Hope For The Ishmaelites

 Genesis 25: 7-10

The last we hear about Ishmael is when his father Abraham died.

 

(7) These are all the years of Abraham's life that he lived, one hundred and seventy-five years. 

(8) Abraham breathed his last and died in a ripe old age, an old man and satisfied with life; and he was gathered to his people. 

(9) Then his sons Isaac and Ishmael buried him 

 

Ishmael came to Abraham's funeral with Isaac, and they didn't quarrel or have any unfriendly words. They came peacefully together, and quietly mourned together. 

 

None of Abraham's other sons came to mourn for their father; Abraham had sent them all away and none of them came for the funeral. Ishmael and Isaac were the only ones who loved him enough to come together to bury him.

in the cave of Machpelah, in the field of Ephron the son of Zohar the Hittite, facing Mamre, 

(10) the field which Abraham had purchased from the sons of Heth; there Abraham was buried with Sarah his wife. 

 

And they buried him in his own property, the field in the Promised Land that he purchased and bought. The first of the land that was actually owned. 

 

Ishmael lived to the age of one hundred and thirty-seven years, having had twelve sons, and grandsons, and great grandsons; and they all settled in defiance of all his relatives (26: 18). The word for "defiance" or "presence" is paniym, which gives the idea of "turning to face in opposition." This means that Ishmael's family still deliberately defied their relatives in choosing to live where they wanted to dwell.

The fact that Ishmael was able to put aside his animosity toward his brother Isaac to bury their father shows me that it is possible for Arab nations today to be able to come to the negotiation table and come to agreement. 

President Trump has just done this, coming between as a peacemaker, with Israel and not one, but two of her Arab neighbors, coming to sign peace agreements. 

This is something that they have never done before in recent history, and President Trump has been nominated twice for the Nobel Peace Prize for this achievement. 

Because he approached them from a completely different direction, they were able to see what they missed before, and this could be a foundation for many other Arab nations to also come to agreement. 

I am watching to see how this will work out, in view of what God has told us will transpire at the end of our human time-line, in Daniel and Revelation. 

O my Father, please show us what You are doing, how You are moving the nations of the world to be in place for the final showdowns You have told us about. Open our eyes to see the truth of what is happening, to discern the times we are in, to recognize if they are the actual fulfillment of Your prophesies or another type as Daniel 11: 36-39 describes Antiochus IV as the type of the anti-type who is the beast of Revelation. 

 

My Father, be with us to strengthen Your children, teach us Your ways, to love one another as You have loved us. Send us out among our neighbors, our coworkers, our friends and acquaintences, and out into our world around us, and into the whole world. Let everyone in all the nations hear how much You love us all, and have sent Your own Son to save each of us. 

 

O Father, please bring all of Your unborn children to the birth into Your own family, and give no one any excuse for turning away from Your gracious and generous gift. 

 

And every eye shall see, every knee will bow, every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is our Lord God Almighty, our Redeemer and Messiah, sovereign King of the World and all Creation; to the everlasting glory of Almighty God the Father, forever and ever. Amen. 

Even so, do come quickly, Lord Jesus!