Unity Church of Castro Valley
Sunday Message for July 22, 2007
The Minority Millionaire Ishmael
We are continuing our series on the millionaires of the Bible. Today we are talking about the minority millionaire, Ishmael. A "minority" is usually considered a racial, religious, national or political group smaller and different than the larger part. Yet it is a necessary part of the whole.
Ishmael literally qualified as a minority member of Abraham's family. He was the half-brother of Isaac, the step-son of Sarai, and half-Egyptian. He differed from the rest of the family. Yet he was an important part of its over-all success symbology. The events of his life indicate that Ishmael became "the minority millionaire."
HAGAR'S PROSPERITY INSTRUCTIONS
When Abraham was 85 and Sarai was still barren, they decided to take human action and force results. Sarai complained, (Genesis 16:2) "You see that the Lord has prevented me from bearing children; go in to my slave-girl, Hagar; it may be that I shall obtain children by her." The name "Sarai" means a bitter, contentious state of mind, and "Hagar" means a "fearful and uncertain" one.
Sarai at first seemed willing to accept a child by proxy. Yet when she learned that Hagar was pregnant, she became so jealous and spiteful that Hagar fled into the wilderness.
Hagar, at a well near Shur, was met by an angel who gave her a prosperity blessing, (Genesis 16:10-11) "I will so greatly multiply your offspring that they cannot be counted ... for the Lord has given heed to your affliction." The angel said her son would be a difficult person, but was to be called Ishmael which means "whom God understands."
"Shur" symbolizes "unceasing progress." If Hagar would return to Abraham and Sarai's household, she was promised that the lessons she would learn there would bring her and her heirs unceasing progress.
That well was located on the southern border of the Land of Canaan, and Hagar was being told to return to Canaan or "realm of substance" in order to gain more understanding of divine supply.
The well where she had been given instructions was near Bered which means "to scatter." She needed to sow thoughts of love and praise, and then to act on them in kindness in order to overcome her fearful, uncertain state of mind.
A lot of us have tried to run from unpleasant experiences. But we have to face them with a positive consciousness before we can be free of them. When we do, we get the abundant results we had looked for.
So Hagar returned to Canaan and it appeared that Ishmael would be Abraham's only heir. Hagar felt she had risen above her mistress in importance in Abraham's household, and that she should be treated accordingly. But Sarai was first wife and Hagar "paid her dues" by remaining in Abraham's household on Sarai's terms until Ishmael was 17 years of age.
During this period Hagar had ample opportunity to gain more understanding by sowing uplifting ideas in "the realm of substance," which could bring a hundredfold increase for all concerned. Her efforts definitely paid off.
FROM MANIPULATOR TO PRINCESS OF GOD
When a son, Ishmael, was born to Abraham and Hagar, he was not the child God had promised. Instead, Ishmael was wild, rebellious, full of conflict and opposition.
When you get into an impatient state of mind like Sarai, and join your faith (Abraham) to fear and uncertainty (Hagar), you always get a less than perfect result (Ishmael).
Sarai had been promised by God, (Genesis 18:14) "At the set time I will return to you, in due season, and Sarah shall have a son." Yet Sarai had laughed at this divine promise. She had not yet learned that delay is a time for growth. Instead, she had willfully tried to force results through personal manipulation. By trying to force results instead of waiting on the outworking of Truth, she had demonstrated a chaotic result. If she had remained in spiritual consciousness and patiently waited for the promised Isaac, there would have been no disruptive Ishmael.
However, a loving Father understands and blesses our failures as well as our victories. So after freeing herself of bitterness and impatience, Sarah was blessed with the peaceful Isaac. God changed her name from Sarai to Sarah because she had grown spiritually.
God said that Sarah would become the mother of nations, and her descendants would even become kings. She not only became the revered wife and mother of some of the Bible's earliest millionaires, but historians referred to her as "the princess of God."
FROM BARRENNESS TO BIRTH
Unity teaches the power that mental attitudes and deep-seated emotions have on the body. Like Sarai, many women have not had children because of bitter, resentful, unforgiving attitudes. Also willfulness may have caused many women to try to force a result that would have happened naturally if they had waited patiently for "divine timing."
One such woman married while still in her teens. She and her husband later had a child, but that child died during the first year of its life. This woman then blamed God for her child's death. She became bitter and said, "God took away my child. God cursed me with barrenness." During the next 20 years, this woman and her husband longed for more children, but in spite of the best medical treatment, she had none. Her physicians repeatedly told her that there was no physical reason for her barrenness.
This woman told her story to a new-found friend, who said, "God hasn't kept you from having children. Your own attitudes have prevented it. What kind of mother would you make, as bitter as you are? Change your attitudes and you can still have children. Begin to think of God as a loving Father, not as a spiteful tyrant, and thank God every day for giving you children. You had a child once and you can have children again. Bless the soul that was given you early in your marriage, then release it to its good elsewhere, and you will make way for the children that can still be yours."
Within a year this woman gave birth to a girl and then the next year to a boy. They grew into healthy adults who then gave her grandchildren.
Along with holding bitter attitudes toward God, many people have stopped their good through their resentment toward themselves or others, as did Sarai. In his book The Sermon on the Mount, Dr. Emmet Fox wrote:
If your prayers are not being answered … find out if there is not some old thing about which you are very resentful. Search and see if you are not really holding a grudge against some individual, or some body of people, nation, race, social class, some religious movement of which you disapprove perhaps, a political party. If so, then you have an act of forgiveness to perform, and when this is done, you will probably make your demonstration. If you cannot forgive at present, you will have to wait for your demonstration until you can.
A PRINCELY BLESSING
Sarah had feared Ishmael would share in the vast inheritance of Abraham. So she demanded that he and his mother be dismissed from her household. Abraham, was tenderly attached to his first son, and it grieved him to send Ishmael away. Yet he realized that it was necessary from a financial standpoint in order to keep his inheritance intact for Isaac.
When Abraham sent Ishmael and his mother into the wilderness of Paran to live, God promised Abraham, (Genesis 17:20) "As for Ishmael, I have heard you; I will bless him and make him fruitful and exceedingly numerous; he shall be the father of twelve princes, and I will make him a great nation."
Since the power of blessing was considered the most priceless gift one could receive, God's blessing of Ishmael assured Abraham that his eldest son would become a millionaire; and that Abraham's twelve grandsons were destined to become desert princes as well.
AN ANCIENT METHOD FOR ACHIEVING SUCCESSFUL RESULTS
The ancients felt that a blessing carried great power to accomplish good; that to bless a situation, condition or person could bring the desired results.
A person from Alaska wrote, "I worked in a very confused office. There was much pettiness and jealousy. So many mistakes were being made that it was hard to relax or to enjoy going to work."
"Then I began to bless the whole situation, and within the period of one year, I have seen dramatic improvement. There are fewer mistakes made, more productivity, and less confusion. Things the company has wanted to do for years are all of a sudden getting done. Furthermore, since I began to bless this business, it has doubled! The prediction is that it will double again in the coming year."
"The act of blessing has also brought both increased harmony and prosperity into my personal life, as well as into the lives of my family and friends."
A person from the state of Washington wrote, "After reading about the power of blessing things, I walked around my condo, which was up for sale and not selling. I blessed everything in it: the new carpet, the kitchen, each room and each piece of furniture. As I was ending my time of blessing, the telephone rang. Within two hours the condo had sold - at full price"
If the human act of blessing can produce such favorable results, imagine the power that God's divine blessing of Ishmael and his sons carried. They were divinely destined to succeed, and we are too! Each of us, as a child of God, is given that same divine blessing, as well as the blessing which God had given to Abraham, (Genesis 12:2) "I will bless you, so that you will be a blessing." The act of blessing contains a miracle power, which you can claim and use often.
THE GIFT OF ABUNDANT PROVISIONS
As would be expected Abraham, did not send Hagar and their son into the wilderness empty-handed. Prior to their departure, he had Ishmael circumcised, symbolic of the cutting off of fear. Abraham then generously provided them with bread and water, symbolic of divine supply. He deliberately placed these supplies on Hagar's shoulders, symbolizing responsibility.
Abraham's actions indicate he had faith that Hagar was ready in her soul growth to take emotional and financial responsibility for her life and that of Ishmael. It was plain that they needed freedom from past restrictive influences in order to grow, expand and develop a way of life for which they were ready. And they prospered in that release!
Even though she had been promised the best of everything, when they first arrived in the wilderness Hagar lamented her fear of lack in their apparently barren surroundings. Hagar's prosperity angel - who had first appeared to her 17 years previously, now heard her cry for help. This time the angel directed Hagar and Ishmael to a well of water. Wells were considered the most precious form of prosperity in that arid land, and from this "well of abundance" they were able to draw forth divine supply. In remembrance, this well was always considered a sacred spot among the Ishmaelites in the years to come.
THE PROSPERITY ANGEL PROVIDES
We also has a prosperity angels always near us in the barren experiences of life. One Biblical method for reaching your prosperity angel is to write to him. The written word seems to reach past emotional blocks or intellectual arguments to penetrate a divine consciousness of abundance and produce satisfying results.
A person from West Germany wrote, "Since I began using the angel-writing prayer method, my life has improved in amazing ways. First came changes within me. Later changes began to come through the improved circumstances of my life."
A person from Texas wrote, "We had a brand new truck stolen out of our locked dealership. Instead of getting upset about this, I wrote to the prosperity angel of the person who had taken it - whoever that might be - asking him to release it."
"A few days later, we received a telephone call saying the vehicle had been found abandoned, out of state, with the keys still in the ignition. Except for one dent in the fender, it is in good shape. Our insurance company is taking care of that, and having it returned to us. That prosperity angel worked fast!"
A person from Oregon wrote, "I especially like the ‘angel-writing' prayer method. The first time I used it was while I was working at a book store. The day had been going slowly. Then I sat down, and wrote to the prosperity angel of the store, explaining that I could see no reason why the store and I should not both prosper."
"I asked for divine prosperity to be directed through me and the store, or to know why not. Before I finished that angel-writing session I had to stop - because the store had filled up with customers! I now make it a habit to write to my prosperity angel about everything, and this method has brought miraculous supply into my life."
HAGAR AND ISHMAEL'S PROSPEROUS FULFILLMENT
Hagar and Ishmael first went into the wilderness of Beersheba. The word "Beersheba" symbolizes "fulfillment," indicating that their future was assured.
The first phase of that fulfillment came to Hagar in the form of a promise, (Genesis 21:17-18) "Do not be afraid, for I will make a great nation of Ishmael."
Their further success was indicated by Ishmael's profession. As an archer, Ishmael was well-respected as a desert warrior in charge of protecting their vast terrain. His job also included that of a hunter, able to provide food, game and the numerous provisions necessary for a comfortable desert life style.
Hagar became a desert princess in her own right. Being the good Egyptian mother that she was, at the proper time she found an Egyptian wife for Ishmael and became the proud grandmother of 12 princes. As a member of that desert aristocracy, she was freed from former conflicts and hurts, and surrounded by those who truly loved her. In that well-earned setting, she finally experienced the fulfillment she had been divinely promised, and now so richly deserved "by right of consciousness."
WHAT THEIR WILDERNESS REWARDS MEAN TO US
Hagar and Ishmael were destined to spend much of their lives in the wilderness region of Paran. The word "Paran" means "region of searching, place of much digging." Most of us who are on the path of self-improvement spend a fair amount of time in our own land of Paran, searching and digging out the Truth, then applying it in our life.
When people are filled with contention and conflict, they often need to go through periods of aloneness and searching in order to find themselves. A Higher Power is always with them in their wilderness experiences to provide for them. Those who find freedom from inner conflicts in those periods of intense searching are then freed to go on to a happier, more fulfilling life. Such well-earned blessings are their wilderness rewards.
Ishmael had happily married, become the father of twelve desert princes, and lived to the ripe age of 137. That line, "it's not how you start, but how you finish," could have been written by Ishmael. He finished fine.
THE IMPORTANCE OF THE MINORITY PRINCES
Since they were considered desert royalty, Ishmael's sons experienced the best of everything. They enjoyed the psychological benefits of a wealthy family background. Their father, Ishmael, had been born in the land of Canaan - "realm of substance" - symbolic of all wealth.
These twelve princes became literal millionaires as they reigned over the vast desert known as Arabia. They controlled its affluent assets as well as the commerce across and near its borders. They made famous the term "Ishmaelite," which in future generations continued to describe the caravan traders who were so important to the prosperity of that part of the world. And both the father and grandfather of these desert princes, Ishmael and Abraham, remain figures of historical importance in Arabia until this day.
Yet in spite of their prominence elsewhere, the Twelve Tribes of Ishmael were considered a minority group among their Hebrew relatives. Since their mother's family had been Egyptian, they were considered mixed-blood by their Hebrew relatives, who tended to regard them as "second-class citizens."
However, the Twelve Tribes of Ishmael had received a special divine dispensation from God. He had promised not only to bless their father, Ishmael, but to make these twelve princes "a great nation." Thus, their success was assured. Furthermore, their importance in history is shown by the fact that all twelve gave their names to tribes mentioned elsewhere in the Bible - some of which, significantly, became wealthy pastoral and trading tribes.
THE SUCCESS SYMBOLOGY OF THE TWELVE TRIBES OF ISHMAEL
The Bible concluded the story of Ishmael and his family by stating that his descendants (Genesis 25:18) "settled from Havilah to Shur." The land of Havilah has been described as one of (Genesis 2:11-12) "gold and bdellium and onyx stone," and is symbolic of the inner effort that is often needed to produce satisfying outer results, even lavish abundance. Shur has already been described as symbolic of the "unceasing progress" that comes to those who dare to make that inner effort.
This success symbology shows us that although nothing came easy to Ishmael, his 12 princes or their descendants, they nevertheless succeeded handsomely in their desert environment as they dared to persevere in both inner and outer ways.
From their success symbology, we can learn much about how not only to survive - but thrive - in our own wilderness experiences.
Like Ishmael and his family, who among us has not been considered a member of a minority group sometime and somewhere in our lives? And how often, as in the case of Ishmael's Hebrew kin, the "nit-pickers" may have been those who were near - and should have been dear - to us! If so, take a lesson from the Twelve Tribes of Ishmael. Turn from the pettiness of human thinking. Instead of seeking human approval declare often, "God loves me and approves of who I am, and what I do." You can do this, knowing that in our minority experiences, each of us has received a special divine blessing from God, too, which assures our success.
Remember that a minority is always a necessary part of the whole. So "bloom where you are" and let results be what they may! In this way you can form your own "desert aristocracy" and reap its inner and outer benefits.
SCRIPTURE: Genesis 16:2; Genesis 16:10-11; Genesis 18:14; Genesis 17:20; Genesis 12:2; Genesis 21:17-18; Genesis 25:18; Genesis 2:11-12
REFERENCE: The Millionaires of Genesis by Catherine Ponder, The Sermon on the Mount by Dr. Emmet Fox
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Last updated
August 1, 2007
