Genesis 21: I Got the Promise and the Mistake Living in the Same House Together, Boy Do We Have a Problem

(upbeat music) - Welcome to chapter by chapter, four year journey through the greatest book given to the human race, the word of God, the Bible. And we get to go through it chapter by chapter, seven minutes a day and seven days a week. Join us each day and share it with others so they can join this journey that will be life changing. We're gonna stop at unexpected places on the journey and be challenged. Some verses will create awe and wonder. We will have chapters that will be instructive and others will find joy and comfort. And we will occasionally be convicted and need to change. All in all, the journey will be worth it. Once in a while, we may take a detour on the journey and hear from some of God's servants on their favorite passages from a chapter of scripture and let them give you their insight. 'Cause every journey needs a small detour occasionally. The best way to get the most from this podcast is read the chapter we're discussing before or after. It's his word that transforms. You will find more and seem more than I can ever articulate. Welcome to chapter by chapter and today's chapter is Genesis 21. Timelines are gonna be important to remember for Genesis 21. Abraham got a promise from God in Genesis 15 that even in his old age, he and Sarah would have a son, an heir. And in Genesis 15, God says this. This is verses one through four. After these things, the word of the Lord came to Abraham in a vision saying do not fear Abram, I am a shield to you. Your reward shall be very great. Abram said, oh Lord God, what will you give me since I am childless? And the heir of my house is the Eleazar of Damascus. And Abram said, since you have given no offspring to me, one born in my house is my heir. Then behold, the word of the Lord came to him saying this man will not be your heir. But one will come forth from your own body and he shall be your heir. This initial promise was given in 2081 BC. Then it seems to be months later, Sarah could not wait any longer for this Genesis 15 promise. After taking a number of pregnancy tests and seeing the single line that said not pregnant for the last time, she had another idea. She thought, let's use Hagar, our Egyptian maid to be a surrogate. That is Genesis 16. This debacle takes place in 2080 BC. Just one year after God spoke about the promised child, man intervened and devised the plan and had an impatient child. Hagar does get pregnant and they named the child Ishmael. Genesis 21 is the I told you so chapter. It's when the promise of God really happens. 15 years after the initial promise is made, 2066 BC to the elderly couple, we read these words in verses one through three. Then the Lord took note of Sarah as he had said and the Lord did for Sarah as he had promised. So Sarah conceived and bore a son to Abraham in his old age at the appointed time of which God had spoken to him. Abraham called the name of his son who was born to him, who Sarah born to him Isaac. Isaac is such an appropriate name. His name means laughter. Sarah, after her miracle son's birth, explains in verses six to seven what this means. Sarah said, God has made laughter for me. Everyone who hears it will laugh with me. And she said, who would have said to Abraham that Sarah would nurse children, yet I have born him a son in his old age. I just love the phrase and the Lord did for Sarah as he had promised. What God promised really did happen, God always keeps his word. But now we have a problem. The Genesis 16 baby and the Genesis 21 baby are now in the same house. Now we got a huge problem. I got the promise and the mistake living in the same house together. You have God's promise and man's ingenuity growing up together and there is going to be a collision. The Bible says in verse nine, now Sarah saw the son of Hagar, the Egyptian, whom she had born to Abraham mocking. To put Isaac and Ishmael under the same roof is a clear picture of the life of the believer having the flesh and the spirit in the same heart. And exactly what happened to Isaac happens to us. The flesh will always mock the spirit. Have you ever experienced that? When once you have seen God doing something in your life, your past shows up to mock and ridicule you. It will say you were not worthy of this. The flesh will say who do you think you are sharing with others to be a Christian? You're not even a good Christian. You will hear how can you pray? You're not even sincere enough. When you hear that mocking voice, it's the voice of the flesh trying to discredit the promise of God. Paul tells us about this in Galatians. This is the battle we face every day as a Christian. This Genesis 21 household is like our spiritual household. Listen to what Paul says in Galatians 429. But as at that time, he was born according to the flesh, persecuted him who was born according to the spirit. So it is now also. Paul says it's happening now. It's in progress as even you hear this. And Paul tells us to take action against this mocking in Galatians 430 and 31. He says, but what does the scripture say? Cast out the bond woman in her son. For the son of the bond woman shall not be an heir of the son of the free woman. So then, brethren, we are not children of a bond woman but of the free woman. Paul updated the story to present tense. This is the fight we face every day. The fleshly man mocks the spiritual man. And we must do what Abraham did. Cast out the mocking voice. It can't live under the same roof. Native American history fascinates me. The name sitting bull was a well-known leader in South Dakota who died in 1890. He is known for describing the inner turmoil inside of him as having two dogs living inside. One dog has evenly said and one is good. He concluded that the dog he fed is the one who won the fight. That's brilliant. The way you remove the flesh is by being renewed in your inner man every day. In Romans 7, Paul describes the inner struggle not as the imaginary dogs inside, but he does acknowledge the fight inside of him. The struggle is real to Paul and sitting bull even and to you and me. You and I battle every day the flesh and the spirit. Galatians 5 says it's a fight between the works of the flesh and the work of the spirit. Abraham's problem in the natural was our problem spiritually. The same house can't have flesh and spirit in it. It can't have a God promise and man's invention at the same time. They'll always be fighting. Paul adds a new phrase to the fight. He calls it the old man and the new man from Ephesians 4.22. Put off the former conduct. The old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lust and be renewed in the spirit of your mind. Put on the new man which was created according to God in true righteousness and holiness. Use old and new men. Use two dogs, Ishmael and Isaac. Whatever you use, someone has to get kicked out of this house. As Joshua tells us in 24/15, choose for yourselves today whom you will serve. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord. Thanks for joining chapter by chapter. Every chapter from the greatest book of the Bible, the Word of God, seven minutes a day, seven days a week. We'll see you tomorrow.