Covenant Reformed News – April 2023 • Volume XIX, Issue 12
This article defends the salvation of Ishmael and Hagar against traditional Reformed objections, arguing that Ishmael's sin of mocking Isaac does not prove his reprobation and that God's covenant running through Isaac rather than Ishmael does not necessitate Ishmael's damnation. The author demonstrates from Genesis that both Ishmael and Hagar lived in covenant friendship with God and received His blessings, drawing parallels to Abraham and Sarah's own sins which do not negate their salvation.
Objections to the Salvation of Ishmael and Hagar Answered I. Two main arguments have been made against Ishmael being a child of God. First, there is his sin of “mocking” Isaac (Gen. 21:9). Ishmael’s transgression occurred at a “great feast” celebrating the day of Isaac’s weaning (8). If Isaac was about three, Ishmael would have been about 17. He was jealous over his younger brother’s higher status: “Everybody is making such a big deal of this little pipsqueak but no one held such a party when...