THE DIVORCE OF HAGAR
Genesis 20 and 21
=Interpretation.= The incident recorded in Chapter 20 is intended
to show the care exercised by God in preserving the purity of the
chosen seed, but it cannot be taught to children because of their
ignorance of the facts of sex. Chapter 21 verses 21 to the end of
the chapter may be omitted since they offer nothing of interest to
the child.
For the interpretation of the main theme of this chapter see
introduction pages 19-20 and Chapter VIII. It is to be noted that
God's choice of Isaac does not mean that His providence does not
extend over Ishmael as well. Not only is Ishmael's life saved but
God's promise to Abraham regarding Ishmael is kept as well as His
promise regarding Isaac.
=Aim.= The aim in this lesson is practically the same as in Chapter
VIII, to inspire faith in God's providential interest in human
affairs in general and in Israel's destiny in particular. The child
need not understand all the implications of the narrative at the
time it is taught him but if it be taught properly the story will
make its impression and he will understand them more completely
later. God's hearing the voice of Ishmael should suggest to the
child the value of prayer and thus influence his immediate life.
=Suggestions to the teacher.= Before beginning the narrative of
this story recall to the children, by well directed questions,
the previous history of the relations of Abraham, Sarah, Hagar and
Ishmael, as we have explained them in Chapter VIII. Then point out
the complications which the birth of Isaac introduced since God
had promised that Isaac was to be the son to inherit the blessing
of Abraham together with the possession of the promised land, and
Ishmael, who was now beginning to grow up into the "wild ass of a
man" according to the prophecy that had preceded his birth, would
dispute this with him. It therefore became necessary for Hagar
and Ishmael to be sent away after the birth of Isaac. Inasmuch
as the idea of inheritance and the idea of national destiny are
too abstract for children, the story must be adapted to their
comprehension by putting it on a more personal plane somewhat as
follows:
"Now when Hagar saw that God had given a son to Sarah also as the
angel had promised and that this son Isaac and not her own Ishmael
was the one to whom God told Abraham he would give the land of
Canaan and whose children would be the great Jewish people, she
became jealous and hated Sarah very much and even Sarah's little
baby Isaac. And Ishmael too, who was now grown up into a big wild
boy--you remember the angel had said he would be a wild man when
he grew up--also was jealous of Isaac. And Hagar tried to persuade
Abraham to give her son part of this land of Canaan that God had
promised to Isaac. Now Sarah saw all this and she knew that it would
not be good for Isaac to grow up together with this wild and wicked
Ishmael and so she told Abraham to send Hagar and her son away to
some other country where they could not do any mischief to Isaac
whom God had chosen to be the father of the Jewish people."[4]
[4] To speak of our race as the Jewish people at any time before
the exile of the ten tribes is, to be sure, an anachronism, but we
employ it because the child knows that he and his friends are Jews
before he knows that they are Israelites or Hebrews.
In concluding the story one might interest the child by telling
him that there are descendants of Ishmael alive today who like us
feel proud to be descended from Abraham, and describing some of the
habits of the Bedouin Arabs, their nomadic life, their pastoral
occupation similar to that of the patriarchs and also their tribal
feuds and not infrequent raids for pillage which still would justify
the prophecy, "His hand shall be against every man and every man's
hand against him", but one should in justice say that this is
not true of the large number of Arabs who have settled in more
civilized communities. A picture of Bedouins in modern times would
be of interest to the class and help give a sense of reality to the
Biblical story.