In ch. 20 Abraham goes back to the "she is my sister" tactic with Abimilek with pretty much the same outcome he had with Pharoah. I'm convinced that Abraham would be a dead man by now if God weren't taking care of him.
In ch. 21 Isaac is born. It's a wonderful thing...for everyone except Hagar and Ishmael...who get sent away because of Sarah's insistence. Wait a minute...wasn't it her idea for Abraham & Hagar to get together in the first place? Yes, it was. Of course, Abraham (man of faith that he is) goes along with it. In any case, God also promises to take care of Hagar & Ishmael who will eventually give rise to a great nation as well. I have to say that I wonder sometimes if that was such a good idea.
Ch. 22 is the well-known account of God's testing of Abraham. He asks him to sacrifice his son Isaac. This passage raises a lot of questions for me: Was it unusual for God to ask for a human sacrifice? Yes, it was but we don't have any indication that Abraham thought this was out of the ordinary. For a guy who, from day one, kept trying to take care of things his own way he seems remarkably unquestioning now. Perhaps he has come a long way in his faith. Apparently God has finally convinced him that He's got it under control...and that even if this son whom he has waited on for 25 years...this son who is, so far, the only hope Abraham has for a future nation...even if he has to be killed God will find a way to keep His promise. Yeah, that's faith.
In ch. 23 Sarah dies at age 127. That means Abraham was 137 and Isaac was 37. Abraham mourns her loss...I found myself thinking of how he misused her by having a son with Hagar, by sharing her with powerful men in foreign lands. I imagine he probably thought about that as well.
I think it's interesting to read the negotiations for her burial plot. The men never really said exactly what they meant but both understood completely. Both wanted to seem generous and selfless but both knew what had to happen. They both got to "save face." This kind of thing would wear me out.
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