I'm trying to narrow your focus.
Have you read Proverbs? God juxtaposes things to highlight differences. A popular theme is the wise verses the foolish.
In the same way, God uses people in biblical stories to juxtapose the spiritual from the natural man. This is what God is highlighting in Isaac and Ishmael.
Joking aside now dont you find it funny that the Midianites, who where known as the true Ishmaelites, where the ones who rescued Joseph and took him to Egypt after his brother's sold him ?.
So there we have Ishmeal sent on his way by a jealous Sarah stealing Ishmeal of his birth right. Don't forget it's was Sarah's idea in the first place to let hagar have a son to Abraham
Then we have Esau and Jacob born to Sarah son isac stealing each others birth right
Then we find Joseph the son of Jacob
Was rescued by a the descendants of Ishmeal 🤔
Then the Jewish midianites where destroyed in battle by Isreal , wonder if they should have been. But maybe they where never completely destroyed.
So there you have the answer which seems to be the more inherent with the word of God. That the great nation was the midianites whom God used to rescue Joseph from all his brothers .
All his brothers as you know would go to be the the twelve tribes of Isreal.
But many where not walking in true faith.
Seems the midianites where tho 😊