Genesis 21 - A Son is Born!
The birth of a baby boy to parents who were very elderly must have sparked a lot of murmuring. Who were these people who had been wandering the land of Canaan for twenty-five years? What would become of them? God’s hand was obviously upon them to make them successful. It is unclear how much the people of Canaan knew about the covenant that God made with Abraham. Abraham and Sarah had likely kept fairly quiet about their expectation that God would give them the whole land of Canaan as a possession. But such things tend to get out and spread. With the birth of Isaac, the nations were already becoming uneasy, as demonstrated by the reactions of Ishmael and Abimelech. Ishmael was not yet a nation, but he despised Isaac even at that time due to his position as the favored son of Abraham who would inherit the covenant promises of God. Abimelech, king of Gerar, was intimidated enough by God’s blessing upon Abraham (not the least of which was through Isaac’s birth) that he came to ma...