In Islam, Mohammed is supposed to be a descendent of Ishmael. So who is Ishmael and what was his connection with God’s covenant and Abraham? Was Ishmael Abraham’s promised miracle son or not? What about Isaac? How important was he? The Bible is explicit and the answer is important, yet devastating to Islam:
And Abraham said to God, “If only Ishmael might live under your blessing!” Then God said, “Yes, but your wife Sarah will bear you a son, and you will call him Isaac. I will establish my covenant with him as an everlasting covenant for his descendants after him. And as for Ishmael, I have heard you: I will surely bless him; I will make him fruitful and will greatly increase his numbers. He will be the father of twelve rulers, and I will make him into a great nation.
But my covenant I will establish with Isaac, whom Sarah will bear to you by this time next year.” (Gen 17:18-21)
But Sarah saw that the son whom Hagar the Egyptian had borne to Abraham was mocking, and she said to Abraham, “Get rid of that slave woman and her son, for that slave woman’s son will never share in the inheritance with my son Isaac.” The matter distressed Abraham greatly because it concerned his son. But God said to him, “Do not be so distressed about the boy and your maidservant. Listen to whatever Sarah tells you, because it is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned.” (Gen 21:9-12)
Like or not, the evidence shows that God chose Isaac over Ishmael. God’s covenant was established with Isaac. Isaac was Abraham’s special miracle son through his wife Sarah, according to all the evidence.
Who Was Abraham Going To Sacrifice When Tested?
When God tested Abraham with his special son, was Abraham going to sacrifice Ishmael or Isaac? Again, the evidence is clear:
Some time later God tested Abraham. He said to him, “Abraham!” “Here I am,” he replied. Then God said, “Take your son, your only son, Isaac, whom you love, and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains I will tell you about.” (Gen 22:1,2)
When they reached the place God had told him about, Abraham built an altar there and arranged the wood on it. He bound his son Isaac and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood. Then he reached out his hand and took the knife to slay his son. (Gen 22:9,10)
By faith Abraham, when God tested him, offered Isaac as a sacrifice. He who had received the promises was about to sacrifice his one and only son, (Heb 11:17)
To believe Abraham was going to sacrifice Ishmael, and not Isaac, is to go against Scripture.
Isaac and Jesus – Only Begotten
Isaac was not Abraham’s first son; neither was he Abraham’s only son, but in Hebrews 11:17 he is shown to be Abraham’s only begotten son. (Only begotten is a King James term)! That term means he was Abraham’s unique one-of-a-kind son. Isaac was Abraham’s special miracle son. Abraham’s innumerable descendants, as the stars in the sky, would be numbered through Isaac.
Jesus is also called only begotten (and uses the same Greek word describing Isaac in Heb. 11:17)! Jesus is the Father’s unique one-of-a-kind son or one and only son. Jesus being God’s only begotten son does NOT mean he was created, as the Jehovah’s Witnesses wrongly teach, for Jesus is eternal life (1 John 1:1,2). Instead, Jesus is the Father’s one and only special son. God has other sons who got that way by faith in Jesus (Jn. 1:12) or in Adam’s case by special creation (Luke 3:38), but none are like the Lord Jesus! So who is Jesus Christ? Jesus’ scores of names and titles reflect his importance and reveal his identity in a more complete way.
Among other truths, the Lord Jesus is the only way to the Father (John 14:6) and his blood shed on the cross, where he died for us, is the only way we can get forgiven of our sins and find peace with God (Col. 1:20). Jesus is to be the object of our faith. Millions have been set free from their sin addictions by humbly and sincerely going to God in repentance and placing their faith in Jesus Christ for their personal salvation (Acts 20:21). Without Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior, your religion is powerless to save from sin. Dear reader, do you know Jesus NOW? Without Jesus, you can’t have eternal life.
