Please turn with me to Genesis chapter 21.

Our focus is on Abraham and the lessons of faith he learned as he lived life with God.  Coming to chapter 21 - our focus is on Abraham and plan B.

Ever have a Plan B?  In case Plan A wasn’t as brilliant as you thought it was?  Check this:  “If at first you don’t succeed; skydiving is not for you.”  What was Plan B with this one?  The garage sale with the casket.  Think about Plan B with this guy:  “I am a bomb technician.  If you see me running try to keep up.”  Or try this class at terrorist school:  Human Bomb Class - “Pay attention, because I’m only going to do this once, ok?”

Genesis 21 - starting at verse 1 - Abraham and Plan B.   Verses 1 to 7 focus on The Birth of Isaac.  Say that with me, “The birth of Isaac.”

Verse 1:  Then - when?  What we looked at last Sunday.  Abraham trying to pass Sarah off as his sister - trusting himself and not God - and how God resolved all that - then - after that whole fiasco - then the Lord - who?  the Lord took note of Sarah as He had said - who had said?  He - the Lord - and the Lord - who?  the Lord did for Sarah as He - the Lord - had promised.  So Sarah conceived and bore a son to Abraham in his old age - not young - not going through mid-life - not even elderly - but older than dirt old - when Abraham was old - at the appointed time of which God - who?  when God had spoken to him.

Remember back in chapter 17?   God had said to Abraham, “This time next year Sarah’s going to have a son.  Name him Isaac.”  At the appointed time that God said Isaac was to be born - he was.  (Genesis 17:15-21)

Verse 3:  Abraham called the name of his son who was born to him, whom Sarah bore to him, Isaac.  Then Abraham circumcised his son Isaac when he was eight days old, as God had commanded him.  Now Abraham was one hundred years old when his son Isaac was born to him.  Sarah said, “God has made laughter for  me; everyone who hears will laugh with me.”  And she said, “Who would have said to Abraham that Sarah would nurse children?  Yet I have borne him a son in his old age.”

Notice two things about the birth of Isaac.   First:  God’s fulfillment of His promise.

Why wait until Abraham is 100?  Why wait untill Sarah - a woman who’s been barren all her life - why wait until she’s 90 - for this birth to happen?

Years of waiting - and heartache - and failure - waiting while they moved from Ur to Haran to Hebron - waiting for God to fulfill His promise of a son - an heir - movement towards the promise God made to Abraham of a dwelling with God - uncountable descendants - great blessing to Abraham and through Abraham to all the nations.  Why wait until it was naturally impossible for Sarah to bear children?

Why?  Answer:  So no man could possibly take credit for it - especially Abraham.  At the exact time God said Sarah would give birth to a child - Sarah gives birth to a baby boy.

Who made all that happen?  God.  Who alone is able to accomplish what He wills to accomplish?  God.  Who alone is able fulfill His promises?  God.  Point being:  This is a God thing because this is something only God can do.

Second - notice Abraham’s obedience.

Way back in ancient history when I worked with Mount Hermon - working with Junior Highers - we used to sing a song - maybe you know this one.  We’ve sung it here before.  If you know it sing with me.  Please sing it with me.

Obedience is the very best way,

To show that you believe.

Doing exactly what the Lord commands,

And doing it happily.

Action is the key,

Do it immediately,

And joy you will receive.

Obedience is the very best way,

To show that you believe.

(spell it)

O.B.E.D.I.E.N.C.E.

Obedience is the very best way,

To show that you believe.

Back in Genesis 17 God had commanded Abraham:  “You shall be circumcised in the flesh of your foreskin, and it shall be the sign of the covenant between Me and you.  And every male among you who is eight days old shall be circumcised throughout your generations.” (Genesis 17:11,12)

Circumcision - this marking of the body - is like a branding - a declaration of God’s ownership of that person.  God says that circumcision is the sign of the covenant between God and Abraham.  Its not the covenant itself.  But the sign of something greater.

What was a physical cutting of the flesh to Abraham is really intended to show something of great spiritual significance - the circumcision of the heart - our mind - body - and soul - the core of who we are totally submitted to God’s ownership - God’s authority - His sovereignty over our lives.  Circumcision is the outward demonstration of a circumcised heart.

To be a follower of Jesus Christ means that our hearts need to bear the sign of Jesus’ Lordship.  All of who we are is to be at God’s disposal - our living in total obedience to God.  The circumcision of our hearts.

Abraham takes Isaac - this child promised and delivered by God - and in an act of obedience that demonstrates trust coming straight out to the heart - an act of obedience that demonstrates that Abraham knows that its God alone who’s able to fulfill what He promises - in obedience - Abraham brings Isaac before God and circumcises his own son.

Bottom line:   The birth of Isaac is all about God fulfilling His promises.  We need to latch on to that reality.  God alone is able to fulfill His promises.

Going on - verses 8 to 21 focus on The Problem of Ishmael.  Try that together:  “The problem of Ishmael.”

Verse 8:  The child - Isaac - grew and was weaned, and Abraham made a great feast on the day that Isaac was weaned.

In Abraham’s day a child was weaned at about the age of 2.  That would mean that Isaac was probably two years old and Ishmael would be about 16 or 17 years old.

Verse 9:  Now Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian, whom she had borne to Abraham, mocking.

The word “mocking” in Hebrew is “tsaw-khak.”  It has the idea of laughing at someone.

Which isn’t hard to imagine.  For 15 years Ishmael has been THE only son of Abraham.  An only child that Abraham probably doted over - cared deeply about - bought all kinds of great stuff for.  For 15 years there’s been no rival for his father’s affections.  Then along comes Isaac - “The Promised Child” - inheritor of all that is Abraham’s.

Do you see the makings of some sibling rivalry?  For a teenager going from being a child to manhood - working at taking one’s place in the family order - Isaac must have a severe blow.  Its not hard to imagine Ishmael hating Isaac - making Isaac to be the punch line of the jokes going around the tent - putting him down at every opportunity.

Verse 10:  Therefore - because of this mocking - she - Sarah - said to Abraham, “Drive out this maid and her son, for the son of this maid shall not be an heir with my son Isaac.”  There is way too much competition here.  “Get them out of here before something worse happens.”

Verse 11:  The matter distressed Abraham greatly because of his son.

The word “distressed” in Hebrew means something like “torn up inside” - “heart broken.”

I’ve listened to accounts from mothers - during the Armenian genocide - as the Armenians were marched into the deserts of northern Syria to die.    As they marched - these mothers would have to decide which child to save.  There just wasn’t enough for all of them to make it - no water - no food - just the blazing sun and starvation.  Many of these mothers would choose to leave a child behind - usually a baby - often under the shade of a tree - and then keep moving - carrying the other child.  Trying to save at least one.  Which child do you leave behind - probably to die?

How is a loving parent suppose to choose between two sons he deeply loves?  Abraham was torn up inside.  Gut wrenching.

Do you ever have times like this?  Where a situation is spiraling out of hand - caught between a rock and a hard place - your not sure who’s advice to listen to - which way to turn.  And its just tearing you up inside?  Ever been there?  The problem of Ishmael is huge.

Verse 12:  But God said to Abraham, “Do not be distressed because of the lad and your maid; whatever Sarah tells you, listen to her, for through Isaac your descendants shall be named.  And of the son of the maid I will make a nation also, because he is your descendant.”

Back in chapter 16 - Sarah proposed to Abraham that - since she was barren - and they needed a son to fulfill God’s promises - that Abraham take Hagar - Sarah’s maid - and have a child by Hagar.  A custom that was acceptable in those days.  Which Abraham did.  Which led to all kinds of conflict and ongoing problems in the home - and Hagar getting kicked out - exiled into the desert.

Here in chapter 21 all those old problems flare up again and Abraham is caught in the middle.  Ever have that happen?  Old conflicts - not dealt with - flare up - seemingly out of no where?  Just explode - tearing things apart.  Attitudes and actions we tried to bury long ago pop out at the worst possible moment.

There’s conflict between Ishmael and Isaac - between Sarah and Hagar - there’s conflict within Abraham.  How is a head of a household - a community - a husband - a father suppose to sort through all that?

When we looked at chapter 16 we saw that Abraham’s major mistake was that he listened to Sarah without listening to God.  Followed Sarah’s advice which - if Abe had listened to God - he would have known that what Sarah was telling him to do was not what God wanted.  Abraham trusting himself rather than trusting God.

Here in chapter 21 - in the midst of Abraham’s distressed - notice that God is telling Abraham to listen to Sarah.  That He - God - has it covered.  The God who fulfills His promises has a plan for Isaac - and God has a plan for Ishmael.  Go with plan A - trust God.

What’s Plan A?  Trust God.

Going on - verse 14 - notice how Abraham responds.

Verse 14:  So Abraham rose early in the morning - when?  So Abraham rose early in the morning and took bread and a skin of water and gave them to Hagar, putting them over her shoulder, and gave her the boy, and sent her away.  And she departed and wandered about in the wilderness of Beersheba.

If you look at the map - Abraham and the tribe are probably at this place - Beersheba.  Which looks like this today.   Hagar and Ishmael headed south to what is called the wilderness - or desert - think dry - hot - lots of sand - the wilderness of Beersheba - here.  Which looks like this.

When Abraham sends Hagar and Ishmael off on this journey into the endless beach what does he give them.   A little bread and some water.  Whatever Hagar is able to carry.

Shoot - Ishmael is a strapping young lad of 16.  Load ‘em up with stuff to carry.  Give ‘em a donkey and send ‘em out in style.  But a little bread water for endless nowhere - that doesn’t sound much like something a loving father would do.

Who’s going to take care of Hagar and Ishmael?  God.  Who’s going to fulfill His promises?  God.  For Abraham this is a huge step of faith.  To load them down with all kinds of supplies would have been plan B - trusting self - not God.  Why?  Because God said He had it covered.

When did Abraham send them out?  First thing in the morning.  Abe gets up - gets the stuff together - sends them out.  Why?  Obedience - following Plan A - Trust God.

This is a great sign.  God doesn’t have a Plan B.  Try that together:  “God doesn’t have a Plan B.”  We do.

We struggle with this.  Keeping our options open.  Stressing - loosing sleep - thinking about all the things that depend on us for success - how we’re going to work out our solutions to what’s in front of us - all our efforts at living more righteously - clinging on to our Plan B just in case God doesn’t come through for us when and how we expect Him to.

In our minds we’re trusting God for Plan A.  In our hearts we’re hanging on to Plan B.  Keeping our options open isn’t the kind of faith that God desires from us.  If we really want God’s best for our lives we’ve got to cut loose from Plan B. 

Going on - Verse 15:  When the water in the skin was used up, she left the boy under one of the bushes.  Then she went and sat down opposite him, about a bowshot away, for she said, “Do not let me see the boy die.”  And she sat opposite him, and lifted up her voice and wept.

Its hard to imagine this.  No way to save your child.  Waiting for death.  Ishmael’s - yours.  Unbearable hopeless. 

Verse 17:  God heard the lad crying - who heard?  God heard the lad crying; and the angel of God called to Hagar from heaven and said to her, “What is the matter with you, Hagar? - Why are you so stressed?  Why are you working on Plan B? - Do not fear, for God has heard the voice of the lad where he is.  Arise, lift up the lad - don’t just lay there waiting to die - get up - Plan A - which is?  Trust God - get up - hold him by the hand, for I will make a great nation of him.”

Isn’t that what God had promised Hagar - when Ishmael was born?  Who’s going to fulfill His promise?  God.

Verse 19:  Then God opened her eyes and she saw a well of water; and she went and filled the skin with water and gave the lad a drink.  God was with the lad, and he grew; and he lived in the wilderness and became an archer.  He lived in he wilderness of Paran  - which is here - looks like this - and his mother took a wife for him from the land of Egypt.

Hope and a future for Ishmael.

The problem of what to do with Ishmael once the Promised Child arrives.  Bottom line:  God’s got that covered.  When Abraham is torn apart.  When Hagar is waiting to die.  In the worst of what we’ve got going on in our lives.  Who’s going to fulfill His promises?  God.  Go with Plan A - which is?  Trust God.

Verses 22 to 34 focus on The Covenant With Abimelech.  Try that together.  “The covenant with Abimelech.” 

Verse 22:  Now it came about at that time that Abimelech and Phicol, the commander of his - Abimelech’s - army, spoke to Abraham, saying, “God is with you in all that you do; now therefore - because God is with you in all you do - swear to me here by God that you will not deal falsely with me or with my offspring or with my posterity, but according to the kindness that I have shown to you, you shall show to me and to the land in which you have sojourned.”  Abraham said, “I swear it.”

Abimelech is the guy we saw last Sunday that Abraham lied to about Sarah - saying that Sarah was his sister - left out the “She’s my wife part.”  God caused Abimelech and his people to go impotent - caused the women to become barren.  Remember that?

God tells Abimelech that Abraham lied.  Tells Abimelech what to do to get out from under God’s judgment.  Restore Sarah to Abraham.  Which Abimelech does.  Then Abimelech goes even farther - gives Abe parting gifts - sheep and oxen and servants - oh my.  And Abe’s choice of whatever land he wanted.  Which is probably how Abraham ended up in Beersheba.  In the end Abraham - God’s man - prays for Abimelech and his people and God heals them.

Alls well that ends well.  Everyone lives happily ever after.  Wrong.

Here in chapter 21 Abimelech shows up with Phicol - commander of his army.  It’s a tense situation with an obvious demonstration of power.  Abraham is God’s man.  Abimelech acknowledges that.  But there’s an unstated problem and Abimelech needs to know if he can trust Abraham - otherwise it may mean war.

Abimelech asks, “Abraham, can I trust you?”  A legitimate question given Abraham’s track record.  Abraham’s reply, “I swear that you can.”  A powerful oath binding Abraham to honesty.

Verse 25:  But Abraham complained to Abimelech because of the well of water which the servants of Abimelech had seized.  And Abimelech said, “I do not know who has done this thing; you did not tell me, nor did I hear of it until today.”

The well is probably this one - dug by Abraham’s men and commandeered by Abimelech’s servants. 

How important is a well in the midst of a desert?  How important is water to us here in the San Joaquin Valley - especially in August - when people start using the “D” word.  Drought.  This is a major issue with serious consequences - maybe even worth fighting over.  A very deep subject.  Can you dig it?  Those are really bad.  Oh well.

Going on - verse 27:  Abraham took sheep and oxen and gave them to Abimelech, and the two of them made a covenant - an agreement - we’re going to live in peace together - trusting each other.

Verse 28:  Then Abraham set seven ewe lambs of the flock by themselves.  Abimelech said to Abraham, “What do these seven ewe lambs mean, which you have set by themselves?”  He said, “You shall take these seven ewe lambs from my hand so that it may be a witness to me, that I dug this well.”

If you accept the ewes then that means ewe - pun intended - that you agree with me.  We dug it.  They seized it.  And everything really is cool between us.

Hold on to this.   There’s a huge difference in the way that Abraham is dealing with Abimelech here and the way he’s dealt with Abimelech in the past.

Abraham is eye ball to eye ball with Abimelech and Phicol - discussing what is of crucial importance to his survival.  Instead of caving in on his faith - like we’ve seen him do in the past - lying and deceiving his way out of the situation - he pledges to be honest - and goes right to the heart of the issue - the well.

There’s no Plan B here.  Only trust in God.  Who will fulfill His promises?  God.  Who will take care of Abraham?  God.  Go with Plan A.  Which is?  Trust God.

There is so much strength in that for us.  When we realize that our security - our well being - the solutions to our lives - don’t depend on us.  That when we’re following Plan A - God has already negotiated life for us.  That we come to the issues of life - we’re not coming in our strength alone - but in the strength and approval of the Almighty God of creation.

Verse 31:  Therefore Abraham called that place Beersheba - meaning “well of the oath” - because there the two of them took and oath.  So they made a covenant at Beersheba; and Abimelech and Phicol, the commander of his army, arose and returned to the land of the Philistines.

Bottom line:  Abraham chooses Plan A.  God blesses Abraham.

Verse 33.  Verses 33 and 34 are the connection between Abraham’s Covenant with Abimelech - the birth of Isaac and the problem of Ishmael.  What’s here in these verses are the bottom line of what’s been in Abraham’s heart through all this - what Abraham has learned about trusting God.

Verse 33:  Abraham planted a tamarisk tree at Beersheba, and there he called on the name of the Lord, the Everlasting God.  And Abraham sojourned in the land of the Philistines for many days.

A Tamarisk tree growing in the desert would testify of God’s provision of water.  God taking care of the issue of the well.  Abraham planting a tamarisk tree is a sign that Abraham is trusting in God for God’s future provision of water.

There - by the well - by the tamarisk tree he’s planted - there Abraham calls on the name of the Lord - the Everlasting God.  God Everlasting in Hebrew is “El Olam.”  It has the idea of extending from time out of mind in the past through time out of mind in the future.  The God who is always.  God who is perpetual - permanent - enduring.

Moses wrote - Psalm 90:1,2:  “Lord, You have been our dwelling place in all generations.  Before the mountains were born or You gave birth to the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting You are God.”

God Everlasting is the only one who is capable of accomplishing whatever He wills for His people - from eternity past to eternity future.  With God Everlasting there is no need for Plan B.  Trusting in God Everlasting - Abraham plants a tamarisk tree and dwells secure in the land of the Philistines.

In John chapter 6 - Jesus is teaching a large crowd of people - a crowd of people that had been following Him - many from the time Jesus had fed them five loaves of bread and two fishes.  Jesus had been teaching this growing crowd about Himself.  The crowds are just eating this up - what Jesus is teaching.

Then Jesus starts teaching about Himself being the Bread of Life - the way to eternal life.  Starts explaining that He’s God - the God.  Starts hinting around that He’s going to die and live and go back up to heaven.  And people are starting to get a tad freaked out by this.  Some of the disciples start to wander off.  The crowd gets smaller.

Finally Jesus turns to the twelve disciples and asks them, “You don’t want to leave Me too.  Do you?”

Peter responds, “Lord, to whom shall we go?  You have the words of eternal life.  We’ve believed and we’ve come to know that you are the Holy One of God.”  (John 6:66-69)

“I don’t have anywhere else to go.  If what you say isn’t true.  We’re lost.  There is no Plan B.  I’ve cast my lot with you.”

Its easy to follow Jesus when He’s demanding of us what we’re willing to give.  But circumcise our child - give God total authority over the life of our child - trust God with the child we love - place our life - livelihood - our future in God’s hands - our marriage - our career - our past histories - the deepest struggles of our lives - to place all that in God’s hands whatever He may ask us to do or wherever He may lead us - to trust God without clinging to our Plan B - just in case we don’t like Plan A - that’s the bridge that we see Abraham crossing here in chapter 21.

That’s the bridge we need to cross if we’re going to experience the presence and power of God Everlasting in our lives.

Who is able to fulfill His promises?  God.  What is Plan A?  Trust God.

________________

Scripture taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE®, Copyright© 1960,1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation.  Used by permission.