Today’s Reading: Genesis 16-17, Matthew 5:27-48
Today’s Reflection: Gen. 16:20 And as for Ishmael, I have heard thee: Behold, I have blessed him, and will make him fruitful, and will multiply him exceedingly; twelve princes shall he beget, and I will make him a great nation.
A well versed Bible student will remember this; Abraham and Sarah got this bright idea to help God out with His promise. What they knew was that they were to have a child, but what they did not understand was how. They automatically assumed that because Sarah was past the age of child bearing, that God must have a different plan. So, in a moment of desperation, thinking they were getting too old too quickly to ever see it come to pass, Sarah gave Abraham her handmaid to have a child by. This was not an uncommon practice in the culture of their day. Abraham obliged, and as a result Ishmael was born. However, there was only one problem; this was not God’s promised seed. As a matter of fact, God reassures Abraham of the promise in verse nineteen by saying, “Sarah thy wife shall bear thee a son indeed; and thou shalt call his name Isaac…” But this leads us to the question Abraham was concerned with; what about Ishmael? After all, he was Abraham’s son. So, although Abraham realized that he made incorrect assumptions about God’s will for his life, and made irreversible choices, he couldn’t just forget about Ishmael. This leads us to our text verse, which was God’s response to Abraham about Ishmael; He said He would bless him, make him fruitful, multiply him exceedingly, and that twelve princes would come out of him, and that he would become a great nation. And now for the application; sometimes we make choices about God’s plans for us based upon a limited understanding, and as a result, if we’re not careful, we will make incorrect assumptions about the details of how God’s promises are going to come to pass in our lives. With that in mind, our first lesson is that we should be very careful not to make hasty life decisions in a moment’s notice, just because we are getting desperate for answers and a swift conclusion. The second lesson is this; even if we have already made a mess of things, so to speak, when God has spoken a promise over us, it shall come to pass regardless. God has a way of turning our messes into miracles, if we will turn back to Him! Only believe God!
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