The matter distressed Abraham greatly because it concerned his son. – Genesis 21:11

Today's Scripture Reading (August 19, 2021): Genesis 21

Stepmothers. They have almost become a trope for evil women stuck with children they wish they didn't have. To be sure, the stepmothers, from the point of view of the child, often come equipped with warts and never can hold a candle to their real moms. But that is just from the child's perspective. From the husband's point of view, they are loving and caring, and just what Dad needs to keep the family going. I have to admit; I know many great stepmothers who would do anything for the children they have inherited through marriage. And very few who live up to the cultural trope we have built around the idea of a stepmother. But there are a few.

Unfortunately, it appears that Sarah may have been one of the evil stepmothers. Sarah had asked Abraham to sleep with Hagar with the understanding that if a child was born out of the union, that that child would be considered to be hers. It was an arrangement that was culturally approved. Abraham had followed through with Sarah's request, and Ishmael was born out of the union of Abraham and Hagar. Which we should read as Sarah got precisely what it was that she wanted.

But then God met with Abraham and Sarah under the great terebinth trees of Mamre. And God made it clear that the child promised to Abraham would be produced through Sarah. At the time, the idea was so ridiculous that Sarah had burst out in uncontrollable laughter. But the idea wasn't funny anymore. Instead, Sarah was holding the promised child, born out of her own body. It was the child that she loved when he was nothing more than a hope and a dream that was stuck in some far distant future. But the future had come home; it had finally arrived. And on that day, everything changed.

Now, what Sarah at one time had wanted was no longer what her heart desired. Every emotion of her body was directed into the baby boy that she now held in her arms. And, like most parents, she wanted only the best for her son. And this is where the evil stepmother emerged from Sarah. Ishmael went from being a beloved stepson who Sarah had wanted with every fiber of her body to being the child of Abraham's "slave woman." (By the way, that was not really true. Regardless of what Hagar's status was in this moment; initially, she had been Sarah's "slave woman.") It was as if Ishmael had been born out of Abraham's indiscretion rather than from Sarah's desire.

And now, Abraham was in a tough spot. While the two boys had different mothers, they shared the same father. Abraham loved Ishmael as much as he loved Isaac. And he wanted the best for both of his sons. While Sarah might be able to distance herself from Ishmael, Abraham couldn't. Ishmael was his son, and there was nothing that Sarah could do to change that reality.   

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Genesis 22