NIV 365 / Ishmael

The NIV 365-Day Devotional Reading Plan

Day 310 of 365 Ishmael Second Best Ishmael's birth could be called a mistake. It came about because Sarah and Abraham doubted God's promise to provide them a child in their old age. The two conspired to "help God out" by using an Egyptian servant, Hagar, as a substitute wife for Abraham. Then, when God fulfilled his promise and Sarah bore a son of her own, she cruelly drove the servant and her son out into the desert. Ishmael, the innocent victim of this scheming, suffered the consequences. Yet God also blessed Ishmael. He "heard the boy crying" when Ishmael was dying of thirst in the desert (21:17). God promised that Ishmael's descendants would comprise a great nation. The Bible records that Ishmael had 12 sons and that the Ishmaelites were Israel's neighbors for centuries. In fact, Arabs today traditionally trace their lineage back to Ishmael. Ishmael apparently kept in contact with his original family; he attended Abraham's funeral, and his daughter would marry Abraham's grandson Esau. Yet his place in Abraham's covenant with God was lost. In a similar way, Ishmael's son-in-law Esau would enjoy the earthly blessings of success, even though God's greatest blessing was reserved for Esau's brother Jacob. In the Bible's accounting, God's covenant blessing always mattered more than earthly success. Taken from NIV Student Bible Genesis 24:14-20 Genesis 24:14-20 KJV 14 And let it come to pass, that the damsel to whom I shall say, Let down thy pitcher, I pray thee, that I may drink; and she shall say, Drink, and I will give thy camels drink also: let the same be she that thou hast appointed for thy servant Isaac; and thereby shall I know that thou hast shewed kindness unto my master. 15 And it came to pass, before he had done speaking, that, behold, Rebekah came out, who was born to Bethuel, son of Milcah, the wife of Nahor, Abraham's brother, with her pitcher upon her shoulder. 16 And the damsel was very fair to look upon, a virgin, neither had any man known her: and she went down to the well, and filled her pitcher, and came up. 17 And the servant ran to meet her, and said, Let me, I pray thee, drink a little water of thy pitcher. 18 And she said, Drink, my lord: and she hasted, and let down her pitcher upon her hand, and gave him drink. 19 And when she had done giving him drink, she said, I will draw water for thy camels also, until they have done drinking. 20 And she hasted, and emptied her pitcher into the trough, and ran again unto the well to draw water, and drew for all his camels.