When Sarah could not conceive children; she gave her handmaiden, Hagar (an Egyptian) to her husband, in order that they might have a family.
You have to understand that in that day, slaves of a household were considered “owned” by the household .. and subject to obey.
Hagar conceived and bore Ishmael. However, Hagar was under the impression that her son would be the heir of Abraham. However, in that day, slave children were not considered to be part of the inheritance. The real heir would receive ALL when the father died. The reason was .. it was that person’s responsibility to support the entire family.
The law at that time said that the “first born son” was to inherit all when the father died.
Because Hagar did not understand her (and her son’s) place in the family, she became rude, arrogant and downright hateful to Sarah.
Then, Sarah (by the grace of GOD) conceived - and she bore a son, Isaac. Isaac was the child GOD had promised; thus Isaac was the proper heir of all Abraham’s possessions. This was the law, because Sarah and Abraham were in a marriage covenant, making Isaac the true heir.
After the birth of Isaac, when Hagar realized her son was not the heir, she became more and more of a problem to Sarah, and Ishmael became really hateful to Isaac. Finally, Sarah received permission from Abraham to put Hagar and her son out of the camp.
So, what a lot of people don’t understand (including the Arab Nations), is that Ishmael had NO RIGHTS TO THE INHERITANCE. And .. they’ve been fighting over it all these many thousands of years. It’s also the reason why the Arabs HATE ISRAEL .. and believe they have been deprived of their inheritance. Only Egypt has understood their connection to Abraham (since Hagar was Egyptian), and Ishmael as her heir, does have a connection to Abraham .. but Ishmael is still not THE TRUE HEIR.
And .. to add a little flavor to the story, I have always wondered if the Arabic nations HATRED of women (thus requiring them to be covered from head to toe) came as a result of Abraham and his two sons. Did they hate Sarah because she threw both Hagar and Ishmael out of the camp ..?? Or, did Ishmael’s hatred of his mother come about as a result of his mother’s inability to obtain the inheritance for her son ..??
Anyway, Isaac is the true heir - and the land where Israel now lives, as well as many thousands more acres of land, was what GOD gave to Israel. The Arabic nations have always believed that they were entitled to that land .. and you can see how they have crowded all around Israel, hoping some day to push Israel into the sea .. and they will have the land for themselves.
To sum it up: This whole battle between the Arabs and the Israelis is nothing more than a dispute between the families of two HALF brothers, over ownership of the same land.
I’ll be interested to know your comments.
Yes, that’s pretty much the way I remember the story. Sounds like this is a grudge match gone to the extreme. A gigantic clash of civilizations caused by jealousy and greed and lust for revenge? And if they ever get nukes, I wonder if it would bring about Armageddon?
Was not Ishmael an illegal born son?