Abraham's two sons

Abraham's Two Sons

By Wendell Tenison

Who was Abraham? There are far too many people in America and in the world who know nothing about Abraham. God Almighty destroyed all of the wicked inhabitants of his creation with the exception of Noah, his three sons and their wives, by a flood 1656 years after he created the earth. However, man soon became depraved back into the slimepit of sin, but God made a covenant with Noah that he would never again cut off all flesh by a flood, Gen.9:11. God then decided to begin a new nation separate and apart from all others and its beginning father would be Abraham. This would be the house of his son Isaac and his grandson Jacob whose name was later changed to Israel.

Abraham descended from the lineage of Shem, one of the sons of Noah, 1Chr.1:17-28. He was born 297 years after the flood. His country of orgin was Ur of the Chaldees in southwestern Babylonia, Gen.11:31. His faithfulness to God gave him the distinction and honor of being called the friend of God, 2Chr.20:8, Isa.41:8, James 2:23.

During the lifetime of Abraham, our Lord the Christ said, he saw my day and was glad.

John 8:56 "Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day: and he saw it, and was glad."

As the Pharisees, scribes, chief priests, elders and rulers of the Jews plotted to kill our Lord, Jesus said, this did not Abraham.

John 8:40 "But now ye seek to kill me, a man that hath told you the truth, which I have heard of God: this did not Abraham."

All men die and return to their dust; Abraham died at the age of 175 years, but Abraham is still alive

Mark 12:25-27 "For when they shall rise from the dead, they neither marry, nor are given in marriage; but are as the angels which are in heaven......And as touching the dead, that they rise: have ye not read in the book of Moses, how in the bush God spake unto him, saying, I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob?.....He is not the God of the dead, but the God of the living: ye therefore do greatly err."

Not only is Abraham alive, but God has reserved a place of prominence for him in the paradise of Hades. The case of the rich man and Lazarus is not a parable, but a reality.

Luke 16:22-23 "And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried;.....And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom."

Generally speaking, most bible students think of Abraham as having only two sons, Isaac and Ishmael. However, the scripture bears out the fact that Abraham had other sons by Keturah after his wife Sarah died at the age of 127, Gen.23:1. Also he had concubines and their sons. To Isaac his second son he gave all that he had. His descendants would be as the dust of the earth.

Gen 13:16 "And I will make thy seed as the dust of the earth: so that if a man can number the dust of the earth, then shall thy seed also be numbered."

Gen 25:1-7 "Then again Abraham took a wife, and her name was Keturah......And she bare him Zimran, and Jokshan, and Medan, and Midian, and Ishbak, and Shuah......And Jokshan begat Sheba, and Dedan. And the sons of Dedan were Asshurim, and Letushim, and Leummim......And the sons of Midian; Ephah, and Epher, and Hanoch, and Abidah, and Eldaah. All these were the children of Keturah......And Abraham gave all that he had unto Isaac......But unto the sons of the concubines, which Abraham had, Abraham gave gifts, and sent them away from Isaac his son, while he yet lived, eastward, unto the east country......And these are the days of the years of Abraham's life which he lived, an hundred threescore and fifteen years."

Now to the birth of Abraham's first son Ishmael:

After Abraham left Ur of the Chaldees with his father and nephew Lot, his father Terah died in Haran at the age of 205 years. After going on to Canaan and living there for ten years, God promised him a son. But, Sarah his wife was barren and she encouraged Abraham to take her bondslave Hagar an Egyptian of the lineage of Ham for her to bear him a son. As soon as Hagar had conceived, she was despised in the eyes of her mistress Sarah.

Gen 16:3-4 "And Sarai Abram's wife took Hagar her bondmaid the Egyptian, after Abram had dwelt ten years in the land of Canaan, and gave her to her husband Abram to be his wife......And he went in unto Hagar, and she conceived: and when she saw that she had conceived, her mistress was despised in her eyes."

The child of Sarah's bondslave Hagar was born and his name was Ishmael. Ishmael would be a wild man and his hand against every man and every man's hand against him. Ishmael's descendants are predominately from the lineage of Ham. Abraham was 86 years old when Ishmael was born.

Gen 16:16 "And Abram was fourscore and six years old, when Hagar bare Ishmael to Abram."

Gen 16:11-12 "And the angel of the LORD said unto her, Behold, thou art with child, and shalt bear a son, and shalt call his name Ishmael; because the LORD hath heard thy affliction......And he will be a wild man; his hand will be against every man, and every man's hand against him; and he shall dwell in the presence of all his brethren."

When Abraham was 99 years old and Ishmael 13, God commanded circumcision to him and Ishmael and all of his servants.

Gen 17:24-25 "And Abraham was ninety years old and nine, when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin......And Ishmael his son was thirteen years old, when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin."

Abraham asked God that Ishmael might live before him, but God said no; Sarah will have a son Isaac and my covenant shall be with him and his seed after him. However, God would allow 12 princes to come out of Ishmael and God would make him a great nation.

Gen 17:18-21 "And Abraham said unto God, O that Ishmael might live before thee!.....And God said, Sarah thy wife shall bear thee a son indeed; and thou shalt call his name Isaac: and I will establish my covenant with him for an everlasting covenant, and with his seed after him......And as for Ishmael, I have heard thee: Behold, I have blessed him, and will make him fruitful, and will multiply him exceedingly; twelve princes shall he beget, and I will make him a great nation......But my covenant will I establish with Isaac, which Sarah shall bear unto thee at this set time in the next year."

Now to the birth of Abraham's second son Isaac:

Abraham was 100 years old when Isaac was born unto him by his wife Sarah who was 90 and he circumcised him when he was eight days old..

Gen 21:4-5 "And Abraham circumcised his son Isaac being eight days old, as God had commanded him......And Abraham was an hundred years old, when his son Isaac was born unto him."

Ishmael began to mock and persecute Isaac (Gal.4:29) who was 13 years older. This greatly displeased Sarah and she demanded that Abraham get rid of Hagar the bondslave and her son, because the son of the bondslave would not be heir with her son.

Gen 21:9-10 "And Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian, which she had born unto Abraham, mocking......Wherefore she said unto Abraham, Cast out this bondwoman and her son: for the son of this bondwoman shall not be heir with my son, even with Isaac."

Abraham cast out the bondslave and her son.

Gen 21:14 "And Abraham rose up early in the morning, and took bread, and a bottle of water, and gave it unto Hagar, putting it on her shoulder, and the child, and sent her away: and she departed, and wandered in the wilderness of Beersheba."

Hagar gets Ishmael a wife of the Egyptians making his 12 sons three fourths of the lineage of Ham and one fourth the lineage of Shem.

Gen 21:21 "And he dwelt in the wilderness of Paran: and his mother took him a wife out of the land of Egypt."

The sons of Ishmael:

Gen 25:12-15 "Now these are the generations of Ishmael, Abraham's son, whom Hagar the Egyptian, Sarah's handmaid, bare unto Abraham:.....And these are the names of the sons of Ishmael, by their names, according to their generations: the firstborn of Ishmael, Nebajoth; and Kedar, and Adbeel, and Mibsam,.....And Mishma, and Dumah, and Massa,.....Hadar, and Tema, Jetur, Naphish, and Kedemah:"

Ishmael lived to be 137 years old.

Isaac the son of promise:

After Hagar and Ishmael were dismissed from the household of Abraham, God told Abraham to offer his only son as a burnt offering. God said, three times, now you only have one son.

Gen 22:2 "And he said, Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of."

Gen 22:12 "And he said, Lay not thine hand upon the lad, neither do thou any thing unto him: for now I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son from me."

Gen 22:16 "And said, By myself have I sworn, saith the LORD, for because thou hast done this thing, and hast not withheld thy son, thine only son:"

The faith that Abraham had in God regarding his promise that through his seed all nations of the earth would be blessed, he knew beyond any doubt if he killed his son upon the alter, God would raise him up again. In fact, this was an allegory to the resurrection of Christ. He received Isaac down from the alter as one who had risen from the dead.

Heb 11:17-19 "By faith Abraham, when he was tried, offered up Isaac: and he that had received the promises offered up his only begotten son......Of whom it was said, That in Isaac shall thy seed be called:.....Accounting that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead; from whence also he received him in a figure."

In Isaac would the seed of Abraham be called:

Isaac was born of the free woman and not the bondwoman. Therefore, liberty and freedom were to come through Isaac and not Ishmael. The ultimate seed of Isaac was Christ who extends salvation to the entire world.

Gen 21:12 "And God said unto Abraham, Let it not be grievous in thy sight because of the lad, and because of thy bondwoman; in all that Sarah hath said unto thee, hearken unto her voice; for in Isaac shall thy seed be called."

Rom 9:7-8 "Neither, because they are the seed of Abraham, are they all children: but, In Isaac shall thy seed be called. ......That is, They which are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God: but the children of the promise are counted for the seed."

The seed of any man produced does not necessarily mean they are legitimate or children, but in this case means of the flesh or illegitimate.The children of the flesh were those descendants of Ishmael. That is, born after the natural conception of man and woman as did Abraham and Hagar.

Heb 11:18 "Of whom it was said, That in Isaac shall thy seed be called:"

Christ took on the seed of Abraham

The promise of God to Abraham that through his seed all nations of the earth would be blessed, came hundreds of years before the law of Moses. Therefore, the testament of Moses had nothing to do with the promise of God as to the coming of the Christ. Also, Christ was the son of David, the son of Abraham.

Mat 1:1 "The book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham."

Heb 2:14-16 "Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil;.....And deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage......For verily he took not on him the nature of angels; but he took on him the seed of Abraham."

Abraham is the father of all the faithful who are in Christ whether Jew or Gentile:

The promise to Abraham was fulfilled with the coming of Christ and the Lord Jesus Christ is now sitting on the throne of David at the right hand of God.

Rom 1:16 "For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek."

Rom 4:16-17 "Therefore it is of faith, that it might be by grace; to the end the promise might be sure to all the seed; not to that only which is of the law, but to that also which is of the faith of Abraham; who is the father of us all,.....(As it is written, I have made thee a father of many nations,) before him whom he believed, even God, who quickeneth the dead, and calleth those things which be not as though they were."

The Holy Spirit through the apostle Paul reveals the true nature of Abraham's two sons, Isaac and Ishmael:

Gal 4:22-31 "For it is written, that Abraham had two sons, the one by a bondmaid, the other by a freewoman......But he who was of the bondwoman was born after the flesh; but he of the freewoman was by promise......Which things are an allegory: for these are the two covenants; the one from the mount Sinai, which gendereth to bondage, which is Agar......For this Agar is mount Sinai in Arabia, and answereth to Jerusalem which now is, and is in bondage with her children......But Jerusalem which is above is free, which is the mother of us all......For it is written, Rejoice, thou barren that bearest not; break forth and cry, thou that travailest not: for the desolate hath many more children than she which hath an husband......Now we, brethren, as Isaac was, are the children of promise......But as then he that was born after the flesh persecuted him that was born after the Spirit, even so it is now......Nevertheless what saith the scripture? Cast out the bondwoman and her son: for the son of the bondwoman shall not be heir with the son of the freewoman......So then, brethren, we are not children of the bondwoman, but of the free."

The name Agar in verses 24-25, is the same as Hagar, the bondmaid of Sarah. The one covenant representing Ishmael was the law of Moses from Mt. Sinai that gendered to bondage the same as the state of servitude that he was in. The other of Christ representing Isaac, gendered to freedom as the son of the free woman. Not from earthly Jerusalem as Ishmael who was born after the flesh according to natural conception of man and woman, but from heavenly Jerusalem which is above and is free and the mother of us all. That is, the birth of Isaac by Abraham and Sarah was made possible by the Spirit of God from heaven, because Sarah was 90 years old. As Ishmael persecuted Isaac then, so it was at the time of the writing of the new testament that those of the law of Moses representing Ishmael were persecuting those of the law of Christ who came through the lineage of Isaac the son of the free woman. Therefore, we are the children of promise that God made to Abraham.

Nothing could be more clearer than what the apostle Paul and Luke had to say regarding the law of Moses as a law of bondage.

Gal 2:16 "Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified."

Gal 4:24-25 "Which things are an allegory: for these are the two covenants; the one from the mount Sinai, which gendereth to bondage, which is Agar......For this Agar is mount Sinai in Arabia, and answereth to Jerusalem which now is, and is in bondage with her children."

Gal 5:4 "Christ is become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the law; ye are fallen from grace."

Acts 13:39 "And by him all that believe are justified from all things, from which ye could not be justified by the law of Moses."

Rom 3:20 "Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin."

Gal 4:4-5 "But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law,.....To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons."

Conclusion:

Those who run back to the Law of Moses for authority to use mechanical instruments of music are fallen from grace. You can take it to the bank. The above scriptures quoted are black and white from the Holy Spirit, even as Paul said, the Spirit speaks expressly in 1Tim.4:1, of those who would depart from the faith in the latter times giving heed to seducing spirits and doctrines of devils.To say that anyone who seeks to be justified by the Law of Moses in any matter is being judged unfairly by those good teachers who are merely quoting the inspiration of God by the Spirit, is to accuse the Holy Spirit as an ungodly liar.

1 Tim 4:1 "Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils;"

These fallen members of the church of our dear Lord are grasping at straws when they accuse the Holy Spirit of judging, because the truths of God do not agree with their own doctrines. Good teachers who quote Eph.4:4, regarding the one body or the one church are immediately accused of judging those who teach for doctrine the Lord's church can have any name. When men steal the bride of Christ and give her their name or some other, they have committed spiritual adultry and fornication. Christ is the bridegroom and the church is his bride, Jn.3:28-29.

John 3:28-29 "Ye yourselves bear me witness, that I said, I am not the Christ, but that I am sent before him......He that hath the bride is the bridegroom: but the friend of the bridegroom, which standeth and heareth him, rejoiceth greatly because of the bridegroom's voice: this my joy therefore is fulfilled."

John the Baptist was not the bridegroom, but the friend of the bridegroom. However, many choose for the bride of Christ to wear the name of the friend of the bridegroom.

Those who advocate many churches or bodies belong to the Lord, they must admit that there is only one head who is Christ, Col.1:18, Eph.1:22-23. Therefore, by their own admission, they are saying, Jesus is a freak. One head and many bodies.

Eph 4:4 "There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling;"

Rom 7:4 "Wherefore, my brethren, ye also are become dead to the law by the body of Christ; that ye should be married to another, even to him who is raised from the dead, that we should bring forth fruit unto God."

2 Cor 11:2 "For I am jealous over you with godly jealousy: for I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ."

There is no private interpretation of the scripture, 2 Pet.1:20, either in the prophets under the law of Moses, nor in the prophets and apostles of the law of Christ. To say that everyone can have a different interpretation of the scripture, because there can be unity in diversity, is slapping our Lord in the face, because he prayed that his disciples be one, Jn.17:21-23.

2 Pet 1:20 "Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation."

John 17:21-23 "That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me......And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one:....I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me."

Paul said in 1Cor.1:10, that they all speak the same things, no divisions among them and be of the same mind and judgment. Peter said in 1Pet.4:11, if any speak, let him speak as the oracles of God. To say that everyone can have an interprepretation of the scripture is saying, that God is the author of confusion and not peace, 1Cor.14:33.

1 Cor 1:10 "Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment."

1 Pet 4:11 "If any man speak, let him speak as the oracles of God; if any man minister, let him do it as of the ability which God giveth: that God in all things may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom be praise and dominion for ever and ever. Amen."

1 Cor 14:33 "For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints."

Click to Return to Articles Page