SARAH AND HAGAR

Learn: John 3:5-7

Jesus answered. Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Sprit is spirit. Marvel not that I say unto thee, Ye must be born again.

Read: GenesiS 21:8-21

NOTE: The weaning of a child at the time of Abraham and Sarah was customarily accomplished in the second or third year of life. It was an important occasion and cause for celebration.

1. Abraham made a great feast when Isaac was weaned. As the family celebrated, what did Sarah see? v 9
2. Who was the son of Hagar?  Genesis 16:15
3. How old was Hagar’s son at this time?  Use Genesis 16:15; 17:24, 25; 21:4, 5, plus information given in the NOTE to find the answer.
4. What did Sarah do when she saw the attitude of Ishmael towards his baby brother Isaac, and his response to the family’s celebration for Isaac?  v 10
5. As we look at this lesson and what followed in the life of Ishmael we must keep in mind that Ishmael was the son of Abraham “in the flesh”( not according to God’s promise or way), but Isaac was “the son that God had promised.” As John 3:3-6 tells us, in order to be part of God’s kingdom we must be “born of the Spirit.”(that is born by the power of God).  In Galatians 4:27-31 Paul quotes Genesis 21:10. Paul is comparing believers in Christ to Isaac, the son of promise. What does Paul say about believers in verse 28 of Galatians 4?  Also see Romans 9:23-26, 33.
6. We are reminded in Galatians 4:29a of how Ishmael (who was born after the flesh- outside of God’s will) treated Isaac. How did Ishmael treat his brother Isaac?  Why? v 29b
7. How does Ishmael’s treatment of Isaac correspond to all believers (those born of the Spirit) at all times in history?  v 29
8. What does Galatians 4:30 tell us about the possibility of unbelievers (those who are born only once- born of the flesh) being heirs of the promises of God along with believers in Jesus ( those who have been born again by the Spirit of God)?
9. We see in Galatians 4: 31 that we who are believers are called “free”, we are no longer slaves. What are 3 things had we been slaves to before coming to Christ?  John 8:24, 34; Romans 6:12; John 8:44
10. We understand from Scripture, that this history of real people is not just a narrative for our interest, but it is recorded so that we can learn God’s truth and understand how we ourselves are to live as God’s children. All that happened in the lives of Abraham, Sarah, Isaac, and Hagar and Ishmael should teach us. Sarah wanted Hagar and her son Ishmael to be sent far away from Isaac. What was the reason? Genesis 21:10
11. Abraham loved his son Ishmael, so what did Sarah’s demand cause him? v 11
12. Abraham looked at this situation with physical eyes and with his emotions, he might have made the wrong decision by “following his heart”, but what did God tell him? v 12
13. Today in our culture we are often admonished to “follow our heart”. Don’t think they say, just do what “makes you happy.” What is the trap that we are likely to fall into if we live by our emotions rather than by truth? Jeremiah 17:9;  Matthew 15:19,  If we listen to our and follow its leading what will we do?
14. What promise did the LORD give to Abraham, so that Abraham was confident and we are assured that God would not let any evil befall Ishmael as he left Abraham’s home? v 13
15. What did Abraham do in obedience to God that declared Abraham’s trust in God’s word, instead of following the feelings in his heart? v 14 a, b
16. How did Hagar and her son get into trouble? vv 14c, 15a
17. What did Hagar do when she thought there was no hope for survival? vv 15, 16
18. Was Hagar’s behavior in the face of loosing her son, what we would call typical behavior of a mother whose child was dying? Explain your answer.