Today's Reading from Vayeira:
Genesis 21:5-34
We open with a joyful celebration at last. Abraham has thrown a feast to celebrate the weaning of his son Isaac. Isaac, the name G-d told Abraham to give his son, is in itself joyful - it means "he laughs". For Abraham and Sarah this is a time of joy and celebration, as their son is now 2 or 3 years old, past the fragile infant stage and clearly becoming a little boy.
Yet Sarah's joy turns to anger when she sees Ishmael (whom she previously claimed as her own son) mocking Isaac (Gen. 21:10). In her anger she orders Abraham to send Hagar and Ishmael away. This greatly distresses Abraham. After all, Ishmael is his son too, and as a teenager he has spent many years as the only son of his father. So in Genesis 21:12-13, G-d promises Abraham that He will protect and bless Ishmael for Abraham's sake. Still, G-d allows Hagar and Ishmael to be sent away, because Isaac is still the prophesied heir. G-d does not deviate from His divine plan even though Abraham and Sarah complicated things by taking matters into their own hands many years ago. In fact, G-d, in His infinite mercy, provides for both children.
Hagar and Ishmael (who is 15-17 years old by this time) are sent away, become lost in the wilderness and run out of water. Hagar leaves her son in the shade and retreats from him because she is afraid of watching her son die. Finally she cries out to G-d (had she forgotten the promise G-d made to her when she originally ran away from Sarah?) and He answers. G-d's response to Hagar in verse 17 is interesting because He answers and says that He heard Ishmael's cries. Perhaps this is because she forgot G-d's promise to her, or because her cries were those of defeat, while Ishmael's were sincere. He had, after all, spent the last 15-17 years as the son of Abraham, a man of faith. Whatever the case, the L-rd responds by reassuring Hagar that He will bless Ishmael greatly and shows her a well from which to draw water for the both of them, which enables them to survive.
In verse 22 and following, we return to Abraham. He is now in negotiations with Abimelech (the king he deceived at the end of chapter 20) over some of the area's wells. Both Abimelech's men and Abraham's clan claim rights to the wells, but the two leaders are able to work out a peace treaty by which Abraham retains control of the most recent well his men dug. As a king, Abimelech would have had many military resources at his disposal, so it is possible that Abraham was able to negotiate this treaty because Abimelech previously saw that the L-rd was with Abraham in a powerful way. In the end, Abraham plants a tree by the well to commemorate the treaty, and once again calls on the Name of the L-rd.
As we have seen before, these two seemingly dissimilar stories share a common theme. G-d is sovereign and works out His purposes despite human meddling and mistakes. In fact, He is even able to weave our mistakes into His plan and use them for good.
My prayer today is that I would realize that G-d is infinitely bigger than my own mistakes and insufficiency.
Tomorrow: Genesis 22:1-24
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