Speaker 1: Previously on the chosen people.
Speaker 2: I would have you achieved this promise another way. I
Speaker 2: would present my maid to you so that you could
Speaker 2: conceive a child with her. The child would be of
Speaker 2: your flesh and blood, and you would only have to
Speaker 2: adopt him as your heir. In that way, we would
Speaker 2: achieve God's promise to us. We could build our family
Speaker 2: through this child you would conceive with another.
Speaker 1: And so Hagar did as her lady instructed. That very
Speaker 1: night she was escorted to her lord's tent.
Speaker 3: My nothing but a mayor to you to be broken
Speaker 3: in bread. However you see fit. You will snatch this
Speaker 3: child of mine the moment it is free, and claim
Speaker 3: it as your own.
Speaker 4: Master Abram, congratulations, Hagar has born your son.
Speaker 5: The boy's name.
Speaker 6: Will be Ishmael. Let me ask you this is anything
Speaker 6: impossible for God Almighty? Is anything too hard or too
Speaker 6: marvelous for him to achieve?
Speaker 7: No?
Speaker 6: At the appointed time, I will come back to you.
Speaker 6: In about a year, she will have a son.
Speaker 2: How could this be? After all this time, when I
Speaker 2: am worn out and my lord is old? Will I
Speaker 2: have this delight? I can't help it. You're never going
Speaker 2: to believe it. It's finally happened.
Speaker 8: God's promised to us, with child, You're going to be
Speaker 8: our father.
Speaker 9: Sarah has given you a son, Isaac Master.
Speaker 8: The boy's name is Isaac.
Speaker 1: Ishmael loved his father and wanted him to be happy,
Speaker 1: But all this laughing was beginning to grate on him.
Speaker 1: Each peal of laughter and joy turned to mockery in
Speaker 1: Ishmael's ears. Their joy was his loss.
Speaker 10: In the barren wilderness of Bear Sheba, where hope seemed
Speaker 10: a distant mirage, a mother's cry pierced the heavens, and
Speaker 10: a child's tears touched the heart of God. Cello, my friends,
Speaker 10: from here in the holy Land of Israel, i'm ya
Speaker 10: l Eckstein with International Fellowship of Christians and Jews. Welcome
Speaker 10: to the Chosen People. Each day we'll hear a dramatic
Speaker 10: story inspired by the Bible, stories filled with timeless lessons
Speaker 10: of faith, love, and the meaning of life. Through Israel's story,
Speaker 10: we find this truth that we are all chosen for
Speaker 10: something great. Let's begin. Have you ever felt the sting
Speaker 10: of rejection, the ache of abandonment? Has it ever felt
Speaker 10: like someone else's joy is your sorrow? In this dramatized
Speaker 10: story inspired by Genesis twenty one. We see very things
Speaker 10: in the lives of Hagar and Ishmael. But what if
Speaker 10: the desert of our own despairs the very place where
Speaker 10: God meets us. What if, in our moments of deepest need,
Speaker 10: we find the well spring of his mercy. Let's journey
Speaker 10: into the desert together and seek the answers that lie
Speaker 10: in this story.
Speaker 1: The speeches were just beginning. Torches illuminated the joyful faces
Speaker 1: of Abraham's household, beaming as Abraham waxed poetry about his
Speaker 1: newborn son. The teenaged Ishmael was already well into his
Speaker 1: fourth cup of wine, fury rising with each ship.
Speaker 11: I still can't believe the joy I felt, both for
Speaker 11: Sarah and me in these three years.
Speaker 12: Who would have thought that I, a hundred and three
Speaker 12: year old man, would be giving a speech at his
Speaker 12: son's weaning celebration. Why I was already as old as
Speaker 12: an oh when God promised Isaac to me, and that
Speaker 12: was over thirty years ago.
Speaker 8: I finally have a son. Ha ha ha ha.
Speaker 1: Ishmael winced at the words, murmuring into his cup.
Speaker 13: You already had a sun, foolish old man.
Speaker 1: Hager gave him a sharp look. Isaac grunned, and he
Speaker 1: returned to his cup, listening to his father ramble on
Speaker 1: about how the birth of his son Isaac had completely
Speaker 1: changed his life. It had been a long three years
Speaker 1: for Ishmael as he watched the babe grow, every day,
Speaker 1: drawing closer to this weaning ceremony, the day that marked personhood.
Speaker 1: Isaac had survived infancy and crossed over into the threshold
Speaker 1: of childhood.
Speaker 5: The day also.
Speaker 1: Marked the unofficial acceptance of Isaac's claim to airship. Abraham continued,
Speaker 1: face bursting with youthful exuberance.
Speaker 11: I'm reminded of that glorious encounter I had all those
Speaker 11: years ago as we celebrate Isaac now the fruition of
Speaker 11: our God's incredible promise. Our God has truly blessed my soul.
Speaker 11: I'm overwhelmed by how great he is.
Speaker 1: Ishmael sighed as his father referenced the promise that had
Speaker 1: shaped his entire life. There was a time when that
Speaker 1: promise had applied to Ishmael. His mother often told him
Speaker 1: the story of his birth and how she was elevated
Speaker 1: from slave to wife, begrudgingly so, especially if you were
Speaker 1: to confer with lady Sarah. But despite's resentments, Ishmael was
Speaker 1: the legitimate heir of Abraham in the eyes of the law.
Speaker 1: His mother reminded him of this often when he endured
Speaker 1: scathing looks from Sarah, or when the other boys teased
Speaker 1: him about his mother's lowly heritage or his distinctly Egyptian features.
Speaker 1: His mother told them it was only because of their
Speaker 1: jealousy that they poked and prodded at his ego. This
Speaker 1: came to shape Ishmael's worldview. The law was on his side,
Speaker 1: no matter what anyone had to say about it. But
Speaker 1: despite that assurance, Ishmael was emboldened to work hard and
Speaker 1: earn his father's affection. He would prove that he was
Speaker 1: a worthy heir, despite how it came to be.
Speaker 8: I imagined the mystery the majesty of our God, as
Speaker 8: if he was clothed in a splendor, and the light
Speaker 8: of his glory covers all of us and into the
Speaker 8: heavens like a great head.
Speaker 1: The faith of his father's, his father, the prophet of
Speaker 1: the God Almighty. Ishmael just didn't understand it. His father
Speaker 1: spoke of his God as if he were a friend
Speaker 1: and a guide, but also to be feared and respected.
Speaker 1: Ishmael found he would rather rely on the strength of
Speaker 1: his hands and the sharpness of his mind. But he
Speaker 1: had played the part of dutiful son and heir. He
Speaker 1: followed the customs, prayed the prayers, and had even been
Speaker 1: circumcised with the rest of the household. He was marked
Speaker 1: by this God and a part of this governant, the
Speaker 1: same as every other man in Abraham's house. But deep down,
Speaker 1: Ishmael felt separated from them, exemplified by his distinct Egyptian
Speaker 1: features passed down from his mother.
Speaker 8: And even the clouds and the winds, and.
Speaker 2: Abraham, our guests want to eat your rambling.
Speaker 14: Yes, my love, you're right, I've gotten carried away. Please,
Speaker 14: my friends, let us feast and drink to my promised son, Isaac.
Speaker 14: May he always bring his mother and me joy, as
Speaker 14: well as to all he meets.
Speaker 1: The crowd murmured their agreement, and smatterings of conversation struck
Speaker 1: up throughout the tent. Ishmael was seated at the end
Speaker 1: of his father's table with his mother. From this vantage point,
Speaker 1: it was painfully obvious that she was slighted by the
Speaker 1: other women, though she had been raised from the status
Speaker 1: of slave. She had not overcome the stigma. Ishmael's blood
Speaker 1: boiled at this familiar hurt on behalf of his mother.
Speaker 1: When most of their party had eaten their fill, Sarah's
Speaker 1: nursemaid brought the now ween child Isaac out and placed
Speaker 1: him in his mother's hands. The other women fawned over
Speaker 1: the boy and showered Sarah with their attention. It was
Speaker 1: more than Ishmael could stand. He stood abruptly from the
Speaker 1: table and went to recline with the other young men
Speaker 1: at a table further out of via shot.
Speaker 8: Released from your duty as air already, Ishmael, Oh, yes,
Speaker 8: how does it feel to be overshadowed by an infant?
Speaker 13: That baby is not going to replace me, Ishmael.
Speaker 8: We only jest. I'm sure this day can't.
Speaker 5: Be easy for you.
Speaker 13: Why should it make a difference. I'm a legitimate heir.
Speaker 13: I don't see why this second son should change anything.
Speaker 8: I wouldn't be so sure about that. What Tabam means
Speaker 8: to say is that we're sure you have a better
Speaker 8: understanding of the situation than we do. Don't speak for me,
Speaker 8: Jock Shan. Ishmael should consider what this means for his
Speaker 8: birth ride. Keep your voice down. You're just gonna stir
Speaker 8: up trouble.
Speaker 13: No, no, I think Teba may be right. This child
Speaker 13: could challenge my right to what is rightfully mine, Ishmael.
Speaker 8: They're going to hear you. How much wine have you had?
Speaker 5: You're not thinking straight?
Speaker 13: Look at him. This child is going to be coddled
Speaker 13: by his ancient mother. He's going to be soft and weak.
Speaker 13: This clam needs a strong leader. His name means to laugh.
Speaker 13: The other nations will be laughing at us. This child
Speaker 13: is a joke. His co airship with me is laughable.
Speaker 13: He makes a mockery of our people.
Speaker 1: The two other boys gaped to Dishmael's outburst in an
Speaker 1: almost silent room. The guests had quieted as Ishmael's rant
Speaker 1: had built to its height. Sarah fixed him with a
Speaker 1: venomous stare, which, if he had been sober, have given
Speaker 1: him the good sense to back down. He also failed
Speaker 1: to note the mounting panic in his mother's eyes.
Speaker 13: What we all know the law? Are we not people
Speaker 13: who uphold the laws of our land? This child can't
Speaker 13: snatch my birth right away from me. This changes nothing.
Speaker 1: With that, Ishmael kicked back the drugs of his wine,
Speaker 1: threw his cup to the ground and stormed from the tent.
Speaker 1: One could cut the tension in the silence that followed
Speaker 1: with a knife.
Speaker 11: All right, everyone, pay no attention to my oldest. The
Speaker 11: fire of youth burns in his belly.
Speaker 8: Please return to your meal.
Speaker 1: The most assertive of the guests coaxed their neighbors back
Speaker 1: to the uneasy conversation to smooth over the awkwardness of
Speaker 1: Ishmael's tantrum. Sarah passed Isaacov to the nursemaid, gave her
Speaker 1: husband a look, and marched out of the tent as well,
Speaker 1: in the opposite direction. Abraham sighed and followed her. Sarah
Speaker 1: had grown to hate Ishmael as she had grown to
Speaker 1: hate Hager, but his outburst was a step too far.
Speaker 2: The audacity of this brazen, entitled child, the child of
Speaker 2: a slave. No less, I don't know why you haven't
Speaker 2: divorced that Egyptian slave and expelled both of them from
Speaker 2: our household. There's no need for him anymore.
Speaker 8: We have our son, Sarah. I know you're upset ed.
Speaker 2: This cannot stand, Abraham, This impertinent child and his mother
Speaker 2: must be dealt with.
Speaker 8: He's just a boy. This is a big adjustment for him.
Speaker 2: I don't care. His feelings mean nothing to me. You
Speaker 2: heard him. The law does protect him until you divorce
Speaker 2: his mother. Our son will always have to bear this rivalry.
Speaker 2: I have not endured what I have endured or suffered
Speaker 2: the way I have suffered to see my son sit
Speaker 2: as co heir to our legacy and the promise of
Speaker 2: our God. You know I am speaking the truth, Abraham.
Speaker 2: Don't give me that look like I'm speaking nonsense.
Speaker 8: But Ishmaels of my flesh and blood. He is my son.
Speaker 8: Should he be denied what is owed to him by
Speaker 8: the laws of our land. I am your flesh and
Speaker 8: blood too, as.
Speaker 2: Well as Isaac. What do you value more the law
Speaker 2: of the land or the promise.
Speaker 8: Of our God.
Speaker 1: Sarah could tell her words had stopped her husband in
Speaker 1: his tracks. She let the silence settle between them and
Speaker 1: cried out to their God in her heart. Her fury
Speaker 1: still heated her skin, but her words were sound. Abraham
Speaker 1: had to see reason. He had to understand the division
Speaker 1: he was creating by allowing the boy and his mother
Speaker 1: to stay. This was a threat to the very promise
Speaker 1: that God had made them. This was bigger than the two.
Speaker 8: Of them, Sarah, in your anger towards the boy's mother,
Speaker 8: would you really have me strip them of their status?
Speaker 8: Where would they go? They would have no place in
Speaker 8: our land? Oh any others?
Speaker 2: This union between you and Hagar was a mistake, A
Speaker 2: mistake I still hold you accountable for, but I endured
Speaker 2: it so you may have an heir. But now I've
Speaker 2: provided you with a son untainted by all this nonsense.
Speaker 2: I won't see it ruined. I must protect the promise
Speaker 2: that is to be inherited by our son. I cannot
Speaker 2: stand by any longer. For the sake of Isaac. I
Speaker 2: must protect my son. I can only hope you will
Speaker 2: do the same as his father.
Speaker 11: What you ask is not a small task. I must
Speaker 11: seek our God about this matter before I give you
Speaker 11: an answer.
Speaker 2: He is my God. To Abraham, I pray that he
Speaker 2: will show you that this is right.
Speaker 8: You'll know my answer by morning.
Speaker 2: I know you've come to love the boy. I am
Speaker 2: sorry for the painness will cause you. But you know
Speaker 2: I'm right, don't you.
Speaker 8: I I need to pray.
Speaker 1: Abraham pays the length of his lands for several hours,
Speaker 1: weighing every option and wading through every anxiety that he
Speaker 1: felt until he finally heard from his God, Abraham.
Speaker 5: I know your heart is greatly burdened. Do not be distressed.
Speaker 8: But my God, how can I not be the fate
Speaker 8: of my first born son hangs in the balance. Must
Speaker 8: I truly choose between my sons? And if I choose wrong,
Speaker 8: will I lose the trust of my wife?
Speaker 5: Do not worry about the boy Ishmael or his mother, Hagar,
Speaker 5: for they are not only in your care, Abraham, they
Speaker 5: are in mine.
Speaker 8: What would you have me?
Speaker 5: Do you are to honor your wife Sarah? Listen to
Speaker 5: what she says and do what she asks. Remember I
Speaker 5: am fulfilling my promise to you. Through Sarah and through
Speaker 5: your boy Isaac, your line will be traced through him.
Speaker 7: Yes, God Almighty, I remember your words well. But what
Speaker 7: of Ishmael? How can I abandon him?
Speaker 5: I have seen Ishmael and his mother in their strife.
Speaker 5: I will not forget them. I have promised Hagar that
Speaker 5: her son, your son, will be made into a nation.
Speaker 5: He will be all that you have faithfully raised him
Speaker 5: to be. Trust what I am telling you.
Speaker 1: Soothed by his God's words, Abraham set out to make
Speaker 1: the preparations for the departure of Ishmael and Hagar early
Speaker 1: in the morning, mere hours after Ishmael's blunder, Elieza and
Speaker 1: a reluctant Abraham entered Hagar and Ishmael's tent.
Speaker 9: Hagar, Master Abraham has informed me that it's time for
Speaker 9: you both to leave immediately.
Speaker 3: What but why is this about Ishmael's outburst last night?
Speaker 3: He won't do it again.
Speaker 9: I swear this is the will of my master. You
Speaker 9: are no longer welcome here. This is a formal renouncing
Speaker 9: of your marriage to Abraham and Ishmael's writer's heir.
Speaker 13: It was that serpent Sarah. She was behind all this.
Speaker 9: She's I wouldn't make this any worse, Ishmael. I have
Speaker 9: some of our armed men ready.
Speaker 15: But but I would prefer not to call them.
Speaker 13: Father. You would stand there and say nothing. Well, this
Speaker 13: man casts us out.
Speaker 3: He's always been a cart. How long do we have
Speaker 3: to leave? Is there a cart prepared for us? Goods,
Speaker 3: Master Abraham, do you have anything to say for yourself?
Speaker 1: Hagar's anger raged against Abraham's tortured face as he stood
Speaker 1: still and straight the picture of enacting justice on behalf
Speaker 1: of his offended primary wife, Hager knew that was the
Speaker 1: true reason for this divorce, for that was what this was.
Speaker 1: Sarah had finally had enough. She could no longer suffer
Speaker 1: the looming threat of Ishmael contesting her son's airship, and
Speaker 1: once again what little Hagar had being stripped away from her.
Speaker 16: You know everything. I cannot say freely. I have no
Speaker 16: right to give you anything, but I would not have
Speaker 16: you cast out with but nothing. I have a sack
Speaker 16: of bread and a waterskin. You must go now before
Speaker 16: anyone sees. Please go now.
Speaker 13: Unbelievable, the cruelty, the heartlessness. Why are you doing this?
Speaker 4: You know why, young Ishmael. This is how it has
Speaker 4: to be. No, please leave, And that was it. There
Speaker 4: was no ceremony, no preamble or formality to it. But
Speaker 4: by sending them out, Abraham had.
Speaker 1: Effectively divorced Hager, stripping her and her son of their
Speaker 1: status in his household. This was the way of their
Speaker 1: culture and sound in the eyes of the law. With
Speaker 1: this simple gesture, Hagar was no longer a wife, and
Speaker 1: Ishmael's claim was dissolved. The only inheritance Hagar's son would
Speaker 1: see was the bread and water skin. Hagar was free,
Speaker 1: Her status would not revert back to being a slave,
Speaker 1: but somehow freedom felt like a punishment. With no protection
Speaker 1: from the law or husband, there were not many places
Speaker 1: for them to go, and so Hagar and her son
Speaker 1: wandered in the wilderness of Beer. Shebber the region was
Speaker 1: barren and inhospitable. In her exhaustion and thirst, Hagar could
Speaker 1: not remember how long it had been since they passed
Speaker 1: a well. They had finished the bread weeks ago and
Speaker 1: survived off the meager gain that likewise wandered the wilderness.
Speaker 1: Ishmael was at talented shot, but he could not summon
Speaker 1: a game that was not there. And now they were
Speaker 1: down to the last drops of water in the water
Speaker 1: skin Abraham had given them. Ishmael did not acknowledge its
Speaker 1: near emptiness as he handed the last of their water
Speaker 1: to his mother. Hagar accepted his gesture as her heart
Speaker 1: sank at their dire situation. Few words had been exchanged
Speaker 1: between them since they had been expelled, but she could
Speaker 1: read the devastation all over her son's face. It told
Speaker 1: her everything she needed to know about how he was
Speaker 1: processing the loss of his inheritance, the loss of his father.
Speaker 1: And so they wandered two ghosts upon the land. Hunger
Speaker 1: clawed at Hagar's belly and collapse threatened. As now days
Speaker 1: had passed since her last sip of water, Ishmael started
Speaker 1: to stumble beside her. He was younger and stronger, but
Speaker 1: his body required more food than hearsted. He was nearly
Speaker 1: a man grown now. When she looked into his eyes,
Speaker 1: she could see grief and weariness etched inside. He was
Speaker 1: losing the very will to live. Her eyes welled with
Speaker 1: tears and her throat tightened at the sight of her
Speaker 1: once vibrant son starting to falter, his body on the
Speaker 1: brink of shutting down. She cried out as he suddenly
Speaker 1: slumped to the ground.
Speaker 13: Ishmael, Mother, I Ishmael, come over here.
Speaker 3: Let me get you to the shade.
Speaker 13: I'm I'm afraid, I miss Holme.
Speaker 3: I'll stay with you until you fall asleep.
Speaker 1: Hager winced as tears immediately brimmed her eyes. Hagar dragged
Speaker 1: her son over to the meager shade of a bush
Speaker 1: near the road. It would have to do grimly. She supposed,
Speaker 1: this was as good a place to die as any
Speaker 1: in this terrible wasteland. Ishmael groaned and closed his eyes
Speaker 1: as he sagged in the dirt. He murmured fragments of
Speaker 1: apologies and regret that Hagar could not comprehend, but she
Speaker 1: whispered comforting words in reply. She stayed with him until
Speaker 1: his breath slowed and he lost consciousness and fitfully fell
Speaker 1: quiet as she watched his chest rise and fall. Agony
Speaker 1: tore through Hagar, and she found she could not bear
Speaker 1: to watch thirst and hunger steal her son away from her.
Speaker 1: She crawled away from where he lay, lest he wake
Speaker 1: and hear her sobbing over his body. When she was
Speaker 1: about a bow shot away, she finally gave in to
Speaker 1: the depths of her despair.
Speaker 2: I can't.
Speaker 3: I can't watch him die.
Speaker 1: Hager failed to notice the stillness that settled around her,
Speaker 1: or the comforting presence that wrapped its arms around her.
Speaker 1: She wept until a gentle voice whispered in her ear.
Speaker 15: Hagar, do not be afraid, Hagar, do not be afraid.
Speaker 15: Your cries have been heard by the God almighty. He
Speaker 15: has also heard the anguish of your son. Your torment
Speaker 15: has not gone unnoticed. Get up, go to your son
Speaker 15: and help him.
Speaker 3: How How can I do as you ask?
Speaker 13: Where would we go?
Speaker 3: What are we to.
Speaker 15: Do as I have seen you before, I see you now,
Speaker 15: and as I promised you then I will remind you.
Speaker 15: Now grasp the hand of your son, for he is
Speaker 15: to be a great nation. Someday I will make it so.
Speaker 1: Before Hagar could answer, she felt the comforting presence lift
Speaker 1: from her shoulders, and she suddenly saw a well before her.
Speaker 1: She cried out in surprise. Had she been delirious or blind?
Speaker 1: There had been nothing, no water sauce at all for
Speaker 1: miles and miles, but here was one before her now.
Speaker 1: She crawled over to it on her hands and knees.
Speaker 1: She had to be dreaming some frenzied mirage, conjured up
Speaker 1: by her dehydration, But no. She placed her hands on solid,
Speaker 1: chiseled limestone stones. She pulled herself up to haul off
Speaker 1: the cover and peer over the edge. In its depths
Speaker 1: was an abundance of fresh, clean water. She cried out
Speaker 1: in relief and grasped the rope hanging over the side
Speaker 1: of the well, sunk the pail on the other end
Speaker 1: into the water, and pulled it up. She collapsed against
Speaker 1: its side as she drank deeply. She then fumbled for
Speaker 1: her satchel. The water skin was still inside. With shaking hands,
Speaker 1: she filled it and limped back to Ishmael's side. She
Speaker 1: gently lifted his head so he could drink from the
Speaker 1: water skin. Her heart soared and a flicker of hope
Speaker 1: sprang back to life as she saw her son's eyes open.
Speaker 1: Ishmael's alertness returned when they both drank their fill, and
Speaker 1: he also noticed the world before them. They both laughed
Speaker 1: and laughed on the edge of delirium and relief. Perhaps
Speaker 1: now they too would see a promise fulfilled by the
Speaker 1: God of Abraham.
Speaker 10: The story of Hagar and Ishmael in the desert is
Speaker 10: one of those passages that grips your heart and doesn't
Speaker 10: let go. Here we have Hagar, an Egyptian slave, and
Speaker 10: her Ishmaell cast out into the wilderness. Can you imagine
Speaker 10: their fear, their desperation, a mother watching her child whither
Speaker 10: under the unforgiving son, their water supply evaporating to nothing.
Speaker 10: It's raw, it's painful, it's human. And then there's God
Speaker 10: in the midst of despair of this mother and her child.
Speaker 10: Right when all seems lost, an angel calls out, do
Speaker 10: not be afraid. God has heard the boy crying. Isn't
Speaker 10: that just like God showing up in our darkest moments,
Speaker 10: bringing hope when hope seems impossible. This story moves me
Speaker 10: deeply because it's a testament of God's faithfulness to his compassion,
Speaker 10: even when we've been cast aside by the world. God hears,
Speaker 10: God sees, God provides. Hagar and Ishmael's story is a
Speaker 10: reminder that no one is forgotten by God, not a
Speaker 10: single one of us. So when I read this passage,
Speaker 10: I'm reminded to trust in God's provision and in his
Speaker 10: grace even in life's driest, most hopeless spots. Someone asked
Speaker 10: me the other day what would I say if I
Speaker 10: had to choose one word to describe the work of
Speaker 10: the Fellowship, and to be honest, A lot of different
Speaker 10: words came to mind, and I bet if I were
Speaker 10: asked this question every day, I would come up with
Speaker 10: a different answer each time, because there is just so
Speaker 10: much that we do here in Israel and all around
Speaker 10: the world. But this time, the first word that popped
Speaker 10: into my head was hope. In Hebrew, we say tikva
Speaker 10: because I see hope everywhere I look. In the work
Speaker 10: of the Fellowship. I see hope when we bring food
Speaker 10: and blankets to elderly Holocaust survivors. I see hope when
Speaker 10: I have a chance to visit Jews who are living
Speaker 10: in poverty in the former Soviet Union. And I see
Speaker 10: hope when I meet Jewish oleem new immigrants to Israel
Speaker 10: who left their lives behind and arrive in Israel on
Speaker 10: the tarmac of Bengurian Airport, in Israel, their biblical homeland,
Speaker 10: full of hope for their future. I see hope when
Speaker 10: we are part of biblical prophecy coming to fruition, and
Speaker 10: when we fulfill the words of the Bible to feed
Speaker 10: the hungry, clothe the naked, shelter the poor. In each
Speaker 10: of these moments, the work that we do is hope
Speaker 10: tikva to God's children, and hope is what the story
Speaker 10: of Hagar and Ishmael is all about. After Hagar and
Speaker 10: Ishmael ran out of water in the desert, the Bible
Speaker 10: tells us that Hagar put the boy down and went
Speaker 10: far away so that she wouldn't see him die. She
Speaker 10: had given up all hope of saving him. She had
Speaker 10: resigned herself to her horrible fate. But then Verse nineteen
Speaker 10: tells us that God opened her eyes and she saw
Speaker 10: a well of water. The Bible doesn't say that God
Speaker 10: performed a miracle and created a well for the thirsty
Speaker 10: mother and child. No, the well was there all the time,
Speaker 10: but Hagar had been unable to see it. She had
Speaker 10: given up hope. But when God entered the picture, suddenly
Speaker 10: Hagar could see the well. It took God to open
Speaker 10: up her eyes to give her hope once again. You see,
Speaker 10: my friend, there are times when hope is there, just
Speaker 10: waiting for us to see it. But we are blinded
Speaker 10: by our doubts. We are blinded by hopelessness. We see
Speaker 10: what we feel. But when we place our faith in God,
Speaker 10: there's always hope, and therefore that's what we see. Let's
Speaker 10: dive deeper into the Hebrew that we find in the
Speaker 10: scriptures when we talk about Hagar and her son's encounter
Speaker 10: with God. First we have Ishmael. His name literally translates
Speaker 10: to God hears. Think about that, in the middle of
Speaker 10: Hagar's despair and the vast emptiness of the desert, Ishmael
Speaker 10: God hears. He hears the cries of a mother and
Speaker 10: her son. He hears the pain and the anguish and
Speaker 10: the desperation. Ishmael's name is a testament to a God
Speaker 10: who is attentive to our suffering, a God who is
Speaker 10: not deaf to our cries. Ishmael, God hears. He hears
Speaker 10: every whisper, hears every sob, hears every silent PLEA God hears,
Speaker 10: and he provides us with hope. But you might ask
Speaker 10: why was hope and even a miracle given to Ishmael,
Speaker 10: this son of Abraham, who was not meant to carry
Speaker 10: on the chosen people. Well, the Jewish sages explain that
Speaker 10: the answer to that question lies in three simple words,
Speaker 10: three words in Hebrew and three words in English. Verse
Speaker 10: seventeen says God heard the boy crying, and the Angel
Speaker 10: of God called out to Hugger from heaven and said
Speaker 10: to her, what is the matter with you? Hugger, do
Speaker 10: not fear, for God has heard the voice of the boy.
Speaker 10: And then these three words where he is I want
Speaker 10: to read you those same three words in Hebrew. But Ascher,
Speaker 10: who shum God, is saying, I will only judge this
Speaker 10: young man where he stands right now. He hasn't done
Speaker 10: anything terrible in his life so far, and so even
Speaker 10: though maybe he'll go on to do bad things, I'm
Speaker 10: going to judge him favorably now as he stands right now,
Speaker 10: exactly where he is, a chaer who shun for what
Speaker 10: he's done up to this point in his life. Wow,
Speaker 10: that's radical. God knew what was gonna be. He knew
Speaker 10: that this was gonna only cause trouble and problems for
Speaker 10: his children, for the Chosen people. And still God says,
Speaker 10: I am judging him only where he is right now.
Speaker 10: If this boy has not yet sinned, I am not
Speaker 10: going to do any judgment on him. What an important
Speaker 10: lesson for us today. Sometimes we worry about things we
Speaker 10: have done in the past or things we're afraid we
Speaker 10: might do in the future. But the story of Hagar
Speaker 10: and Ishmael teaches us that God judges us by where
Speaker 10: we are right now and what we do right now.
Speaker 10: Isn't that a wonderful idea. You don't need to worry
Speaker 10: and obsess over what you've done in the past or
Speaker 10: what you might do in the future. Think about what
Speaker 10: you're doing right now. Is that what God wants from you.
Speaker 10: Isn't this a lesson that gives you hope. God hears
Speaker 10: your cries, my friends, He sees your struggles, and the
Speaker 10: story of Hagar and Ishmael. We see this truth vividly.
Speaker 10: In their desert, God provided well a source of life
Speaker 10: and sustenance. And in your own wilderness, God provides refreshment.
Speaker 10: When you feel abandoned, know that He is near. You
Speaker 10: are not forgotten. Your cries do not go unheard, Your
Speaker 10: struggles do not go unseen. God is with you in
Speaker 10: the midst of your pain, working behind the scenes, preparing away,
Speaker 10: blessing you and providing you hope. And here is a
Speaker 10: final blessing to give you tikuva, to give you hope.
Speaker 10: Ivare hashem vieschmurecher Yeah, Heir hashempanave ileha ye sa hashempanavelera.
Speaker 8: Salon.
Speaker 10: May the Lord bless you and keep you. May the
Speaker 10: Lord make his face shine upon you. May he be
Speaker 10: gracious to you. Made the Lord turn his face towards
Speaker 10: you and give you peace.
Speaker 13: Amen.
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Speaker 1: made possible by our dedicated team of creative talents, Steve Katina,
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Speaker 1: producers of The Chosen People with Yaiel Eckstein, edited by
Speaker 1: Alberto Avilla, narrated by Paul Coltofianu. Characters are voiced by
Speaker 1: Jonathan Cotton, Aaron Salvato, Sarah Seltz, Mike Reagan, Stephen Ringwold,
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