1. The Lord remembered His promise to Sarah (vs. 1-7)
 a) v1-2 emphasizes the Lord’s faithfulness to His promises rather than the birth (17:16,21,18:10). “took 
     note of”- visited graciously. They waited 25 years.
 b) Abraham’s obedience is emphasized: naming “Isaac” (17:19) & circumcising him the 8th day (17:12). 
 c) Sarah with further play on Isaac’s name (“laugh”) was beside herself with joy.
2. God remembered His promise to Hagar (vs. 8-21)
 a) Abraham held a great feast for Isaac when he was weaned (up to about 3). Ishmael was about 16-17.
 b) “the son of Hagar/Egyptian”- Ishmael not mentioned, “mocking”- related to “Isaac/laughter”, Gal. 
     4:29 uses “persecuted” – likely scoffing & deriding the child of promise with jealousy/resentment.
 c) Sarah insisted that Abraham send Hagar away to which Abraham was greatly distressed. Ishmael was 
     Abraham’s son & up to that point, heir. According to their law codes, he had a right to a share in the 
     inheritance, but a son by a slave woman could forgo his inheritance claims in exchange for freedom. 
     There were hard feeling already between the two women. Apparently Sarah could see that if the two 
     boys remained together things would get worse (rivalry, persecution…), and the split was inevitable. 
     This mess began with Abraham listening to Sarah (16:2), but this time God told Abraham to listen to 
     Sarah: Isaac was the seed through which the covenant promises would be passed. God reassured 
     Abraham that the son of the maid would become a great nation as well (17:20) since he was from 
     Abraham: relieving him of fears of his survival.
 d) v14 “Abraham rose early”- immediate obedience. He gave them enough food & water supplies as they 
     could carry and sent them away. They wandered in the wilderness of Beersheba (?20 miles s. of 
     Gerar). Seemingly lost, without water & exhausted she left (“throw, cast”) him under the shade of a 
     bush & cried out & wept for the boy to be spared.
 e) “God heard” (word play with Ishmael) the lad crying” (guilty one) and the angel/God called to her 
     from heaven. He calmed her fears that God heard the lad. She was to lift up the young man & hold him 
     by the hand. God repeated His promise (16:10-11, 21:13) that he would become a great nation. Then 
     he opened her eyes to see a well of water to meet their immediate need.
 f) God was with Ishmael just as with other men of faith. He lived in the wilderness/Paran, south of 
     Canaan, NE portion of the Sinai Peninsula. became an archer & married an Egyptian (Hagar’s home). 
     God had a plan & promise for the “un-promised” child.
3. The Lord remembered His promise to Abraham (vs. 22-34)
 a) Abimelech (possibly a throne name, Gen. 20,26) and his commander, Phicol, came to Abraham 
     saying, “God is with you.” God’s commitment to Abraham in Gen. 12:1-3 become clear to another 
     king. Abraham was deceptive with them before. They wanted a treaty with him where he would not 
     deal falsely with them or their descendants.
 b) v24-25 Abraham was willing to make a covenant, but complained/reproved Abimelech over the point 
     of contention that Abimelech’s servants seized Abraham’s well of water. Abimelech declared he knew 
     nothing about this.
 c) They established a covenant with animal sacrifices (v27, Gen. 15:10f). Abraham also gave Abimelech 
     7 ewe lambs as a witness that Abraham dug this well. By taking them Abimelech was allowing him to 
     use that well. The place became known as “Beersheba” (“well of seven” , “oath” from a similar root).
 d) Abraham planted a tamarisk tree at Beersheba (indicates a place of settlement). This was a good shade 
     tree that drew in desert region. More importantly he called on the name of the LORD, the Everlasting 
     God. The LORD had been faithful to His promises to bless him & this would continue beyond 
     Abraham’s life to his descendants (see 17:7,8,19 on “everlasting”). The Everlasting God gave would 
     always be there working even though Abraham would continue as a sojourner in the land of the 
     Philistines without possession of the promise land.