Day 10 - Hagar and Ishmael

Genesis 20-21; Job 9-10; Proverbs 2:6-8;

Commentary on Genesis 20:

1. Abraham goes to Gerar, a territory in southern Palestine, near Gaza.
2. There, he tells the same lie to the King of Gerar, Abimelech, that he told to the Pharaoh: that Sarah is his sister, and not his wife. Later, we discover that this is a “half-truth”. Abraham is Sarah’s half-sister, they have the same father but different mothers.
3. The King takes Sarah as his wife, but God appears to him in a dream, saying that He kept him from sinning, and that if he doesn’t return Sarah, he’ll be punished.
4. Abimelech then restores Sarah to Abraham and gives him animals and slaves.
5. God restores fertility in the house of the king after having had “closed all the wombs”.

Allegorical:

• By protecting Sara’s purity, God protects the Messianic line, which is essential to God’s covenant. In allegory, God intervenes so that the Church is infallible in matters of faith and moral, so that the gates of hell shall not prevail against the Church.

Moral sense:

• Lies, deception and unfaithfulness to God can put our covenant in jeopardy.
• God intervenes in the world, even in the lives of non-believers, giving us the grace to be protected from sinning.
• Pray to God to be brave and moral in the face of fear and to be protected from sinning.

Commentary on Genesis 21:

1. Sarah conceives and gives birth to Isaac, as the Lord had promised, and he was circumcised when his was eight days old. Isaac means “he laughs”.
2. Sarah tells Abraham to expel Hagar and Ishmael. God says to do what Sarah says, and not to worry, as God will make a great nation out of Ishmael.
3. Abraham and Abimelech make a covenant (a friendship covenant?).

One minor note is that it seems that Genesis is very concerned with explaining the names and the origin of people, places and nations.

Allegorical sense:

• Miraculous pregnancy and birth (old and sterile woman) of Isaac that fulfills a covenant points to the miraculous pregnancy and birth of the New Covenant.
• God takes care of Ishmael, even though he’s outside the Covenant. God still takes care of the gentiles and those outside the Church.

Moral sense:

• Blessed are those who trust in God’s promises. Always be thankful for their fulfillment.

Commentary on Job 9-10:

1. Job recognizes the omnipotence, wisdom and might of God.
2. And because of that, he feels impotent, because although he knows he is innocent, how can one says that God is wrong?
3. Therefore, he can only appeal to his mercy.
4. Job feels that God is responsible for his suffering, but complaining is useless because there is no one above God to “judge” the cause. He also feels that God is responsible for the suffering and injustices of the world.

Allegorical sense:

1. Job 9:8 God lordship is shown by his might against the forces of nature, one of them, over the sea: ”trampled the waves of the sea”. In Matthew, Jesus’ power over the sea culminate in the disciples realizing he was really the Son of God.
2. Job 10:8-11 Reference to the creation of men by clay.

Moral sense:

1. God is not the source or cause of suffering, but he does allow us to suffer.
2. In suffering, it’s hard to remember God’s justice and goodness.

Difficult questions to answer later (TODO):

1. 9:22-24. In view of the many genocidal events of the past century, how would you answer Job’s question in v. 24?
2. 10:2. When it seems that God will not give reasons for the bad things that “happen, what challenges to faith are likely to arise? How can a faithful Christian protect his faith at such a time?
3. 10:18-22. People suffering from depression may think or speak as Job does here. If reason and persuasion do not lift their spirits, what kind of human interaction might? How would you encourage someone who is going through a “down” spell?

Commentary on Proverbs 2:6-8:

1. God protects the faithful, and gives them salvation.