(Genesis 25:1-18) Now Abraham took another wife, whose name was Keturah. 2 She bore to him Zimran and Jokshan and Medan and Midian and Ishbak and Shuah. 3 Jokshan became the father of Sheba and Dedan. And the sons of Dedan were Asshurim and Letushim and Leummim. 4 The sons of Midian were Ephah and Epher and Hanoch and Abida and Eldaah. All these were the sons of Keturah. 5 Now Abraham gave all that he had to Isaac; 6 but to the sons of his concubines, Abraham gave gifts while he was still living, and sent them away from his son Isaac eastward, to the land of the east.
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 in the cave of Machpelah, in the field of Ephron the son of Zohar the Hittite, facing Mamre, 10 the field which Abraham purchased from the sons of Heth; there Abraham was buried with Sarah his wife. 11 It came about after the death of Abraham, that God blessed his son Isaac; and Isaac lived by Beer-lahai-roi.
12 Now these are the records of the generations of Ishmael, Abraham’s son, whom Hagar the Egyptian, Sarah’s maid, bore to Abraham; 13 and these are the names of the sons of Ishmael, by their names, in the order of their birth: Nebaioth, the firstborn of Ishmael, and Kedar and Adbeel and Mibsam 14 and Mishma and Dumah and Massa, 15 Hadad and Tema, Jetur, Naphish and Kedemah. 16 These are the sons of Ishmael and these are their names, by their villages, and by their camps; twelve princes according to their tribes. 17 These are the years of the life of Ishmael, one hundred and thirty-seven years; and he breathed his last and died, and was gathered to his people. 18 They settled from Havilah to Shur which is east of Egypt as one goes toward Assyria; he settled in defiance of all his relatives.
TODAY'S THOUGHTS AND MEDITATION:
According to customs, the eldest son inherited everything. Isaac was the legitimate eldest son because he came from Abraham's wife, Sarah. His first wife. Remember, polygamy - NOT part of God's plan - ever! Ishmael, although older and still loved by Abraham, came out of a bad decision made by Abraham and Sarah because of their impatience and lack of trust in God giving them a son. And we can see that Abraham remarried. From the word "now" in verse one, we can assume that Abraham probably married again after Sarah died.
It was wise of Abraham to give all of his children gifts while he was still alive. Although even when a parent teaches their children that they should get along, it is outside a parent's control as to what they will do. Notice that even though Ishmael helped Isaac bury Abraham, Ishmael and his descendants became Israel's greatest enemy, as they still to this day believe they are the rightful heirs.
After parents pass away, people can get very greedy and ugly as they fight over who should get what. So, as parents, it is an excellent idea to have a clearly written will earlier on. Even though neither of us want to remarry, my husband and I have still included instructions that if one of us passes away and the other remarries, the inheritance from us will only go to our shared children. This is complicated enough, but with several blended families, it helps all involved to be prepared for all future events and situations in order to keep the peace, as best as possible.
Besides teaching our children how to best get along with each other, it is wise to teach our children how to be satisfied in life... which should hopefully produce mature adults who won't argue and fight at a reading of a will! So, let's consider verse 8 which states Abraham had been satisfied with his life.
One could say, of course Abraham was satisfied, because the Lord had blessed him with so much wealth. But we have to look over his entire life to remember that it wasn't without challenges. And Abraham hadn't been trying to get rich. Overall, he had trusted in the Lord, and the Lord saw him through many things, and because of his trust, the Lord blessed him.
It is essential to understand that God's blessings aren't necessarily financial. More important in life is having the Lord's joy, strength, hope, peace and contentment, which is true satisfaction. As we were created with a soul to be filled by the Lord, and have a close personal relationship with Him, it is only in the Lord that will we will find true satisfaction!
(Philippians 4:11-13) Not that I speak from need, for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am. 12 I know how to get along with little, and I also know how to live in prosperity; in any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need. 13 I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.
(Psalm 107:9) For He has satisfied the thirsty soul, and He has filled the hungry soul with what is good.
No comments:
Post a Comment