Hagar and the Promise of a Son (III)

As for Ishmael, I have heard thee: behold, I have blessed him, and will make him fruitful, and will multiply him exceedingly…” (Gen. 17:20). We proceed with the question of Hagar and Ishmael on the basis and thesis that when God says “blessed” He means “blessed” and when He says “loved” He means “loved”. This implies, of course, that neither God’s blessings nor His love can ever ultimately be denied, frustrated or fail. To go on, then, in Genesis 16, there is a note of interest in connection...