Genesis Vol 3.pdf - College Press

THE SON OF THE BONDWOMAN 16:l-16
the child the name Ishmael. It appears that he may have
regarded Ishmael as the promised seed, until, thirteen years
later, the counsel of God was more clearly unfolded to him
(cf. ICD, COTP, 222).
6. The Historical Fulf illiizeizt of the Prophecy.
The fulfillment in history of the oracle (v. 12) concerning
the future of Ishmael’s seed is precise in every
detail, and unqualifiedly stamps the prediction a prophetic
revelation from God. The details of this fulfillment are
presented so authentically by Dr. Henry Cooke (Self-
Interpreting Bible, Vol. I, The Pentateuch, pp. 23 8-239)
that we feel justified in reproducing it here verbatim, as
follows :
“Ver. 10-12. Here it is foretold that Ishmael and his
seed should be wild free men, like wild asses: mischievous
to all around them, and extremely numerous. For almost
four thousand years the fulfillment has been amazingly
remarkable. Ishmael had twelve sons, who gave rise to as
many tribes or nations, called by their names, and who
dwelt southward in Arabia, before the face or in the
I preseme of their near relations, the Ammonites, Moabites,
descendants of Keturah, Edomites, and Jews (17:20; 21:13,
18; 2$:11-18), All along they have been a nuisance and
plague to the nations around them; infamous for theft,
robbery, revenge, pillage, and murder. It has therefore
been the continued and common interest of mankind to
extirpate them from the earth. But though almost every
noted conqueror who has appeared in the world, whether
Hebrew, Egyptian, Assyrian, Chaldean, Persian, Grecian,
Roman, Tartar, or Turkish, has pushed his conquest to
their borders, or even beyond them into Egypt or Arabia
Felix, not one has ever been able to subdue these Ishmael-
ites, or deprive them of their freedom. The mighty Shi-
shak, King of Egypt, was obliged to draw a line along their
frontiers for the protection of his kingdom from their
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