The Spirit of Ishmael

By Rev. Harold Mauldin

Genesis 16: 7-12

The Bible said in Genesis 16:12 that Ishmael will be a wild man. His hand will be against every man and every man's hand will be against him. He shall dwell in the presence of all his brethren. Ishmael's descendants are modern day Arabs, by which the religion of Islam is born. Every Arab believes that he is a descendant of Abraham and therefore God's chosen people. However, Ishmael was not in line for the blessing that God had for His chosen people. God had a plan from the beginning of time and no matter what happens God will complete whatever He starts. The spirit of Ishmael is alive and well today.

During the war that just took place, much of the focus was placed upon the nation of Iraq and all the religious temples that were prevalent there. It is also noted that Iraq is the place most identified with the Garden of Eden since the Euphrates and Tigris Rivers both flow there. Also, it was the home to Babylon during the time of Nebuchadnezzar. Iraq is rich in history. The country is a religious paradox of sorts because Eden is a type of paradise and Babylon was a type of bondage. One of the reasons we went to war with Iraq was to set the people there free from their own dictator. The spirit of Ishmael is still a powerful force today.

God had promised Abraham that he was going to have a son and that his seed would be as the sand of the sea and the stars of the sky. However, when Sarah heard this, she laughed because she was 89 years old and Abraham was 99. With God nothing shall be impossible. God told them that within the time appointed that she would bear a son. One year later, God blessed them with Isaac which means son of laughter.

There was a reason God blessed Abraham. He was a man of great faith. God told him first of all to leave his country and his people and travel till God said stop. All along the way God blessed him. It pays to obey. God told Abraham to walk before him and be perfect. He also said that he was forming a covenant with Abraham. God told Abraham that He was going to bless Sarah and she was going to be a mother of nations.

Abraham laughed at the promise of a 90 year old lady bearing children. God was not laughing. He reaffirmed that she would bear a son. What an awesome God we serve! Mr. Promise Possessor didn't even faze the Mighty One. Once God opens His mouth and speaks, whatever He says is no laughing matter. It shall come to pass. God can make a 90 year old womb fertile. Watch out elders, anything can happen.

Ishmael was 14 years old when Isaac was born. The reason he was born was because Sarah could not believe that she could bear a son so she let Abraham go in with Hagar. When she became pregnant, Sarah was jealous and wanted to get rid of her. Sarah was rude to Hagar and Hagar left. God told her to return and submit to Sarah. Her son was born but was not the child of Abraham's dreams. He did not come from Sarah's womb therefore he could not receive all the blessings Abraham had. God has a plan for our lives and it is dangerous to get ahead of our season. Sarah never accepted Ishmael. She was jealous and as he grew older, so did the resentment.

In Genesis 21: 1-21, we find the birth of Isaac. He was 14 years younger than Ishmael so they did not have a lot in common. One day, Sarah watches as Ishmael mocks Isaac. She immediately tells Abraham to cast Hagar and Ishmael out. She told Abraham that the son of the bondwoman would not be heir with Isaac.

Abraham was grieved but God told him to stop grieving and listen to Sarah. God said Isaac was the one called. God knew exactly who Ishmael was. God does not like mocking. To mock is to take lightly. However, because Ishmael was Abraham's seed, God was going to bless him. Abraham sent Hagar and her son Ishmael away into the desert with water and bread. Hagar went as far as she could. She then put Ishmael under some shrubs and sat a good way off and wept. God heard the voice of the lad because the promise was with him. He tells her to lift him up and He was going to make a great nation of him. Water was nearby and there they gained strength. Ishmael became an archer and grew and dwelt in the wilderness.

It is so dangerous to mock God. There are people that have received great blessings from God only to turn around and mock the very thing they got from God. They mock people who are blessed. They mock churches. They mock ministers. They mock revival. They mock the power of God. They mock the anointing. Never mock God. Once God starts blessing someone, never make light of it.

God knows what He is doing. In Genesis 17:20, God told Abraham that Ishmael was going to have 12 princes. In Genesis 25: 12-18, it tells the names of the 12 princes that Ishmael had. God knows what's up. He has it all under control. Don't mock what God is doing. He knows the end from the beginning.

If you study the history of the Ishmael people, you will find that they are known as Arabs. The Arabs loved sticking their noses into Israel's promises and mocking. In Nehemiah 2: 19, it was an Arab among other nations that mocked and laughed when the wall was being built. Mocking will cause you to lose out.

Nehemiah told the Arabs that the God of heaven would prosper us and that there would be no memorial nor portion nor right in Jerusalem. When people start mocking, promises start walking. God hears stuff like that. He is too busy handing out blessings to pay attention to mockers. What God wants is fellowship, not mocking. The Arabs got so out of hand that they even tried to stop the wall from going up. They wanted to fight and hinder. That's all mockers know to do: just mock, hinder and fight. Mockers are not leaders. Everything is a joke to them. Be careful how you treat church. Be careful how you treat the things of God. It could be a great mocking to Him. The spirit of Ishmael is alive today.

All this brings us to Acts 2. Now, this is where we see the spirit of Ishmael in the church today. In verses 11:13, the Arabs were among those that heard Peter and the upper room crew talking in tongues. The Bible says in verse 13 that some of those hearing mocked, saying these men are full of new wine. The Holy Ghost had just been poured out. The promises of the Old Testament had just come to pass and all some could do was mock! They had lived so far from the promises that mocking seemed the natural thing to do.

That is what people are doing to the Spirit today. They mock what they cannot control. People today are mocking just like Ishmael did years ago. There are churches that say that the Holy Ghost is not for today. They mock how we pray. They mock how we worship. They mock how we preach. They mock what we say and they mock the power of God. The spirit of Ishmael is strong today. Many people are lost because of the spirit of Ishmael. Never mock God or the man of God. Submit and God will bless.

Galatians 6: 6-9 tells us that he who is taught in the word should communicate good things. God is not mocked. We reap what we sow. We need to spend time sowing to the spirit. Do not get weary in well doing. We shall reap if we faint not. The spirit of Ishmael says to mock. The spirit of Isaac says to submit. Never mock God. Bless God and lift Him up. David said it best, I will bless the Lord at all times. Let's bless the Lord!