Monday, July 12, 2010

Sibling Rivalry

Ishmael and Issac were both Abraham's sons. Ishmael was the son of an Egyptian servant, Hagar, and Issac was the son of Abraham's Iraqi wife, Sarah. Abraham was Sarah's half brother. You've heard of the strife between the Arabs and the Jews...it started with those two 1/2 brothers.
We get tired of our children when they fight over things that seem so trivial. Think of the promise that was made to Abraham...he would be the father of many nations. That was upheld. Ishmael wanted Issac's share. Issac's descendants took their share but lost it several times to Ishmael's descendants. In the past century, part of Issac's share was given back to the descendants through Israel/Jacob.
Strife because Abraham and Sarah tried to make God's Promise happen their way.