Being a Peacemaker<br>

Genesis 21 shows that God calls His people to be peacemakers in a fallen world full of conflict, pain, and sin. The chapter begins with Yahweh visiting Sarah exactly as He said and doing exactly as He promised. God’s word shapes reality. Sarah bears Isaac in Abraham’s old age, and laughter that once came from doubt becomes laughter over God’s faithfulness. Abraham names Isaac and circumcises him because God spoke, promised, and commanded, showing that faith listens to God and obeys what He says.

The conflict in Abraham’s household grows out of old failures of faith. Ishmael’s laughter becomes mocking at Isaac’s feast, and Sarah insists that Hagar and Ishmael must leave. God directs Abraham through this painful situation by reaffirming that the covenant line will go through Isaac while also promising to make Ishmael into a great nation. God’s word gives Abraham clarity when his emotions and family conflict make the path hard to see.

Hagar’s wilderness grief reveals that God hears the cries others may not hear. God hears Ishmael, whose very name means “God hears,” and He opens Hagar’s eyes to see the well of water already there. God provides for Ishmael by common grace, sustains him in the wilderness, and keeps His word to Abraham. The wilderness is rough and lonely, but God is still there.

Abraham’s obedience shows that peacemaking is more than knowing what God says. Peacemaking means doing what God says even when it is heart wrenching. God’s word does not merely illuminate the problem. God’s word calls for faith-filled action. Hearing the word without doing it leaves people managing pain that God may be calling them to face in faith.

Abraham’s covenant with Abimelech shows that peacemaking also exceeds expectations. Abraham agrees to deal truthfully, settles the dispute over the well, and gives seven ewe lambs as a witness of peace. Abraham calls on Yahweh as the everlasting God because God will be around to fulfill every promise He makes. Christ fulfills this pattern perfectly. Jesus exceeds every expectation to make peace by the blood of His cross, becoming the ultimate fence mender for sinners who had no peace with God.

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Key Takeaways

• 1. God’s word shapes real life Yahweh fulfills His promise to Sarah at the exact time He spoke. Isaac’s birth shows that God’s word is not wishful thinking or religious sentiment. God speaks into impossible situations and remains faithful long after human strength runs out. Faith learns to live by what God has said, not merely by what circumstances appear to allow. [32:50]
• 2. Peacemaking requires costly obedience Abraham’s obedience in sending Hagar and Ishmael away was not cold or easy. God’s direction required Abraham to trust God’s care for a son he loved when the outcome lay beyond his control. Painful obedience is not proof that God has abandoned His people. Painful obedience can become the place where God proves that He keeps His word. [44:04]
• 3. God opens eyes in wildernesses Hagar could see only thirst, grief, and the approaching death of her child. God opened her eyes to see the well of water already near her. Spiritual blindness often keeps people from recognizing God’s provision, while grace enables them to see Christ, the living water, in front of them. God hears cries that others never notice. [48:03]
• 4. Peace goes beyond bare obligation Abraham did more than make a minimal agreement with Abimelech. Abraham gave seven ewe lambs to establish a clear witness and secure peace around the well. Gospel-shaped peacemaking does not ask, “What is the least required?” It asks how peace can be pursued truthfully, generously, and in a way that honors Jesus. [64:37]
• 5. Christ is the ultimate fence mender Jesus entered a conflict sinners could never repair on their own. Christ humbled Himself, bore wrath for sin, died as a substitute, and rose so that guilty people could be reconciled to God. Believers pursue peace with others because Christ first lavished undeserved grace on them. The cross is peace made at the highest possible cost.
  
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Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [24:19] - Serving Together and Celebration Sunday
• [26:24] - Peace Lovers or Peacemakers
• [27:57] - Abraham’s Conflict in Genesis 21
• [30:05] - God Fulfills His Promise to Sarah
• [36:20] - Ishmael Mocks Isaac
• [38:50] - Knowing God’s Word in Conflict
• [42:39] - Hagar and Ishmael in the Wilderness
• [44:04] - Doing What God Says When It Hurts
• [50:34] - Hearers and Doers of the Word
• [54:41] - Abraham Makes Peace With Abimelech
• [60:15] - The Covenant at Beersheba
• [64:37] - Exceeding Expectations for Peace
• [67:53] - Jesus Makes Peace by the Cross
• [70:22] - A Call to Peace With God

Bible Reading

Genesis 21
“The LORD visited Sarah as he had said, and the LORD did to Sarah as he had promised. And Sarah conceived and bore Abraham a son in his old age at the time of which God had spoken to him. Abraham called the name of his son who was born to him, whom Sarah bore him, Isaac. And Abraham circumcised his son Isaac when he was eight days old, as God had commanded him. Abraham was a hundred years old when his son Isaac was born to him. And Sarah said, 'God has made laughter for me; everyone who hears will laugh over me.' And she said, 'Who would have said to Abraham that Sarah would nurse children? Yet I have borne him a son in his old age.' And the child grew and was weaned. And Abraham made a great feast on the day that Isaac was weaned. But Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian, whom she had borne to Abraham, laughing. So she said to Abraham, 'Cast out this slave woman with her son, for the son of this slave woman shall not be heir with my son Isaac.' And the thing was very displeasing to Abraham on account of his son. But God said to Abraham, 'Be not displeased because of the boy and because of your slave woman. Whatever Sarah says to you, do as she tells you, for through Isaac shall your offspring be named. And I will make a nation of the son of the slave woman also, because he is your offspring.' So Abraham rose early in the morning and took bread and a skin of water and gave it to Hagar, putting it on her shoulder, along with the child, and sent her away. And she departed and wandered in the wilderness of Beersheba. When the water in the skin was gone, she put the child under one of the bushes. Then she went and sat down opposite him a good way off, about the distance of a bowshot, for she said, 'Let me not look on the death of the child.' And as she sat opposite him, she lifted up her voice and wept. And God heard the voice of the boy, and the angel of God called to Hagar from heaven and said to her, 'What troubles you, Hagar? Fear not, for God has heard the voice of the boy where he is. Up! Lift up the boy, and hold him fast with your hand, for I will make him into a great nation.' Then God opened her eyes, and she saw a well of water. And she went and filled the skin with water and gave the boy a drink. And God was with the boy, and he grew up. He lived in the wilderness and became an expert with the bow. He lived in the wilderness of Paran, and his mother took a wife for him from the land of Egypt. At that time Abimelech and Phicol the commander of his army said to Abraham, 'God is with you in all that you do. Now therefore swear to me here by God that you will not deal falsely with me or with my descendants or with my posterity, but as I have dealt kindly with you, so you will deal with me and with the land where you have sojourned.' And Abraham said, 'I will swear.' When Abraham reproved Abimelech about a well of water that Abimelech's servants had seized, Abimelech said, 'I do not know who has done this thing; you did not tell me, and I have not heard of it until today.' So Abraham took sheep and oxen and gave them to Abimelech, and the two men made a covenant. Abraham set seven ewe lambs of the flock apart. And Abimelech said to Abraham, 'What is the meaning of these seven ewe lambs that you have set apart?' He said, 'These seven ewe lambs you will take from my hand, that this may be a witness for me that I dug this well.' Therefore that place was called Beersheba, because there both of them swore an oath. So they made a covenant at Beersheba. Then Abimelech and Phicol the commander of his army rose up and returned to the land of the Philistines. Abraham planted a tamarisk tree in Beersheba and called there on the name of the LORD, the Everlasting God. And Abraham sojourned many days in the land of the Philistines.” [24:19]

Matthew 5:9
“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.” [26:29]

Colossians 1:20
“and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.” [01:07:53]

Observation questions

1. What repeated actions in the opening of Genesis 21 show that Isaac’s birth happened according to God’s word and timing? [32:50]
2. What details show that Ishmael’s laughter at Isaac’s feast was not harmless celebration but mocking? [36:20]
3. What promises does God give concerning both Isaac and Ishmael when Abraham is distressed by the conflict in his household? [38:20]
4. In Abraham’s meeting with Abimelech, what steps does Abraham take to settle the dispute over the well and establish peace? [01:00:15]

Interpretation questions

1. Why does Genesis 21 connect God’s fulfilled promise to Sarah with Abraham naming and circumcising Isaac? What does this show about the relationship between faith, God’s promises, and obedience? [33:50]
2. Abraham’s family conflict grew out of earlier sinful choices, yet God still gave clear direction and kept His promises. How does this help a person face consequences from past failures without losing hope? [37:35]
3. Hagar saw only danger and loss until God opened her eyes to the well nearby. What kinds of spiritual blindness can keep a person from seeing God’s provision in a painful season? [48:03]
4. Why is Abraham’s gift of seven ewe lambs more than simply doing the minimum needed to end the dispute with Abimelech? What does it reveal about gospel-shaped peacemaking? [01:04:37]

Application questions

1. God’s word shapes real life, even when circumstances seem impossible. Where are you most tempted to let fear, delay, or appearances speak louder than what God has said? What promise or truth from Scripture do you need to hold onto? [32:50]
2. Is there a conflict in your life where you know the next faithful step but have delayed it because obedience feels too costly, awkward, or painful? What might it look like to act in faith rather than simply manage the pain? [50:34]
3. Hagar’s wilderness was lonely and frightening, but God heard and provided for her and Ishmael. Where do you feel worn down or alone right now? How might you ask God to open your eyes to His care and provision? [47:05]
4. Are you more likely to avoid conflict, stir it up, or pursue peace only when it costs very little? How does Jesus’ call to be a peacemaker challenge your usual response? [27:30]
5. Is there someone who may not even know that they have offended you? What would a truthful, gentle first conversation with that person look like rather than allowing distance or resentment to grow? [01:05:24]
6. Jesus made peace with sinners at the highest possible cost through His cross. How does remembering His undeserved grace change the way you could approach a strained relationship this week? [01:07:53]