4
Sermon
Second
Presbyterian
Church
460 East Main Street Lexington, Kentucky 40507
Second Presbyterian Church
Lexington, Kentucky
June 25, 2017
Family Turmoil
Rev. Dr. Thomas P. Groome III
Two sisters, Alice and Mildred, kept up a feud for thirty years. On Mildred’s 70th birthday, Alice, who was 75, felt a pang of remorse, but it soon passed. Yet, later, when she heard Mildred was ill, she felt compelled to visit.
From her sickbed, Mildred looked sternly at her sister. At last she said in a faint voice, “The doctors say I’m seriously ill, Alice. If I pass away, I want you to know you’re forgiven. But if I pull through, things stay as they are!”
Sooner or later every family will find itself in conflict and turmoil. Comedian George Burns once said, “Happiness is having a large, loving, caring, close-knit family . . . in another city.”
Conflict is always destructive and painful. Conflict destroys peace and security, the peace and serenity of hearts . . .of families . . . of work . . . of communities . . . of schools . . . of nations. Conflict is painful, sometimes mildly, sometimes dangerously. Conflict can range from bumping heads over some issue to even war. In marriage, it can range from a small disagreement to locking horns and being divorced from one another. Conflict can arouse a small sense of uneasiness within us or it can rip us apart.
Even that first famous Adams generation (children of 2nd president John Adams, 1735-1826) had more than its share of black sheep. John and Abigail's eldest child, Abigail, married a loafer and at her death left her children to their care. Son Charles married the sister of his spendthrift brother-in-law, dissipated family funds, died of alcoholism and left his widow to the care of his parents. Son Thomas Boylston also became an alcoholic, again bequeathing his children to the care of the family. Though John Quincy (1767-1848) turned out well, he and his unhappy wife Louisa hardly went unscathed. Their first son was an alcoholic and committed suicide at the age of 31. Their next son was expelled from college, failed in business and died of an alcohol-related illness. Only their youngest son, Charles Francis (1807-86), reacted against the family pattern by his exemplary sobriety, his prudence in business and fervent dedication to his wife and children. He spent years writing the biography and editing the words of his grandfather John Adams. But he concluded, "The history of my family is not a pleasant one to remember. It is one of great triumphs in the world but of deep groans within, one of extraordinary brilliancy and deep corroding mortification." (Charles Francis Adams, grandson of 2nd President John Adams, son of 6th president John Quincy Adams, in U.S. News and World Report, Dec 12, 1988)
Conflict can also arouse us and stir us to move on and achieve more, or we can allow it to destroy us. This is what our Genesis text is all about . . . confronting and conquering conflict.
What was the cause of this conflict?
Simply put, it was sin that caused the conflict within Abraham’s family, and sin is usually the cause of conflict among most of us. Abraham threw a great feast for Isaac when he was weaned from his mother’s breast. This type of celebration is a Near Eastern custom when a child reaches the age of 2-3 years. At some point during the celebration Sarah saw Ishmael playing with Isaac. Some translations use the word “mock” or “to poke fun at.”
Isaac is 2-3 years old, and Ishmael is 16 or 17. The Hebrew word for “mocking” has the idea of “always mocking.” Meaning that Ishmael always displayed bitterness and anger toward Isaac. He was always mocking and being mean-spirited to the baby.
What would cause Ishmael to be so mean to Isaac? . . . Because Abraham was always heaping attention upon Isaac, the attention that Ishmael received before Isaac’s birth. Ishmael was no longer the center of attention, and as with most teenagers he probably thought he was the center of the universe. Abraham’s attention was now split in two directions, and he was more focused upon the baby.
Isaac was appointed by God to be the promised son, and Sarah saw the mockery, and apparently it reached the boiling point at the great feast and she had had enough. It was all she could take, and she filled with anger. She demanded that Abraham cast out Hagar and her son, Ishmael.
Sarah was demanding a cruel solution to the conflict. Hagar had been Sarah’s personal servant for decades, and the effect upon Abraham was devastating, for he loved Ishmael. Abraham was distressed not knowing what to do.
Sarah’s demand to cast out Ishmael was a heavy burden upon Abraham, and God knew it. God knew all about Abraham’s heavy heart and distress. Abraham prayed and discussed the matter with God and God heard Abraham’s need. So God set about to meet Abraham’s need.
First, God gave Abraham His word. As for Sarah, she was right. Ishmael needed to be sent away, for his mocking and ridicule was too imbedded in him to change. The conflict would only grow worse. Casting out Hagar and Ishmael was cruel, but God assured Abraham that God would make a nation of Ishmael also, because he was the offspring of Abraham.
Second, God reminded Abraham of God’s great purpose: Isaac was to be the promised son; the son who was to give rise to God’s chosen people.
Third, God assured Abraham that the conflict would be resolved. Ishmael would be looked after and richly blessed by God. God would see to it that Ishmael would grow into a great nation of people.
The answer to conflict is the same for every generation, for every one of us. No matter what the conflict is . . .
· The answer is found in God’s Word. God’s Word tells us what to do . . . will relieve our distress and give us the answers to our questions.
· The answer is found in God’s purpose; God’s purpose for God’s people and for the world.
· The answer is found in God’s assurance of blessing. No matter what the solution to the conflict may be, God will take care of us and our needs—the key word here is needs, not wants and desires—if we will trust and believe God.
What were the results of the conflict?
There were broken hearts and separation. The results of conflict are often devastating. Many have had their hearts broken because of conflict. Conflict that led to separation . . . divorce . . . or the loss of a loved one.
There was the wandering about, being lost, not knowing where to go or what to do next. Scripture doesn’t tell us where Hagar was heading, but for some reason she lost her way and began to wander about. Hagar is not unlike so many of us, who are lost out in the desert of the world, all alone or else with no one but a child. Just think of the single parents, the heavy pressure of raising children all alone. The loneliness and desperation of the situation are often almost unbearable.
There was the exhaustion, hopelessness, and the threat of death. Hagar and Ishmael used up all their provisions . . . no more bread or water was left. They were so exhausted that they could go no farther. We’re not told, but it can be inferred that Ishmael had fainted from thirst and exhaustion. Hagar pulled him under a bush and went off and sat down about a bow shot away. Hagar could do no more, and she could not bear to watch her son die.
She wept bitterly and lifted up her voice and cried out to God in prayer. God heard Hagar’s prayer and spoke to her. God gave Hagar God’s word to meet her need. The text tells us that God also heard the voice of Ishmael. Apparently Ishmael was also praying, weeping, and crying out to God. Most likely, he was asking God for forgiveness, knowing that his mocking had brought him and his mother to the point of death.
Hagar obeyed God, she arose, and she got to it. She was not to quit and give up. She was to arise, walk over to Ishmael, and lift him into her hands, because God was going to use Ishmael to found a great nation.
Hagar experienced God’s provision. When she arose and went to tend to her son, God opened her eyes—enabled her to see—and she saw a well of water. No doubt she ran to the well. Her need was met when she began to obey God.
Hagar and Ishmael received God’s continued, unbroken care and provision. Simply put, God was with Ishmael as he grew into full manhood. Hagar and Ishmael accepted their God-given call, environment and life. They accepted God’s call to live apart—to live separated—from Abraham.
This text gives us a perfect example of how conflict in our lives can be conquered and overcome . . .
· By lifting up our voices in prayer
· By listening to the Word of God and thinking through the problem
· By praying and asking God to forgive us
· By obeying God, arising and getting to it
· By experiencing God’s provision
· By receiving God’s continued, unbroken care
· By accepting our God-given call, environment, and life
God promises us victory. God promises us that we can conquer and triumph over all—if only we believe and trust in God.