{"id":2816,"date":"2015-06-22T15:23:32","date_gmt":"2015-06-22T15:23:32","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.thejerusalemgiftshop.com\/israelnews\/?p=2816"},"modified":"2015-06-22T15:35:14","modified_gmt":"2015-06-22T15:35:14","slug":"isaac-and-ishmael-two-brothers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thejerusalemgiftshop.com\/israelnews\/isaac-and-ishmael-two-brothers\/","title":{"rendered":"Isaac and Ishmael: Two brothers"},"content":{"rendered":"

by Tom Brennan,<\/p>\n

\"Isaac<\/a>

Isaac and Ishmael Bury Abraham<\/p><\/div>\n

The story of Abraham, Sarah and the people who would be as numerous as the stars is amazing for its conflicts with what we consider the \u201cnormal\u201d. Abraham was not a Canaanite; he was from northern Iraq, Ur. He was born a pagan, a worshipper of idols. Abraham was descended from Shem one of Noah\u2019s three sons. From the time after Noah the world slipped back into idolatry and G-d called Noah apart to make a new covenant to go with that which He had made with Noah. Abraham was to take his wife, herds and flocks and leave Ur and go to a place which he would be shown. Abraham and Sarah had reached advanced ages, their nineties, and Sarah had no son. Abraham was obliged to pass on leadership of the clan to his servant. Sarah feared for Abraham\u2019s clan and legacy and urged that he take a concubine, her Egyptian servant Hagar. In the Middle East this was an acceptable way for a patriarch to guarantee an heir who would bear the birthright. The birthright was the mantle of clan leadership, usually the firstborn. The birthright granted the duty to offer sacrifice, lead the clan, stewardship of the property, flocks and office of leadership. Abraham\u2019s only other choice was for that to pass out of his line, his family name would end.<\/p>\n

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