How Does the Everlasting God Relate to People Like Us?

The Significance of Abraham, and His Everlasting God

If you have a Bible nearby, please turn with me to Genesis, Chapter 21. If you’re using one of our church Bibles, you can find our text on page 14. And this morning we’ll continue to see how God reveals himself and relates to a man in the Bible named Abraham. And one of the reasons why it’s so helpful for us to understand who Abraham is, is because the Bible identifies him not only as the biological father of the nation of Israel, the Jews, but also as the spiritual father of the Christian church. As Galatians 3:29 says, “…If you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to promise.”

And so it shouldn’t surprise us, that of all the people from the Old Testament who are mentioned in the New Testament, Abraham is one of the names that appears most frequently. The only man from the Old Testament who’s mentioned slightly more often is Moses. But otherwise, Abraham is solidly number 2. He’s mentioned more often than the first man and woman – Adam and Eve – more often than the great King David, who fought against Goliath. He’s mentioned more often than Solomon, in all his wisdom – more often than the great prophets, Elijah, Isaiah, and Daniel. If you read the New Testament closely, you’ll see that God’s relationship with Abraham, the man of faith, has unique significance for how God relates to people of faith today.

So in a minute, I’ll be reading from Genesis 21, starting at verse 1. But before I read from God’s Word this morning, please join me in prayer:

[Pray and Read Text]

From Lament to Laughter

When you and I look back on our lives, I think that just about every one of us can think of experiences or events we went through that were tremendously difficult in the moment – the death of someone we deeply loved, the loss of a job, a sports injury or health emergency, a break-up with a boyfriend or girlfriend, regrets from a missed opportunity – I imagine that we all have encountered challenging things like this in the past. But what’s interesting, is that I think that many of us can look back on those hardships, and we can see how the Lord used some of those events to direct our lives for good, at just the right time.

You probably didn’t understand what God was doing in the moment – but now, in hindsight, you can see how he taught you humility and refined your character. When you trace the events in your life, you might see that when God closed one door, at just the right time He opened up another one. Perhaps you can see how all along he was protecting you from some sort of harm, or preventing you from living a life of bad decisions. Those low points in life – maybe you can see now that those were the events he used to draw you close to him. But back then, you probably didn’t see what God was doing, did you? For many of you, it’s taken years, maybe even decades, to figure out what God was doing in your life. For some of you, it’s possible that you’re still trying to figure out why God has allowed certain trials and tragedies to afflict you.

But in our text this morning, it becomes apparent in a variety of different ways that God works in the life circumstances of his people – even events that seem confusing and painful – he works through trials like that to ultimately help his people, and to do good to them. We’ll consider how God works like this under four headings. First, in verses one through 7, we’ll see the Arrival of God’s Promise. Second, in verses 8 through 21, we’ll see the Allegory of God’s grace. Third, we’ll see in verses 22 through 32 the Alliance of God’s Making. And fourth and finally, we’ll see the Agelessness of God’s Being.

The Arrival of God’s Promise

So first, the arrival of God’s promise. A couple of weeks ago, we saw back in Genesis 17 and 18 that God made a very specific promise to Abraham, and to his wife Sarah. Even though Sarah had been barren for decades – even though they were both well-advanced in years, God promised that he would supernaturally act to give them a child. That promise came about one year before the birth of Isaac, that we just read about in our text today.

But it’s important to point out that Abraham and Sarah had been waiting for Isaac’s birth much longer than a year. Because about 25 years earlier, God had told Abraham, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land I will show you. And I will make of you a great nation (Abraham’s descendants will be made into a mighty country), and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing.” A short time after that, once Abraham had left his old country and arrived in the land God was showing him – the land of Canaan, God told him, “To your offspring I will give this land.” So you’ll notice, in order for these promises to be fulfilled, Abraham had to have a child. And for 25 years, Abraham and Sarah were compelled to wait for the son through whom God would fulfill his promises. Though Abraham had a son with Sarah’s maidservant, Hagar, during this time, that son, Ishmael, wasn’t the son they were waiting for.

So it isn’t until here, in Genesis 21, after all that waiting, weeping, and wondering, that the Lord transforms those years of gloom into gladness. In verse 1, the text says, “The LORD visited Sarah as he had said, and the LORD did to Sarah as he had promised. [verse 2] And Sarah conceived and bore Abraham a son in his old age at the time of which God had spoken to him.”

When the text says that, “The LORD visited Sarah, as he had said,” it highlights that this pregnancy was brought about supernaturally. That isn’t to say Abraham wasn’t a part of it. He was involved, too. He was genuinely, biologically, the father of this child. God promised that would be the case in Genesis 15:4, when he told Abraham, “[Y]our very own son shall be your heir.” But in this section of inspired Scripture, God wants to make sure we understand the point he’s making – that this pregnancy wasn’t a work of man. It was His work. God has unique power to turn hopelessness into happiness and to transform what seems like loss into new life.

But consider how long it took! Consider how many nights Sarah spent, discouraged because of her unfulfilled desire to be a mother. Consider how confusing it must have seemed, when years passed, and there was no indication that Abraham was becoming a great nation, or a landholder in Canaan.

I can almost guarantee that there will be times that you’ll be left waiting and wondering, too. As you and I continue to live in a world that’s corrupt and crumbling because of the effects of human fallenness – human sin – I can just about guarantee that a number of you are going to encounter long stretches of time where you see more darkness than light. You’ll go through seasons of chronic pain. Maybe you’ll struggle with the financial stress of making ends meet. Perhaps you’ll experience the longstanding heartache of loneliness, or you might end up dealing with something else.

But in every single one of those dismal situations – even when, humanly speaking, there appears to be no hope whatsoever that things will turn out okay, the Christian has hope – and I’m not just talking about wishful thinking here. The Christian has reason for real confidence – real reason for hope – because we don’t have a careless, inconsistent God who makes empty promises, and leaves us destitute. But Genesis 21 shows us evidence that we have a God who delivers on his promises. He brings children from barren women. He gives joy to the sorrowful. He fills those who are empty.

If you’re a Christian, then, consider the promises he’s given to you in his word: resurrection from the dead, eternal life in the kingdom of God, fullness of joy and pleasures forevermore at God’s right hand. You need to let it sink in – these blessings and 10,000 more truly are coming. The more we take this to heart, the less we’ll be shaken when trials come. No matter how impossible or unimaginable those promises may seem to us – no matter how much the nations rage, and the stock market stumbles, and your body falls apart – you have a God who’s going to do what he’s said.

God confirms that to us here, by bringing this promised son to Abraham and Sarah in a distinctly supernatural way. By the end of Genesis 21, Abraham and Sarah are no longer laughing at the ridiculousness of the idea of having a son in their old age – but they’re now laughing with joy, as people who have received incredible blessings from God. Abraham follows God’s instructions, by naming the son Isaac and circumcising him. And in verse 6, Sarah gives credit where credit is due. She says, “God has made laughter for me; everyone who hears will laugh over me.” The source of Sarah’s joy and laughter in this moment – it isn’t her husband, Abraham. It isn’t even the newborn baby, Isaac – not ultimately. Rather, after a long season of heartache, God has made her glad. And He does the same for all who trust in Him.

The certainty of this is what allows Christians to be content in the face of adversity. Being confident that God will stand by us, and give us all that we need and more, to the day of our death and beyond – that’s what emboldens us to whistle a tune in the midst of rain storms. The Lord will transform the lament of his people to laughter.

The Allegory of God’s Grace

But we see a different type of laughter in the next section of our text, that deals with the Allegory of God’s Grace, in verses 8 through 21. When Isaac is a year or two old, at the time that he’s being weaned, Abraham has great feast for Isaac. He throws a party. But at the feast, in verse 9, we’re told that, “Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian, whom she had borne to Abraham, laughing.” And from the context, it seems clear that Ishmael wasn’t laughing from joy here, but was instead laughing in mockery.

You may remember, that there’s already been longstanding tension between Sarah and Hagar, ever since Hagar first became pregnant with Ishmael back in Genesis 16. And when Sarah sees Ishmael laughing at her son, Isaac, at this feast, this is the last straw for her. So she approaches Abraham and makes a demand in verse 10: “Cast out this slave woman with her son, for the son of this slave woman shall not be heir with my son Isaac.”

Now, the text tells us that Abraham is displeased by Sarah’s outburst here. And it makes sense why he would be. Ishmael, after all, is Abraham’s son, even if Ishmael’s birth did happen in a morally problematic way.

But then the LORD comes to Abraham, and does something unexpected – to many Americans, what God does here may even be offensive. Because God tells Abraham, in verse 12, “Be not displeased because of the boy and because of your slave woman. Whatever Sarah says to you, do as she tells you, for through Isaac shall your offspring be named.” God essentially affirms that Abraham should follow through on what Sarah has proposed, to send away Hagar, the slave woman, and her son, and to exclude Ishmael from the inheritance.

And I’m not sure if I have time here in this sermon to deal with every possible question or objection that might arise as we wrestle with what God is doing here. If you’re disturbed by the mention of slavery here, I want to affirm that it makes sense you would be, given America’s specific history with slavery and the evils that were often wrapped up with that. And certainly, there are other parts of the Bible, that make it unthinkable that we would treat people like property or farm implements – since the Bible insists that all people have been made in the image of God, and that every believer has equal access to Christ, and the same eternal standing as heirs of the kingdom.

But the text here doesn’t explain exactly what form this servanthood or slavery took. There have been many different forms of master-servant relationships over the course of human history, and not all of them have been equally problematic. And since the text here doesn’t give a clear moral evaluation of the master-servant relationships that existed in Abraham’s household – since that’s not the main focus of the text – it’s not intended to be our main focus as we work through the text, either.

So what is intended to be our main focus? Why would God give his approval to sending away the slave woman, Hagar, and her son? What lesson is God intending to give us, here? Keep your finger here, in Genesis 21. And turn with me in your Bibles to Galatians, Chapter 4. God himself has given some divine commentary on what he wants us to understand. Up until this point, the letter of Galatians has been arguing that the way to be made right with God is not through relying on human works, but by trusting in God and his promises. And starting in Chapter 4, verse 21, we’re told that the whole ordeal around Hagar and Sarah – between Ishmael and Isaac – it was planned out by God to communicate that same point. The text says, “Tell me, you who desire to be under the law, do you not listen to the law?” [He’s asking, “Didn’t you pay attention to what Moses wrote about Sarah and Hagar?”] For it is written that Abraham had two sons, one by a slave woman and one by a free woman. But the son of the slave was born according to the flesh (he was produced by relying on human works), while the son of the free woman was born through promise.”

And then in verse 24, of Galatians 4, we’re told, “Now this may be interpreted allegorically.” We’re encouraged to understand that the real-life events about Sarah and Hagar were given as an analogy (typology), to help God’s people understand what the outcome is from relying on human works, versus relying on the gift of God’s promise.

This isn’t to say that every little detail in the Old Testament has some sort of spiritual or symbolic meaning. There have been some fathers in church history who have gone too far, in inventing cryptic spiritual meanings from Old Testament passages. But at the same time, it’s helpful for us to understand that there were times that God directed human events in a specific way, because he intended those events to communicate a bigger spiritual message. And this is one of them.

Based on Galatians 4, we’re supposed to understand in Genesis 21 that God makes a distinction between two types of people. Hagar’s son, Ishmael, was born to Abraham when he was relying on his own actions to get God’s blessing. So Hagar represents everyone who tries to earn or extract God’s blessing by relying on human works – people like that will end up on the outside. But Sarah and Isaac represent those who trust, not in themselves, but in God, and who inherit the promised blessings as a gift – not because of something they’ve done.

So you and I need to pause, here, and consider – what type of person are you? Are you living like a slave, trying to work your way into God’s good blessings? Or are you living like a son, trusting in the power and generosity of God to provide for you, as a child trusts in his Father? Because if you’re relying on yourself – if you’re trusting in human power and performance to make you right with God, you’ll be sent away! You’ll end up with nothing.

What you and I need, to gain God’s blessing, isn’t a work of man. What we need is a work of God. And so the people who end up inheriting the promises – they aren’t always the most educated people, or the most moral, or the most talented – but what they all have in common is they’re relying on God’s grace, to receive God’s blessing as a gift. They’re all trusting in the same All-Sufficient God, to cleanse them from sin and to give them new life.

But back in Genesis 21, even though Hagar and Ishmael are sent away, you’ll see, that God is still involved in Ishmael’s life. Though Ishmael isn’t an heir with Isaac, to receive the Lord’s special covenant blessings at this point – God still provides for Ishmael’s material welfare. He ensures Ishmael’s survival, by showing Hagar a water source. He promises to make Ishmael into a great nation, and in verse 20, we’re told that God was with the boy in his growing up into manhood. And this reminds us, that even though God is with the children of the promise in a special way – even though he’s uniquely with the Isaacs of the world – God’s generosity is also what provides for unbelievers and outsiders like Ishmael, as well.

The living and true God of the Bible gives to all mankind life and breath and everything. He allows the sun to rise both on the just and the unjust. This is what makes humanity’s rebellion against God all the more grievous and wicked. Every glimmer of pleasantness that human beings experience in this world is a gift of God’s kindness.

The Alliance of God’s Making

But even though God was with Ishmael to bring him certain earthly benefits, there’s a unique, enduring way that God was with Abraham, according to the longer-term, special commitments God had made in his covenant. And this is pointed out in the third section of the text, dealing with the Alliance of God’s Making.

You may remember last week, there was convoluted relational mess between Abraham and a local king named Abimelech – the king of Gerar. Abraham had deceived Abimelech into thinking that Sarah was unmarried. So Abimelech had taken Sarah with the intent to make her his wife – that is, until God spoke to him in a dream and demanded that Sarah needed to be returned to her husband. Then Abimelech and Abraham had what may have been an awkward conversation to talk things out and to get Sarah back to where she needed to be.

And because of all this, it would be easy to see how Abimelech could have walked away from that encounter with some lingering bitterness toward Abraham, for his dishonesty, or to feel some coldness or suspicion toward him. But this isn’t how Abimelech ends up looking at Abraham at all. Instead, in verse 22, we see that Abimelech initiates a conversation with Abraham, and he affirms, “God is with you in all that you do.” The thing that sticks out in Abimelech’s memory isn’t the mistake Abraham made, or the awkward situation that it caused – but what stuck out to Abimelech is that God was with this guy in a unique way.

And this observation doesn’t drive Abimelech away from Abraham, but it draws Abimelech closer. In verse 23, Abimelech insists, “Now therefore swear to me here by God that that you will not deal falsely with me or with my descendants or with my posterity, but as I have dealt kindly with you, so you will deal with me and with the land where you have sojourned.” Abimelech shows every indication here that he has continued to revere Abraham’s God. He wants Abraham to swear by God, that he will be faithful to Abimelech as an ally. And it’s implied in this – with Abimelech and Phicol, the commander of his army there – it’s implied that Abimelech is pledging the same continued loyalty to Abraham, as well.

And I think what’s quite wonderful about all this is that it again shows God’s power to transform awkward encounters and unpleasant conversations into enduring friendships. Even in the midst of Abraham’s weakness and failure, God produces good.

Abraham agrees that he’ll sign on to this agreement with Abimelech – but before he does, in verse 25, Abraham raises one objection. The text says that “he reproved Abimelech about a well of water that Abimelech’s servants had seized.” It would seem here that Abraham was basically saying, “Yes, Abimelech I’m glad you want to commit yourself to showing me kindness – I want to treat you the same way – but I feel like I’m getting mixed messages here, because your servants took one of the wells I dug.”

It might seem kind of bold for Abraham to raise this complaint here. After all, Abimelech the King – he didn’t have to enter into a treaty with Abraham. By calling Abimelech’s actions into question, Abraham ran the risk of derailing the peace talks. If Abimelech were to get angry by this, there’s no telling whether a covenant would still be on the table.

But for Abraham to raise this concern is wise. It’s important. Because Abraham wants to know – before he makes a promise before God – he wants to have confidence that Abimelech is really going to be a faithful man. He wants to know that Abimelech is going to walk in integrity, even when his decisions and conduct are being challenged. This disagreement is an opportunity for Abraham to test just how committed Abimelech is to the relationship.

And so there’s wisdom in this for us to consider, too. Before agreeing to take a position with an employer, it’s wise to press in to know whether they’re going to do business honestly and how they’re going to treat their employees. Before getting married, it’s incredibly important to deal with issues of disagreement straightforwardly – to see whether that prospective spouse is going to remain constant in purpose and committed to you, even when conflict arises. Before we enter into contracts or covenants, it’s discern what you’re really signing up for.

And in Abraham’s case, it becomes clear that Abimelech is reliably a man of character. Abimelech confirms that his servants acted without his knowledge. Abimelech had no intent to deprive Abraham in this way. And Abraham, who wants to further attest to his trustworthiness (that the well really was his, originally) – he confirms the goodness of his word by giving Abimelech a gift of seven sheep.

And as the disagreement is brought to a conclusion, there’s more trust between these two men than ever before. God uses adversity to bring Abraham an ally, and to bring further security and status to Abraham’s household. This is just one more indication that Abimelech’s words are true – that God really is with Abraham.

But God’s nearness isn’t exclusively a gift for Abraham. It’s for heirs of the promises made to Abraham, too. For those who are children of Abraham by faith, the Lord is with us, as well. As Galatians 3:14 points out, the blessing of Abraham has been granted to us – we have the promised Spirit by faith. He is in us, to keep us, to correct us, and to comfort us. God is with us in all that we do.

The Agelessness of God’s Being (The Everlasting God)

And this promise is especially sweet, based on what we see in the last section of our text: because of the agelessness of God’s being. This is my fourth and final point. [The Agelessness of God’s Being]. When Abraham parts ways with Abimelech, he plants a tree as a memorial – and verse 33 says that Abraham, “called there on the name of the LORD, the Everlasting God.”

I think for many of us, thinking about God as the Everlasting God isn’t necessarily a new idea. Most of us probably have a basic awareness that God’s existence goes on and on, and he doesn’t grow old and die like people do. It’s not hard to see that that’s good for him. But what Abraham apparently sees in our text – and what we need to see – is that it’s also incredibly good for us.

For one thing, the Everlasting God isn’t stuck within time, like you and I are. Instead of God being a servant of time, time is a servant of God. The Everlasting God knew every day of your life before it even began – and in his timeless power, he has orchestrated it all for good. So the Eternality of God is good in that regard.

But God’s Everlastingness is also good news for us, in that He lives forever to carry out his plans and promises. No matter how many thousands of years might pass by God’s commitment to us will never die or diminish. He won’t grow tired; he won’t get distracted; he won’t forget. He remains God forever and not one of his promises will fail.

But there’s one more encouragement I want to point out, that comes from knowing God as the Everlasting God. In God’s covenant with Abraham, he promises to be God to Abraham and to his descendants. God is with Abraham in a special way. Yet I think for many of us, without even thinking about it, we assume this means that God will be Abraham’s God only up until the day of Abraham’s death – that he will be with Abraham until Abraham dies, and then God will cease to be with Abraham.

But I think that Abraham recognizes here what you and I need to recognize. When the Everlasting God gives us himself – when we receive him, by faith, to be our God – He doesn’t abandon us at our death bed. He isn’t just a source of hope in this life only. But the Everlasting God who has brought himself to us, will also bring us from death to be with him.

Jesus Christ himself says as much in Matthew 22. He argues from the Old Testament that we should believe in the future resurrection of the dead. And Jesus bases his argument entirely on the covenant commitment that God has made to Abraham and his descendants. Jesus insists that, “[The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob] is not the God of the dead, but of the living.” For as long as God continues to live, according to his unchangeable, transcendent power – the people of God will live as well. Knowing the everlasting God is how you and I come to know everlasting joy, hope, and life. This is why, in John 17:3, Jesus says – “This is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.”

So ask yourself – do you know the everlasting God? Do you know the hope that he brings, in every season of life, and under every shadow of death? Because you must. Life itself is at stake! For those of you do know him – do you live like you know him? Do joyfully look to the future, knowing that the Everlasting God will transform your grief to gladness? Let’s walk with this confidence.

Fellowship Reformed Church is a bible-believing Presbyterian Church in Mt Pleasant, MI.