DAY 22: Which Group Is God’s Chosen People…The Hebrews from Isaac Or The Muslims From Ishmael?

At this stage in our Torah overview, it’s important to take a pause here and examine one of the most key elements of the Lord’s plan for mankind us as written in the book of Genesis.

This is something greatly misunderstood, especially by many in the gentile church (we shouldn’t be surprised about that).

So which key element am I talking about?

It can be neatly summed up in the following question.

Specifically which of Abraham’s two sons would be used to bring about the promises contained in the covenant the Lord made with Abraham?

The Islam world asserts that whatever plans Hashem has for mankind, He’s going to bring them about through the descendants of Ishmael.

However, the Jewish world says “No way Jose!” and asserts that Hashem will carry out His divine promises through the descendants of Isaac.

Well, who in the hell is right?

I mean who really is God’s chosen people?

Is it the Hebrews descended from Isaac OR…

…is it the Muslims descended from Ishmael?

This is one of those non-negotiable forks in the road where we HAVE TO CHOOSE ONE PATH OR THE OTHER.

There ain’t no middle ground of political or religious tolerance when it comes to this particular matter folks.

So how in the world can we answer this most fundamental question?

Obviously we answer it by going to Scripture and we find the clear uncompromising and non-negotiable answer in the following verses:

^“God also said to Abraham, “As for Sarai your wife, you are no longer to call her Sarai; her name will be Sarah.  I will bless her and will surely give you a son by her. I will bless her so that she will be the mother of nations; kings of peoples will come from her.”

Abraham fell facedown; he laughed and said to himself, “Will a son be born to a man a hundred years old? Will Sarah bear a child at the age of ninety?” And Abraham said to God, “If only Ishmael might live under your blessing!”

Then God said, “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.”-Genesis 17:15-22

Well, there you have it homies.

Many years after Ishmael was conceived, we can see that Abraham was content that he had finally been given the son that would become the male heir to his tribe and most importantly to the covenant promises.

But as is so often the case, the Lord had other plans.

Out of the blue, the Lord appeared and told Abraham that not only was his 90-year old wife Sarah going to have a child BUT…

…it would be THIS child who would become the inheritor of the covenant promises.

At this point, I think a lot of folks just assume that Abraham accepted God’s decision on the matter and didn’t really offer up much resistance.

Nothing could be further from the truth.

Abraham argued with God over His decision to bypass Ishmael and make his still unborn son Isaac the promised one.

Genesis 17:16 tells us clearly that Abraham pleaded with the Lord to allow Ishmael to become the inheritor of the promises.

We shouldn’t be too hard on Abraham for thinking this way.

Again, keep in mind that Sarah was a very old woman with a dead womb and Abraham was probably still operating under a degree of disbelief.

Second, understand that technically speaking, Ishmael WAS Abraham’s first and one and only son who came from his seed.

He loved Ishmael greatly and at the time all of his hopes and plans for the future rested on Ishmael.

We just can’t overlook the fact that when Ishmael was born, Abraham was literally overjoyed and…

…I’m pretty sure that Abraham had even told Ishmael about the great covenant promises the Lord had in store for him and…

…that it would be through him that the Lord would bless all of mankind.

Everything seemed all fine and dandy…

…UNTIL the Lord suddenly threw a monkey wrench of gargantuan proportions into the whole equation.

I can’t say I don’t understand how shocked Abraham was.

And I can only imagine just how hurt and disappointed Ishmael was.

I mean think about it.

He was the most favored and loved son and then pretty much overnight he was discarded by his own father and cast out into the desert with his mother.

No doubt the psychological pain of this event has reverberated throughout the centuries to this very day and…

…as I mentioned yesterday, we can see the fruits of what happened playing out in front of our eyes every day as we read or hear about yet another rocket being fired at Israel or…

…yet another suicide bomber exploding him or herself in some crowded spot in the Holy Land (probably much harder to do now given that we’re under quarantine).

Folks, this is the disaster that ensues when we don’t wholeheartedly trust the Lord and literally accept His Promises at face value.

To the request that Ishmael be heir to the covenant, God gave Abraham a firm NO.

Yet the Lord was still very merciful to Ishmael even if he was the product of a lack of faith.

God promised Abraham that Ishmael would still prosper and become a great man who would bear 12 tribal leaders and go on to have countless descendants.

And true to God’s Word, that is exactly what has happened as evidenced by the many Arab tribes we see in existence today whose populations number in the millions.

So let’s get something straight here.

The Lord loves the Arab people and they are still the children of Abraham.

Nevertheless, at the end of the day, since the Lord is not a man who changes His mind, His decision remain unaltered and..

…He maintained that the promised one would be Isaac born from Sarah’s womb.

As happy as Abraham was NOT about the situation, at the end of the day, he humbled himself before the Lord and accepted the Lord’s decision as darn freakin’ hard as it was at the time.

And that is the conclusion of the matter folks.

Per the Creator of the universe’s divine command, it would be Isaac and those descended from him (the Hebrews) who would be the bearers of the promise God first gave to Abraham.

End of story.

There will NEVER be peace between descendants of Isaac and the descendants of Ishmael until this sovereign decision of the Lord is accepted.

Unfortunately, I doubt it won’t happen until the Messiah comes…

…who also happens to come from the line of Isaac by the way.

I’m done.