Abraham: Sons Lost and Sons Found

Abraham and Sarah were old and had no children and no real hope of having any children to take care of them in their old age. Abraham was rich in every other way except for having children. He had a beautiful wife, flocks and herds of livestock, servants and slaves, plenty to eat, but no children to love and revere him.

Of course God had promised him a son and a heritage but it looked like time was running out. Had God forgotten?

Wives have good ideas sometimes and bad ideas sometimes. Sarah loved Abraham so much and wanted him to have a son so badly that she convinced him to have a child with her Egyptian slave girl Hagar.

Imagine Abraham’s great joy when a son was born to him through Hagar at the ripe old age of 86. Abraham and Ishmael walking through the forest, laughing back and forth, reminiscing about the times, contemplating nothing but the fun times they had together. Oo-De-Lally, Oo-De-Lally, my goodness what a day.

But then the dark mood of jealousy erupted selfishly in Sarah and she caused Abraham to get rid of his first child when Ishmael was just 14 years old and Abraham was 100 years old. Of course he had his newborn son Isaac and God’s promise that Ishmael would do just fine but if I’m any judge the old man missed his boy Ishmael and was really shook up.

Ishmael was the first son that Abraham lost.

The second son that Abraham lost was Isaac. A lot of Bible scholars think that Isaac was about 25 years old when God told Abraham to kill and sacrifice him. And Abraham in faithful obedience and fatherly sorrow set out to do just that. In the back of his mind he had the idea that God wouldn’t let it happen. But Abraham watched Isaac tied up on the altar and Isaac confused and pleading with his eyes. Abraham must have asked himself… how long would God let this go on?

And God waited until the last minute possible. The minute when Abraham had the sharpened knife in his hand.

Isaac was the second son that Abraham lost.

Isaac was lost (In Abrahams mind) when God instructed him to kill Isaac because he was going to do it. God gave him Isaac and after-all Isaac belonged to God as the first born. God gave and God could take away. Blessed be the name of God.

I don’t know if Sarah was ever sorry for forcing Abraham to get rid of Ishmael or if Sarah ever thought God was punishing her for her crime against Ishmael and Abraham by having Isaac sacrificed. I don’t know if she was ever sorry but she should have been. She caused one son to be lost and almost lost her own son.

Poor Abraham… trouble with an unhappy wife, sons loved and lost and found again, depressed and surprised at God.

But if faith was easy then everyone would have it wouldn’t they.