SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 09/27/2006
My Worship Time Focus: Isaac & Ishmael: Spirit & Flesh
Bible Reading & Meditation Reference: Genesis 21:8-11
Message of the verse: “8 The baby grew and was weaned. Abraham threw a big party on the day Isaac was weaned. 9 One day Sarah saw the son that Hagar the Egyptian had borne to Abraham, poking fun at her son Isaac. 10 She told Abraham, "Get rid of this slave woman and her son. No child of this slave is going to share inheritance with my son Isaac!" 11 The matter gave great pain to Abraham—after all, Ishmael was his son.
Dr. Wiersbe points out four differences between Isaac and Ishmael in this section of Scripture, and also uses verses from Paul’s writings in the book of Galatians.
Isaac was born of the Spirit while Ishmael was born of the flesh, for Abraham and Sarah were both dead in their efforts to have children by the time Isaac was conceived, and therefore it was a miracle from the Spirit of the Lord. This is true of all who have been born again, for all have been born of the flesh in a natural way, yet the new birth is a miracle from the Spirit of God. It is also worth noting that there are many illustrations in the Scripture of God choosing the second child over the first.
Isaac brought joy because of his birth, while it is never said that Ishmael brought any joy to his parents.
Isaac grew and was weaned, and this pictures a new believer growing on the Word of God. “As believers mature in the Lord, they must ‘put away childish things’ and allow God to ‘wean us’ (Ps. 131) from temporary helps that can become permanent hindrances.” Ishmael began to persecute Isaac after he became weaned, and this is a picture of believers being persecuted by nonbelievers.
Isaac was born free while Ishmael was the son of a slave. Freedom in the life of a believe means to be and to do all that God has for us in Jesus Christ. There was no freedom under the Law, only in and through Jesus Christ. “No one is more free than the child of God who delights in God’s will and does it from the heart.”
Spiritual meaning for my life today: Whenever I begin to desire the things of the flesh I become a slave to the things that I desire after and am not free to be all that I already am in Christ Jesus, and this is a great waste of time, for I want to live my life so that is pleasing to my Lord who paid for me while He was on the cross.
The word of God has been very convicting to my heart as I read and studied it this morning.
My Steps of Faith Today: To live in the freedom that I have.
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