Isaac or Ishmael
By Isam Bajaly
Koran calls Ishmael a messenger and a prophet.
Jews, Christians and Moslems follow the steps of Abraham as a father of faith.
Abraham was the first human being who was so much in love of God that he was
called “the friend of God” (James 2:23). He had such faith and trust in God that
he became the first person with whom God make an everlasting covenant; as it is
written, “I will establish my covenant between me and thee and thy seed after
thee in their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be a God unto thee”
(Genesis 17:7).
Sarah also received the blessing and the promise along with her husband; as it
is written, “And I will bless her, and give thee a son also of her [Isaac]: yea,
I will bless her, and she shall be a mother of nations; kings of people shall be
of her” (Genesis 17:16).
Because Sarah was old and had no children,
“Abraham said to God, shall a child be born unto him that is a hundred years
old? And shall Sarah, that is ninety years old, bear? And Abraham said unto God,
O that Ishmael [the son of the slave Hagar] might live before thee! And God
said, "Sarah thy wife shall bear thee a son indeed;
and thou shall call his name
Isaac: and I will establish my covenant with
him for an everlasting covenant,
and with his seed after him” (Genesis 17:18,19)
Jews and Christians believe according to the scriptures that the promise was
given to Isaac who became the father of the Israelites, father of Moses who
received the Torah, father of king David who ruled in righteousness upon God’s
people and who also received the promise that from his descendents would come
the king who would rule the world for ever and ever (Psalm 89:29) As it is
written concerning Jesus Christ, “He shall be great, and shall be called the Son
of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father
David, and he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom
there shall be no end” (Luke 1:32).
The Koran believes that Ishmael received the promise and the blessings, yet the
Bible believes that Isaac was the one who received it. Some people would say,
“Well, it doesn't matter who received it as long the person is the child of
Abraham and believes in God.” But according to the Bible this is very important,
and one of the foundational beliefs of the Bible is:
For it is written, that Abraham had two sons, the one by a bondmaid [Ishmael],
the other by a freewoman [Isaac]. But he who was of the bondwoman was born after
the flesh [Ishmael]; but he of the freewoman was by promise [Isaac]. Which
things are an allegory: for these are the two covenants; the one from the mount
Sinai, which genders to bondage, which is Hagar [Ishmael-Mohammed], for this
Hagar is mount Sinai in Arabia, and answers to Jerusalem which now is, and is in
bondage with her children. But Jerusalem which is above is free, which is the
mother of us all [Isaac-Christ]… Now we, brethren, as Isaac was, are the
children of promise [Bible-Christianity]. But as then he that was born after the
flesh [Koran-Islam] persecuted him that was born after the Spirit, even so it is
now. (Galatians 4:22-29)
Christians and Moslems do not simply have two different fathers (Isaac and
Ishmael) and two different books (Bible-Koran), but they have two completely
different spirits: one brings freedom, the other brings bondage; one leads to
life, the other leads to death.
In the Bible we see that God wants us to make the choice (freedom). “I have set
before you life and death, blessing and curse; therefore choose life, that you
and your descendants may live” (Deuteronomy 30:19). But according to the Koran,
Allah chooses the way for us (bondage). “This day I have perfected your religion
for you and completed my favour unto you, and have chosen for you as your
religion Islam” (Sure 5:3).
Christianity has spread because Christ died to His own desires and in the end
gave His life for us. Islam, on the other hand, has spread because Mohammed
lived for his own desires and killed everyone who tried to stand in his way. We
can see this very clearly in our generation, where countries are opening the
door for the gospel of Jesus Christ. With the establishment of democracies,
nations have the freedom to choose life or death, Bible or Koran, because God
set before us life and death, blessing and curse (Deuteronomy 30:19). And we
have to make our own choice, even if it is the wrong choice; this is freedom.
But in every nation where the law of Islam rules or even when most of the
nation's people are Moslems, we see that there is no democracy, no human rights,
no freedom to choose their own religion, because they say God has “perfected
their religion for them, and ha[s] chosen for them their religion Islam” (Sure
5:3). A choice was made for them before they were born; this is slavery.
Christianity has spread because the true followers of Jesus Christ have left
their nations, families and friends, and have given their life just to tell
someone about the love of God which has been revealed through Jesus Christ,
following the principles of their master by denying their own desires and own
lives.
Islam has spread because the true followers of Mohammed have taken possession of
other nations, families and properties by taking lives, “fight[ing] those who
believe not in Allah and… not forbid[ding] what God and His Messenger have
forbidden, such men as practice not the religion of truth, being of those who
have been given the Book ¥ until they pay the tribute out of hand and have been
humbled” (Repentance, 9:25), following their master's principles which he
received from Allah “O Prophet (Muhammad) Urge the believers to fight” (Sure
8:65) .
One day we all of us will stand before the seat of judgment. As it is written
in, “And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment”
(Hebrews 9:27). I understand that it is difficult for those who are living under
the slavery of Islam to reject the faith of their fathers in choosing Christ,
but it is better to die for choosing the truth than blinding my eyes even though
I can see, but I still believe that those who are living in the western society
will receive a greater judgment for having had the freedom to live for the truth
and choosing their own desires instead. Jesus said, “For what is a man profited,
if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man
give in exchange for his soul?” (Matthew 16:26).
It is better for me to live according to this law, “For whether I live, I live
unto the Lord; and whether I die, I die unto the Lord: whether I live therefore,
or die, I belong to the Lord” (Romans 14:8); “for to me to live is Christ, and
to die is gain” (Philippians 1:21).
I am sad when I think about the political situation of my Holy Land were the
sons of Isaac and Ismael according to the flesh are still in total disagreement,
but that’s the way it was and it will remain the same.
This is the curse of Ishmael as it is written “He will be a wild donkey of a man; his hand will be
against everyone and everyone's hand against him, and he will live in hostility
toward all his brothers. (Genesis 16:12).
Koran “I will instill terror into the hearts of the unbelievers, smite ye above
their necks and smite all their finger-tips off them” (Sure 8:12)
Bible “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” (Galatians 4:30)
Dear reader, I hope I have made my words clear in this article, that you have to
make the choice for yourselves. Even though I am an Arab, the son of Ishmael
according to the flesh, I am thankful for Christ who by his death has given me a
new nature and new spirit. He gave
this gift to every man; as it is written, “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there
is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all
one
in Christ Jesus, and if ye be Christ, then are ye Abraham’s seed, and heirs
according to the promise” (Galatians 4:28,29).
By receiving Christ as your own personal Saviour you will be set free from sins,
sickness, demons and death. God our father had mercy upon Isaac but “Spared not
his own Son, but delivered him up for us all” (Romans 8:32) “that through (His)
death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil; and
deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to
bondage (Hebrew 2:14).
We all have to make our own choice to believe the Bible or the Koran, to choose between freedom or slavery, to receive Jesus as Lord and Saviour, or Mohammed as a prophet.
