By: Obed Pineda
It is often true that one person’s success is another person’s misery. In fact, it is unfortunate to realize that if one seeks to triumph in life, he must also prepare to bear with the burden of envy. Nineteenth-century French poet and novelist Victor Hugo once wrote, “The wicked envy and hate; it is their way of admiring.” Hugo’s perspective about what lies at the core of an envious person’s heart is indeed curious. It cannot be denied that what arouses a man’s jealousy is the strong desire to possess what another man has. This unconstrained passion drifts a person deeper into resentment and hate, ultimately reaching the misguided conception that they are more “deserving” of their peer’s success. Envy reveals the true nature of a person to be spiteful because “love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil” (1st Corinthians 13:4-5, emphasis added). There is no question that a person who is envious of another is tainted by pride and is egocentric. Their foul concept of superiority to others is what directs their wicked deeds of anger, resentment, and mockery. Let us recall that it was the proverbial green monster that possessed the chief priests to crucify the Lord for Scripture verifies that Pontius Pilate “knew that the chief priests had handed Him over because of envy…the chief priests stirred up the crowd, so that he should rather release Barabbas to them” (Mark 15:10, emphasis added). These sacred words written in the Bible warns the diligent student about jealousy’s dangerous levels of toxicity. The fumes of envy that vented from the chief priests’ hearts regrettably intoxicated the crowd, leading them to kill an innocent man and free a known killer (Mark 15:8). Thus, having grasped just how perilous and influential an envious heart truly is, Sarah’s astute assessment of the situation involving Ishmael and Isaac proves to be wise. Holy Scripture explains, “So the child grew and was weaned. And Abraham made a great feast on the same day that Isaac was weaned. And Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian, whom she had borne to Abraham, scoffing. Therefore she said to Abraham, ‘Cast out this bondwoman and her son; for the son of this bondwoman shall not be heir with my son, namely with Isaac.’ And the matter was very displeasing in Abraham’s sight because of his son” (Genesis 21:8-11, emphasis added). It is simple to attribute Sarah’s request to Abraham as a mother’s protective nature. However, it must first be noted the reason Sarah provided to Abraham as the explanation for Hagar’s and Ishmael’s expulsion. Although Holy Writ does reveal that she witnessed Ishmael mocking Isaac, Sarah was able to pierce deeper into Ishmael’s heart through this behavior. She correctly understood that Ishmael’s mockery was a fruit of his resentment and envy toward Isaac. One must beware not to make the mistake of interpreting her reaction as solely an emotional one. On the contrary, her righteous judgment is illumed as she tells Abraham “the son of this bondwoman shall not be heir with my son.” Remember that both, Abraham and Sarah, have been maturing spiritually to be able to fulfill God’s heavenly plan with Isaac. Thus, to assume that Sarah was simply reacting out of anger is unwise since her reasoning is that Ishmael had no part in God’s divine plan. Although Abraham was displeased with her demand, Sarah was reminding Abraham what Jehovah God had already explained to them regarding Ishmael (Genesis 17:19). She realized, upon seeing the contentious spirit of Ishmael, the error of their impulsive decision and the bitter remedy that was required to fix it. Indeed, for Abraham, this was not a viable option since Ishmael was his biological firstborn. Yet, unlike his wife, he was not comprehending at first that “he who was born according to the flesh then persecuted him who was born according to the Spirit” (Galatians 4:29, emphasis added). Behold why it is a mistake to interpret Sarah’s reaction as purely emotional. Although the Genesis penman describes Ishmael as “scoffing” at Isaac, it is the apostle Paul who unveils the sordid animosity spewing from Ishmael revealed in his scoffing. His anger and resentment toward his younger sibling is undoubtedly linked to realizing that he would no longer be heir to Abraham. He undoubtedly felt spurned by Isaac and resented him for “taking” his rightful place at their father’s side. There is no question that Sarah correctly understood that Ishmael’s hatred for Isaac would not be quelled and thus it was necessary to cast him out to protect the child of promise. Indeed, this is validated by the inspired apostle as he explains “Abraham had two sons: the one by a bondwoman, the other by a freewoman. But he who was of the bondwoman was born according to the flesh, and he of the freewoman through promise, which things are symbolic. For these are the two covenants” (Galatians 4:22-24a, emphasis added). Remember that this epistle was written in response to the Judaizers mistaken doctrine that the Gentiles who had been baptized into Christ were still required to circumcise and keep the Law of Moses. The inspired apostle declares to the Galatians that a separation from the Law was inevitable since “no one is justified by the law in the sight of God” (Galatians 3:11). This same truth applies to why it was imperative to separate Ishmael from Isaac. In other words, Ishmael could not be heir with Isaac because he was not chosen by God. He was not the child that God had promised Abraham and Sarah. Lamentably, Ishmael had become a hindrance to Isaac due to Abraham’s and Sarah’s sordid mistake. It is wise not to ignore God’s mercy upon Ishmael. Irrefutably, he was a victim of a misguided decision and had no control of the circumstance that he now endured. Thus, God being just comforts Abraham as He proclaims “I will also make a nation of the son of the bondwoman, because he is your seed” (Genesis 21:13, emphasis added). It is incredible to always learn of how rich God truly is in mercy. Although Ishmael would not be Abraham’s heir, the Lord did not allow him to remain empty-handed. It is curious, however, how this departure prepared Abraham for his final test. To be continued…