SONS OF ABRAHAM
The Bible has much to say about Sons of Abraham. These are the descendants of
Abraham specifically through Isaac, Jacob, and the twelve sons of Jacob.
Perhaps this is a good place to begin the distinction between people of God (child
without a spiritual relationship), and the children of God with a familial and
spiritual relationship.
You may remember that Abraham had another son, Ishmael, born of Haggai, the
slave woman. Now even though Ishmael was a natural child of Abraham, he is not
counted in the lineage of Israel, the Sons of Abraham. As God says to Abraham in
Genesis 21:12, ‘“... Do not be so distressed about the boy and your slave woman. Listen
to whatever Sarah tells you, because it is through Isaac that your offspring^ will be
reckoned.”’
God had given Abraham and his wife Sarah the promise of a son years before
Ishmael was born. In Genesis 12, God had promised to give Abraham many
descendants, and that his offspring would inherit Canaan. So rightfully his
offspring would be from him and his wife.
However later Sarah and Abraham felt they had waited many years and God had
not yet fulfilled their promise for a child, so Sarah gave Haggai her slave girl to
Abraham as a wife, and Ishmael was conceived. At one point Abraham even
begged God to let Ishmael be his heir as the promise seemed to be taking too long.
But God reassured Abraham in Genesis 17:19- 22 saying, ‘“Yes, but your wife Sarah
will bear you a son, and you will call him Isaac.^ I will establish my covenant with him as
an everlasting covenant for his descendants after him. And as for Ishmael, I have heard
you: I will surely bless him; I will make him fruitful and will greatly increase his numbers.
He will be the father of twelve rulers, and I will make him into a great nation. But my
covenant I will establish with Isaac, whom Sarah will bear to you by this time next year.”
When he had finished speaking with Abraham, God went up from him.’
God’s ways and purposes cannot be circumvented by man’s plans. Even though
Ishmael was biologically Abraham’s son, he was not Sarah’s son and therefore not