Dave Burnette's Commentary

Genesis Chapter 21

Written By: God through Inspiration
Penned By: Moses
Date Penned: (1450-1410 BC)
Overview: To Record God's Creation and Identify His Plan (c 1-22)
Theme: The Story of Abraham (c 12-25)
Message: The Birth of Isaac (v 1-34)

Genesis 21 Commentary

(21:1-7) Abraham Has a Son - Who could have believed that Abraham would have a son at 100 years of age-and live to raise him to adulthood? But doing the impossible is everyday business for God. Our big problems won't seem so impossible if we let God handle them.

(2:17) Sarah Sees God's Plan Fulfilled - After repeated promises, a visit by two angels, and the appearance of the Lord himself, Sarah finally cried out with surprise and joy at the birth of her son. Because of her doubt, worry, and fear, she had forfeited the peace she could have felt in God's wonderful promise to her. The way to bring peace to a troubled heart is to focus on God's promises. Trust him to do what he 
says.

(21:18) The Seed of Islam -  What happened to Ishmael, and who are his descendants? Ishmael became the ancestor of a large tribe or nation. The Ishmaelites were nomads living in the wilderness of Paran, south of Israel. One of Ishmael's daughters married Esau, Ishmael's nephew (28:9). The Bible pictures the Ishmaelites as hostile to Israel and to God (Psalm 83:5-6).

(21:19-34) Isaac's Home - Beer-sheba, the southernmost city of Israel, lay on the edge of a vast wilderness that stretched as far as Egypt to the southwest and Mount Sinai to the south. The area described as being from Dan in the north to Beer-sheba in the south was often used to describe the traditional boundaries of the Promised Land (2Samuel17:11; 2 Chronicles 30:5). Beer-sheba's southern location and the presence of several wells in the area may explain why Abraham settled there. Beer-sheba was also the home of Isaac, Abraham's son.


Dave Burnette's Life Application

Faith and Blessing


Each day we walk through the Bible chapter by chapter, making application of our text to help us grow in the Lord. There are many applications we can make from each day's text. Today we Continue in the book of Genesis with Chapter 21, and in today's text, we see Isaac being born to Abraham at the age of 100. Sarah laughed with joy to see God do the impossible. This event grabbed Abraham's attention. He no longer doubts the Lord and, in the upcoming chapters, becomes a man of true faith. In contrast, Abraham's past lack of faith to trust the Lord for a child had him act apart from God. Now having a child with Hagar, Ismael is mocking him, which causes Abraham to cast out Ishmael and Hagar due to this conflict. This conflict continues to this day between God's covenant people (known today as the Jews) and Ishmael's decedents (known as Islamics). In making an application, we see that if we wait for God's plan, we will see his blessings instead of life's disappointments. I see this every day as others tell me they didn't wait on the Lord and made a mess of their lives. In contrast, I also see testimonies of those who wait on the Lord and testify of His blessings. It goes further than the immediate generation. It continues to your kids and kids, kids. If you make a mistake, repent of it and learn from it just as Abraham does. Don't allow the enemy to use your error to lead to your failure in the future. The bottom line is to trust the Lord. It pays now and for generations to come. How about you? Are you facing a decision towards a need in your life? Let us Learn from Abraham's life, trust God on His timetable, and see Him bless our lives.

 

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Genesis 21


Genesis 21

 1And the LORD visited Sarah as he had said, and the LORD did unto Sarah as he had spoken.

 2For Sarah conceived, and bare Abraham a son in his old age, at the set time of which God had spoken to him.

 3And Abraham called the name of his son that was born unto him, whom Sarah bare to him, Isaac.

 4And Abraham circumcised his son Isaac being eight days old, as God had commanded him.

 5And Abraham was an hundred years old, when his son Isaac was born unto him.

 6And Sarah said, God hath made me to laugh, so that all that hear will laugh with me.

 7And she said, Who would have said unto Abraham, that Sarah should have given children suck? for I have born him a son in his old age.

 8And the child grew, and was weaned: and Abraham made a great feast the same day that Isaac was weaned.

 9And Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian, which she had born unto Abraham, mocking.

 10Wherefore she said unto Abraham, Cast out this bondwoman and her son: for the son of this bondwoman shall not be heir with my son, even with Isaac.

 11And the thing was very grievous in Abraham's sight because of his son.

 12And God said unto Abraham, Let it not be grievous in thy sight because of the lad, and because of thy bondwoman; in all that Sarah hath said unto thee, hearken unto her voice; for in Isaac shall thy seed be called.

 13And also of the son of the bondwoman will I make a nation, because he is thy seed.

 14And Abraham rose up early in the morning, and took bread, and a bottle of water, and gave it unto Hagar, putting it on her shoulder, and the child, and sent her away: and she departed, and wandered in the wilderness of Beersheba.

 15And the water was spent in the bottle, and she cast the child under one of the shrubs.

 16And she went, and sat her down over against him a good way off, as it were a bow shot: for she said, Let me not see the death of the child. And she sat over against him, and lift up her voice, and wept.

 17And God heard the voice of the lad; and the angel of God called to Hagar out of heaven, and said unto her, What aileth thee, Hagar? fear not; for God hath heard the voice of the lad where he is.

 18Arise, lift up the lad, and hold him in thine hand; for I will make him a great nation.

 19And God opened her eyes, and she saw a well of water; and she went, and filled the bottle with water, and gave the lad drink.

 20And God was with the lad; and he grew, and dwelt in the wilderness, and became an archer.

 21And he dwelt in the wilderness of Paran: and his mother took him a wife out of the land of Egypt.

 22And it came to pass at that time, that Abimelech and Phichol the chief captain of his host spake unto Abraham, saying, God is with thee in all that thou doest:

 23Now therefore swear unto me here by God that thou wilt not deal falsely with me, nor with my son, nor with my son's son: but according to the kindness that I have done unto thee, thou shalt do unto me, and to the land wherein thou hast sojourned.

 24And Abraham said, I will swear.

 25And Abraham reproved Abimelech because of a well of water, which Abimelech's servants had violently taken away.

 26And Abimelech said, I wot not who hath done this thing; neither didst thou tell me, neither yet heard I of it, but to day.

 27And Abraham took sheep and oxen, and gave them unto Abimelech; and both of them made a covenant.

 28And Abraham set seven ewe lambs of the flock by themselves.

 29And Abimelech said unto Abraham, What mean these seven ewe lambs which thou hast set by themselves?

 30And he said, For these seven ewe lambs shalt thou take of my hand, that they may be a witness unto me, that I have digged this well.

 31Wherefore he called that place Beersheba; because there they sware both of them.

 32Thus they made a covenant at Beersheba: then Abimelech rose up, and Phichol the chief captain of his host, and they returned into the land of the Philistines.

 33And Abraham planted a grove in Beersheba, and called there on the name of the LORD, the everlasting God.

 34And Abraham sojourned in the Philistines' land many days.