Sarah and Ishmael – Genesis 17:15-27

Jacob’s name was changed to Israel; Esau became Edom; Gideon became Jerub-baal; Hadassah became Esther; and Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah became known to their captors as Belteshazzar, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.  We see many name changes in Scripture and we see that many names have prophetic significance.  Abram and Sarai experienced the same thing, being renamed by God Himself.

[15] And God said to Abraham, “As for Sarai your wife, you shall not call her name Sarai, but Sarah shall be her name. [16] I will bless her, and moreover, I will give you a son by her. I will bless her, and she shall become nations; kings of peoples shall come from her.” [17] Then Abraham fell on his face and laughed and said to himself, “Shall a child be born to a man who is a hundred years old? Shall Sarah, who is ninety years old, bear a child?” [18] And Abraham said to God, “Oh that Ishmael might live before you!” [19] God said, “No, but Sarah your wife shall bear you a son, and you shall call his name Isaac. I will establish my covenant with him as an everlasting covenant for his offspring after him. [20] As for Ishmael, I have heard you; behold, I have blessed him and will make him fruitful and multiply him greatly. He shall father twelve princes, and I will make him into a great nation. [21] But I will establish my covenant with Isaac, whom Sarah shall bear to you at this time next year.”

[22] When he had finished talking with him, God went up from Abraham. [23] Then Abraham took Ishmael his son and all those born in his house or bought with his money, every male among the men of Abraham’s house, and he circumcised the flesh of their foreskins that very day, as God had said to him. [24] Abraham was ninety-nine years old when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin. [25] And Ishmael his son was thirteen years old when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin. [26] That very day Abraham and his son Ishmael were circumcised. [27] And all the men of his house, those born in the house and those bought with money from a foreigner, were circumcised with him. (Genesis 17:15–27, ESV)

Up until this point Yahweh has not told Abraham exactly how His promise will be fulfilled that he would have a seed that blesses the nations.  But now He explicitly tells Abraham that he will have a son by Sarah.  He commands Abraham to now call Sarai (which means princess) Sarah (which also means princess, and says Sarah will be blessed by Him and will become nations (plural) with kings coming from her.  Abraham once again falls on his face before Yahweh, but internally, despite his show of submission, is laughing.  It seems incredulous that he and Sarah, old as they are, can have a child.

Abraham has an heir in Ismael and he asks Yahweh if Ishmael might not stand as his promised heir, but Yahweh rejects that option.  Abraham will have a son by Sarah and they will name him Isaac (“he laughs”).  Isaac is the one with whom God will fulfill His everlasting covenant.  Ishmael will be blessed and will even have twelve princes come through him, but he will not have the promise fulfilled through him.  Ishmael was Abraham’s and Sarah’s way of fulfilling God’s promise, not God’s way.  He must trust in Yahweh’s solution.

To his credit, Abraham then gets up and immediately obeys Yahweh and circumcises everyone in his household, including Ishmael, and has himself circumcised.  Here again Abraham has chosen to believe God’s promise, as difficult as it is to believe.