Scripture: Genesis 16 v 2:
"And Sarai said unto Abram, Behold now, the Lord hath restrained me from bearing: I pray thee, go in unto my maid; it may be that I may obtain children by her: and Abram hearkened unto the voice of Sarai....(v 16)..Hagar bare Ishmael to Abram."
Our God makes His will very clear to us. He speaks into our heart that which He proposes for us to do. In the above case, He told Abram that he would be the father of many generations of people. His wife was barren and over 80 years old. They agreed that Hagar should be the mother of Abram's son. It is known today as 'Making an Ishmael'.
God visited Abram and changed his and Sarai's names to Abraham and Sarah which happened before the birth of Isaac in their old age. The reason He changed their names was to remove any pagan influence because Abram's father was a maker of idols.
Isaac was the father of twin sons, Esau and Jacob, Esau lost God's favour but Rebecca, their mother, also favoured Jacob. Through subterfuge she caused the dying Isaac to bless Jacob over Esau.
Jacob had 12 sons which became the 12 patriarchs of the 12 tribes of Israel. The Lord called him Israel.
Ishmael, Abraham's son through Hagar the handmaid, also had 12 sons from which the main Arab nations sprang. These claim that Ishmael was Abraham's firstborn son and therefore they are the true inheritors of the land of Israel. But God's covenant was not with Ishmael it was with Jacob.
Romans 9 v 7: "Neither , because they are the seed of Abraham, are they all children: but, In Isaac shall thy seed be called."
The Lord separated the tribes of Israel to be His own people. They were given His law, He made a covenant with them, He sent His prophets to guide them. Eventually He sent His Son, the Bridegroom, to bless them but they rejected Him.
John 1 v 10 - 11: "He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not. He came unto his own, and his own received him not."
John 3 v 28 - 29: "Ye yourselves bear me witness, that I said, I am not the Christ, but that I am sent before him.
29 He that hath the bride is the bridegroom: but the friend of the bridegroom, which standeth and heareth him, rejoiceth greatly because of the bridegroom's voice: this my joy therefore is fulfilled."
John the Baptist who revealed Jesus as the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world, and the One who will baptised us with the Holy Ghost and fire, also recognizes Him as the Bridegroom of Israel.
This is why so much was given to Israel. She was separated from the other tribes of the world and forbidden to intermarriage with them. She is given her own land and blessed therein until she disobeyed God and receives punishment. She is rescued by a mighty hand of God to escape the slavery of Egypt. To this day she is protected by God in her own land, while the agents of Satan try to destroy her.
Jesus is coming to rescue her before the Battle of Armageddon begins. Those forces are gathering as the outrage grows against Donald Trump accepting Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and planning to move the U.S. embassy from Tel Aviv to the Holy City.
We 'make an Ishmael' every time we use some handy practical substitute to fulfil prophecy or an instruction from God, causing a warp in His perfect plan. In our cleverness we add a short cut, or subtract a seemingly inconvenient obstacle to "help God get it right". Our Lord God doesn't need our help! We are instruments He uses to get the job done but if that instrument is busy doing its own thing, He chooses another. President Trump is fulfilling God's Word which is in His perfect timing.
Making an Ishmael results in hurt, confusion, anger, jealousy and other fleshly manifestations that will require much ministry and healing to restore the person. As Israel is experiencing, we must too, there are long term unhappy consequences when we alter and amend God's plan for us. In every case prevention is better than cure. It is the problem called Self will. Abraham and Sarah set this in motion through Hagar and it is affecting Israel today.
So if you are busy with something right now and realise you are on your way to making an Ishmael, now is your opportunity to scrap it and let God bring it to pass in His own time and way. He really knows what He is doing and every seeming obstacle is actually there for us to put ourselves right for miracles to happen. Surrender your self will for God's will to prevent calamities. We really don't know what's best until we discern it from the Holy Spirit.
Prayer: Father God I acknowledge that Your ways are higher than my ways. It is vain for me to try to improve on Your perfect will. Forgive me for insulting Your intelligence and I release everything You have initiated into Your hands for a perfect outcome. In Jesus' name. Amen.
