創世記21:22-34

21:22 當那時候，亞比米勒同他軍長非各對亞伯拉罕說：「凡你所行的事都有上帝的保佑。
21:23 我願你如今在這裡指著上帝對我起誓，不要欺負我與我的兒子，並我的子孫。我怎樣厚待了你，你也要照樣厚待我與你所寄居這地的民。」
21:24 亞伯拉罕說：「我情願起誓。」
21:25 從前，亞比米勒的僕人霸佔了一口水井，亞伯拉罕為這事指責亞比米勒。
21:26 亞比米勒說：「誰做這事，我不知道，你也沒有告訴我，今日我才聽見了。」
21:27 亞伯拉罕把羊和牛給了亞比米勒，二人就彼此立約。
21:28 亞伯拉罕把七隻母羊羔另放在一處。
21:29 亞比米勒問亞伯拉罕說：「你把這七隻母羊羔另放在一處，是甚麼意思呢？」
21:30 他說：「你要從我手裡受這七隻母羊羔，作我挖這口井的證據。」
21:31 所以他給那地方起名叫別是巴（就是盟誓的井的意思），因為他們二人在那裡起了誓。
21:32 他們在別是巴立了約，亞比米勒就同他軍長非各起身回非利士地去了。
21:33 亞伯拉罕在別是巴栽上一棵垂絲柳樹，又在那裡求告耶和華─永生上帝的名。
21:34 亞伯拉罕在非利士人的地寄居了多日。

 ²² At that time Abimelek and Phicol the commander of his forces said to Abraham, “God is with you in everything you do. ²³ Now swear to me here before God that you will not deal falsely with me or my children or my descendants. Show to me and the country where you now reside as a foreigner the same kindness I have shown to you.”

²⁴ Abraham said, “I swear it.”

²⁵ Then Abraham complained to Abimelek about a well of water that Abimelek’s servants had seized. ²⁶ But Abimelek said, “I don’t know who has done this. You did not tell me, and I heard about it only today.”

²⁷ So Abraham brought sheep and cattle and gave them to Abimelek, and the two men made a treaty. ²⁸ Abraham set apart seven ewe lambs from the flock, ²⁹ and Abimelek asked Abraham, “What is the meaning of these seven ewe lambs you have set apart by themselves?”

³⁰ He replied, “Accept these seven lambs from my hand as a witness that I dug this well.”

³¹ So that place was called Beersheba,^[d] because the two men swore an oath there.

³² After the treaty had been made at Beersheba, Abimelek and Phicol the commander of his forces returned to the land of the Philistines. ³³ Abraham planted a tamarisk tree in Beersheba, and there he called on the name of the Lord, the Eternal God. ³⁴ And Abraham stayed in the land of the Philistines for a long time.

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    上帝讓亞伯拉罕在亞比米勒面前蒙福，雖然亞伯拉罕是個流浪者，各地飄來飄去的人，卻可以和君王立盟約，表示他也和王一般尊貴，受到人得尊敬和看重，因為他是上帝所揀選的！

    今日我們也是跟隨基督的人，也是和基督一樣，有「祭司、君王、先知」三重的職分集於一身，尤其是基督徒集合成為教會的時候，更是要向這個世界上的人見證耶穌基督，始人透過教會看見上帝的拯救！

    雖然，我們和亞伯拉罕一般，在是上如同流浪者，如同客旅，一切的職稱都是短暫的，惟有上帝兒女的身分和稱呼是永恆的！讓我們不要忘記，在將來永恆的國度中，我們真為「祭司、君王、先知」，因為耶穌基督的緣故！

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.

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    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！