Isaac Is Born, and Hagar and Ishmael Are Sent Away

21:1 The Lord visited Sarah just as he had said he would and did for Sarah what he had promised. 21:2 So Sarah became pregnant and bore Abraham a son in his old age at the appointed time that God had told him. 21:3 Abraham named his son – whom Sarah bore to him – Isaac. 21:4 When his son Isaac was eight days old, Abraham circumcised him just as God had commanded him to do. 21:5 (Now Abraham was a hundred years old when his son Isaac was born to him.) 21:6 Sarah said, “God has made me laugh. Everyone who hears about this will laugh with me.” 21:7 She went on to say, “Who would have said to Abraham that Sarah would nurse children? Yet I have given birth to a son for him in his old age!” 21:8 The child grew and was weaned. Abraham prepared a great feast on the day that Isaac was weaned. 21:9 But Sarah noticed the son of Hagar the Egyptian – the son whom Hagar had borne to Abraham – mocking. 21:10 So she said to Abraham, “Banish that slave woman and her son, for the son of that slave woman will not be an heir along with my son Isaac!” 21:11 Sarah’s demand displeased Abraham greatly because Ishmael was his son. 21:12 But God said to Abraham, “Do not be upset about the boy or your slave wife. Do all that Sarah is telling you because through Isaac your descendants will be counted. 21:13 But I will also make the son of the slave wife into a great nation, for he is your descendant too.” 21:14 Early in the morning Abraham took some food and a skin of water and gave them to Hagar. He put them on her shoulders, gave her the child, and sent her away. So she went wandering aimlessly through the wilderness of Beer Sheba. 21:15 When the water in the skin was gone, she shoved the child under one of the shrubs. 21:16 Then she went and sat down by herself across from him at quite a distance, about a bowshot away; for she thought, “I refuse to watch the child die.” So she sat across from him and wept uncontrollably. 21:17 But God heard the boy’s voice. The angel of God called to Hagar from heaven and asked her, “What is the matter, Hagar? Don’t be afraid, for God has heard the boy’s voice right where he is crying. 21:18 Get up! Help the boy up and hold him by the hand, for I will make him into a great nation.” 21:19 Then God enabled Hagar to see a well of water. She went over and filled the skin with water, and then gave the boy a drink. 21:20 God was with the boy as he grew. He lived in the wilderness and became an archer. 21:21 He lived in the wilderness of Paran. His mother found a wife for him from the land of Egypt.

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The Lord keeps his promise and gives Sarah and Abraham the son he said would come. Isaac is born at the right time, named, and marked by circumcision. Later, conflict in the household leads to Hagar and Ishmael being sent into the wilderness. Even there, God hears, provides, and preserves them.

This passage shows two truths together. First, God is faithful to his promise. Sarah had been barren, but the Lord visited her and gave her a son in Abraham’s old age. Isaac was born exactly when God had said he would be born. Abraham named him Isaac, and he circumcised him on the eighth day, just as God had commanded. Sarah rejoiced because God had done what seemed impossible.

Second, the passage shows that the covenant line goes through Isaac, not Ishmael. At the feast, Sarah saw Ishmael mocking and feared for Isaac’s inheritance. She asked that Hagar and her son be sent away. Abraham was greatly troubled, but God told him to listen to Sarah because the promise would be counted through Isaac. God also promised to make Ishmael into a great nation, since he was Abraham’s descendant too.

The wilderness scene is sad, but it also shows God’s mercy. Hagar thought her child would die, but God heard the boy’s voice. The angel called to Hagar, told her not to fear, and showed her a well. God kept the boy alive and was with him as he grew. So the chapter holds together God’s faithfulness to the promised heir and his compassion toward the afflicted.

• The Lord did for Sarah what he had promised.
• Isaac was born at the appointed time.
• Abraham obeyed God by circumcising Isaac on the eighth day.
• Sarah rejoiced because God gave her a son in her old age.
• The covenant line would be counted through Isaac.
• Ishmael was also Abraham’s descendant, and God promised to make him into a great nation.
• God heard Hagar and the boy in the wilderness.
• God provided water and preserved their lives.

• Promise: God keeps his word in his own time.
• Command: Abraham circumcised Isaac just as God had commanded.
• Warning: Birth order and human expectation do not decide God’s covenant purposes.
• Command: Abraham was told to do what Sarah said regarding the separation.
• Promise: God would make Ishmael into a great nation.
• Promise: God hears the cry of the afflicted and provides help.
• Warning: The passage does not justify contempt for those outside the covenant line.

God’s plan moves forward through the promised son, Isaac. This is the covenant line through which Abraham’s descendants will be counted. At the same time, God’s care for Hagar and Ishmael shows that his mercy reaches beyond the chosen heir, even while the covenant promise continues through Isaac.

Trust God when his promises seem delayed. Do not measure God’s plan by human strength, family status, or birth order. Obey God’s commands, even when they are costly. And remember that God hears suffering and can provide in places that seem hopeless.

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