Genesis 21:1-21
Laughter in the Promised Son
1Now the LORD attended to Sarah as He had said, and the LORD did for Sarah what He had promised.
2So Sarah conceived and bore a son to Abraham in his old age, at the very time God had promised.
3And Abraham gave the name Isaac to the son Sarah bore to him.
4When his son Isaac was eight days old, Abraham circumcised him, as God had commanded him.
5Abraham was a hundred years old when his son Isaac was born to him.
6Then Sarah said, “God has made me laugh, and everyone who hears of this will laugh with me.”
7She added, “Who would have told Abraham that Sarah would nurse children? Yet I have borne him a son in his old age.”
8So the child grew and was weaned, and Abraham held a great feast on the day Isaac was weaned.
9But Sarah saw that the son whom Hagar the Egyptian had borne to Abraham was mocking her son,
10and she said to Abraham, “Expel the slave woman and her son, for the slave woman’s son will never share in the inheritance with my son Isaac!”
11Now this matter distressed Abraham greatly because it concerned his son Ishmael.
12But God said to Abraham, “Do not be distressed about the boy and your maidservant. Listen to everything that Sarah tells you, for through Isaac your offspring will be reckoned.
13But I will also make a nation of the slave woman’s son, because he is your offspring.”
14Early in the morning, Abraham got up, took bread and a skin of water, put them on Hagar’s shoulders, and sent her away with the boy. She left and wandered in the Wilderness of Beersheba.
15When the water in the skin was gone, she left the boy under one of the bushes.
16Then she went off and sat down nearby, about a bowshot away, for she said, “I cannot bear to watch the boy die!” And as she sat nearby, she lifted up her voice and wept.
17Then God heard the voice of the boy, and the angel of God called to Hagar from heaven, “What is wrong, Hagar? Do not be afraid, for God has heard the voice of the boy where he lies.
18Get up, lift up the boy, and take him by the hand, for I will make him into a great nation.”
19Then God opened her eyes, and she saw a well of water. So she went and filled the skin with water and gave the boy a drink.
20And God was with the boy, and he grew up and settled in the wilderness and became a great archer.
21And while he was dwelling in the Wilderness of Paran, his mother got a wife for him from the land of Egypt.
Berean Standard Bible
The LORD visits Sarah as he has said, and Sarah conceives and bears Abraham a son in his old age, at the appointed time. Abraham names the son Isaac and circumcises him when he is eight days old. Sarah says that God has brought laughter for her, and everyone who hears will laugh with her. The laughter that began in disbelief has become laughter at a promise fulfilled.
Abraham makes a great feast on the day Isaac is weaned. Sarah sees Ishmael, the son of Hagar, laughing. She tells Abraham to cast out Hagar and Ishmael, saying that the son of the slave woman must not share the inheritance with Isaac. Abraham is distressed because Ishmael is his son. God tells Abraham not to be distressed about the boy and the slave woman, but to listen to Sarah concerning the covenant line. God also promises to make a nation of Ishmael because he is Abraham's offspring.
Abraham rises early, gives Hagar bread and water, and sends her and Ishmael away. When the water is gone, Hagar places the boy under a bush and sits a distance away because she cannot bear to watch him die. God hears the boy crying. An angel calls to Hagar, tells her not to be afraid, and shows her a well. God is with the boy as he grows in the wilderness.
The expulsion is painful and should not be treated as a cheerful family lesson. The covenant line is distinguished, but God hears and preserves Ishmael. The promise to Isaac never gives Abraham's household permission to forget the child sent away.
Questions
1 What did Sarah name the feeling God gave her?
AnswerSarah said God had brought her laughter through Isaac.
2 Why was Abraham distressed?
AnswerHe was distressed because Sarah wanted Hagar and Ishmael sent away.
3 What did God promise Ishmael?
AnswerGod promised to make Ishmael a nation because he was Abraham’s offspring.
4 What did God show Hagar?
AnswerGod showed Hagar a well and stayed with Ishmael in the wilderness.
What This Means for Us
Families sometimes carry unequal treatment, conflict, and painful separations. Do not use a special calling as permission to devalue someone else. When children or vulnerable adults are caught in adult conflict, make their safety and practical needs visible. God hears the person a household has pushed to the margins.
Prayer
God who hears children in the wilderness, protect people caught in family conflict. Give us joy for promises fulfilled without cruelty toward those outside our plans. Help us provide food, water, safety, and honest care when separation becomes necessary, and remind us that no one is invisible to you. Amen.