[Genesis 17:20-26] After Abraham was called in Genesis 12, God made a promise to him that he will multiply his seed and have a covenant with him. But Abraham was not patient to wait for the promise. So, Abraham took the counsel of his spouse, Sarah, in Genesis 16. She offered him one of her slave girls named – Hagar and she bear Abraham a son, which they named “Ishmael “, meaning in the Hebrew language “God listens”. This makes a lot of Christians believe that Ishmael represents Islam in the Bible. Often some Christians say – “we’re serving the same God “. This is not true. We don’t serve/worship the same God, but we have one creator. We as Christians have a father that was introduced to us by our Lord Jesus Christ in John 14. He is our father and the father of our Lord Jesus Christ. There’s a wide margin between a father and a God.
In John 14, Jesus mentioned God once. In John 14 verse 2, 7, 9, 10,11, 13, 16, 20, 21, 23, 24, 26, 28, and 31, He mentioned “Father “. In John 15, Jesus addressing his disciples used the word “father “.
And in John 17, He prayed to the father because Jesus knew there’s going to be a shift by adoption upon His resurrection. And it’s only a father that can adopt a child. So, believers have a father. Also, in the epistle of Paul, he constantly used ” blessed be God and the father of our Lord Jesus Christ “. Hence, Ishmael does not represent Islam and the Bible never mentioned Islam as a religion. So, let’s look at the Bible and let it explain itself; Paul by the wisdom of God explained what Genesis 17 is talking about; in Galatians 4:1-31, Paul said – Abraham had two sons. One from the slave girl, and the second from the free woman. The child from Hagar represents the flesh – which is man’s effort, which is the law. This we saw in the life of Cain “I can do by my strength “. The other child was from the free woman – which is the child of promise, this we saw in the life of Abel.
The only way a man can approach God is through the blood and that blood is the blood of our Lord Jesus Christ, which God promised Abraham in Genesis 12, which is why the Bible says Abraham looked forward to that country that was not built by man but built by God. That is why Jesus said in the four gospels – destroy this temple and I will build it back in three days. The Jewish leaders thought he was talking about the temple of Solomon, not knowing he meant His death, burial, and resurrection. So, the Bible never mentioned Islam or any religion. The Bible only talked about Christ and Him alone to be Glorified.
Prayer Harvest by Abimbola O. Olagunju — Book Cover