The story of Sarah and Hagar is as complicated as any modern family drama. In a moment of impatience, Sarah gave her maid Hagar to Abraham as a concubine so that he might have a son. Hagar conceived and bore Ishmael, who became the father of the Arab nations. From the very beginning, tension filled the tent. Hagar’s pride and Sarah’s jealousy collided, and eventually Sarah demanded that Abraham send Hagar and her son away. It sounds harsh, but God still showed mercy to Hagar, promising that Ishmael would become the father of twelve tribes. That promise came true, as recorded in Genesis 25. When Abraham died at 175, both Isaac and Ishmael attended his funeral. It was the last time the two names appear together in Scripture—an ancient family reunion at the edge of history. After that, Isaac’s line carried forward the promise of redemption, and Ishmael’s line faded into the deserts of Arabia.
Even today, the shadow of that family feud still stretches across the Middle East. The prophecy that Ishmael would “live in conflict with all his brothers” has proven painfully accurate. During a visit to Israel, I learned that our Jewish tour guide could not take us into Bethlehem, which was under Arab control. We had to switch guides at the border, and neither side seemed eager to mingle. Thousands of years later, the descendants of Isaac and Ishmael remain estranged. Yet, beneath the politics and conflict lies a profound spiritual truth. God kept His word to both sons. Ishmael’s descendants became many nations, while Isaac’s descendants became the people through whom God would send His Messiah. And through it all, God’s faithfulness remained unbroken. He never forgets His promises, even when His people forget Him.
The New Testament shines a brighter light on this old family tension. Paul explains in Romans that “not all who are descended from Israel belong to Israel,” and that “it is not the children of the flesh who are children of God, but the children of the promise” (Romans 9:6–8). Faith, not bloodline, determines our inheritance. Through Jesus Christ, God opened the family of faith to everyone—Jew, Gentile, and Arab alike. By His grace, we are “born again” into His household. Our names are added to the family record, right alongside the patriarchs: “Abraham, Isaac, Jacob… and Chuck.” God’s promise of redemption has room for all of us who believe, proving that in Christ, the quarrel of ages finds its peace.