· 20:16: Abimelech “rebuked” Sarah. The term refers to “proving” something according to Gesenius. Some translations say he “justified” her. The point was, of course, that this was a guarantee that nothing improper had happened while she was in the house of the Philistine king.
o In this event the LORD was at work, of course. In v3 He actually spoke to the king in a dream. In v6 He kept Abimelech from touching her. In v18 He closed all the wombs in the king’s household. The next thing we read that the LORD did was in 21:1: He visited Sarah and fulfilled the promise to her.
· 21:8-13: Paul used this as an allegory in Gal. 4. It was difficult for Abraham to do this, to send Ishmael away. He loved him. As did the LORD. But Paul recognized the LORD at work in this and so told Abraham to do as Sarah said. Ishmael was the product of Abraham trying to do God’s work in man’s strength. That is the flesh. Isaac was the product of the work of God. Only God could enable Sarah to conceive. That is the Spirit. Thus, Paul’s use of this is perfect.
· 21:15-21: Here we see something that won’t be seen by those who know not Christ and have not the Spirit to be their teacher when they come to the Bible. God loves and has mercy on the Gentiles and on the oppressed. With all the difficulty experienced by the descendents of Isaac, brought so often by the descendents of Ishmael, God does not hate the descendents of Ishmael. 1) God heard Ishmael, twice. 2) God opened the eyes of Hagar (remember in Gen. 16:7-14 she knew God, El Roi, was watching over her). 3) God was with Ishmael.
· 21:22-24: Abimelech may have been the title given to the Philistine kings. It means “my father (abi) is king (Melech).” It may or may not have been the same “Abimelech” who dealt with Abraham and then Isaac. Regardless, even “collectively” these kings learned from the Patriarchs that their God was to be feared. (In David’s time Achish, the Philistine king, was known by “Abimelech,” Ps. 34:1.) So we are not surprised that he says: God is with you in all that you do. This type of thing was seen in Acts (2:43; 5:5,11; 19:17).
o It is interesting that the Philistines were not among the seven nations of Canaan that were to be annihilated. Perhaps the explanation is the treaty with Abraham.
· 21:14; 22:3: The faith of Abraham is growing. He had believed God in 15:6 and it was counted as righteousness. But then he tried to :help” God by having a son through Hagar. There were years of silence, and then God was again reaching out to him. Now we see twice, in difficult situations, Abraham is up early in the morning to obey the LORD: in sending off Ishmael and in taking Isaac to Moriah. I made haste, and did not delay to keep Your commandments (Ps. 119:60).
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