Christ and Abraham's Children

[Tex_MidwesternerNW]

Does not the Lord want us to come to him the way we were a children? He would not punish little ones the way a severe father and mother would, but he would still bless them with His Word. And isn't that something worth noticing, because it is from Abraham's fatherhood over Isaac that we know that approach doesn't work.

And what about Hagar? Was she not also lovely for having Ishmael? Doesn't his lineage also come from blessed Abraham? Sarah probably didn't mind him, I don't know.

 

[Gideon300]

Does not the Lord want us to come to him the way we were a children? He would not punish little ones the way a severe father and mother would, but he would still bless them with His Word. And isn't that something worth noticing, because it is from Abraham's fatherhood over Isaac that we know that approach doesn't work.

And what about Hagar? Was she not also lovely for having Ishmael? Doesn't his lineage also come from blessed Abraham? Sarah probably didn't mind him, I don't know.

There was enmity between Isaac and Ishmael. God warned Abraham about that. That enmity continues to this day. Esau was rejected by God and joined the family of Ishmael.

God's covenant with Abraham included the promise that Sarah would bear the child of the covenant. Only the descendants of Isaac were the covenant race. You could see Isaac as being the miraculous child according to God's promise. Ishmael was Abraham's attempt to do God's work for Him. That never ends well. You will find this account in Genesis 16.

 

[vassal]

Does not the Lord want us to come to him the way we were a children? He would not punish little ones the way a severe father and mother would, but he would still bless them with His Word. And isn't that something worth noticing, because it is from Abraham's fatherhood over Isaac that we know that approach doesn't work.

And what about Hagar? Was she not also lovely for having Ishmael? Doesn't his lineage also come from blessed Abraham? Sarah probably didn't mind him, I don't know.

Jesus does say we must come to Him with the heart of a child. He means a child’s trust, honesty, softness, and willingness to learn.
Matthew 18:3
“Assuredly, I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.”
But Jesus never teaches that coming like a child means we ignore God’s commandments or live without guidance. A child needs teaching, correction, and direction. Jesus Himself teaches, guides, corrects, and warns because He loves.
Revelation 3:19
“As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten.”
God’s discipline is not harsh anger. It is loving correction to bring His children into life, not punishment like an angry parent. Jesus shows the Father’s heart in the story of the prodigal son: the father runs to embrace, restore, and forgive.
Luke 15:20
“But when he was still a great way off, his father saw him and had compassion…”
So yes, Jesus welcomes us with the heart of a child, but a child who listens and follows the Father’s voice.
About Abraham, Isaac, and Hagar:
Abraham was blessed by God, and God kept His promises through Isaac because God chose Isaac as the covenant line.
Genesis 21:12
“For in Isaac your seed shall be called.”
But God also cared for Hagar and Ishmael. When Hagar cried in the wilderness, God heard her, comforted her, promised her a future, and saved the boy’s life.
Genesis 21:17-18
“God has heard the voice of the lad... I will make him a great nation.”
This shows that God is kind to all people connected to Abraham. Ishmael was not chosen for the covenant line, but he was not forgotten or rejected. God blessed him in his own way.
Sarah’s feelings are not the center of the story. God Himself cared for Hagar, saw her suffering, and helped her.
So the truth is simple:
Jesus calls us to come to Him with a childlike heart, trusting and ready to learn.
God’s discipline is loving, not harsh.
The story of Abraham shows that God keeps His covenant through Isaac, yet God also blesses and watches over Hagar and Ishmael. God’s kindness reaches farther than the covenant line, because He hears the cry of every heart.

 

[TruthDefender]

Does not the Lord want us to come to him the way we were a children? He would not punish little ones the way a severe father and mother would, but he would still bless them with His Word. And isn't that something worth noticing, because it is from Abraham's fatherhood over Isaac that we know that approach doesn't work.

And what about Hagar? Was she not also lovely for having Ishmael? Doesn't his lineage also come from blessed Abraham? Sarah probably didn't mind him, I don't know.

So Abram said to Sarai, "Indeed your maid is in your hand; do to her as you please." And when Sarai dealt harshly with her, she fled from her
GENESIS 16:6


Therefore she said to Abraham, "Cast out this bondwoman and her son; for the son of this bondwoman shall not be heir with my son,
GENESIS 21:10


And the matter was very displeasing in Abraham's sight because of his son.
GENESIS 21:11

 

[TruthDefender]

All of what was spoken was from the Old Covenant. Today, under the New Covenant, all of the Christians living in Christ are children of Abraham through Jesus Christ.

 

[Tex_MidwesternerNW]

All of what was spoken was from the Old Covenant. Today, under the New Covenant, all of the Christians living in Christ are children of Abraham through Jesus Christ.

"Circumcision was a sign that Abraham already had faith and that God had already accepted him and declared him to be righteous -- even before he was circumcised. So Abraham is the spiritual father of those who have faith but have not been circumcised. They are counted as righteous because of their faith. And Abraham is also the spiritual father of those who have been circumcised, but only if they have the same kind of faith Abraham had before he was circumcised." (Romans 4:11-12 New Living Translation Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.)

"And he received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had yet being uncircumcised: that he might be the father of all of them that believe, though they be not circumcised; that righteousness might be imputed unto them also:
And the father of circumcision to them who are not of the circumcision only, but who also walk in the steps of that faith of our Father Abraham, which he had being yet uncircumcised." (Christian Art Publishers Holy Bible King James Version)