The Lord be with you! Today we examine the covenant of Abraham in Genesis 15 as well as Abraham’s sons. God forms a people through the patriarchs to bring all the nations back to God.
Having demonstrated a great deal of reverence for God, Abram now has a vision of the Almighty One. And he has a complaint: what good is all my property if I have no heir? God then promised Abram descendants more numerous than the stars in the sky…after generations of slavery. The Hebrew people will eventually inherit a great deal of land and become a great people, but they will have to suffer first.
Instead of waiting for God’s promise to be fulfilled, Abram takes matters into his own hands. With his wife’s blessing, Abram takes her handmaiden Hagar as a second wife. Sarai drives Hagar away when Hagar becomes pregnant, but an angel intervenes so that Hagar returns. From that union came Ishmael, which the LORD describes as a “wild ass of a man.”
God then comes to Abram again with a new covenant: circumcision. As part of this ritual new birth, God gives Abram the new name of “Abraham” and Sarai the new name of “Sarah.” And so, all the males of their household are circumcised. Note well: at this time Ishmael is 13 and Abraham is 99!
Having been reborn through a covenant, Abraham and Sarah are ready to receive the grace of God: Isaac. New life comes contrary to all human expectations but according to the prophecy of God. After celebrating the birth of her son, Sarah is afraid that Ishmael will steal his inheritance and beseeches Abraham to cast Hagar and Ishmael out. Abraham only does so after the LORD assures him that he will make a great nation of Ishmael.
Abraham and Sarah have been faithful to God, but they have often hedged their bets. When the couple should have patiently waited, they attempted to force God’s hand via Hagar. That proud act led to Hagar and Sarah becoming bitter rivals. Moreover, Abraham has to go through his own spiritual renouncement - circumcision - to be ready to receive and give the grace of God. It took a very long time for Abraham and Sarah to be ready to give God all their hearts and hold nothing back.
Abraham will be tested once more, and it will be a test of the ages. Next time we will closely examine the sacrifice of Isaac and how it is a type of the Paschal Mystery. God always gives us the grace to bear our burdens.
In His Sacred Heart,
Fr. John
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