THE ANGEL OF THE LORD SPEAKS TO HAGAR ABOUT ISHMAEL

1Now Sarai Abram's wife bare him no children: and she had an handmaid, an Egyptian, whose name was Hagar.  2And 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.  3And 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.  4And he went in unto Hagar, and she conceived: and when she saw that she had conceived, her mistress was despised in her eyes.  5And Sarai said unto Abram, My wrong be upon thee: I have given my maid into thy bosom; and when she saw that she had conceived, I was despised in her eyes: the LORD judge between me and thee. 6But Abram said unto Sarai, Behold, thy maid is in thine hand; do to her as it pleaseth thee. And when Sarai dealt hardly with her, she fled from her face.  7And the angel of the LORD found her by a fountain of water in the wilderness, by the fountain in the way to Shur.  8And he said, Hagar, Sarai's maid, whence camest thou? and whither wilt thou go? And she said, I flee from the face of my mistress Sarai.  9And the angel of the LORD said unto her, Return to thy mistress, and submit thyself under her hands. 10And the angel of the LORD said unto her, I will multiply thy seed exceedingly, that it shall not be numbered for multitude. 11And the angel of the LORD said unto her, Behold, thou art with child and shalt bear a son, and shalt call his name Ishmael; because the LORD hath heard thy affliction.  12And 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. GENESIS 16: 1-12

14And Abraham rose up early in the morning, and took bread, and a bottle of water, and gave it unto Hagar, putting it on her shoulder, and the child, and sent her away: and she departed, and wandered in the wilderness of Beersheba. 15And the water was spent in the bottle, and she cast the child under one of the shrubs. 16And she went, and sat her down over against him a good way off, as it were a bow shot: for she said, Let me not see the death of the child. And she sat over against him, and lift up her voice, and wept.  17And God heard the voice of the lad; and the angel of God called to Hagar out of heaven, and said unto her, What aileth thee, Hagar? fear not; for God hath heard the voice of the lad where he is.  18Arise, lift up the lad, and hold him in thine hand; for I will make him a great nation. GENESIS 20:14-18

The story of the birth of Isaac and Ishmael is the story of our first birth and second birth. We are first born into the flesh; this is the birth of Ishamel from Abraham's bond maidservant Hagar. Like Ishmael, our flesh nature is wild and we are in bondage. But Isaac was born from Sarah who is a free woman. So, the birth of Isaac represents our spiritual birth. In the New Testament, Jesus says that we must be born again. We must realize the Oneness of Being and be born into the eternal Spirit of God. Although Ishmael became very rich and successful in the world, he remained in the bondage of the flesh. But the spiritual man is free because he has realized higher consciousness.