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Bible Studies/Ishmael puzzling figure
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Question
What's the deal with Ishmael? There seem to be 2 different accounts of him. One in which he grows in Abraham's household and is circumcised, therefore it is implied that in some way he will partake in the covenant. And this is before Isaac is born. But that doesn't seem to fit with the account in Genesis 21, after Isaac is born, in which he and Hagar are expelled from the house. In this passage Ishmael seems to be extremely young, certainly not 13 as the previous passage suggested. Either that or he is the most passive 13-year-old ever. In Genesis 21 he has no voice and no actions. It is all Hagar, her actions, and Ishmael passively allows her to do things to him (leave him to die, bring him a drink, etc.) The plain sense certainly makes him sound like an infant or toddler at best. Is this not a Biblical contradiction? can you give any insight on this?
Gabrielle,
These are good questions. However, I find that in the Bible there are many times when things could be right but don't necessarily make a lot of sense to us.
In this example, it is possible that Ishmael is over the age of 13 and that the story is 100% correct. It just doesn't seem to make "sense" to us, looking at the things you mention.
I personally have no problem considering that Ishmael was somewhere between 13 and even up to 18 or so.
Hope this helps.
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LEBoyd
Expertise
I am available to answer questions on most subjects dealing with the Old and New Testaments. I have more than 30 years of detailed study in both Testaments. Additionally, I have studied the many facets of evolution, including a detailed study of Darwin's Origin of the Species. I am a fundamentalist, in that I believe that all Scripture is inspired, or God-breathed, (II Tim. 3:16). I believe that there are no contradictions in the Bible, and that the Bible is complete in telling us our purpose on earth, how to gain salvation and how we should live to obtain salvation. I believe in sin, Satan, heaven, hell, choice-immersion, grace as the free-gift of God and that one can fall from grace. I am a 'layman' in that I taught myself Hebrew (in the English alphabet) and Greek (in the Greek alphabet).
Experience
I have taught many adult classes on the Scriptures on many different subjects over the last 25 years. I have also debated many people (several at once) over subjects such as evolution, original sin, the Diety of Jesus, whether Jesus was perfect by choice, and so-called Biblical contradictions.
Education/Credentials
I am a layman, so I come as a self-trained "expert". I can provide copies of sermanets, classes and emails where I have debated Scripture with others.
I do have a BBA and an MBA from a Top-10 MBA School. I also have several NASD/SEC licenses.
Awards and Honors
In Bibilical areas, I have scored the highest score, or in the top 10, with other adults in an all day annual test on specific Bible books. Some of these books were Luke, Revelation, Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronmy, Joshua, Judges, II Kings, and others. Currently, I am teaching an indepth study on the book of Judges.
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