Abraham and Ishmael/Isaac....Something that i don't understand?

Question

It's common Knowledge that Ishmael and Isaac was the 1st two sons of Abraham. In the Bible God tells Abraham 'to take his ONLY son Isaac....'. But we know that Isaac was never the ONLY son of Abraham. God acknowledge Ishmael as Abraham's son and God made Ishmael part of His covenent(he was circumsised). God also PROMISED Abraham that he will create a powerfull nation from Ishmael.
Hagar was Abraham's wife even if she was a slave.

So why, according to christianity, wasn't it Ishmael that was the one on the altar, to be 'sacrificed'? This is where I agree with islam, God would never have called Isaac Abraham's ONLY son!
If the Bible said 'Take your son' Isaac...' then it would make sense.

Oh and what nations came out of Abraham's other sons, which he had by Ketura, his third wife?

Answer 1

It has to do with the divine covenant between God and Abraham with Sarah. Not between Abraham and Hagar. As Ishmael was Abraham's son, he was not part of the covenant though he did too get blessings. So to say, "your only son" Gen. 22: 1,2 was only referring to the son of the covenant between Sarah and Abraham. God promised that a "great nation" would come from Abraham, through Sarah - who at the time was barren. God then concluded a formal covenant over animal sacrifices with Abraham, and at the same time, he revealed that Abraham’s offspring would be afflicted for a period of 400 years, even being taken into slavery.—Ge 15:7-21, which happened through his sons.

In 1919 B.C.E., when Abraham was 99 years old, as a sign or seal to testify to the special covenant relationship existing between himself and Abraham, God commanded that all the males of Abraham’s household be circumcised. At the same time God changed his name from Abram to Abraham, “because a father of a crowd of nations I will make you.” (Ge 17:5, 9-27; Ro 4:11) Soon after, three materialized angels, whom Abraham received hospitably in the name of Jehovah, (Psalms 83:18) promised that Sarah herself would conceive and give birth to a son, yes, within the coming year!—Ge 18:1-15.

And what an eventful year it proved to be! Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed. Abraham’s nephew and his two daughters barely escaped. A famine drove Abraham and his wife to Gerar, only to have the king of that Philistine city take Sarah for his harem. Jehovah God intervened; Sarah was released; and at the appointed time, 1918 B.C.E., Isaac, the long-promised heir, was born when Abraham was 100 years old and Sarah was 90. (Ge 18:16–21:7) Five years later, when Isaac’s 19-year-old half brother Ishmael poked fun at him, Abraham was compelled to dismiss Ishmael and his mother Hagar. It was then, in 1913 B.C.E., that the 400 years of affliction upon Abraham’s offspring began.—Ge 21:8-21; 15:13; Ga 4:29.

To back track a bit - A year later Isaac was born; Ishmael was now 14. (Ge 16:16; 21:5) Five years after that, in 1913 B.C.E., on the day of Isaac’s being weaned, Ishmael was caught “poking fun” at his younger half brother. (Ge 21:8, 9) This was no innocent child’s play on the part of Ishmael. Rather, as implied by the next verse in the account, it may have involved a taunting of Isaac over heirship. The apostle Paul says these events were “a symbolic drama” and shows that the mistreatment of Isaac by the half-blooded Egyptian Ishmael was persecution. Hence, this was the beginning of the foretold 400 years of Israel’s affliction that ended with deliverance from Egyptian bondage in 1513 B.C.E.—Ga 4:22-31; Ge 15:13; Ac 7:6.

“Furthermore, Abraham again took a wife,” Keturah, and thereafter fathered six additional sons, so that from Abraham sprang not only the Israelites, Ishmaelites, and Edomites but also Medanites, Midianites, and others. (Ge 25:1, 2; 1Ch 1:28, 32, 34) Thus it was that God's prophetic utterance was fulfilled in Abraham: “A father of a crowd of nations I will make you.” (Ge 17:5) Finally, at the good old age of 175, Abraham died, in 1843 B.C.E., and was buried by his sons Isaac and Ishmael in the cave of Machpelah. (Ge 25:7-10) Prior to his death Abraham gave gifts to the sons of his secondary wives and sent them away, so that Isaac would be the sole heir of “everything he had.”—Ge 25:5, 6.

Sorry that this is long, but I hope it helps to answer your question!

Answer 2

Ishmael and Isaac burried Abraham after he had 6 sons by Ketura.

From Abraham all nations would be blessed, through these sons as well as Jesus being the seed. Heb.2:9,14,16.

Isaac was the son of his wife and of the covenant, Abraham and God loved Ishmael,when Isaac had Esau and Jacob, he loved both of them, but it would be Jacob to fulfil the covenant. Consider they did not have an easy life in this as to the stories.

all the sons were important.

So Isaac was at the sacrifice because he was to produce the heirs of the covenant.

As God would give his son to save the world.

Answer 3

Although the Bible does say "your only son" I think the reason for this is that in Genesis 21:10 it says that Abrahams other wife was jealous that Hagar had a child and did not want them to gain an inheritance:

("Therefore she said to Abraham, Cast out this bondwoman and her son, for the son of this bondwoman shall not be an heir with my son Isaac")

So, before God advised him to sacrifice his "only" child, Abraham had already sent this first son, and his wife, away to the Wilderness of Paran. In effect, by sending them away, they were disowned as far as the rights of the first born to Abraham's estate. Thus making Isaac the "only" son he had left at the time.

Keturah, his Third wife had several children, but these children would have been born after that time.

Answer 4

Your question is interesting. If Adam agreed to sacrifice his son just because some being other than a mortal human asked him to, he would be a fool and evil to boot. Abraham was righteous because he knew for a fact that the Lord had commanded him to do it. Note that if he had been eager to comply, he would have sinned. I'm not promoting the Divine Command Theory -- far from it -- but we can safely assume that God commands things because they are for our good. The trick is in knowing which communications are from God. After a while, you get to know what answers to prayer and witnesses of truth are like. If you need a second opinion, you can always pray and ask for a witness of truth in response to a vision or a voice or visitation or whatever.

Answer 5

Ishmael is forever the sign and paradigm of (on the one hand) man's efforts to accomplish by his own powers and resources God's word and promises in his life, and (on the other hand) God's response to this attitude.

Isaac was a biological miracle, and that was God's promise. It involved God's own supernatural activity. His promise is based on what he does, not upon what men do.

It is true, Abraham had another son, Ishmael, the oldest boy. He was thirteen years older than Isaac, the firstborn of Abraham. By rights, he should have inherited the promises that God made to Abraham, but he didn't. Instead, Isaac inherited those promises.

Remember how Ishmael was born? Sarah said to Abraham one day, "Do you expect God to do everything? He has promised you a son, but you are getting old. Tim of the's wasting. Surely, God doesn't expect you to leave it all up to him!" (Genesis 16:1-2). So she suggested that he take her Egyptian servant. He did, and she conceived and bore a son whose name was Ishmael.

Abram's decision towards God's unfulfilled (as to then) promise of giving
him a child, was to fulfill it himself! And he did.

Then, Ishmael was brought before God by Abraham, who said, "God, here is my son. Will you fulfill your promises to him?" (Genesis 17:18). God said, "No, I won't. That is not the one. He must come by divine promise," (Genesis 17:19-21).

So Ishmael stands as a symbol of the futility of expecting God to honour our ideas of how he is to act.

17:18 Abraham said to God, "Oh that Ishmael might live before you!"
17:19 God said, "<<>>, but Sarah, your wife, will bear you a son. You shall call his name Isaac.{Isaac means "he laughs."} I will establish my covenant with him for an everlasting covenant for his seed after him.
17:20 As for Ishmael, I have heard you. Behold, I have blessed him, and will make him fruitful, and will multiply him exceedingly. He will become the father of twelve princes, and I will make him a great nation.
17:21 <<>>, whom Sarah will bear to you at this set time in the next year."

Also confer Galatians 4:22-31

Answer 6

Gen 21:9 And Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian, which she had born unto Abraham, mocking.
Gen 21:10 Wherefore she said unto Abraham, Cast out this bondwoman and her son: for the son of this bondwoman shall not be heir with my son, even with Isaac.
Gen 21:11 And the thing was very grievous in Abraham's sight because of his son.
Gen 21:12 And God said unto Abraham, Let it not be grievous in thy sight because of the lad, and because of thy bondwoman; in all that Sarah hath said unto thee, hearken unto her voice; for in Isaac shall thy seed be called.
Gen 21:13 And also of the son of the bondwoman will I make a nation, because he is thy seed.

The Book is the way it is, we cannot change it to suit our selves, that would be idolatry, or making god in our image.

The traditional way of understanding this is that by the will of the flesh Abraham fathered Ishmael, but by the will of the Spirit Issaac was born. Because of Christ who was to come, the will of the spirit is always upheld by the Lord.

Gen 25:1 Then again Abraham took a wife, and her name was Keturah.
Gen 25:2 And she bore him Zimran, and Jokshan, and Medan, and Midian, and Ishbak, and Shuah.
Gen 25:3 And Jokshan begot Sheba, and Dedan. And the sons of Dedan were Asshurim, and Letushim, and Leummim.
Gen 25:4 And the sons of Midian; Ephah, and Epher, and Hanoch, and Abida, and Eldaah. All these were the children of Keturah.
Gen 25:5 And Abraham gave all that he had unto Isaac.

Answer 7

Isaac was Abraham's ONLY SON with his true wife, Sarah... Actually, Sarah was in fact Abraham's half-sister since they both had the same father, but not the same mother [Gen. 20:12].

Abraham's firstborn son, Ishmael, was with Hagar, Sarah's Egyptian slave whom she told Abraham to bed since she --Sarah-- was barren most of her adult life.

Answer 8

hmmmm........i think god (or the guy who wrote the bible) may have been trying to tell us something else. sara was abrahams most important wife as i understand it. only her son is considered to be abraham's son. maybe god wanted to steer people slowly away from the multiple wives deal, maybe by saying "only" son he meant that the other sons were bastards, and therefore not able to really inherit what abraham had to give them, being the father of a nation. maybe hoping that this would teach people that you can only have kids with one woman.

besides, didn't god say that sara would have a son? and abraham went and got hagar pregnant, which was not what god promised.

Answer 9

they changed alot of the Bible when Muhammad confessed them about Islam its true.

many rabbis and monks hide alot from the Scriptures and changed words from its place.

Answer 10

In mythology, many reports are symbolic, thus we should ask Moses what he meant by all this!