Birth of Ishmael

Once there was a hardworking man called Abraham. Even after many years of marriage, Abraham and his wife, Sarah could not have a child. They were now old, disappointed and impatient. Sarah wondered would she really a mother. However, seeing Abraham’s piousness, God had blessed him with a prophecy of having a son, who would further have as many children as the stars in the sky.

Sarah was worried that Abraham would have no children at all, and so one day, she said to him, “May be you should have your children by my servant Hagar. She is younger than I am, and maybe she is the one you are supposed to have your children with.” Somehow, Sarah convinced Abraham to have a child with Hagar. After Hagar became pregnant with Abraham’s first child, trouble began between Sarah and Hagar. The trouble got so bad, that finally ran away.

She came to a cool spring in the middle of a hot desert. She sat down there and began to cry. As she was crying, God appeared before her as a man. He asked Hagar to go back and serve her mistress Sarah. He promised that her she would have so many children that no one would be able to count them. “You will have a son and you will call him Ishmael, which means ‘God hears,’ because God has heard you cry,” said God. From then on, the spring where she talked with God was called ‘The Well of the Living One Who Hears Me’. Hagar went back and the son she had was named Ishmael.

Synopsis

Abraham, a hardworking man, has been married to Sarah for years. However, the two remain childless or a long time. God blesses Abraham with a prophecy that he would have a son. Ismael is born to Abraham and Hagar, who is Sarah,s servant.