Tough love: Ishmael sent away

As part of God's instructions to send Ishmael and Hagar away, the Lord promised Abraham He would make Ishmael into a great nation “because he is your offspring.”  Abraham sent them away with a skin of water and bread, but he would have known it would not last long. Indeed it did not, and after the water had run out Hagar positioned Ishmael under a shrub and then went  a distance from him not wanting to see him die. She sat down and wept.  And “God heard the voice of the lad,” sent a angel to open her eyes see a well of water before her, and to confirm that God would make him into a great nation. “So God was with the lad,  he dwelt in the wilderness and became an archer.”  Hagar got him an Egyptian wife (Genesis 21:13-21).

God “causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous” (Matthew 5:45). Ishmael was  “a wild man; his hand against every man, and every man’s hand against him” (Genesis 16:2), yet God loved him and made provision for him. The goodness of God is designed to lead men to repentance (Romans 2:14). But it's evident that not all come to repentance,  “for broad is the way that leads to destruction and many find it” (Matthew 7:13). It was hard for Abraham to let Ishmael go, and it must be hard for God to let go too, but love allows others to choose their will over ours (or God's).  Ishmael means “the God who hears,” indeed God “heard the voice of the lad,” and “God was with him”  (verses 17, 20). God loves us on our good days, and He loves us on our bad days, His love is unconditional.  He even answers the prayers of those who reject him!

I thank God I never had to do it, but I know of those who needed to, that is those who needed to throw their child out of their home. We are not talking five year olds,  Ishmael would have been about sixteen (he was 13 in 17:25). I suspect God needed to delay the promise son until Ishmael was this old.  For us, there may come a time when it's  necessary to say “If you want to live in this house, then you will have to live by our rules.”  And if it is necessary, you'll need to follow through, or don't say it.  To do otherwise is to enable bad behaviour, it is to shield them from the consequences of their actions (Galatians 6:7). The consequences of our actions are the very thing God wants to use to bring us to our right mind,  to return us to the Father  (see  31 January, and Luke 15:17).

God promised Abraham he would make Ishmael into a great nation. He would not have been able to do that,  if he was going to die as a consequence of being sent away. Abraham had acted in fear on at least two occasions (see March 24), but now the long awaited promise had been fulfilled,  and this would have caused Abraham's faith to grow and enable him to trust God with his son, even while sending him away.

Father, there will be times when we need to exercise the tough love Abraham and the prodigal's father exhibited. Sometimes this is the only way to win them back (Luke 15:11-24). At such times Lord give us faith, courage and grace in Jesus Name Amen