創世記21:8-21

21:8 孩子漸長，就斷了奶。以撒斷奶的日子，亞伯拉罕設擺豐盛的筵席。
21:9 當時，撒拉看見埃及人夏甲給亞伯拉罕所生的兒子戲笑，
21:10 就對亞伯拉罕說：「你把這使女和她兒子趕出去！因為這使女的兒子不可與我的兒子以撒一同承受產業。」
21:11 亞伯拉罕因他兒子的緣故很憂愁。
21:12 上帝對亞伯拉罕說：「你不必為這童子和你的使女憂愁。凡撒拉對你說的話，你都該聽從；因為從以撒生的，才要稱為你的後裔。
21:13 至於使女的兒子，我也必使他的後裔成立一國，因為他是你所生的。」
21:14 亞伯拉罕清早起來，拿餅和一皮袋水，給了夏甲，搭在她的肩上，又把孩子交給她，打發她走。夏甲就走了，在別是巴的曠野走迷了路。
21:15 皮袋的水用盡了，夏甲就把孩子撇在小樹底下，
21:16 自己走開約有一箭之遠，相對而坐，說：「我不忍見孩子死」，就相對而坐，放聲大哭。
21:17 上帝聽見童子的聲音；上帝的使者從天上呼叫夏甲說：「夏甲，你為何這樣呢？不要害怕，上帝已經聽見童子的聲音了。
21:18 起來！把童子抱在懷中（懷：原文是手），我必使他的後裔成為大國。」
21:19 上帝使夏甲的眼睛明亮，她就看見一口水井，便去將皮袋盛滿了水，給童子喝。
21:20 上帝保佑童子，他就漸長，住在曠野，成了弓箭手。
21:21 他住在巴蘭的曠野；他母親從埃及地給他娶了一個妻子。

 ⁸ The child grew and was weaned, and on the day Isaac was weaned Abraham held a great feast. ⁹ But Sarah saw that the son whom Hagar the Egyptian had borne to Abraham was mocking, ¹⁰ and she said to Abraham, “Get rid of that slave woman and her son, for that woman’s son will never share in the inheritance with my son Isaac.”

¹¹ The matter distressed Abraham greatly because it concerned his son. ¹² But God said to him, “Do not be so distressed about the boy and your slave woman. Listen to whatever Sarah tells you, because it is through Isaac that your offspring^[b] will be reckoned. ¹³ I will make the son of the slave into a nation also, because he is your offspring.”

¹⁴ Early the next morning Abraham took some food and a skin of water and gave them to Hagar. He set them on her shoulders and then sent her off with the boy. She went on her way and wandered in the Desert of Beersheba.

¹⁵ When the water in the skin was gone, she put the boy under one of the bushes. ¹⁶ Then she went off and sat down about a bowshot away, for she thought, “I cannot watch the boy die.” And as she sat there, she^[c] began to sob.

¹⁷ God heard the boy crying, and the angel of God called to Hagar from heaven and said to her, “What is the matter, Hagar? Do not be afraid; God has heard the boy crying as he lies there. ¹⁸ Lift the boy up and take him by the hand, for I will make him into a great nation.”

¹⁹ Then God opened her eyes and she saw a well of water. So she went and filled the skin with water and gave the boy a drink.

²⁰ God was with the boy as he grew up. He lived in the desert and became an archer. ²¹ While he was living in the Desert of Paran, his mother got a wife for him from Egypt.

************

    夏甲和以實瑪利雖然不得人疼，但是卻一直蒙上帝的眷顧與安慰，尤其是在苦境中，上帝再次拯救他們，使他們得安慰和力量！雖然以實瑪利不是蒙應許的後裔，但是每個生命上帝都眷顧、都愛護！

    也因為這樣，我們的人生雖然有許多不盡自己的意，似乎上帝不要你如此做的時候，要放下自己的堅持，讓上帝的心意成就，在上帝面前尋得安慰，上帝或許有更偉大的事情要你去成就！

    相信上帝拯救比一切更重要，超過自己領受怎樣的職分、有沒有受人尊敬與喜愛、有沒有許多財富、…！因為，我們人生的目的不是成就自己，而是榮耀上帝、永遠以上帝為樂！