees me at the MSU campus in 1986. After one month of Bible study, I went to Bible conference and thought seriously about what God was saying in the book of John in the Bible. I was amazed that the Bible had all the answers to all people’s life problems…even mine. It gave real solutions. I realized how deep the Bible was. I repented of my unbelief and accepted Jesus into my heart. Jesus forgave me of all my hedonistic sins and gave me a new hope and a new life direction to live as a shepherd and Bible teacher. I met the God who sees me. I should rename MSU campus, “Beer lahai Roi” Campus.
Part lll: Hagar Begins An Independent, New Life (21:8- )
Hagar repented and lived under Sarai’s leadership for 15 years. At that time Abraham and Sarah had a baby, Isaac. When Isaac was weaned, at 2-3 years old, something definitive happened to Hagar. Look at Genesis 21:8-9, “The child grew and was weaned, and on the day Isaac was weaned Abraham held a great feast. 9 But Sarah saw that the son whom Hagar the Egyptian had borne to Abraham was mocking” Ishmael was a teenager. He was not very respectful however. He mocked Isaac, God’s chosen one. Mocking is not good even if it done as a joke. People’s hearts are hurt when we mock. There is no indication that Hagar stopped Ishmael. Maybe she gave up trying to correct him for he was already and teenager. Maybe she was blind to what her son was doing. Maybe she felt like mocking the child herself. So often the condition of our own hearts is reflected in our children. Anyway, Hagar was not perfect. Her humanness is showing. This point is that Ishmael was beginning to be a hindrance to the growth of young Isaac.
Sarah took charge once again. She could not bear to see her son being mocked. She could not bear to see the promised son being emotionally attacked by a jealous person. She did not want anything to hinder the growth and the developing faith of young Isaac. And so she said in 21:10, “Get rid of that slave woman and her son, for that slave woman’s son will never share in the inheritance with my son Isaac.” Abram did not want this to happen. He loved Ishmael. He was his own son.
It was the last thing that he wanted, but he submitted after God spoke to his heart. God said to Abraham in 21:12-14, “But God said to him, ‘Do not be so distressed about the boy and your maidservant. Listen to whatever Sarah tells you, because it is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned. 13 I will make the son of the maidservant into a nation also, because he is your offspring.” 14 Early the next morning Abraham took some food and a skin of water and gave them to Hagar. He set them on her shoulders and then sent her off with the boy. She went on her way and wandered in the desert of Beersheba.” It was God’s will to send Hagar and her son away for good. God had a plan, not only to protect and nurture Isaac, but also to bless Hagar and her son on account of Abraham.
This family suffered a lot in the desert once again. But as with the other time, it was the best time to meet God personally. We can see their suffering in 21:15-16, “When the water in the skin was gone, she put the boy under one of the bushes. 16 Then she went off and sat down nearby, about a bowshot away, for she thought, “I cannot watch the boy die.” And as she sat there nearby, she[b] began to sob.” The teenage boy was crying and too weak to walk without the help of his mother. They were about to die of thirst. They were without hope. But the God who sees her saw her again. He saw her tears and her sorrow and he spoke words of comfort and hope to her heart. Let’s read verses 21:18-20a, “Lift the boy up and take him by the hand, for I will make him into a great nation.” 19 Then God opened her eyes and she saw a well of water. So she went and filled the skin with water and gave the boy a drink. 20 God was with the boy as he grew up….” He planted his promises, that they would not die, but live and become a great nation. God also took care of her practical, immediate needs. He revealed to her how to get water. Our God is the God of hope, comfort and grace.
With God’s help Hagar and her son survived and even thrived in the desert. Look at verse 20b, “He lived in the desert and became an archer.” She experienced the joy of seeing her son find his career path in life. I will be very happy when I live to see that all of my kids have found their career paths and have become productive adult citizens. Hagar also took personal responsibility for her son’s marriage. Look at 21:21, “21 While he was living in the Desert of Paran, his mother got a wife for him from Egypt.” Hagar was a good mom, but not very spiritual. If she was, then she would have tried to get a wife for Ishmael, from among Abraham’s relatives. She did not care if his wife worshipped idols. But she did try to help her son out in regards to his marriage. We all should care about the marriage partners our children may have. We may not be able to choose for them, but we can pray and counsel our children in regards to marriage. It is part of our responsibility as parents.
Part lV: The Heritage Of Hagar
The heritage that Hagar left behind is not a very fruitful. Her descendants are the Ishmaelites and the Hagrites. In 1000 B.C. both of these people groups were enemies of God’s people. Look at Psalm 83:5-6. It reads, “With one mind they plot together; they form an alliance against you— 6 the tents of Edom and the Ishmaelites, of Moab and the Hagrites,” They formed alliances together to fight against Israel. Israel defeated them. Listen about the outcome of one battle in 1 Chronicles 5:18-22, “ 18 The Reubenites, the Gadites and the half-tribe of Manasseh had 44,760 men ready for military service—able-bodied men who could handle shield and sword, who could use a bow, and who were trained for battle. 19 They waged war against the Hagrites, Jetur, Naphish and Nodab. 20 They were helped in fighting them, and God handed the Hagrites and all their allies over to them, because they cried out to him during the battle. He answered their prayers, because they trusted in him. 21 They seized the livestock of the Hagrites—fifty thousand camels, two hundred fifty thousand sheep and two thousand donkeys. They also took one hundred thousand people captive, 22 and many others fell slain, because the battle was God’s. And they occupied the land until the exile.”
In the New Testament, Paul used Hagar as a symbol to help illustrate the difference between being slave to the law and free spiritually by the Gospel of God’s grace. Listen to what Galatians 4:21-23 reads, “Tell me, you who want to be under the law, are you not aware of what the law says? 22 For it is written that Abraham had two sons, one by the slave woman and the other by the free woman. 23 His son by the slave woman was born in the ordinary way; but his son by the free woman was born as the result of a promise.” Paul goes on to explain what this symbolism means in verses 24-26, "These things may be taken figuratively, for the women represent two covenants. One covenant is from Mount Sinai and bears children who are to be slaves: This is Hagar. Now Hagar stands for Mount Sinai in Arabia and corresponds to the present city of Jerusalem, because she is in slavery with her children. But the Jerusalem that is above is free and she is our mother." Symbolically, the mothers represent two different covenants. Hagar represents the law, which emphasizes human beings' obligation and duty with words such as "You must do this. You must not do that." There is no salvation found in obeying the law. Sarah has come to represent faith in the promises of God and the grace of God which brings us spiritual freedom. All of this is the topic of a future message. We must be mindful of the heritage that we are laying down that will be passed on to the future generations.
There is much to learn from Hagar. Sure, she had her weaknesses. She became proud and forgot who she was in the society she was in. She did not stop her son from mocking the obvious work of God in Isaac. She also got a wife for him from among idol worshippers. She did not lay a foundation of faith in the God of Abraham for the future generations. We can learn from these weaknesses. But there were some good things about Hagar. She met the God who “sees her.” She submitted to a very difficult situation out of obedience to God. She kept the baby and raised him as best she could. She took care of her son until he could find his place in the world and she even helped him find a wife. I pray that the young people of America may meet the God who sees them in their hour of suffering. I also pray that all single moms may take a lesson from Hagar and do their best, in their situation to overcome this world and raise their child to maturity, planting faith in the God of Abraham in their hearts.
Part l: Hagar Flees From Her Situation
1. Who was Hagar? (16:1) What was the role of a maid servant? How did she come
to live in Abram’s tent village?
2. What was the situation of Abram and Sarai that brought Hagar into a very
uncomfortable situation? (16:2)
3. What happened when Hagar conceived a child? (16:5) Why is this wrong and
even dangerous for Hagar? How did Abram and Sarai react to the situation?
(16:5,6)
4. Where did Hagar flee too? (16:7-8) What was the Lord’s direction for her? (16:9)
What doe it mean to submit?
5. What promise did God give Hagar if she obeyed? (16:10) What was the
prophecy concerning her son? (16:11) How do you think she felt about this
prophecy? What shows that Hagar was obedient to God? (11b, 15) Why was it
hard to obey?
Part ll; Hagar Meets The God, Who Sees Her
6. What things did Hagar learn about God? (11b, 13) How did she commemorate
this revelation? Are there others in the Bible whom received the same
revelation? (Gen 8:1) What does it mean that God sees you?
7. What happened when Ishmael was 13 years old? (21:8-9) Did Hagar try to stop her son from mocking Issac? What did Sarah demand? (21:10) and why? What did God tell Abraham to do and why? (21:12-14) How hard was this for all of the people involved? What is the spiritual application?
8. Describe the distress that Hagar and Ishmael felt as they were wondering in the desert?
(21:15-16) What promise did God give her? How did he provide for her? (21:18-21)
What became of her descendants? (Psalm 83:1-6; 1 Chron 5:18-22; )
9. In what ways was Hagar and good example for single moms? (21:16; 19; 21) Think about
the responsibilities that we have towards our own children. How did she feel about the
man her son had become?
10. What is Hagar a spiritual symbol of, in the Bible? (Gal 4:21-31) What allegory did
Paul use to help them understand the difference between being slave and free? (21-23)
What do these two women stand for? (24-26)
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