Crux of anger, hatred--despising Israel

“God was going to wait until Abraham couldn’t father a child on his own and then give him one miraculously so there was no question it was God’s seed. But Abraham said, ‘I’ll help God out.’

Genesis 16: [4] And he went in unto Hagar, and she conceived: and when she saw that she had conceived, her mistress was despised in her eyes.
[5] And Sarai said unto Abram, My wrong be upon thee: I have given my maid into thy bosom; and when she saw that she had conceived, I was despised in her eyes: the LORD judge between me and thee.

“As soon as Hagar saw, ‘I had his kid,’ animosity developed between her and Sarah. The verse says, ‘Esau despised his birthright.’ There’s that same word--despised. In Ezekiel 25, it says, [15] Thus saith the Lord GOD; Because the Philistines have dealt by revenge, and have taken vengeance with a despiteful heart, to destroy it for the old hatred.

“Right there is where the animosity starts, over the birth of Isaac and of Ishmael. It starts in the heart of Hagar, because she knows what the Abrahamic Covenant is; she knows what the blessing is.

“She sees Abraham being blessed with wealth and riches and fame and fortune and power. He just went out and delivered Lot in chapter 14—wiped out those 10 Gentile kings. She’s seen, ‘Here’s a man of riches and wealth and fame in the land.’ She wants him to be her boy’s daddy and she wants HER son of this rich man to have the position.

“The mistake Abraham and Sarah made injected hatred into Abraham’s descendants. In essence, Sarah said, ‘Put her out! Get her out!’

Genesis 16: [9] And the angel of the LORD said unto her, Return to thy mistress, and submit thyself under her hands.
[10] And the angel of the LORD said unto her, I will multiply thy seed exceedingly, that it shall not be numbered for multitude.
[11] And the angel of the LORD said unto her, Behold, thou art with child, and shalt bear a son, and shalt call his name Ishmael; because the LORD hath heard thy affliction.
[12] And he will be a wild man; his hand will be against every man, and every man's hand against him; and he shall dwell in the presence of all his brethren.

“The angel says to Hagar, ‘Look, go submit yourself to Abraham and Sarah. She’s the mother of the promised seed; you’re not. Submit yourself to the Abrahamic covenant and you’ll get the blessing of it,’ but she wasn’t going to do that.

Chapter 17: [17] Then Abraham fell upon his face, and laughed, and said in his heart, Shall a child be born unto him that is an hundred years old? and shall Sarah, that is ninety years old, bear?
[18] And Abraham said unto God, O that Ishmael might live before thee!
[19] And God said, Sarah thy wife shall bear thee a son indeed; and thou shalt call his name Isaac: and I will establish my covenant with him for an everlasting covenant, and with his seed after him.
[20] And as for Ishmael, I have heard thee: Behold, I have blessed him, and will make him fruitful, and will multiply him exceedingly; twelve princes shall he beget, and I will make him a great nation.
[21] But my covenant will I establish with Isaac, which Sarah shall bear unto thee at this set time in the next year.

“The covenant’s not going to go with Ishmael; it’s going to be with Isaac, and that animosity festers all through that period of time.

Chapter 21: [8] And the child grew, and was weaned: and Abraham made a great feast the same day that Isaac was weaned.
[9] And Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian, which she had born unto Abraham, mocking.

“She took that animosity that she had and that boy, he’s a teenager now, she’s passed that hatred down to her son.

Verse 10: [10] Wherefore she said unto Abraham, Cast out this bondwoman and her son: for the son of this bondwoman shall not be heir with my son, even with Isaac.

“It’s obvious there’s not going to be any peaceful coexistence between Sarah and Hagar, but more importantly between Isaac and Ishmael.

Verse 17: [17] And God heard the voice of the lad; and the angel of God called Hagar out of heaven, and said unto her, What aileth thee, Hagar? fear not; for God hath heard the voice of the lad where he is.
[18] Arise, lift up the lad, and hold him in thine hand; for I will make him a great nation.

[19] And God opened her eyes, and she saw a well of water; and she went, and filled the bottle with water, and gave the lad drink.
[20] And God was with the lad; and he grew, and dwelt in the wilderness, and became an archer.

“If you went to Egypt, you would know the story of Abraham because he’d been there. Hagar came from there. Egypt would know all about Abraham and Hagar; they would know all about the story of Ishmael.

“Hagar had more kids than Ishmael. In I Chronicles 5 you see the Hagarites. She had a whole bunch of other descendants and she infects all those descendants with this hatred, this animosity.

“So when you get over to Genesis 27, where you’re reading about Isaac and his descendants, his two boys and how Esau hated Jacob, Uncle Ishmael’s attitude has now infected Isaac’s kids and the rejected line picks up the injustice.

“You hear a lot about that today: ‘It’s unjust; we’re not being treated right.’ The others get the blessing; there’s an inequality here. ‘They got all the money; they get the land, they get the blessing and we have to submit,’ and they complain and gripe and despise Israel because of it.

“They’re not despising just the people; they’re despising Israel as the covenant people God’s using to move forward His plan of repossessing the earth and the nations in the earth.

“You know the story about Esau selling his birthright for a little pot of stew? Verse 32: [32] And Esau said, Behold, I am at the point to die: and what profit shall this birthright do to me?
[33] And Jacob said, Swear to me this day; and he sware unto him: and he sold his birthright unto Jacob.

“You see, that’s the issue. It’s that self-serving gain. He sold his birthright unto Jacob.

[34] Then Jacob gave Esau bread and pottage of lentiles; and he did eat and drink, and rose up, and went his way: thus Esau despised his birthright.

“Esau said, ‘I don’t need anything from God. I’ve got no interest in what God’s doing.’ It’s that attitude of anger, hatred.”

(to be continued tomorrow)