A Journey Through The Old Testament - Elmer Towns

five to seven gallons, and placed it on Hagar as he sent her and her son off. Depending on how
well the water was conserved and how much one drank, the supply could last two to four days in
the desert. There is an interesting contrast in this passage between man’s provision, a bottle of
water, and God’s provision, a well of water.
Some writers have questioned the historicity of this account on the basis of Ishmael being
referred to as a child carried by his mother. Actually the Hebrew word yeled, a term of relationship,
means “child” only in the sense of one born to a parent. It is often used in Scripture to
refer to a young man, regardless of his age, who is the child of his parent. Also, as noted above,
the verb shalache translated “cast” (v. 15, KJV) would be better translated “dropped.” If the
mother and son, both weary from thirst and hunger, had been leaning on each other supporting
each other as they walked, she would have “dropped” him when unable to support his weight any
longer. Neither of these words implies a specific age contrary to that implied in the historic
setting of the account.
Unable to support her son any longer, Hagar managed to get him at least into the shade,
but generally viewed the situation as hopeless. She left her son “at a distance of about a
bowshot” (v. 16). The distance of “a bowshot” refers to the distance an archer would shoot an
arrow during practice, about fifty feet. While Hagar cried without hope, Ishmael apparently
prayed. The LXX translation of verse 16 adds the words “the boy lifted up his voice and wept,”
God heard the prayer of Ishmael and answered it (v. 17).
God showed Hagar a well of water she had not before noticed where she got water to
revive both herself and her son. Again God promised to make Ishmael “a great nation” (v. 18), a
promise which has been more than kept. The passage ends noting Ishmael grew and lived on a
desert plateau south of Canaan, became an archer, and married an Egyptian wife. The Kedarenes,
descendants of Ishmael, were later celebrated bowmen (25:13-15; Isa. 21:17). The brief account
of his later life here is rich in typical truth. He lived outside of the land of promise and married a
woman of Egypt, typical of being married to the world.
PERSPECTIVE: OVERCOMING THE FLESH
Many Christians today can more readily identify with Ishmael than Isaac in their
Christian lives. Just as Abraham was called of God to cast out the son of the bondwoman, so
today must we cast off the flesh. The old and new natures struggle within the man of faith for
supremacy. This was the experience of even the Apostle Paul (Rom. 7:15-25). The solution to
this problem is also offered by Paul. We must “put off ... the old man” and “put on the new man”
(Eph. 4:22-24). The Greek verbs in this passage imply a continuous action. There is no guarantee
against backsliding. Abraham discovered the sins of the past will always crop up again if they
are not judged (cf. Gen. 20). “That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of
the Spirit is spirit” (John 3:6).
Regeneration does not mean we change the old man but rather add the new man. The old
nature is not eradicated (1 John 1:8), nor is it improved. The new nature consists of new
thoughts, new desires, and new power which are radically different from those of the old man.
One of the two is going to control you, the choice is yours. The old nature (Ishmael) shall not be
heir together with the new nature (Isaac). God has judged the old nature, and it should be treated
as dead.
The key to experiencing continuous victory over the flesh in the Christian life is to
continually apply the four significant verbs of Romans 6 to your personal experience. First, know
that the old man is dead and we have a new nature as a result of our union with Christ (Rom. 6:3,