Why are Christians so adamantly opposed to admitting that Ishmael is a legitimate son with a covenant ?

Question

Christians dont want to even follow their own bible which says Ishmael was a legitmate rigthful son.

It is not uncommon in the Bible that the descendants of the second son would try to "write out" the first son and his due share.



Deut. 21:15 If a man have two wives, one beloved, and another hated, and they have born him children, both the beloved and the hated; and if the firstborn son be hers that was hated:

Deut. 21:16 Then it shall be, when he maketh his sons to inherit that which he hath, that he may not make the son of the beloved firstborn before the son of the hated, which is indeed the firstborn:

Deut. 21:17 But he shall acknowledge the son of the hated for the firstborn, by giving him a DOUBLE portion of all that he hath: for he is the beginning of his strength; the right of the firstborn is his.


Genesis 17:9-10 ---Then God said to Abraham, "As for you, you must keep my covenant, you and your descendants after you for the generations to come.
This is my covenant with you and your descendants after you, the covenant you are to keep: Every male among you shall be circumcised.

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1-----After Abraham had lived ten years in the land of Canaan, Abram's wife Sarai took Hagar the Egyptian, her maid, and gave her to her husband Abram as HIS WIFE. -- GENESIS 16:3

2------So Hagar bore Abram a son; and Abram called the name of HIS SON, whom Hagar bore, ISHMAEL. - GENESIS 16:15

3 ------And his sons Isaac and Ishmael buried him in the cave of Machpelah, in the field of Ephron the son of Zohar the Hittite, which [is] before Mamre; -- Gen 25:09

4 ------ Now these [are] the generations of Ishmael, Abraham's son, whom Hagar the Egyptian wife, bare unto Abraham: --- Gen 25:12

5 ------- And these [are] the names of the sons of Ishmael, by their names, according to their generations: the firstborn of Ishmael, Nebajoth; and Kedar, and Adbeel, and Mibsam ----- Gen 25:13


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Answer 1

there were promises to ishmael also .. i dont have a problem with that .. but im not under the same promises as them and neither are th jews .. its not a competition ..

Answer 2

By and large, this is what Christians are taught to believe and accept. Anything else is blasphemous. To them, the views/interpretations of Muslims are null and void.

As a faith community, they view Ishmael as the illegitimate son of Abraham through Hagar, Sarah's servant. Even though Genesis 16:3 confirms Hagar as a wife (not concubine) of Abraham, they still refuse to accept Ishmael as legitimate, thus regarding him as an evil, bad-seed child--perhaps, the Bible's "bad boy". This is very strange, since Almighty God chose the name "Ishmael" for him when he was in his mother's womb. How Abraham could have an "illegitimate" wife and a child out of wedlock is beyond comprehension.

According to Genesis, an angel of the Lord appeared to Hagar and told her that she was with child, that she will bear a son, and that she "shall call his name Ishmael" because "the Lord hath heard thy affliction." The name "Ishmael" means "God hears."

In addition, Genesis 21:14-21 depicts Ishmael as a baby, not a teenager who supposedly mocked Isaac and Sarah. (How could he even do that and he couldn't even talk?) In Genesis 21:18, Hagar is commanded by Almighty God to "Arise, lift up the lad, and hold him in thine hand. . ." Muslims are expected to believe and accept that she held up a very heavy teenage boy? How could she do that?

Muslims accept Ishmael being a baby at the time he and his mother left Sarah. That being the case, Ishmael and Isaac did not grow up together. They were in two separate, independent households with different mothers.

For the most part, Christians may not like, believe, and/or accept the Islamic interpretation of the covenant; however, before any child was born to Abraham, Almighty God made a covenant with him; through his seed "all the nations of the earth will be blessed", not his seed through Sarah only. Muslims believe Almighty God was clear on that.

Answer 3

First of all Hagar was not a wife to Abraham. She was Sarah's maid servant.
Also Abraham and Sarah went against God when they plotted that Hagar was to bare a child.
The child of the promise was to be bared by Sarah. As Hagar wasn't even in the picture when this promise was stated.
Then all you need to do is to look at the deeds of Ismael's son's to see their fruit.
Do I believe that Hagar and Ishmael knew God, yes I do. But I don't think that even they would be happy with the twisting of the scriptures that the Islamic belief has done with this. It is just another way to get people to go against or water down the Christian faith.

Answer 4

I'm a Christian, and I'll acknowledge that Ishmael is a legimate son, and that he has a covenant. It's just not the same covenant that Isaac inherited:
Genesis 17:20
"And as for Ishmael, I have heard thee: Behold, I have blessed him, and will make him fruitful, and will multiply him exceedingly; twelve princes shall he beget, and I will make him a great nation."

Interesting the Ishmael has been blessed according to God's promise specific to him. The descendants of Ishmael are numerous and they are a mighty nation(s).

It is God's prerogative to bless whom He will.
The Abrahamic Covenant was to Abraham that His seed would be multiplied immensely, etc. etc.

In Genesis 5:2 God sets a precedent, He called "them" (Adam and Eve) Adam. As was the man and his wife, so was the promise made to Abraham, and his wife. THEIR off-spring would be the one to inherit the covenant, not Abraham and his wife's foreign-born maiden-concubine.

The fact that Abraham could not wait for the Lord to bless them just means that he acted outside the Lord. Ishmael becomes then, the son of the flesh, while Isaac, the son of promise was still waiting to be born.

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.
Galatians 4:30 Nevertheless what saith the scripture? Cast out the bondwoman and her son: for the son of the bondwoman shall not be heir with the son of the freewoman.

Answer 5

Some translators say the servant Hagar was given to Abraham as a "concubine", by his "wife". In that society as is still true in many current societies, the wife actually ruled the house while the man ran the outside of the tent interactions. Sarah merely overruled her hand maid, who did not have the same political status of the wife.

This does not mean Ishmael was illegitimate, only that his mother had less clout in the hen-pecking order. All of us who choose to throw off mental chains, ignorance, hypocrisy and seek to keep growing in our evolution to the true grace of the God of all gods, "Ehyeh-Asher-Ehyeh", are children of Abraham. He was once Abram until he received the blessing of God, let us all throw off small minded thinking and reach for the stars that are the birthright of the IBRI.

Answer 6

God Said Ismael was not the Heir of the Covenant:
(Gen 17:20 KJV) And as for Ishmael, I have heard thee: Behold, I have blessed him, and will make him fruitful, and will multiply him exceedingly; twelve princes shall he beget, and I will make him a great nation.
21 But my covenant will I establish with Isaac, which Sarah shall bear unto thee at this set time in the next year.
Isaac is the Son of the Covenant not Ishmael.

Answer 7

Gen 17:19-21 "Then God said, Yes, but your wife Sarah will bear you a son, and you will call him Isaac. I will establish my covenant with him as an everlasting covenant for his descendants after him. And as for Ishmael,I have heard you: I will surely bless him; I will make him fruitful and will greatly increase his numbers. He will be the father of twelve rulers, and I will make him into a great nation. But my covenant I will establish with Isaac, whom Sarah will bear to you by this time next year."
These verses make it totally clear that modern day palestinians have no biblical mandate to own, or live in the land.
Read these verses and you will know Gods will regarding this matter.
God Bless You....Peace.

Answer 8

GOD has promised Ishmael that he will be the father of a great nation. However, the OT stops there and says very little about Ishmael afterward. The intended promise was to go to Isaac. Ishmael was a product of "man trying to help GOD".

Much more can be said.

GOD bless

Answer 9

Gen 22:2 And he said, Take now thy son, thine only [son] Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of.



Why does GOd say here to Abraham thy only son Isaac. Ishmael was alive. Why, because the covenant that God promised is to follow Isaacs line not Ishmael's. Jesus was to come from his line. THere is more support for this but I think THe fact that GOd said here as you can read "thy only son" is strong enough. Yes the promise of fertility would come through Ishmael but nothing more because he was a product of lack of faith on Abraham's part who thought sarah to old to bear a Child. Isaac is Abraham's first born in GOds eyes, the son GOd promised Abraham who Jesus would come from.

Please do not clam I do not know my bible and then show you don't when scripture clearly shows as I have pointed out What God himself says about Issac.

Answer 10

But the true covenant was through Isaac, because Isaac was the son of Abraham and his "first" legitimate wife.

Great covenant that the Muslims kept all the centuries that were pagans until the Prophet Muhammad founded Islam in 620 CE!!!!!!

Answer 11

It is true that God said He heard Abraham's prayer for his son Ishmael and that God did bless Ishmael and his desendants and made them princes all the way even to this generation. But God said that His promise will be through Abraham's legit son Isaac and His true wife Sarah.