The matter distresses Abraham greatly because it concerns his son. Ishmael is Abraham's son, raised for fourteen years, loved enough to be prayed for in Genesis 17:18. The tension in Abraham's heart between covenant obligation and paternal love is the tension between what God has said and what we naturally feel about those we love. Romans 9:1-3 captures this same tension in Paul. The application: covenant faithfulness sometimes requires honoring commitments that break your heart. Both the heartbreak and the faithfulness are real.

COMMUNITY REFLECTIONS

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