The Non-Covenant Child

Today, I have a young man named Ishmael in mind. I suspect that this may touch a few raw nerves here; I apologize in advance.

Ishmael’s conception was awkward. The arrangement was silly…SARAI asked her husband to sleep with her handmaid, Hagar, so that they would have a child to call their own. Infact, Sarai actually gave Hagar to Abram to be HIS WIFE! That ought to have some form of legality na, abi?

Some have speculated that it was Hagar that planted the silly idea in Sarah’s head…what do you think? I’m wondering if Sarai and Abram had an agreement with hagar about giving them the child after conception…

Anyway, their awkward arrangement produced a child – Ishmael. I find it interesting that the angel of the Lord sought Hagar out (who some consider as a strange woman), and spoke to her whereas there is no record of such intimacy between Sarai/Sarah and God/His angel… Also, God told Hagar the name to give to her son before he was born. God agreed to bless Ishmael, make him fruitful and multiply him greatly…That doesn’t seem like what he deserved right? Afterall, he was not a covenant child…

For those that are not aware, Ishmael was also circumcised…

So, Ishmael was caught mocking and that got him and his mother expelled.

They were expelled from Abraham’s house and sent away with some bread and a bottle of water. WAS THAT FAIR? That’s the last record we have of any interaction between Abraham and his son…After that God took custody of Ishmael. We are told that God was with the lad and he grew (Genesis 21:20)

This leads me to my very sensitive question – What do we do with the non-covenant child? Are Abram and Sarai’s actions just? Is there a better way to deal with that child that was conceived out of wedlock as a result of his/her parents’ sin? What involvement should the father of such a child play in his/her life (the child is usually left with the mother)?

In Sarai’s case, she was the one that married a wife for her husband. Should we consider Ishmael an illegitimate child? Afterall, Hagar was given to Abraham as a wife BY HIS OWN WIFE. I read a book by Karen Kingsbury that deals with this issue (Oceans Apart). In this case, the man had a one-time indiscretion that resulted in a ‘non-covenant’ child. How should the spouse that was cheated on relate with the ‘non-covenant’ child?  

Please share your views and experiences RESPECTFULLY. Scriptural references are very welcome. You can send me a private message or leave a comment on the blog.