Family

                                                                                                                                            

     Family doesn't always look the way you want it.  When you get frustrated with your family, just remember the first family.  One brother killed another.  The parents messed things up for all of mankind.  There was incest.  It doesn't get much worse than that.  It takes a while to figure out the family unit and no body is perfect.  It is an always changing life force.

     God gave Sarah her heart's desire when she was 90 and Abraham was 100.  She gave birth to Isaac and eight days later he was circumcised.  However, they still had Hagar and Ishmael to contend with.  I imagine that Sarah really resented their presence at this point.  Maybe she became smug.  We do not know; however, it is a family unit set for explosion and an unhealthy fall out that would impact the world.

     The day that Isaac was wean, about the age three, Abraham threw a great feast.  I imagine that Ishmael was very jealous.  He was probably about 16 and able to understand that his little half brother was going to get everything.  Where did he fit?  He did not handle it very well, but without boundaries who does.  He began to mock Isaac which made Sarah angry.  She went to Abraham and insisted that he send Hagar and Ishmael away.  It was hard for Abraham when he did as his wife asked.  After all he was discarding his child.  

     Abraham gave Hagar supplies for herself and Ishmael and sent them on their way to never return.  They were near death when an angel came to Hagar.  He assured her that they would not die and that Ishmael would become a great nation.  They moved the wilderness and Ishmael became a great archer.  Hagar found him a wife from Egypt, her country.

     Abraham, Sarah, and Isaac continued their lives.  I am sure Sarah was much happier.  They continued their semi-nomadic life.  When they were in Beersheba they dug a well and gave Abimelech seven ewes as payment.  They wanted to make sure no one else would take it.  The people were jealous of all they had, so they kept taking their wells.  Wells were life because that area is very arid.  Without water a person will not last long, let alone hundreds of animals.  They decided to settle there for a while.  The traveling lifestyle is hard when you want to give a child stability.

Genesis 21