Schism
Genesis 21:1-21
What’s with Sarah?
Photo by Trav Wade on Unsplash
The Lord dealt with Sarah as he had said, and the Lord did for Sarah as he had promised. Sarah conceived and bore Abraham a son in his old age, at the time of which God had spoken to him. Abraham gave the name Isaac to his son whom Sarah bore him. And Abraham circumcised his son Isaac when he was eight days old, as God had commanded him. Abraham was a hundred years old when his son Isaac was born to him. Now Sarah said, “God has brought laughter for me; everyone who hears will laugh with me.” And she said, “Who would ever have said to Abraham that Sarah would nurse children? Yet I have borne him a son in his old age.” The child grew, and was weaned; and Abraham made a great feast on the day that Isaac was weaned. But Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian, whom she had borne to Abraham, playing with her son Isaac. So she said to Abraham, “Cast out this slave woman with her son; for the son of this slave woman shall not inherit along with my son Isaac.” The matter was very distressing to Abraham on account of his son. But God said to Abraham, “Do not be distressed because of the boy and because of your slave woman; whatever Sarah says to you, do as she tells you, for it is through Isaac that offspring shall be named for you. As for the son of the slave woman, I will make a nation of him also, because he is your offspring.” So Abraham rose early in the morning, and took bread and a skin of water, and gave it to Hagar, putting it on her shoulder, along with the child, and sent her away. And she departed, and wandered about in the wilderness of Beer-sheba. When the water in the skin was gone, she cast the child under one of the bushes. Then she went and sat down opposite him a good way off, about the distance of a bowshot; for she said, “Do not let me look on the death of the child.” And as she sat opposite him, she lifted up her voice and wept. And God heard the voice of the boy; and the angel of God called to Hagar from heaven, and said to her, “What troubles you, Hagar? Do not be afraid; for God has heard the voice of the boy where he is. Come, lift up the boy and hold him fast with your hand, for I will make a great nation of him.” Then God opened her eyes and she saw a well of water. She went, and filled the skin with water, and gave the boy a drink. God was with the boy, and he grew up; he lived in the wilderness, and became an expert with the bow. He lived in the wilderness of Paran; and his mother got a wife for him from the land of Egypt. - Genesis 21:1-21
You would think God would blame Sarah for Abraham having a son with Hagar, but God doesn’t dispense blame here. He dispenses compassion.
He hears the cry of the boy, and He saves him.
Hagar has cried in prayer, but it is the boy who is Abraham’s son and heir to the covenant God has with Abraham.
God is merciful and does not blame anyone here. What Sarah has done is human, expected.
What is important to note here is how Sarah’s actions in casting out Hagar and Ishmael have resulted in a split in the people of God. Genesis never blames her, nor does God, but human actions have lasting consequences, and this one is huge.
Two different lines, with both seeing the other as evil. Maybe Sarah should have felt some of the blame for that.
Three different faiths arose from the people of Abraham, and from that moment on, a lasting peace has been elusive.
Once the schism happens, the rift becomes wider and wider, and no bridge between the two sides can hold.
We continue to pull each other apart. It is a Humpty Dumpty story, but with real consequences.
God chose to let us live with this split, so maybe He has a plan that we haven’t discovered yet. Until we do, we will stand in opposition to one another and pray that the other side sees the light.
More to come...