FAVORING THE ISHMAELITES …

A dissertation done for one of the "big" seminaries in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area makes Ishmael and his descendants look like a group of Sunday school teachers! The dissertation was published recently in part in a religious magazine. How it was approved by the examining committee to me is a mystery!    The dissertation makes Ishmael, as seen in Genesis, look as if he was equally blessed spiritually as Abraham's true son, Isaac. Again, the question—how was this paper approved? The only answer must be that it was seen as being Politically Correct, but it certainly was not correct biblically!    One of the arguments in the dissertation I agree with is that there should be more evangelism directed toward the Arabs, many of whom are descendants of Ishmael. But in reference to the present animosity now being shown towards the Jews, the descendants of Isaac, there is raging both physical and spiritual warfare that will take the world up to the brink of the tribulation!    The birth of Ishmael through the Egyptian handmaiden Hagar was indeed a spiritual failure of Abraham. He tried to rush things up with God in order to have a son to whom he could pass along to his son the covenant promised to him by the Lord. Both Abraham and Sarah were not able to have children. God made them wait until they were up in years in order to show that the arrival of Isaac, the true son God intended, would be a miracle birth!    The dissertation argues that the birth of Ishmael was a positive compensation to Hagar—"God promised to multiply Hagar's seed exceedingly (Gen. 16:10), making her the only woman recipient of such a promise in the Bible." But reading the narration does not give one such an impression. It was true that Hagar as a mother was blessed by Ishmael's birth, however the birth of Ishmael would be a negative influence in the world and not a positive one. The angel of the Lord told Hagar that her son "would be a wild donkey of a man. His hand will be against everyone, and everyone's hand will be against him" (v. 12). The dissertation author says this became a beneficial promise bestowed upon Hagar and Ishmael. No one has ever taken these words this way!    The author goes on and says that "Whether God's pledge is part of the initial covenant with Abraham or an independent promise" is not certain. How could the author miss 21:10 where Abraham rightly said "Drive out the maid (Hagar) and her son, for the son of this maid shall not be an heir with my son Isaac" (21:10). The Lord made it clear, "My covenant I will establish with Isaac" and not with Ishmael (17:21).    Because Hagar named her son through Abraham Ishmael (God hears) the author makes a broad, sweeping statement that was supposed to have a spiritual connotation: "This is a reminder that hearing the cries of the afflicted is a beautiful trait of God (v. 11). God promised Hagar that He would listen to her and her descendants in their unfavored social status." Where that is stated in Genesis, I do not know!    By the way, Paul makes the story of Hagar and Ishmael a negative one. Hagar is the type of human effort attempting to please God. Isaac born to Abraham and Sarah is a type of obeying God and following Him by faith (Gal. 4:21-25). The author of this dissertation turns the story around!    The author also argues that Ishmael was blessed because "he lived in the presence of all his brothers" (Gen. 16:12). The NAS reads "And he will live to the east of all his brothers." The author does not deal with the textual problem in the passage. He leaves out "to the east." Ellicott points out that "Many commentators consider this the more exact rendering. This is certainly the meaning of the word in 25:6." Thus, Ishmael did not stay around the tents of Isaac and receive the blessings bestowed upon him by the Lord. He fled from the presence of the family and also from the presence of the Lord!    When Ishmael is called "a wild donkey" the author turns this phrase around to some positive statement. He cites Job 39:5—that was a mistake! Job 39:5 derides the idea of the wild donkey. He says about the ass, "Will you trust him because his strength is great and leave your labor to him? Will you have faith in him that he will return your grain?" Of course not! So, with Ishmael. He never was trusted, nor did his descendants trusted in the God of Abraham!    While the dissertation author puts such a positive spin on Ishmael and his children, who today form the core of the Arabic people, he forgets to remind us that Muhammad comes from this line. Unger notes that Ishmael became "the progenitor of the Arabs, Israel's traditional enemies. Also from this line came Muhammad and Islam, one of the most demonic of religions and a foe to Christianity [and Judaism]."    The article closes with the words of the author that thousands of Arabs have come to Christ and been martyred over the years. While there is no doubt that many have trusted in Him for salvation, in my experience the numbers are somewhat exaggerated. Many in Bethlehem today call themselves Christians but there is some question whether they are truly born again—they appear to be but "cultural Christians." There is little doubt that most despise their Jewish neighbors and have nothing to do with them. This would make one think that they do not fully understand what the Bible is saying in its overall message. – Dr. Mal Couch