Human Reasoning

ISHMAEL WAS A GOOD IDEA OF HUMAN REASONING

Genesis 16-17

Taught by:  Carolyn Sissom

September 29, 2007

Administration of human reasoning seems like a good idea when we lean on our own understanding to fulfill the promise of God.  It may be that the journey to the promise will always take a short cut and produce an Ishmael.  Perhaps all of us have to walk this way to be delivered from Pride that the Lord will be able to birth in us His Promise.   In the earlier days of my ministry, I was so careful to follow the Lord and obey him so I would not produce an Ishmael.  However, after moving to Texas and starting this church, I had a “good idea” that produced an Ishmael in my life.  It was a very painful experience of persecution and abuse.  The pride of the person involved despised me after the Lord used me as a hand of blessing to fulfill her promise.    However, the Lord in his great mercy, judged it.  He told me because I did this in love, He cast out the Ishmael out of the ministry.  I obeyed Him and released the people involved.  I received His Grace.   However, those individuals  like Hagar will also receive of His Grace and Love. 

Because of this experience, I try to be so careful to only do that which the Lord speaks.  I have a heart to be a blessing and to bless everyone.  However, in the ministry I can only do what the Lord tells me to do, or I am operating on human reasoning and a “good idea”.  Because I love you, I can not always do what you want me to do.  It means there can be no compromise with the revealed will of God and a “good idea”.

In Genesis 15, Abram is the man of faith; In Chapter 16, he is a man of unbelief and compromise.  Not only does he compromise, but he listens to the voice of human reasoning in the voice of Sarai  rather than the Voice of God. 

“Now Sarai Abram’s wife bare him no children; and she had a handmaid, an Egyptian, whose name was Hagar.  And Sarai said unto Abram, Behold now the Lord has restrained me from bearing:  I pray thee, go in unto my maid; it may be that I may obtain children by her.  And ABRAM HEARKENED TO THE VOICE OF  SARAI.   And he went in unto Hagar and she conceived: and when she saw that she had conceived, her mistress was despised in her eyes.  And Sarai said unto Abram, My wrong be upon thee; I have given my main into thy bosom; and when she saw that she had conceived, I was despised in her eyes; the Lord judge between me and thee”

Paul uses this story as an allegory in Galatians 4:21-31:

“For it is written, that Abraham had two sons, the one by a bondmaid, the other by a free woman.  But he who was of the bondwoman was born after the flesh; but he of the freewoman was by promise. Which things is an allegory:  for these are the two covenants; the one from the Mount Sinai, which gendereth to bondage, which is Hagar.  For this Hagar is Mount Sinai in Arabia, and answers to Jerusalem which is above is free, which is the mother of us all.  For it is written, rejoice, you barren that bear not; break forth and cry, you that travail not; for the desolate has many more children than she which has a husband.  Now we brethren as Isaac was, are the children of promise.  But as then he that was born after the flesh persecuted him that was born after the Spirit, even so it is now.  Nevertheless what says the scripture?  Cast out the bondwoman and her son: for the son of the bondwoman shall not be heir with the son of the freewoman.  So then, brethren, we are not children of the bondwoman, but of the free.”

Abraham’s First Son                                      Abraham’ Second Son

Ishmael                                                                       Isaac

By the Bondwoman (woman in bondage)                  By the Freewoman

Hagar                                                                          Sarah

                                                                                    Born after the promise (the Spirit,   

                                                                                    Supernatural, faith)

First Covenant (Old Covenant)                                 Second Covenant (New Covenant)

Law                                                                             Grace

From Mount Sinai                                                      from Mount Zion

Genders (produces) bondage                                    Genders Liberty

Babylon                                                                      True Church

Earthly Jerusalem                                                       Heavenly Jerusalem

Son of Fear                                                                 Son of Promise

Note the heir (cast out)                                              The Heir (brought in)

“The Man-child of Rev. 12 is born of the freewoman.  Those churches that are bound with the ways of Egypt cannot produce the over comer.  Those of you will notice that almost every minister who comes in to this church comments on the “Liberty”.  “Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is Liberty.”  That which is born of the promise of the Holy Spirit produces liberty.  That which is born of a “good idea of human reasoning” (Egypt) will always produce bondage.  Hagar was an Egyptian.  Actually Sarai added her to the household as part of their sojourning in Egypt.  Hagar means “ensnaring, the sojourner, stranger, one who fears, flight, fugitive, wanderer.”  I have a teaching on Hagar that I will teach another time.  It is called, “Hagar, where have you come from and where will you go?” (Verse 8)

Ishmael was a product of:

1. Sarai’s head – Human reasoning
2. Abram’s loins – human strength.

Ishmael was a good idea.  Abram put his strength and we could compare it to his finances behind this good idea.  “It may be that this thing will work”. (Verse 2).  Abram threw out a “fleece.”  If an 86-year-old man can get Hagar pregnant, it must be God.  The strength of God on Abram will work whether he is out of the will of God or in the will of God.  Just what will that strength produce?

The Hebrew word for Ishmael is “Yishmael” (3458, 8085, 410) and means “Jah will hear’ he will hear God; whom God hears; whom God understands.”  He received this name because God had heard Hagar’s affliction.

Genesis 6-11:  “But Abram said unto Sarai, Behold thy maid is in your hand; do to her as it pleases you.  And when Sarai dealt hardly with her, she fled from her face.  And the angel of the Lord found her by a fountain of water in the wilderness, by the fountain in the way to Shur.  And he said, Hagar, Sarai’s maid, where have you come from and where are you going?  And she said, I flee from the face of my mistress Sarai.  And the angel of the Lord said unto her, return to your mistress, and submit yourself under her hands.  And the angel of the Lord said unto her, I will multiply your seed exceedingly, that I shall not be numbered for multitude.  And the angel of the Lord said unto her, behold, you are with child, and you shall bear a son, and you shall call his name Ishmael; because the Lord has heard your affliction.”

Verse 12:

1. He will be a wild man.
2. His hand will be against every man, and every man’s hand against him.
3. He shall dwell in the presence of all his brethren.

The wild nature is untamed and needs bridled.  By contrast, the ox nature is the new nature of the new man.  As is the last Adam the man of the Spirit. (Deut. 22:10)

The angel of the Lord found Hagar (verse 7) where God finds us all:  by the fountain of water (Word of God) in the wilderness.  “beerlahairoi” is the well of the living one who sees me.” (Gen. 21:19; Jn. 6:44)  Good advice:

RETURN…SUBMIT…AND OBTAIN THE PROMISE.

Genesis 17

Thirteen years elapsed between chapters 16 and 17. (Gen. 14:4)  This is the number of rebellion, unbelief, and apostasy.  Before Grace can act, Abram must come to the end of himself. (Rom 4:19)  He was 75 when he left Haran and would be 100 when Isaac was born.  The heir came in the fullness of time. (Gal. 4:4)

God reveals Himself to Abram in 17:1 as “I AM  THE ALMIGHTY GOD” or EL-SHADDAI which means “God, all sufficient, the breasted One of the God of the Breast, the nourisher, the sustainer.”  This reveals God as a mother as well as a father. This is the breastplate of Faith and Love (1 Thess. 5:8) and righteousness (Jude 24).  Abram is to walk before God and be perfect (upright, sincere).  (Ps. 19:7; Matt. 5:48; Phil 3: 12-14)

There are Seven “I wills” of El-Shaddai in this chapter.  This is the power of Grace.  We can compare to the 7 I wills of Ex. 6:6-8. 

1. “  I will make you exceeding fruitful: (17:6)
2. “I will make nations of you, and kings shall come out of you”.
3. “I will establish my covenant between me and you and your seed after you in their generations for an everlasting covenant.”
4. “I will give unto you, and to your seed after you, the land wherein you are a stranger, all of the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession.”
5. “I will establish my covenant with him (Isaac) for an everlasting covenant, and with his seed after him.” (17:19)
6. “I will be their God.” (17:8)
7. “I will establish my covenant with Isaac, which Sarah shall bear unto you at this set time in the next year.” (17:21)

It is significant to note that in response to these promises:

1. Abraham laughed. (Gen. 17:17; 18: 12-15)
2. Abraham longed for Ishmael to live (man’s way). (Gen. 17:18)

Chapter 17:5 and 17: 15 is the change of the name (nature) from Abram to Abraham and Sarai to Sarah.  After the bringing forth of Ishmael in chapter 16, God didn’t speak to Abram for 13 years.  That should put the “fear of God” in to all of us.

The change of name denotes a change of nature.

1. Abram – Hebrew word “Abram”( #87, 48)  and means “high father, lofty father, father of height, father is exalted.”
2. Abraham – this is the Hebrew word “Abraham” (#85) and means “father of a multitude, father of a populous, father of a great multitude; source or founder of a multitude.”

It is obvious that Jehovah dealt with Abraham’s pride.  Abraham came to the end of his own strength and met Al-Shaddai.

Sarai also had a change of nature:

1. Sarai – Hebrew word (Saray) (#8297, 8269, 8323) and means “dominative, a head person (of any rank or class), a captain (that had rule), chief (captain) general, governor, keeper, lord taskmaster, principal, ruler, steward, to have or exercise dominion; bitter contentious, quarrelsome.”

2. Sarah – Hebrew word (Sarah) (#8283, 8282) and means “mistress, female noble, lady, princess, queen; noble woman, noble lady.

It is obvious that Sarah’s nature was transformed as well.  The key to her change was that Abram’s name was changed first.

In closing, let us briefly discuss the Abrahamic covenant of circumcision (17:23-27)

The principle is obvious:  there must be the cutting away of the flesh on the 8^th day (new beginnings).  It involved:

1. The cutting away of flesh (the shedding of blood).
2. Performed the 8^th day (resurrection).
3. the invoking of the name of the child (new name)  (Gen. 17:12; 21:3)

The New Testament Circumcision is:

1. Water baptism in the name of Jesus Christ (Col. 2: 11-12; Phil 3:3)
2. “For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision avails any thing, nor uncircumcision, but a new creature.
3. “That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through Faith.”
4. Water baptism is the token, sign and seal of the New Covenant. (Rom 4: Gal. 3)
5. This is one reason why the apostles of the book of acts baptized new converts immediately following conversion (Acts. 3:38;41; *:12-13; 36-38; 9:18; 10:47-48; 16:15; 33; 18:8; 19:5)

We will start on chapter 18 next week if the Good Lord is willing and the creeks don’t rise.

Carolyn Sissom, Pastor

Eastgate Ministries, Inc.

All scripture from King James Bible, quotes from principles of present truth by:K.V, comments and stories are my own.