Don’t Be a Settler

Ishmael

And Abraham said to God, “Oh, that Ishmael might live before You!” Genesis 17:18 Ishmael was Abram’s son born to him from Hagar. Hagar was Sarai’s Egyptian maidservant, Genesis 16:1. The promise of an heir was to Abram and Sarai not to Abram and Hagar. When Abraham asked God to accept Ishmael as the heir of promise, God said, “But My covenant I will establish with Isaac, whom Sarah shall bear to you at this set time next year. Then He finished talking with him, and God went up from Abraham.” Genesis 17:22-22.

This did make Ishmael a mistake. No children are born as a mistake. Adults make mistakes, some of these mistakes produce children, who are not mistakes. God did not reject Ishmael because he was a mistake. In fact, God blessed Ishmael as He blessed Isaac: “And as for Ishmael, I have heard you. Behold, I have blessed him, and will make him fruitful, and will multiply him exceedingly. He shall beget twelve princes, and I will make him a great nation.” Genesis 17:20. But the covenant of God with Abram was to be with Isaac, born of Sarai, not Ishmael.

The covenant of God was not with the first born son of Abraham, but the second. The covenant of God was not with the first born son of Isaac, but the second. For Esau, the first born of Isaac despised his inheritance, so the blessing went to Jacob, the second born.

Likewise, the spiritual blessings of God go with those who are born a second time, born again. The spiritual blessings were never intended for us in our natural birth, but in our supernatural birth. Jesus said to Nicodemus, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” John 3:3 “How?” asked Nicodemus. Jesus answered, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.” John 3:5.

Ishmael was not a mistake at birth. Neither were you. God has shown us from the beginning, His spiritual blessings belong to those born a second time. This is but one mystery of baptism. Therefore, we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in the newness of life. Romans 6:4. Why settle for the physical blessings of Ishmael, when you can have all the spiritual blessings of God’s covenant with Isaac.