Genesis 16:11-12 ESV
And the angel of the Lord said to her,
“Behold, you are pregnant
and shall bear a son.
You shall call his name Ishmael,
because the Lord has listened to your affliction.
He shall be a wild donkey of a man,
his hand against everyone
and everyone's hand against him,
and he shall dwell over against all his kinsmen.”
There are two sons in this pattern as we see in other places in the Biblical story. Cain and Abel come to mind. The older son slays the younger. Esau and Jacob also come to mind. The younger is blessed.
The pattern continues here with Ishmael and Isaac. God's purpose seems to involve both brothers. The world would be much more peaceful without the descendants of this wild donkey of a man. God is using these descendants to bring His chosen people to Him. God is using the fiery furnace of the world to refine a people. Jews and Christians will feel the heat of that forging.
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