21:17-21
God, however, was watching over them and heard the boy crying. The angel of God called out to Hagar, and reassured her that He had heard the boy’s cry, and told her that He would make him into a great nation. It is quite amazing that although Hagar and Ishmael were not part of the covenant promise, there is still a promise over their lives. God’s ways go beyond any nice neat plan we might have “worked out”. God opened Hagar’s eyes and she saw a well. God was with the boy as he grew up. There was a long term commitment from God to the boy. He iced in the desert of Param and got a wife from Egypt.
21:22
Abraham was still in the land of Abimelech. Because of what had happened earlier (see chapter 20) he feared the Lord and feared Abraham. Too often the church seeks to align itself with the world, seeking favour with the world. This is never a good idea. It will rarely actually gain favour with the world, we are far more likely to end up making an enemy of God! (James 4:4). We are far wiser to seek to be friends with God, then the fear of the Lord will come upon us. In view of the world’s reaction, it may either respect or fear us because of the presence of the Lord, or it may persecute us because we honour Christ, or some mixture of the two. Either way, it is far better than being friends with the world and an enemy of the Lord!
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