The Virtual Pew Daily: Ishmael

Monday, September 28, 2020

Daily Devotional, Genesis Chapter 25, 26, Remarriage, Deceipt, Peace

Daily Devotional, Genesis Chapter 25, 26

Remarriage, Deceit, and Peace

These two chapters seem to go all over the place in regards to themes. It is one of the reasons that I hope these daily devotions encourage you to check out the scriptures yourself, think about them and were possible, apply the concepts learned into your life.

We see that Abraham has remarried after the death of Sarah, despite his age he has more children. There are several things to think about here but one of the things that sticks out to me is the knowledge that this is a continuation of the story of the separation of Jews, Muslims, and to some extent, later on, Christians.

One of the things that causes me to ponder here is that despite the differences in belief that would later develop, Isaac and Ishmael came together to bury their father. There is a recognition of family among these half brothers. They found a way to come together and accomplish something despite their differences. Family and the love of Abraham had for his children, especially these two sons was a contributing factor as to why these two could come together to honor their father. As I write this, it is known in America as National Son's Day; Abraham was a father who was also honored by his sons.

We also read about other decedents and some of the early history of the decedents of Ishmael and Isaac. We also see aspects of deceit among family. There is the desire for power and wealth we see in the story of Jacob and Esau where one brother tricks the other out of his birthright. While it can be debated as to what is right or wrong, one could also debate if one appreciates what they have or do they take these things lightly.

Today, many of us are in the same boat. Do we appreciate the things we have? Do we take what we have for granted and live in the moment or do we plan for the future? I'll admit, I'm guilty and as a result I know how much better things could have been.

There is so much more in these two chapters, but you can check them out for yourself. It would be interesting to know your thoughts and what stuck out to you. What caused you to ponder?

To see Genesis Chapter 25 and 26 Click the following link:

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Genesis+25%2C+26&version=CEV

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Tuesday, September 22, 2020

Daily Devotional, GEnesis Chapter 21, 23, 2 Sons, 2 Directions

Daily Devotional, Genesis Chapter 21, 22

2 Sons, 2 Directions

In these passages for today we see two interesting stories, one of a son born to the slave woman Hagar, Ishmael, and another born to the wife, Sarah, Isaac. Abraham was the father of both.

Despite Sarah encouraging Abraham earlier on to have relations with Hagar, in order to have a son, I've always thought she had some jealousy issues, from the fact that a firstborn son was born and then encouraging Abraham to get rid of the slave woman and the son to insure that her son gets everything when the time comes. God however knows that Ishmael is still the son of Abraham and is going to honor him. While the honors won't quite be the same, God still sees to it that Hagar and Ishmael are taken care of and that they are worthy of recognition and reward.

In many ways this is where much of the conflict between Jews and Muslims originated. Unfortunately, today people still see little value in each other just as during this time. Yet, God still sees the true story. He knows the history and will honor those who deserves to be honored. God will not abandon those He loves.

We will, just as Abraham via Sarah, face issues that could have us doing the wrong thing, based out of jealousy, hate, misunderstanding and so forth. Yet, God as mentioned above knows the truth. So many times we as individuals are caught up in conflict, yet, we must remember, God will do what is right.

Instead of going through life placing blame, sometimes it may be a good idea to try and understand where people are coming from and why they are in the situation they are. God loves. It is our actions, our lack of faith, just as it was in the case of Abraham and Sarah that leads to issues coming about. In the long run, Abraham shows God that it is to God that his ultimate love is shown to. While it was a hard lesson and temptation, Abraham came through. I can only imagine if Sarah had known of what God's test for Abraham would have been. The angels where there the whole time but the test was still challenged Abraham's faith and in the end, that faith won out.

As we go through life we need to understand and follow God and his direction, even in the hard things. In the process though, try to understand the other parties involved in our decisions. Don't hold grudges or place blame especially for the conflicts we take part in creating.

To see Genesis Chapter 21 and 22 Click the following link:

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Genesis+21%2C+22&version=CEV

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