Let's take our Bibles and turn
back to Genesis 21. Genesis 21. Abraham, though grieved hearing Sarah's
word concerning casting out Hagar and Ishmael, was assured of the
Lord that their casting out was God's will. Therefore, Abraham
speedily obeyed God. He rose early, the scripture
says, in the morning. And he did that in obedience
to the Lord when what seemed to his natural thinking would not be the way it should
be. A believer believes God. And though things run contrary,
often, to our thinking, our ways are not His ways. His ways are
not our ways. A believer waits upon the Lord. Abraham did not know what would
happen to Hagar and Ishmael, but he must obey. You must wait
on the Lord. It's hard on the flesh to wait. That's hard. But it's so needful. It's the divinely appointed position
of one called of God who is anxious and desirous to follow after
the Lord. To do something is always easier
than to wait. But we wait. We wait prayerfully. We wait spreading our case before
the Lord. We wait upon the Lord by faith. And we wait with patience and
thanksgiving. In all things, give thanks. This
is the will of the Lord in Christ Jesus concerning you. So Ishmael
and Hagar are cast out. God's will is going to be done.
Abraham's faith, obviously, is tried. Abraham believed God. He cast him out. But when he
cast him out, Scripture says, verse 14, he took bread, a bottle
of water, and gave it to Hagar, putting it on her shoulder and
the child, and sent her away. And she departed and wandered
in the wilderness of Beersheba. Now, graciousness and tenderness
always to be the way that a believer, even being exercised as Abraham
was. He loved Ishmael. That was his son. But God's will,
God's Word against Abraham's thoughts is going to be done. But when he sent him out, he
gave him something to drink, gave him something to eat, Scripture
says in 1 John 3, 7, But whoso hath this world's good, seeth
his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from
him. How dwelleth the love of God in him? Abraham was going to obey the
Lord because God's Word is final authority. God's Word is the
basis of our obedience. But his parental affection remained. Now you know, there's always
those, in all of our families especially, that exhibit no love
for the things of God. Those that despise, those that
mocked. Sarah saw Ishmael mock Isaac. And those that mock the
things of God that are so precious to us, They speak and act with such
disrespect for those things that are sacred. God's truth, God's
sovereignty, God's grace, God's mercy to whomsoever He will. But though they be disrespectful,
our heart still longs for Him. You pray for Him. Pray God have
mercy on them. as Ishmael and Hagar, who had
acted disrespectfully, Abraham was going to give them
those things that they needed. He was going to cast them out.
She's got to go. They both got to go. But now, we've got to
remember something as we're looking at this passage of scripture.
Hagar and Ishmael are types. They're types. This is an allegory. God tells us that in Galatians
4. That this is an allegory. And Hagar and Ishmael are the
types of those who walk in this world confident in their own
flesh, thinking that what they do is that which is pleasing
to God. And they wouldn't bow. They would
not honor the Lord God who rules in heaven and earth. And they
were cast out. They trampled underfoot that
which God declared to be His choice and His pleasure. The Lord told Abraham, Ishmael
is not the heir. Hearken to the voice of your
wife. He's not there. He that will come out of your
bowels with Sarah is going to be the child of promise. And so, here we see Hagar and
Ishmael receiving exactly their due. Isaac was received of the Lord
by grace, found to be safe in the household of Abraham according
to promise. So let's remember something.
The counsel of the Lord is going to stand. There's no place, there's no
place, there's no place, no place. In case you missed it, there's
no place where it is ever right to say, well, I don't know why
God... Boy, I tell you what, the Spirit of
God moved on the Apostle Paul. to answer that statement right
there. Who art thou, O man, that replies
against God? Be careful. Be careful. God keep
us from that. God is in heaven. We're on the
earth. God's glorious. And we're worms. And the Lord
can do as He will with all men, all souls of mine. He told Abraham,
you cast her out. Abraham was gracious. He did,
gave her something to eat. And the Scripture says, latter
part of verse 14, And she departed and wandered in the wilderness
of Beersheba. And I want you to notice, I want
you to notice the pain and the suffering. that they both suffered. The water was spent in the bottle.
She cast the child under one of the shrubs, and she went and
set her down over against him, good way off, as were a bow shot. For she said, let me not see
the death of the child. For she sat over against him,
lift up her voice, and wept. Like all, and I will say this
probably again before this message is over, we need to remember
Hagar and Ishmael are pictures, they're types, they're types
of man-centered, man's self-righteous thoughts of salvation by works,
by what he does. And they're cast out as all that
die without Christ shall be. And here's Ishmael and Hagar,
and they're under the spirit of bondage. And Hagar despairs
in the trial. She's lifting up her voice. She weeps. Obviously, Scripture
says nothing about her weeping in repentance, but rather in
the midst of her trouble. But the greatest of troubles
will not produce life. Men grieve, they go through trials
and tribulations, and usually you'll find where there's a spirit
of repentance. And, you know, I'm going to get
right with the Lord. That's usually when that's found
in the midst of great trial. In the midst of prosperity, it's
soon forgotten. And they're out there. The scripture
says, look here, verse 15. The water gone. She cast the
child under the shrubs. She went and she sat down, good
way off, like a bull shot. I don't want to see him die.
She sat over against him, lift up her voice, and she wept. Trouble doesn't produce life. She's despairing. It's going
to take a miracle of God's grace. The Spirit of God comes to one
of God's own and removes a heart of stone and gives them a new
heart, sitting under the sound of the Gospel. And she's in the
midst of trials and tribulation, but she's assuming something. Think about what she's forgetting.
What did the Lord tell her would happen to her son? He's going to be a great nation.
That's what God told her. He's going to grow up and he's
going to be a nation. And He gave her all the descriptions
of what he's going to be. He's going to be a rebellious
child. He's going to be independent. But here she is, she's assuming
that he's going to die. We don't have any more water,
we don't have more bread, and he's going to die, and she forgets
who told her. This is going to be the posterity
of your son. And while she's weeping, Almighty God, who magnifies His
Word above all of His name, Scripture says in verse 17 to 20, God heard
the voice of the lad. And the angel of God called to
Hagar out of heaven and said unto her, what aileth thee, Hagar? What? What are you crying about? What's the problem? That's what
he's saying. What aileth thee, Hagar? Fear
not. For God hath heard the voice of the lad where he is. Lift up the lad, hold him in
thine hand, I will make him a great nation. 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, and God was with the lad, and
he grew and dwelt in the wilderness and became an archer. Now God's promise, to make Ishmael
a great nation, an independent people, a wild man. He's going
to be like a wild ass. That's what the Lord had told
him. The Lord himself was going to cause this man to grow up
and be a nation that was going to be heads up against his people,
Ishmael. That, you know, the flesh, it's
an allegory, it's an allegory. The flesh wars against the Spirit,
the Spirit against the flesh, they're contrary one to another.
The carnal mind is enmity against God, not subject, it's not in
subjection to the law of God, neither can be. Why would God,
turn to Deuteronomy 29, 29, I thought about this passage. Deuteronomy
29, you're very familiar with this. Why would God raise up? And I'm not here to speculate.
I know what scripture is setting forth. The Lord has already told
Hagar what he's going to grow up to be. What his attitude is
going to be. So we know what he's going to grow up to be.
Why would God do that? Deuteronomy 29, the secret things
belong unto the Lord our God. I love that passage of scripture.
Doesn't that just make you think, Lord, thank you that there's
things that I just don't need to know. I just don't need to
understand, but you do. The secret things belong unto
the Lord our God, but those things which are revealed belonging
to us, to our children forever, that we may do all the words
of this law. So while we're truly ignorant
of the ways, the means of the Lord, and the ordering of all
things in this world, in this life, we know assuredly that
all souls are His. And therefore, all souls are
going to glorify Him. either concerning His mercy and
grace or concerning His justice and His wrath. It says that in
Romans 9, if you'd like to read it. But all souls are going to
serve the purpose of Almighty God. Therefore, as the Lord promised
Ishmael's posterity according to His goodwill, God's goodwill
and purpose, the Lord therefore, because the Lord said, He's gonna
grow up for whatever purpose. I've got an idea, but I'm not
gonna speculate. I mean, I can tell you what I'm
thinking, but I'm not saying that this was it. I'm thinking
if God's pleased to raise up a nation to correct his people,
that's God's business. God can do what God wants to
do. God can send a plague, God can send tornadoes, hurricanes,
famines, God can do whatever God wants to do. He can raise
up Ishmael and make him a great nation as a wild ass, a man of
wilderness dwellings that always heads up against God's people
for God's glory and the good and correction of God's people
if the Lord is pleased to. So while she was weeping and
wailing, and the boy's going to die, and the Lord comes to
her in verse 17 and He says, What aileth thou, Hagar? What troubles you? What of you? That's what it actually means.
What of you? What troubles you? Fear not, don't be afraid. God
has heard the voice of the lad where he is. Why he's in this helpless condition. God heard him. Ishmael is going
to serve the purpose of God. The Lord provided water. Then
he opened the eyes of Hagar. It doesn't mean that he opened
her eyes spiritually. It doesn't say that. But her
eyes were opened to behold that water was there. Hagar and Ishmael for this moment
are going to be preserved. Hagar is despairing and God's
going to preserve Ishmael for God's glory. So God's going to
give her some water. I tell you the good providence
of God grants temporal blessings to all men, rain and sun. But it's always for His glory
and His good. Unbelievers, men, women, like
all of us once were found to be. We live in this world enjoying
the good providence of God, eating God's food and breathing God's
air, drinking God's water, having the provisions of our clothing.
The earth is the Lord's. and the fullness thereof, and
men and women that despise God, and question God, and are rebellious
against God, and enjoy in the good providence of God. What
ails you, Hagar? God has heard the voice of the
lad that He's going to preserve. And Hagar, previously, she couldn't
see the good providence of God. You didn't see it, but those
who know Him not see nothing but despair and hopelessness
and impending death and, oh, woe is me, woe is me, woe is
me, blind to even the temporal blessings and goodness of God
toward His creatures. Only those given spiritual eyes
to see behold the marvelous works of God in the midst of trials
and tribulation and trouble And then true peace is experienced.
David said, it's good for me. It's good for me that I've been
afflicted. Every time I find myself going
through something, woe is me, woe is me. I needed that. I needed that. I needed it. The Lord sent him. And verse
20 said, and God was with the lad, and he grew. and dwelt in the wilderness and
became an archer. The lad grew. You know, we know
that the Lord is ever with His people, His elect, whom He governs
by special particular grace in the Lord Jesus Christ by His
Holy Spirit. But as we often find, like in
a case like this. He's even with the strangers
to Him in covenant mercy as He providentially orders all souls
found in this world to be kept and to prosper. The Scripture
says, this is one of these last two verses, 20 and 21, and I'm
going to stop in 21. God was with the lad. And he grew. Advancing, God had
already said what he was going to be. He's going to be this
kind of man. This is the way he's going to
be. These are his characteristics. And he grew certainly and surely
in age. But he grew obviously going in
that direction concerning what God said he was going to be.
In earthly honor and pride. enjoying the light and plenty
of this world's temporal good, dwelling in the wilderness. Now
remember, where is he? God was with the lad, he grew,
he dwelt in the wilderness. He's a type of this world's religion. There's a picture and an allegory
of those who think themselves to be able to approach God by
their own will. He's the type of those that believe
they know God. He thought he was the heir, but
don't know him, but don't know God. But that last little part
of the 20th verse there struck me. As I read that this afternoon,
God was with the lad and he grew and dwelt in the wilderness,
and listen to this, and became an archer. An archer. I tried to seek the Lord's direction
on that, and I want to consider just this part before we look
at that 21st verse. Turn with me to Isaiah 21. He dwelt, he grew, and as he
grew he dwelt in the wilderness. And he became an archer. Isaiah
21 verse 16 and 17 says something that I thought was very, very
revealing. For thus hath the Lord said unto me, within a year,
according to the years of an hireling, all the glory of Kedar
shall fail. And the residue of the number
of archers, those that carried the bow, it's what you're thinking
it is, it's a bow and arrow. The residue of the number of
archers, the mighty men of the children of Kedar, shall be diminished
for the Lord God of Israel hath spoken it. Now, I looked at that
verse, the children of Kedar first, before I look at the significance
of the archer. The children of Kedar found out
was one of the, Kedar was one of the sons of Ishmael. And they
were mighty men, mighty men of the bow, bow and arrow. And the scripture says, as we
just read in Isaiah 21, they will be diminished. They'll be
diminished, made small. But concerning what it was said
concerning Ishmael being an archer, that's where it began. He was
an archer. Turn back to Genesis 49. Genesis 49. Genesis 49, verses
22, 25. Now, what's happening right here
is we're seeing Jacob is blessing his sons. He's pronouncing his prophetic
blessings upon his sons. And Joseph was one of his sons. And in this scripture right here,
I'll just tell you where I'm going for the sake of time so
we'll understand as I try to wrap this up. Joseph here is
a picture of the Lord Jesus Christ. Joseph here. And as a picture
of Christ, the scripture sets forth in Genesis 49 verse 22.
Joseph Now here again, now this is Jacob's
prophetic pronouncement upon his sons. Joseph is a fruitful
bough, even a fruitful bough by a well,
whose branches run over the wall. The archers have sorely grieved
him and shot at him and hated him. But his bow abode in strength,
and the arms of his hands were made strong by the hands of the
mighty God of Jacob. From thence is the shepherd,
the stone of Israel, even by the God of thy father, who shall
help thee, and by the Almighty, who shall bless thee with blessings
of heaven above, blessings of the deep that lieth under, blessings
of the breast and of the womb." as a picture of Joseph being
a picture of the Lord Jesus Christ. We behold him as the fruitful
son. It says in the beginning, Joseph
is a fruitful bough, even a fruitful bough by a well. Here we behold
the Lord Jesus Christ as the submissive servant of Jehovah. God's surety, chosen his people
in him from before the foundation of the world, and by the grace
of God laden, Christ himself laden with the fruit, the sheep
of God's electing grace. And the scripture says that Joseph
is a fruitful bough. even a fruitful bough by a well,
whose branches..." Now that word, branches, right there, is actually,
if you look at the interpretation, it's daughters. "...whose branches..."
Now here's a picture of Christ. He's the vine. And we're the
branches. "...and the branches run over
the wall, signifying the bountiful bringing forth of those who are
the apple of God's eye." And those who, by the grace of God,
and when it says, whose branches run over the wall, The wall being the picture of
God's protecting and closing of His garden is the only way
I know how to say it. But when it says here that the
branches run over the wall, actually the word is set forth, or the
thought is set forth, those who hurl themselves against or upon
Him who is their wall and their boundary. loving him, hurling
themselves, loving and fellowshipping with him. And the scripture says
in verse 23, And the archers have sorely grieved him, and
shot at him, and hated him. Now, you know, God's sheep, Joseph
was one that knew something about that. He had some brothers that
were jealous of him, and sold him into bondage, mistreated
him, you know the picture. And he eventually ended up in
Egypt, second in command. But there's a beautiful picture
of our blessed Savior hated of men. And these archers, that's
what it was. These archers have sorely grieved
him, shot at him, hated him. The Lord said, I was hated without
a cause. So these archers are those that,
as Ishmael, And going back to Genesis chapter 21, we find out,
what is he doing? He's growing up, just like God
said he would, back in Genesis chapter 21. He's growing up.
And he dwells in the wilderness. And he became, it was his joy,
it was his vocation, an archer. One that shot at, despised, and
hated, analogous. A picture, heads up, against
Isaac. And here's the Lord of Glory
being pictured as the one back in our text in Genesis 49. Here's the one who is the vine, the branches in him.
God blessed him. The arches shoot at him. They
hate him. And that's Ishmael. He became
an archer, and everything you found about the archers was those
in rebellion against God, shooting at God's people, hating them. In verse 21, he dwelt in the
wilderness of Paran, and his mother took him a wife out of
the land of Egypt. Now, here's the last word for
tonight concerning Ishmael. his mama, Hagar. This is the bondwoman, and this
is her offspring. And here, that one that pictures
again the covenant of law and works, ever dwelling in the desert
or the wilderness of Perun. That word is very significant,
it comes from a root word, that word He dwelt in the wilderness
of Paran. What was it about Paran? What
was Paran? What does that mean? Well, the
word, it means, from a root word, it means to boast, to glory,
or vaunt oneself. And here's where Ishmael was
dwelling. This is where they were dwelling.
They dwelt in that place. of our own boasting, in their
own glory, lifting themselves up. And Hagar took Ishmael, a
wife, out of Egypt. Here is an early picture and
type of Ishmael joining himself to the one that would be an oppressor
of God's people. She was an Egyptian, unlike the
bride of the Lord Jesus Christ, who is in Him a chaste virgin,
His glorious church that's found to be robed in His righteousness,
having no spot, no wrinkle, or any such thing, holy, and without
blemish in the Lord. And the Scripture says here He
dwelt in that place, in that wilderness of Perun, that place
where He gloried in Himself, vaunted, lifted up Himself, took
a wife, according to his mom's choosing, out of Egypt. Brethren,
this allegory that we've been looking at, and we've seen from
the beginning when it was spoken by Sarah unto Abraham, you take
Hagar. I can't have children. You take
Hagar, and you let Hagar bear me a son. That's what she said. Hagar did it. He had Ishmael.
And I'm telling you from that time, from that conception, there
was war. There was unrest. Abraham's family
was in turmoil. And when God was pleased to give
Abraham and Sarah a son, And Sarah had a son from her husband,
Abraham. It was her boy. When she saw
her boy, her son, being mocked by that son of the bondwoman,
she said, you cast her out. And from that time, there's been
war, this allegory. That's what the Spirit of God
moved Paul to write in Galatians chapter 4. And I'm going to just
read Galatians chapter 4 verse 31 to the 5th verse, a couple
of verses. It says, So then, brethren, we
are not children of the bondwoman, but of the free. Stand fast,
therefore, in the liberty wherewith Christ has made us free, and
be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage. Hagar is bondage. Sarah sets forth that which is
free. Free in Christ. God's people,
God's sheep are free. Free from the guilt, the dominion,
and the damning power of sin. They're free from the curse and
the condemnation of the law. And they're free to come boldly
unto the throne of grace that they may obtain mercy and find
grace to help in the time of need. Christ hath made us free. Made us free. Paul said, don't
be entangled again with the yoke of bondage. I pray that God bless
this to our hearts for his glory and our good. Amen. OK, Gary.