In the foregoing messages we have covered nearly ten chapters in Genesis regarding Abraham's experience with God. In those chapters we saw that Abraham, God's called one, had come to many stations and had passed through many stages. Now in Genesis 21 Abraham comes to a wonderful and marvelous station. Here Isaac is born.
The goal of God's calling of Abraham was to bring forth a seed. This matter of the seed was first mentioned in 12:7 and is referred to many times in the following chapters. In nearly every chapter God touched Abraham concerning the seed. Why was it so difficult for Abraham to have a seed? He was called, at the latest, at the age of seventy-five, but twenty-five years later he still did not have the seed, although God had called him for that very purpose. Because he had difficulty producing the seed, Abraham first relied upon Eliezer, whom God rejected. Then, hearkening to his wife's proposal, Abraham produced Ishmael by Hagar. However, God also rejected Ishmael, saying that He did not want a seed out of an Egyptian maid but out of Sarah. God seemed to say to Abraham, "Yes, you have produced a seed, but it is out of the wrong source. I will never approve that source. I have nothing to do with it. You may love Ishmael and care for him, but I do not." After the birth of Ishmael, God came in to tell Abraham that he had to be circumcised. At that time, God also strengthened and confirmed His promise to Abraham. After his circumcision, Abraham had intimate fellowship with God, enjoying the highest experience with God of anyone in history up to that time.
When, at the time of chapter twenty, the seed still had not come, even such a giant of faith as Abraham could not stand the test. As we saw in the last message, he was apparently bored in his experience of God and took a vacation. Abraham might have said to God, "God, You have promised again and again to give me a seed. You have dealt with me about this and that until I have nothing left. You have said no to everything I have done. Now I am bored and would like a change. I want to take a vacation." Abraham journeyed southward, that is, downward. Like everyone who takes a vacation after working hard, Abraham was seeking easiness. Because of this, he repeated an old failure. But God preserved him, creating a situation in which, in spite of his failure, circumstances, and environment, he had to intercede for Abimelech and his house. Not one thing was an encouragement to Abraham in this matter. Yet, being the giant of faith, he interceded, not with boldness or the release of the spirit, but in a shameful way. Nevertheless, his shameful intercession was answered. Not only did Abimelech's wife and maidservants bear children, but Sarah also gave birth to Isaac. One prayer of intercession received two answers. When we come to Genesis 21 we see that Abraham has returned from his vacation and is back in business again. In chapter twenty he tried to take a vacation and stay away from his divine job, but he did not succeed and God forced him to make an intercession. That intercession brought him back from vacation to his divine employment. Now, in chapter twenty-one, Abraham is back in his "office."
Genesis 21 has two sections. The first section, verses 1 through 13, is thoroughly covered by the Apostle Paul in Galatians 4:22-31, where he allegorizes this portion of Genesis. By means of Paul's allegorization, seeking Christians throughout the centuries have been able to learn the true significance of the first part of Genesis 21. I wish that Paul had allegorized the remainder of that chapter, but he kept silent about it. Most Christians only consider 21:14-34 as a story of Ishmael's dwelling in the wilderness and becoming an archer and of Abraham's dealing with Abimelech over the well at Beer-sheba, not thinking that this portion of the Word has much spiritual significance. But if the first section of Genesis 21 has a spiritual significance, then the second section must also have a spiritual significance. In this message we need to cover the significance of both sections.