It had been more than twenty years since God had promised Abraham that he and Sarah would have a son, but in an example of how God';s timing isn';t always our timing, God gave this couple their long-awaited son: “The Lord kept his word and did for Sarah exactly what he had promised. She became pregnant, and she gave birth to a son for Abraham in his old age. This happened at just the time God had said it would. And Abraham named their son Isaac” (Genesis 21:1–3). It was as if God waited to fulfill His promise just because He wanted to show Abraham and Sarah His power and ability to do the miraculous.

As per God';s instructions, Abraham had his son circumcised eight days after his birth. After Isaac was weaned, Abraham threw a huge party to celebrate. It was then that there were more conflicts between Sarah and Hagar, the mother of Ishmael. Sarah wanted to solve the problem by sending Hagar and Ishmael away. That is exactly what God told Abraham to do but with the assurance that Ishmael would be counted among his descendants and, therefore, would be the father of many descendants.

Later in Abraham';s life he was confronted with the biggest test of his faith he would ever face, and it would involve his son Isaac. How he fared in that test would determine his place in God';s plan to redeem humankind.

Study Questions

In what situations in your own life have you been tempted not to hold to your faith in God';s promises but instead to run out ahead of God?

How do you respond when you read or hear of a promise of God that is a little hard to swallow?