LESSON 7 - ISAAC AND ISHMAEL

In the last lesson we learned about Abraham and Lot. In this lesson we are going to learn about two of Abraham’s sons, Isaac and Ishmael.

Yahweh had promised Abraham and Sarah that they would have a son. Sarah was very old, way past the time for having children, Genesis 17:17.

Sarah had an Egyptian slave girl named Hagar who was a lot younger than Sarah. Sarah thought that maybe the way for her to have a baby was through Hagar, so she talked Abraham into lying with Hagar and Hagar got pregnant, Genesis 16:2.

When Hagar found out she was pregnant, she became proud and she thought she was better than Sarah. Sarah told Abraham that it was his fault that Hagar despised her, because Hagar was going to have Abraham’s baby. Abraham told Sarah that because Hagar was her slave and was in her control, she could do whatever she wanted to do with Hagar.

Sarah treated Hagar so badly that she ran away. When an angel of Yahweh saw her, he asked her what she was doing. She told him she was running away because her mistress was treating her badly.

The angel told her she had to go back to Sarah. He also told her that she would have so many descendants that there would be too many to count. He then told her she was going to have a son, and his name would be Ishmael because Yahweh had heard her cry for help. Ishmael means “Elohim is Hearing.”

	Sometimes we feel like we are not being treated right--by our parents, brothers & sisters, or even our friends. Sometimes we may even feel like running away. Think about this. What should WE do when we feel like the whole world is against us?
SUPER CHALLENGE	Can you find some verses in the Scriptures that might give us some ideas on what to do in the above situation?

When Abraham was eighty-six years old Hagar had his son and named him Ishmael.

It was over thirteen years after Ishmael was born that Yahweh kept his promise to Abraham and Sarah became pregnant. She had a son and they named him Isaac. Abraham was one hundred years old when Isaac was born, Genesis 21:5.

One day, after Isaac was a little older, Abraham gave a big feast for Isaac. During the party Sarah saw Ishmael making fun of Isaac because Ishmael was the first born son and he thought he would inherit all of Abraham’s money. Sarah was very unhappy over this. Sarah told Abraham what had happened and asked him to send this slave girl and her son away, Genesis 21:8-10. Sarah didn’t want Ishmael to have Abraham’s wealth; she wanted her son Isaac to have it.

Abraham loved Ishmael very much because he was also his son. Yahweh told Abraham not to worry and to do what Sarah wanted because it is through Isaac that he would have the descendants which were promised. Yahweh told Abraham that he would also give many children to Ishmael, so they will become a large nation because he was also Abraham’s son, Genesis 21:12-13.

Early the next morning Abraham gave Hagar some food and water and sent her away with her son Ishmael. She went out and wandered about in the wilderness of Beersheba. When the food and water ran out Hagar cried because she thought they were going to die. Yahweh heard Hagar’s cries. When she opened her eyes she saw a well of water. Yahweh told Hagar to lift up Ishmael and give him some water.

Yahweh told them that when Ishmael grows up He would make him a great nation, Genesis 21:18 and 17:20.

Ishmael stayed in the wilderness and got to be very good with the bow and arrow. When Hagar thought it was time for Ishmael to get married, Hagar saw an Egyptian woman that she thought would make a good wife for Ishmael. Ishmael married the Egyptian woman and they had sons. These sons were the princes of twelve nations, Genesis 25:16. Ishmael lived to be one hundred and thirty-seven years old.

Abraham was one hundred years old when his son Isaac was born. Isaac grew up like any other child except that his father Abraham always taught him how important it is to obey Yahweh.

One day Yahweh gave Abraham a very big test. Yahweh told Abraham to take his son Isaac and go and offer him as a burnt offering in the land of Mariah, Genesis 22:2. Abraham had faith and he did just as Yahweh told him, Hebrews 11:17-19.

The next morning Abraham rose up early in the morning and saddled his donkey, Genesis 22:3. He took Isaac and two of his young men with him along with some wood for the burnt offering. They went to the place Yahweh told him to go. It took Abraham three days to get to the place where Yahweh told him. Abraham told the young men to stay in the valley and Abraham and Isaac would go up the mountain and worship and they would be back.

Abraham took the wood for the burnt offering and gave it to Isaac to carry, and Abraham took the fire in his hand and a knife and they both climbed up the trail together.

Isaac said to his father, “We have the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?”

Abraham said, “Yahweh will provide the lamb for the burnt offering.” This had to be very hard for Abraham, he loved his son very much and he had already lost his other son Ishmael. But Abraham loved Yahweh more than anything else.

Abraham built the altar the way Yahweh told him and he laid the wood the way he was told and he tied Isaac up and laid him on the wood.

Abraham took his knife and raised his hand up to kill Isaac. Abraham was praying to Yahweh all the time to give him the strength to do what Yahweh wanted. When Abraham was just ready to kill Isaac, one of Yahweh’s angels called out to him, “Abraham, Abraham,” the angel said, “don’t kill your son. I know now that you fear Yahweh.” This made Abraham very happy that he didn’t have to kill Isaac.

Abraham trusted Yahweh with all his heart and soul, didn't he?

Abraham looked up and behind him was a ram caught in a thicket by his horns. Abraham went and took the ram, and offered him up for the burnt offering instead of his son.

Abraham called this place Yahweh-Yireh, which means “Yahweh will provide.” The angel of Yahweh called to Abraham again for the second time. Yahweh told Abraham that because he had done this thing and had not withheld his only son, Yahweh would bless Abraham by multiplying his seed as the stars of the heaven and as the sand which is upon the sea shore, and his seed would possess the gate of his enemies, and that all the nations of the earth would be blessed in his seed because Abraham had obeyed Yahweh’s voice.

Abraham returned to the young men that had come with him and they went back to Beersheba.

Sarah, the mother of Isaac died when she was one hundred and twenty-seven years old. Isaac was very sad because his mother had died. Abraham got very old and Yahweh kept blessing him in every way. Abraham thought it was time for Isaac to get married. Abraham didn’t want Isaac to marry any of the daughters of the Canaanites, 1 Kings 11:2 and Deuteronomy 7:3. Abraham was told that his brother Nahor had some children. One of Nahor’s children had a daughter named Rebekah.

Abraham told his oldest servant to go back to his brother’s land and get a wife for Isaac. Abraham’s servant went to get the wife for Isaac. When he got to the land he prayed, “Yahweh, I am here with the camels by a well of water at the time that women draw water. Let it be that the woman to whom I say ‘Let down your pitcher, I ask you, that I may drink’ and the woman would say, ‘Drink, and I will give your camels water, too,’ then it would be the right woman for my master’s son, Isaac,” Genesis 24:12-14.

Just then there came the young woman named Rebekah for water. The servant came to meet her and said, ”Let me drink a little water from your pitcher.”

She let him drink from her pitcher and said, “I will draw water for your camels also.”

The servant knew this was the right woman for Isaac. When the servant took Rebekah back to Isaac, Isaac was out in the field. When Rebekah saw Isaac, she got down off her camel, took her veil and covered herself, and they went to meet him, Genesis 24:64-65.

The servant told Isaac everything he had done. Isaac loved Rebekah and he married her. Isaac was forty years old when he married Rebekah.

Ishmael lived to be one hundred and thirty-seven years old and he had six children.

After Sarah died Abraham got married again. He had six children by his second wife. Abraham died when he was one hundred and seventy-five years old.

Isaac and Ishmael buried Abraham in a cave next to where Sarah was buried.

LESSON 7 - ACTIVITIES

Here are some questions to see how much you learned from the Lesson you just completed. You can print out this page to write your answers and do any activities that follow. Make sure you have an adult or a big brother or sister check your work! You may even get a "star" on it!

Questions

1. What did Yahweh promise Abraham and Sarah?
   ______________________________________________________

2. How did Hagar change towards Sarah after she was pregnant?
   ______________________________________________________

3. What did Hagar do when Sarah treated her badly?
   ______________________________________________________

4. Did the angel of Yahweh want Hagar to stay away?
   ______________________________________________________

5. How old was Abraham when Ishmael was born?
   ______________________________________________________

6. What did Abraham give Hagar before sending her and Ishmael off?
   ______________________________________________________

7. What happened when Hagar's food and water ran out?
   ______________________________________________________

8. How old was Abraham when Isaac was born?
   ______________________________________________________

9. What did Yahweh ask Abraham to do with Isaac, his only son?
   ______________________________________________________

10. Did Abraham listen to Yahweh?
    ______________________________________________________

* * * * * * * * * * *

* * * * * * * * * * *

Memory Verse

It came about after the death
of Abraham, that Yahweh blessed
his son Isaac,
Genesis 25:11

HalleluYAH!