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."In today's modern Christian circles, this would probably shock a lot of readers. Here God is, telling Abraham to kick out his own son and the boy's mother, just because his wife wants him to. What kind of compassionate God would tell a father to abandon his own child? Yeah, he promises to make Ishmael a nation as well, but to make a father never see his teenage son again?
To me, this does make some sense, however much I dislike the practice. Isaac was the chosen of God to be His people. Ishmael was never really supposed to exist under God's plan. He was only conceived because Sarah and Abraham lost faith in God. If he'd stayed, he probably would have been entitled to half of Abraham's estate, which would have drastically changed the future of what became the Jewish people. With God's blessing to Sarah's decision, Abraham can let his son go with a clear conscience. I believe that Isaac's birth is the turning point for Abraham's faith. We know that he is willing to trust God now.
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