Context: when Abraham was 75 years old, the Lord promised him that he would have a great posterity, and this promise was repeated several times over the years. "This shall not be thine heir; but he that shall come forth out of thine own bowels shall be thine heir." When he was 85 years old, he still had no children. It appears that Abraham and Sarah took it upon themselves to do everything they could to make the Lord's promise come true, via a surrogate mother:
"And Sarai said unto Abram, Behold now, the Lord hath restrained me from bearing: I pray thee, go in unto my maid; it may be that I may obtain children by her. And Abram hearkened to the voice of Sarai... And Abram was fourscore and six years old, when Hagar bare Ishmael to Abram."
But it turned out the Lord had something else in mind. Four years later when Abraham was 90 years old, the Lord gave Abraham the name of his future son Isaac, and ten years after that when he was 100 years old Isaac was born.
Open question: when Abraham and Sarah made Ishmael happen, were they wrong to do so? Did it show lack of faith in the Lord's promises?
My opinion: maybe or maybe not--I don't know what the Spirit said previously to Abraham's heart or in what detail. I don't think the Lord was angry with Abraham for doing as much as he could, but I am also not prepared to say that the Spirit wouldn't have told Abraham in advance that the Lord really, truly, literally meant it when He promised Abraham and Sarah a posterity. Sometimes it's hard for people to believe in things that aren't going to happen until 25 years in the future, but the Lord knows the end from the beginning.
How can you distinguish your own hopes and feelings from the Lord's promises? Only by the spirit of revelation. Yes, I realize that's a somewhat circular answer. To put it differently, "recognizing revelation requires reflection, prayer and practice." It's like learning to use your sense of smell: you know when it's working because it works, but it can't be described fully in terms of words or things you can see.
Ask me in 25 or 100 or 6000 years how things turned out with the things that I am not completely 100% sure of right now.
~B.C.
--
I could not love thee dear, so much,
Loved I not honor more.
"And Sarai said unto Abram, Behold now, the Lord hath restrained me from bearing: I pray thee, go in unto my maid; it may be that I may obtain children by her. And Abram hearkened to the voice of Sarai... And Abram was fourscore and six years old, when Hagar bare Ishmael to Abram."
But it turned out the Lord had something else in mind. Four years later when Abraham was 90 years old, the Lord gave Abraham the name of his future son Isaac, and ten years after that when he was 100 years old Isaac was born.
Open question: when Abraham and Sarah made Ishmael happen, were they wrong to do so? Did it show lack of faith in the Lord's promises?
My opinion: maybe or maybe not--I don't know what the Spirit said previously to Abraham's heart or in what detail. I don't think the Lord was angry with Abraham for doing as much as he could, but I am also not prepared to say that the Spirit wouldn't have told Abraham in advance that the Lord really, truly, literally meant it when He promised Abraham and Sarah a posterity. Sometimes it's hard for people to believe in things that aren't going to happen until 25 years in the future, but the Lord knows the end from the beginning.
How can you distinguish your own hopes and feelings from the Lord's promises? Only by the spirit of revelation. Yes, I realize that's a somewhat circular answer. To put it differently, "recognizing revelation requires reflection, prayer and practice." It's like learning to use your sense of smell: you know when it's working because it works, but it can't be described fully in terms of words or things you can see.
Ask me in 25 or 100 or 6000 years how things turned out with the things that I am not completely 100% sure of right now.
~B.C.
--
I could not love thee dear, so much,
Loved I not honor more.
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