Visiting the Middle East influenced me to take a second look at a number of assumptions I have made about the Bible, Jews and Arabs.
All eyes are on on Israel and her Arab neighbours. The terror of the Hamas invasion and hostages. War in Gaza. Hezbollah. Rockets flying out of Yemen, Iran, Syria, and Lebanon into Israel. Thousands dead. 
Arabs fight Arabs and they all fight Israel.
Did you know there are over two million Arabs living in Israel? That’s one fifth of the population.
Over 100 Arabs have served in the Knesset, the Israeli legislature.
Religious Arabs and Israelis trace their roots back to Abraham, his slave wife Hagar, and their son, Ishmael.
Among some Evangelical Christians, Hagar and Ishmael are considered to be the root of the problems in the Middle East.
The perspective is: if it wasn’t for this ancient mother and her son, the Middle East situation would be a lot better today…because there wouldn’t be any Arabs.
Who are Hagar and Ishmael and why should we care?
The Backstory on the Players
Hagar was an Egyptian servant of Sarai (Sarah), wife of Abram, the childless father-to-be of the Jewish nation. Sarai was unable to get pregnant and so offers a solution to Abram, “Look, take my servant Hagar as your wife and perhaps from her I may have a child.” (paraphrase of Genesis 16:1-2).
The name Hagar is alluded to in the Qu’ran. The Islamic faith reveres her.
The practice of giving a slave to a husband to sleep with in order to produce a male heir, was common practice during that time period. In fact later Jacob’s wives Leah and Rachael would do the same thing, and four of the twelve sons of Israel would be from their servants Bilhah and Zilpah (Genesis 35:23-26).
Ishmael means “God has hearkened,” suggesting that his life was a fulfillment of God’s promise. Arab nations trace their origins back to Abram and Ishmael.
When Issac was born to Sarai, the relationship between Hagar and her mistress had come to a climax. Sarai found the teenage Ishmael mocking her son at a celebration after Isaac was weaned, She was so upset by it that she demanded from her husband to send Hagar and her son away. She declared that Ishmael would not share in Isaac’s inheritance.
Abram was greatly distressed by his wife’s words and sought the advice of God who told Abram not to be distressed but to do as his wife asked because not only would Isaac carry the Abrahamic line, but a nation would come from the line of Ishmael as well. (Genesis 21:9-13)
Hagar Encounters The Angel of the Lord
When Hagar was first pregnant, Sarai became jealous and Hagar ran away from her mistress to the desert. What is amazing is that when Hagar goes out into the desert and finds a spring, she is the first woman in Scripture to meet an Angel of the Lord (Genesis 16:7). This is very significant. God (Yahweh) comes and speaks to this slave woman in the desert.
He addresses her by name and asks a questions out of his personal knowledge of her circumstance. Hagar responds by giving a honest answer as to why she is there. She is given a test of humility by being asked to return and submit to Sarai.
Hagar’s Son Blessed or Cursed?
What did God think about Ishmael? What would his future look like?
Look at the promises given by the Angel of the Lord. Are they blessings or curses?
1) “I will increase your descendants so much that they will be too numerous to count.”
2) “You will give birth to a son. You shall name him Ishmael, for the Lord has heard of your misery.”
3) “He will be a wild donkey of a man; his hand will be against everyone and everyone’s hand against him, and he will live in hostility toward all his brothers.”
Ishmael
Let me suggest that we need to go beyond any bias of reading into Scripture a negative view of Hagar and Ishmael. The pronouncement given to Hagar by the Angel of the Lord was a blessing and not a curse.
Hagar and Ishmael are not the origin of all the problems in the Middle East.
What did you learn from this look into Genesis and to the origins of the Arab nations? Please leave a comment below.
Hope grows here. We share stories that inspire people, build faith, and offer lasting purpose.
We’d love to have you Subscribe to REVwords. We’ll put helpful content into your inbox Mondays and Fridays.
