We Must Patiently Wait On The Lord

GOD DIRECTS, DESPITE IMPATIENCE

Our Text:

Genesis 16; 17

Focus:

Genesis 16:1-4, 15, 16: 17:1-5, 15-21

We need to know that God will direct our lives in spite of our own impatience. If we truly trust Him, we will trust His timing also! God is perfect and His timing of events is perfect.

Impatience is, according to the Webster's dictionary, "Uneasiness under pain or suffering; the not enduring pain with composure; [or the absence of expected good].

Impatience begins when we do not trust God! Disaster begins when we think God needs our help to bring about His will in our lives. I have stated many times the only duty of mankind is to obey God and keep His commandments.

Ecc 12:13 Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.

God expects no less from us and expected no less from Abraham. God has a purpose for everyone of us that know Him. Those that do not know Him as Savior will also fulfill God's purpose. Does that mean that there are people God will not save, NO! God will save all that repent and believe on Him.

Jesus Christ said these words:

Joh 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, [that whosoever] believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
Joh 3:17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.

The Apostle Peter said these words:

2Pe 3:9 The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.

Thank God he is not impatient, but He will fulfill the words He gave us. The entire Word of God will be fulfilled just as it is written. Men can try to rewrite God's word all they want to but it does not and will not change the message God gave to this Nation of Israel to bring to us. This nation has fulfilled their purpose of bringing us God's Word. The proof of that is that we have the Bible and we have had it for a few thousand years now. That can be said of no other book. We are also called to fulfill a purpose.

Rom 8:28 And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.

We need to get busy about the Master's work and patiently wait on the Lord:

Psa 37:7 Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for him: fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices to pass.
Psa 37:8 Cease from anger, and forsake wrath: fret not thyself in any wise to do evil.

Heb 10:36 For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise.
Heb 10:37 For yet a little while, and he that shall come will come, and will not tarry.

He is a coming and I am a going, are you?

No human wisdom can match the wisdom of Our Father Who Art in Heaven!

Our Text:

Gen 16:1 Now Sarai Abram's wife bare him no children: and she had an handmaid, an Egyptian, whose name was Hagar.
Gen 16:2 And Sarai said unto Abram, Behold now, the LORD hath restrained me from bearing: I pray thee, go in unto my maid; it may be that I may obtain children by her. And Abram hearkened to the voice of Sarai.
Gen 16:3 And Sarai Abram's wife took Hagar her maid the Egyptian, after Abram had dwelt ten years in the land of Canaan, and gave her to her husband Abram to be his wife.
Gen 16:4 And he went in unto Hagar, and she conceived: and when she saw that she had conceived, her mistress was despised in her eyes.

Gen 16:15 And Hagar bare Abram a son: and Abram called his son's name, which Hagar bare, Ishmael.
Gen 16:16 And Abram was fourscore and six years old, when Hagar bare Ishmael to Abram.

We cannot condone what Sarah did. What she was asking Abraham to do was to commit adultery. There is not one place in the Bible where God says this is OK to do so.

The guideline God gave us was in this very book and the very first marriage:

Gen 2:24 Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and [shall cleave unto his wife]: and they shall be one flesh.

Cleave would mean to stick like glue to his wife. Jesus sticks like glue to the Bride of Christ, the Church.

There is no mention of more than two people and one of them is man and the other a woman. We know this is true. In the time of Abraham there were some customs, (some of man's faulty wisdom), that:

1.) A son could be adopted from a servant that was born in his household if his wife bore no children.

Gen 15:2 And Abram said, Lord GOD, what wilt thou give me, seeing I go childless, and the steward of my house is this Eliezer of Damascus?

Now there is nothing wrong with adoption if it is done for the right reasons. After all, all God's children are adopted into His family.

Eph 1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ:
Eph 1:4 According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love:
Eph 1:5 Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will,
Eph 1:6 To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved.
Eph 1:7 In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace;
Eph 1:8 Wherein he hath abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence;
Eph 1:9 Having made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself:
Eph 1:10 That in the dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him:
Eph 1:11 In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will:
Eph 1:12 That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ.

2.) A wife could offer up one of her maids and the child would be counted as from the wife. We call that a surrogate mother in our day.

Surrogate Mother: Is a relationship in which one woman bears and gives birth to a child for a person or a couple who then adopts or takes legal custody of the child. In surrogate motherhood, one woman acts as a surrogate, or replacement, mother for another woman, sometimes called the intended mother, who either cannot produce fertile eggs or cannot carry a pregnancy through to birth, or term.

Gen 16:2 And Sarai said unto Abram, Behold now, the LORD hath restrained me from bearing: I pray thee, go in unto my maid; it may be that I may obtain children by her. And Abram hearkened to the voice of Sarai.

Remember God had said the child would come from the bowels of Abraham. God meant from the union of Sarah and Abraham but this is when man's wisdom get's him in trouble.

Gen 15:4 And, behold, the word of the LORD came unto him, saying, This shall not be thine heir; but he that shall come forth out of thine own bowels shall be thine heir.

God will never go against His own true word and many men will try to tell us that these things are OK under certain circumstances which is simply not true.

1Jn 4:1 Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.

There are many questions about the surrogate even when the coming together of the persons are not involved such as artificial insemination. If what any man says goes against what God says in His word then that man is a liar. It does not matter whose custom it is. Just because everyone else is doing it, it does not make it right in the eyes off God. Motherhood is also a blessing of God not to be taken so lightly.

*****In verse three God gives us a time line. It had been ten years since God first called Abraham out of Ur of the Chaldees(Iraq).

*****Verse four:

When we do not take a stand for God's word we place everyone around us in jeopardy. When Sarah first approached Abraham about this foolish thing, he should have stood up for what was right and what was right was to obey God. Adultery is a sin against God and a sin against our own bodies. The results of this seemingly innocent mistake has affected the Orient for three thousand years. This mistake in judgment has affected the entire world and is real evident in these last days. Both Sarah and Abraham were a part of this evil. It is possible Hagar may not have had any choice in this matter but she should have resisted as much as possible. Now people do this for money and this could have been the case with Hagar but we will not know these things for sure.

When Hagar realized she had conceived she turned upon Sarah and despised her. She had probably been a faithful servant up until this time. Sin has a way of causing problems quickly. Hagar had done something that Sarah had never been able to do. Hagar was filled with pride. This is also a sinful act. Sin abounds when not addressed and repented.

But thank God for His grace:

Rom 5:19 For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous.
Rom 5:20 Moreover the law entered, that the offence might abound. [But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound:
Rom 5:21 That as sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord].

God's word always holds true from the time of Adam.

You see God knows man needs but one wife. Does that mean one wife at a time? That is possible but only after a death of the spouse or a Biblical sound divorce. God does not expect couples to live in abuse of one or the other.

1Ti 3:2 A bishop then must be blameless, [the husband of one wife], vigilant, sober, of good behaviour, given to hospitality, apt to teach;

*****Verse five is not part of our lesson but we can see that Sarah laid the blame upon Abraham. She was partially right. Abraham was the man of the house and he was the man of God's promise. He should have been a man of God's word but they were both to blame.

Also not part of this lesson but let's take a moment with another first time in the Book of Genesis:

The Angel of the Lord: Genesis 16:7

This phrase is used 52 times in the Old Testament. Many believe that these are "theophanies". This means an appearance of the Lord Jesus Christ prior to His incarnation. A careful reading of the text in most cases would seem that this true. But in any case this special angel played an important part in the history of Israel.

1.) He wrestles Jacob: Gen. 32:24-30
2.) He redeems Jacob: Gen 48:16
3.) He spoke to Moses from the burning bush: Ex. 3:2
4.) He protected Israel at the Red Sea: Ex. 14:19
5.) He prepared Israel for the promised land: Ex, 23:20-23; Ps. 34:7; Isa. 63:9; 1 Co. 10:1-4
6.) He commissioned Gideon: Jdg, 6:11
7.) He ministered to Elijah: 1 Ki. 19:7
8.) He reassures Joshua: Josh 5:13-15
9.) He saves Jerusalem: Isa. 37:36
10.) He preserves three Jewish boys: Dan 3:25

Here the angel of the Lord finds and comforts Hagar. Hagar is caught in the middle of sin, she is not spiritual, she is hateful, proud, disrespectful, and a poor mother. Is she rejected of God? No, God loves her and comes to help her.

You know God scraped me out of the bottom of the barrel one day and comforted me and saved me. Thank You Jesus for paying my debt on that cross. I could not have done that myself. I'm clean because I'm washed in the blood of Jesus.

Col 1:13 Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son:
Col 1:14 In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins:
Col 1:15 Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature:
Col 1:16 For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him:
Col 1:17 And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.
Col 1:18 And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence.
Col 1:19 For it pleased the Father that in him should all fulness dwell;
Col 1:20 And, having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven.
Col 1:21 And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled

Why does God tell us these things?

1Jn 5:11 And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.
1Jn 5:12 He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.
1Jn 5:13 [These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God].

*****Our lesson continues:

verse 15

Ishmael is born. Before he is born we already know what kind of man he will be:

Gen 16:12 And he will be a wild man; his hand will be against every man, and every man's hand against him; and he shall dwell in the presence of all his brethren.

The meaning of the name "Ishmael" is "to hear intelligently and with understanding of circumstances". The name also implies compassion. Every time Ishmael heard his name he would know the God had heard the plight of his mother. God had understood her and acted to care for her.

Ishmael was raised in a family of strife and he would shortly know he would not be the one to inherit his fathers riches.

We do not have good thoughts of Ishmael when we read the Bible but we must notice the turmoil in his young life and just as God had said he rebelled to being a wild man. Do we wonder why our own children rebel. Sometimes it can be what happens at home. Our home life should start with, "What Would Jesus Do". This is still the question we should have before we proceed to do foolish things.

verse 16

God gives us another time line. At the birth of Ishmael, Abraham had been in Canaan for eleven years.

Gen 12:4 So Abram departed, as the LORD had spoken unto him; and Lot went with him: and Abram was seventy and five years old when he departed out of Haran.

*****Our Text:

Gen 17:1 And when Abram was ninety years old and nine, the LORD appeared to Abram, and said unto him, I am the Almighty God; walk before me, and be thou perfect.
Gen 17:2 And I will make my covenant between me and thee, and will multiply thee exceedingly.
Gen 17:3 And Abram fell on his face: and God talked with him, saying,
Gen 17:4 As for me, behold, my covenant is with thee, and thou shalt be a father of many nations.
Gen 17:5 Neither shall thy name any more be called Abram, but thy name shall be Abraham; for a father of many nations have I made thee.
Gen 17:6 And I will make thee exceeding fruitful, and I will make nations of thee, and kings shall come out of thee.

If you do not think sin has an influence on your relationship with God, in just one verse 13 years has gone by before God again makes contact with Abraham. God will always remember His promises! But Abraham had gotten the Heavenly Hickory for 13 years. I believe he was now ready to do as he was told.

"to walk in the perfect ways of God"

It is important for the child of God to daily try to be blameless and sincere in our faith:

Php 2:13 For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.
Php 2:14 Do all things without murmurings and disputings:
Php 2:15 That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world;

Abraham was at his lowest spiritual point. He had sinned and was out of fellowship with God. He was also out of fellowship with his family.

We wonder sometimes why answers don't come from our prayers:

Eph 4:30 And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.
Eph 4:31 Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice:
Eph 4:32 And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you.

God will answer the child of God but in His time frame:

Psa 106:15 And he gave them their request; but sent leanness into their soul.

In spite of all this God is gracious and forgives and restores: Psalm 51

Psa 51:1 Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness: according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions.

God had a special purpose for Abraham and Abraham had missed the blessings of God for thirteen years. There would be more tests coming. God already knew the outcome but Abraham would need sure faith to fulfill the plan of God.

Rom 4:16 Therefore it is of faith, that it might be by grace; to the end the promise might be sure to all the seed; not to that only which is of the law, but to that also which is of the faith of Abraham; who is the father of us all,
Rom 4:17 (As it is written, I have made thee a father of many nations,) before him whom he believed, even God, who quickeneth the dead, and calleth those things which be not as though they were.

The Hebrew word for appear used here is "raah" indicates a visible occurrence. It is translated 351 times "saw", 306 times "seen" and 162 times "appeared".

The "Lord", Hebrew "Jehovah", is used 6412 times in the Old Testament but there is another title of God we see for the first time in this verse. "El Shaddai" THE ALMIGHTY GOD. The meaning of this title comes from the idea of One having so much power as to change the unchangeable, the power to overcome and to destroy with irresistible force. God does the impossible and Abraham and Sarah would now see the impossible happen in their own lives.

(verse three)

"Abraham fell on his face"

We can pray to God in any position. The Apostle Paul said:

1Th 5:17 Pray without ceasing.

We can pray standing, sitting, on our bed, driving our car and most any where else but when we fall down on our knees we are humbling our selves and without saying a word we are admitting that we are nothing and God is everything. Abraham had prayed many times I'm sure, but God had not spoken to him for 13 years.

As soon as Abraham showed this purest form of reverence, God began speaking to him. God reminded Abraham that He had not forgotten the Covenant that He had made.

The Hebrew word used for God in this verse is "Elohim". In Genesis verse one we find that this is the God of creation, the Creator of all things.

(verse four)

God says: "this is my covenant"

To us all that read and study our Bible, God wants us to know that He (God) started this covenant and it would be He (God ) that would see that this covenant was kept. You see God was going to do this and not Abraham and Sarah.

WE ARE BUT TOOLS IN THE MASTERS HANDS.

An old Preacher once told a young Preacher that asked "How can I better serve God" to which he responded, "GET OUT OF GOD'S WAY".

Abraham, Sarah, and Hagar had not hindered the work of God! They had only lost out on many blessings!

(verse five)

Why the name change? Abraham had stumbled on the fact that he would be the father of many nations. The extent of the covenant of God with him had an impact on him. Abram means "exalted father". That reflected his role as the patriarch of a great family and nation but that was not the intention of God. Abraham's heritage would include all the nations on this Earth. Abraham means "father of multitudes". A more appropriate title.

(verse six and seven)

1.) Abraham was not only the father of the Hebrew nation, Isaac then Jacob and his twelve sons where later there were many kings: Matthew 1:1-17
2.) Abraham was the father of the twelve princes of Ishmael: 1 Chron 1:28-31
3.) After the death of Sarah, Abraham remarried and from Keturah: 1 Chron 1:32-33
4.) We cannot forget Esau and his nation
5.).) And the many Gentile Nations who have embraced the faith of Abraham through Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Gal 4:28 Now we, brethren, as Isaac was, are the children of promise.

What we must realize is that the Covenant God made with Abraham would be to the child born of Abraham and Sarah we know as Isaac. This is an everlasting covenant to the children of Israel. Many so called teachers teach that God is finished with Israel. If this is true then God would have told a lie to Abraham.

My God Does Not Lie!

Tit 1:1 Paul, a servant of God, and an apostle of Jesus Christ, according to the faith of God's elect, and the acknowledging of the truth which is after godliness;
Tit 1:2 In hope of eternal life, [which God, that cannot lie], promised before the world began;

He Would Not Be God if He Did So!

*****Our text:

Gen 17:15 And God said unto Abraham, As for Sarai thy wife, thou shalt not call her name Sarai, but Sarah shall her name be.
Gen 17:16 And I will bless her, and give thee a son also of her: yea, I will bless her, and she shall be a mother of nations; kings of people shall be of her.
Gen 17:17 Then Abraham fell upon his face, and laughed, and said in his heart, Shall a child be born unto him that is an hundred years old? and shall Sarah, that is ninety years old, bear?
Gen 17:18 And Abraham said unto God, O that Ishmael might live before thee!
Gen 17:19 And God said, Sarah thy wife shall bear thee a son indeed; and thou shalt call his name Isaac: and I will establish my covenant with him for an everlasting covenant, and with his seed after him.
Gen 17:20 And as for Ishmael, I have heard thee: Behold, I have blessed him, and will make him fruitful, and will multiply him exceedingly; twelve princes shall he beget, and I will make him a great nation.
Gen 17:21 But my covenant will I establish with Isaac, which Sarah shall bear unto thee at this set time in the next year.

Before we move on we should mention that "circumcision" is [the sign] of faithfulness with Abraham and the Hebrew people, (Israel). This is long before the law of Moses time by about 500 years. Like tithing, circumcision did not originate with Moses nor did tithing. This is the sign of the covenant that Israel must keep. If the Jew represents God's people then what is a Jew.

The Apostle Paul writes:

Rom 2:28 For he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly; neither is that circumcision, which is outward in the flesh:
Rom 2:29 But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God.

If you are a child of God and search for His praise, you will be circumcised of the heart and in spirit. Not by any law!

To the Church "baptism" is such a sign. It has nothing to do with salvation but it is a sign that you have submitted to your covenant with God.

Jesus Christ was both circumcised and baptized to show us all the He was not above His Own Word.

Luk 2:25 And, behold, there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon; and the same man was just and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel: and the Holy Ghost was upon him.
Luk 2:26 And it was revealed unto him by the Holy Ghost, that he should not see death, before he had seen the Lord's Christ.
Luk 2:27 And he came by the Spirit into the temple: and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him after the custom of the law,

Mat 3:13 Then cometh Jesus from Galilee to Jordan unto John, to be baptized of him.
Mat 3:14 But John forbad him, saying, I have need to be baptized of thee, and comest thou to me?
Mat 3:15 And Jesus answering said unto him, Suffer it to be so now: for thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteousness. Then he suffered him.

Another thing is circumcision on the eighth day: It wasn't until the Twentieth Century until doctors clearly understood why circumcision should be done on the "eighth day".

In 1935, professor H. Dam proposed the name “vitamin K” for the factor in foods that helped prevent hemorrhaging in baby chicks. We now know vitamin K is responsible for the production (by the liver) of the element known as prothrombin. If vitamin K is deficient, there will be a prothrombin deficiency and hemorrhaging may occur. Oddly, it is only on the fifth through the seventh days of the newborn male’s life that vitamin K (produced by bacteria in the intestinal tract) is present in adequate quantities. Vitamin K, coupled with prothrombin, causes blood coagulation, which is important in any surgical procedure. Holt and McIntosh, in their classic work, Holt Pediatrics, observed that a newborn infant has “peculiar susceptibility to bleeding between the second and fifth days of life.... Hemorrhages at this time, though often inconsequential, are sometimes extensive; they may produce serious damage to internal organs, especially to the brain, and cause death from shock and exsanguination” (1953, pp. 125-126). Obviously, then, if vitamin K is not produced in sufficient quantities until days five through seven, it would be wise to postpone any surgery until some time after that. But why did God specify day eight?

On the eighth day, the amount of prothrombin present actually is elevated above one-hundred percent of normal—and is the only day in the male’s life in which this will be the case under normal conditions. If surgery is to be performed, day eight is the perfect day to do it. Vitamin K and prothrombin levels are at their peak.

You see God knows more about us than any doctor because as the Creator, He wrote the "owners manual". (Psalms 13)

*****Why did Abraham laugh?

Joh 8:56 Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day: and he saw it, and was glad.
Joh 8:57 Then said the Jews unto him, Thou art not yet fifty years old, and hast thou seen Abraham?
Joh 8:58 Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am.

Jesus said that Abraham finally realized that the Messiah would come from a descendant of a child by he and Sarah.
Sarai and Sarah: Both names mean to have dominion. "Sarai"(princely) means she would have her own house, her own family, to be a mother but "Sarah"(noble woman or princess) means much more. Sarah was to be the Mother of Nations to include the gentile nations.

Verse 16 the word nations is the Hebrew word "goy" which means foreign nations. These speaks of all descendants of Abraham that were not Hebrew.
Abraham was 99 years old at this time and he fell down with overwhelming joy!
Abraham was not ready to forsake Ishmael but we see that God's plan for salvation would not involve Ishmael. Ishmael would still be blessed and he and all his descendants still had the option of serving God but he chose another path. Many have chosen that path since.

Deu 10:15 Only the LORD had a delight in thy fathers to love them, and he chose their seed after them, even you above all people, as it is this day.
Deu 10:16 Circumcise therefore the foreskin of your heart, and be no more stiffnecked.
Deu 10:17 For the LORD your God is God of gods, and Lord of lords, a great God, a mighty, and a terrible, which regardeth not persons, nor taketh reward:
Deu 10:18 He doth execute the judgment of the fatherless and widow, and loveth the stranger, in giving him food and raiment.

*****But My Covenant is with Isaac:

Why is this important to Israel?

Rom 9:4 Who are Israelites; to whom pertaineth the adoption, and the glory, and the covenants, and the giving of the law, and the service of God, and the promises;
Rom 9:5 Whose are the fathers, and of whom as concerning the flesh Christ came, who is over all, God blessed for ever. Amen.
Rom 9:6 Not as though the word of God hath taken none effect. For they are not all Israel, which are of Israel:
Rom 9:7 Neither, because they are the seed of Abraham, are they all children: but, In Isaac shall thy seed be called.
Rom 9:8 That is, They which are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God: but the children of the promise are counted for the seed.
Rom 9:9 For this is the word of promise, At this time will I come, and Sara shall have a son.

You might say then, why is this so important to the Church?

Rom 9:22 What if God, willing to shew his wrath, and to make his power known, endured with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction:
Rom 9:23 And that he might make known the riches of his glory on the vessels of mercy, which he had afore prepared unto glory,
Rom 9:24 Even us, whom he hath called, not of the Jews only, but also of the Gentiles?
Rom 9:25 As he saith also in Osee, I will call them my people, which were not my people; and her beloved, which was not beloved.
Rom 9:26 And it shall come to pass, that in the place where it was said unto them, Ye are not my people; there shall they be called the children of the living God.

The Apostle Paul wrote to the Galatians:

Gal 4:22 For it is written, that Abraham had two sons, the one by a bondmaid, the other by a freewoman.
Gal 4:23 But he who was of the bondwoman was born after the flesh; but he of the freewoman was by promise.
Gal 4:24 Which things are an allegory: for these are the two covenants; the one from the mount Sinai, which gendereth to bondage, which is Agar.
Gal 4:25 For this Agar is mount Sinai in Arabia, and answereth to Jerusalem which now is, and is in bondage with her children.
Gal 4:26 But Jerusalem which is above is free, which is the mother of us all.
Gal 4:27 For it is written, Rejoice, thou barren that bearest not; break forth and cry, thou that travailest not: for the desolate hath many more children than she which hath an husband.
Gal 4:28 [Now we, brethren, as Isaac was, are the children of promise].
Gal 4:29 But as then he that was born after the flesh persecuted him that was born after the Spirit, even so it is now.
Gal 4:30 Nevertheless what saith the scripture? Cast out the bondwoman and her son: for the son of the bondwoman shall not be heir with the son of the freewoman.
Gal 4:31 So then, brethren, we are not children of the bondwoman, but of the free.

By accepting the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior, YOU BECOME FREE OF THE BONDAGE OF SIN!

It was important for the Jews that they be considered the Children of Promise and they are but, what of the Church?

Paul writes again:

Gal 3:7 Know ye therefore that they which are of faith, the same are the children of Abraham.

You see it is by faith just as Abraham had that the Church belongs to God. That is because of the work of Christ on the cross at Calvary.

Without faith we cannot please God!

Heb 11:6 But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that
he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.

There is no better choice for any of us than to understand the Word of God and to live
by it. We cannot comprehend it all but we must have faith that God will do as He
says. By studying God's word we can see how His promises have always come to pass
and they always will. Nothing is impossible for God! God will honor His Word!

Paul wrote:

2Ti 4:7 I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith:
2Ti 4:8 Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give
me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing.

So let's just wait on the Lord!

Let's Pray!