V.1-5. And the LORD sought Sarah home, as he had spoken, and did unto her as he had spoken. And Sarah conceived, and bare Abraham a son in his old age, at the time which God had spoken unto him. And Abraham called his son that was born unto him Isaac, whom Sarah bare unto him. And circumcised him on the eighth day, as GOD had commanded him. Abraham was a hundred years old when Isaac his son was born to him.
Moses stands on the good father Abraham for a long time and will still say a lot about him. It is a history that God loves and especially pleases him for the sake of faith.
2. in this chapter there are two pieces; the
The first, how Abraham was born a son, and how it went with the stepbrother. The other is what he does again with the king Abimelech. St. Paul was also moved and attracted by this chapter [Gal. 4, 23. Hebr. 11, 11.], that there is also much in it. It looks as if it is an envious, hostile and hostile history, which is unkind; but we want to hear what it has in it.
With many words he starts and says how God had afflicted Sarah, that she became pregnant and gave birth to a son 2c. All these words mean that the son, as said above [Cap. 16, § 9], although he was flesh and sight of Abraham and Sarah, yet not by the power of man, nor by the power of God.
was born in the natural course. For they were both too old, and she was barren, so that it was very difficult, indeed impossible, that a fruit should come from it. Therefore, it is the miracle that God does with him, that he gives him the son of his right wife. He also prefers the son to the one from Hagar, even though the father's heart was also there, but here even more. This is the first thing Moses wants to show here.
4. but we have fCap. 17, § 19 ff] how God has commanded circumcision, and how the saints of works take offense at the Scriptures, thinking that it is a bad thing, that it is nothing else, except that the ancients have taken wives and begotten children, as is the common course; so they mock and laugh at God. [So it must go that he is thought to be a fool. Nevertheless, he always goes on; he could have done another miracle here, which would have been considered great, since the whole world would have opened its mouth and sung about it and said, so he takes that the whole world laughs and mocks, and she, Sarah herself, must laugh, and scolds, 1) that one should say, how the old woman slept with the man. As it was, that he called the old man to be circumcised; he might have been ashamed because of his age; why did he put him to shame? He takes pleasure in doing such a contemptible, mocking thing, letting the world laugh and mock, watching it as long as it can laugh. Therefore, we should not disrespect the hand of God that is in it.
5) It is a precious thing about life. 2) But where does it come from? But where does it come from? From flesh and guts, the muddy and noisy filth that one is ashamed to say. These are God's works and noble treasures, which He brings forth as the world expels its smiles. God has also joined husband and wife together, so that he may close the eyes of the world, so that it may see for itself how it cannot avoid it; it must have a home and children. What did it cost them, the parents, to give us life? Why should we then despise it, and not deal with children again as they do with us?
1) scolds --- jokes.
2) "that" is missing m the Erlanger.
Why is it laughed at, because God has attacked it so, especially in the Old Testament, since he lifts it up so high and honors it; he does not want it to be laughed at, but let it be taken seriously, and put a special commandment on it, that one should honor father and mother [Exodus 20:12]. But the world must thus fool, that it laughs at God's miracles with women and children. That is why it speaks now:
V. 6. God has prepared a laughter for me, for whoever will hear it will laugh at me.
6 The Scripture shows that she has been chaste and pious, as she said above [Cap. 18, 12.]: "Shall I only have to deal with pleasure, because I am now of ninety years?" This is the laughter. So also Lucas [Cap. 1, 36. 57.] wrote of Elizabeth, John the Baptist's mother; she also hardly went about that she should eat shame. The holy women were so chaste and pious in the eyes of the world that they were ashamed of the rumor, since it was all honor and God's work.
7 God's work must be ridiculous and mocking in all places, so that it seems as if he is putting on a fool's cap, he lets it be laughed at, but he will put the bells on us again; therefore he wants everyone to close his eyes, just see where the word is. He thinks highly of it; although everyone thinks it is quite disgraceful, he keeps quiet, it must become honorable in the end.
(8) Neither shall it be seen that Sarah the old woman sleepeth with her husband, but that God saith, Sarah shall be put to shame; but I will make her to glory, that she shall be praised and preached before all women. How many queens and great women are there who have not come to be honored, so that their body and fruit may be preached and brought forth in all the world? It is an eternal honor, and an example to rule all the world. So God honors His own with His works, that they lie in disgrace for a time, which then becomes an eternal honor that no one can praise enough. If now the most powerful and richest queens would all do together, they would be glad that they should wash the swaddling clothes, since Isaac would have lain in them.
Such honor now comes from the previous disgrace. Behold, these are God's miraculous signs. If we could close our eyes, let the world laugh, and keep to God's words, we would see how it makes the faithful to glory, but the world to all shame with its honor. Further it speaks:
V. 7. Who could have told Abraham himself that Sarah had conceived children and given birth to a son in his old age?
9 Then she becomes joyful and overcomes the shame. Before that she says: "God has made me laugh. As if she should say, "Oh, how it grieves me that it should be said of me. 2c. This is another female disease, that they are always weaker in courage than the man; therefore God also gives her credit for it 1). Again she looks at the great grace and says: "Abraham himself should not believe that I am with child. This is always God's work; if one keeps still, the pleasure and joy that follow are all the greater. After that the text continues:
V. 8: And the child grew, and was weaned: and Abraham made a great feast in the day that Isaac was weaned.
(10) This is a strange thing: Why does he not make a great supper when the son was born? or when the six weeks were over (though perhaps they did not keep six weeks then), or on the eighth day? What the 2) means, I cannot know. I think it happened as women are accustomed to do in our country, that they sometimes go together and hold children's beer, 3) feast and demmen. So it seems that it was a country custom and way, around the time when one weaned the child.
(11) Now this is what the Scripture says, that he has made himself suitable for the way they behave in the country; because he sits in the country, he must make himself even with them, and keep the customs of the country, where it is not harmful or sinful. Therefore he has kept himself just and rightly so, like others. 4)
1) "also" is missing in the Erlanger.
2) So the Jenaer. Wittenberger: "dis"; Erlanger: es deutet.
3) The words "und Kinderbier halten" are missing in the Erlanger; in the Jenaer and in the Wittenberger they are in the text.
4) Wittenberg and Erlanger: like another.
(12) It is an example of love, that one should be according to one's neighbor, and make even that those with whom we dwell may suffer. Otherwise, each man's way pleases him, and not otherwise; ser] thinks that a whole country should be guided by his head. Therefore we are to keep ourselves according to the customs of the country, and let them please us, so that we keep peace with everyone, as Paul teaches [Rom. 12:18], not to set up and carry out our own way according to our own head. This, I think, is what he meant here. Now comes the other piece, that Sarah casts out the other son, Ishmael. [The text speaks thus:
V.9-21. And Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian, whom she had borne to Abraham, that he was a mocker, and said unto Abraham, Cast out this maid with her son, that this maid's son should not inherit with my son Isaac. The word displeased Abraham for the sake of his son. But God said to him, "Do not be offended by the boy and the maid; obey all that Sarah has told you. For in Isaac shall thy seed be called, and I will make the son of the maid thy people, because he is thy seed. Then Abraham arose early in the morning, and took bread, and a bottle of water, and put it upon Hagar's shoulder, and the lad with her, and let her out. Then she went and wandered in the wilderness near Beer-saba. And when the water was out of the bottle, she cast the lad under a bush, and went and sat down over against 6) it afar off, a crossbow-shot far off. For she said: I cannot watch the boy die. And she sat down over against him, and lifted up her voice, and wept. Then God heard the voice of the boy. And the angel of God called from heaven to Hagar, and said to her, "What is the matter, Hagar? Fear not, for GOD has heard the voice of the lad as he lies. Arise, take the lad, and hold him with your hands, for I will make him a great nation. And God opened her eyes, and she saw a fountain of water, and she went and filled the bottle with water, and watered her.
5) "one" is missing in the Erlanger.
6) "of" is missing in the Erlanger.
ZZ8 Erl. 33, 396-398. interpretations on the first book of Moses. W. Ill, S04-SV6. ZZ9
the boy. And God was with the lad, and he grew, and dwelt in the wilderness, and became a rifleman, and dwelt in the wilderness monitor. And his mother took him a wife out of the land of Egypt.
13 Ishmael was now almost thirteen years old, as can be reckoned from the previous chapter; a boy who had come to his years. So it was a long time later that the two sons were able to talk to each other. For he says she had respect for him, and saw that he was a mocker. This made her angry, so she wants to drive him out with the maid. And there you can see how she is a chaste, fine housemother. At the end [Cap. 16, 5] she also wanted to chastise the maid, because she was too proud. The text, however, does not express how this happened; here, too, many Jewish loose fables are invented.
14 But St. Paul touches it to the Galatians [Cap. 4, 29. 30.] and puts it to the mind: "As in those days he that was born after the flesh persecuted him that was born after the Spirit: so it is now also. But as the scripture saith, Thrust out the handmaid with her son: for the son of the handmaid shall not inherit with the free." He himself interprets this as follows: "When one preaches about faith, that works are not valid to make godly, this is a spiritual sermon; those who grasp this and keep it, these are spiritual people, Abraham's children. But the others do not like those who preach works; that is, the great carnal crowd mocks and persecutes the others. So there remains a dispute, because the world stands between faith and works; both want to have their thing unpunished. If the latter take much, those who deal in works are stronger; therefore they are above in time, and persecute the latter. But at last the verdict comes that God rejects them and gives the inheritance to the others.
(15) This is how it will be, as we will see in the saints of works. The mother Sara will have drawn the child, as a mother draws a right heir. But the other son is now tall, relying on Abraham as his father, and ser] as the first son, and he is entitled to two things
1) In the editions: those that have the.
Right. So (he thought) the father will also prefer me, and has always insisted that he wanted to be on top. Such a thing was not to be suffered; she could not and should not suffer it any longer, for he had undoubtedly done it for a long time and had done too much. And what his mother had done to Sarah before, the son now also wants to do. Before, she wanted to be a wife and did not regard Sarah as anything. Now, because she has the son, he wants to take after his mother and also wants to suppress her son. That is why she thinks that if it continues like this, I will have to leave with my son at the end; therefore, nothing better will happen, because I will divide her, give him what he should have, and let him go.
(16) But this displeased Abraham; it was also blood and flesh and a fatherly heart that moved him, and he was angry with it until God said to him, "Do not take offense at what Sarah has said to you"; "I will pass sentence," he said, "The son of the maidservant must go out, for your seed shall be called by the name of Isaac. There the saying stands, which Paul highly praises. (He) wants to say in this way: You must not look at Ishmael, that he is the right seed, from whom Christ will come, and all who belong to heaven, but Isaac is it: what comes from him, that shall be the right seed. So Ishmael is excluded, and by God's word Isaac is appointed, and put into the word, that Abraham may be assured that he is not an heir of flesh and blood only, but of grace. But he says, "I will also make the son of the handmaid a great nation," without which he shall not have the glory of Christ coming from him.
(17) Thus we have the two sons of Abraham the arch-father, and how they interpret two kinds of people on earth, the righteous believers, 2) and hypocrites or false saints: and how Ishmael is cast out with his mother, but Isaac remains with his and inherits. That this was the interpretation, that the Jews, who dealt in works, were cast out, because they were without faith; but the others, in faith, were to remain God's people. This should and must always be the case. That is why the Scriptures reproach us with making us certain of it. It is not
2) Erlanger: believe.
It is possible for all to be like Isaac; the greatest and best must be against the others. Follow on:
At that time Abimelech and Phichol, his captain, spoke to Abraham, saying, "God is with you in everything you do. Now therefore swear unto me by God, that thou wilt not forsake me, nor my children, nor my nephews, but wilt do unto me the mercy that I have done unto thee, and unto the land wherein thou art a stranger within. Then said Abraham, I will swear. And Abraham punished Abimelech because of the well of water, which Abimelech's servants had taken by force. And Abimelech said, I have not known who hath done this thing, neither hast thou told me; neither have I heard it but this day. So Abraham took sheep and oxen, and gave them to Abimelech, and they made a covenant with each other. And Abraham set apart seven lambs. And Abimelech said unto Abraham, What are these seven lambs which thou hast set apart? And he said, Seven lambs shalt thou set forth.
thou shalt take them from my hand, that they may be a witness unto me that I have digged this well. Therefore the name of the place is called Bersaba, 1) because they both swore with each other there, and so they made the covenant at Bersaba. Then Abimelech and Phichol, his captain of the host, arose and returned to the land of the Philistines. And Abraham planted trees at Beer-saba, and called there on the name of the LORD, the everlasting God. And he was a stranger in the land of the Philistines a long time.
18 Lastly, there is this piece about Abraham making a covenant with Abimelech for the sake of water; it is also written so that it will always be shown how the children of God on earth must suffer many evil deeds, because he sits in a foreign land, where he must be a sojourner, as the prophet says [Isa. 52:4], and must feed on sorrow. This is how it must be for us, too, if it is to be right. That is enough of this chapter.
1) Marginal gloss: Bersaba means Schwörbrunn or Eidbrunn in German; might also be called Siebenbrunn.