As God had commanded, Abraham had Issac circumcised when he was eight days old.

Abraham was one hundred years old when Issac was born and his wife, Sarah, was ninety. In those days women nursed their babies much longer than mothers do today. It was the custom to have a large party when the baby, generally two or three years old, was weaned.

Abraham held such a feast when his son was weaned. But Sarah saw Ishmael, who was by this time a teenager, making fun her young son and she became very upset.

"Throw this slave woman and her son out!" she told her husband. "For the son of this woman will not share in my son, Issac's, inheritance!"

Abraham loved Ishmael, and was grieved at Sarah's words. But God reminded him that it was through Isaac that God would establish His covenant, and with Isaac's offspring. As for Ishmael, God told him He would make a mighty nation of the lad because he was Abraham's son.

So Abraham rose early in the morning and giving Hagar and Ishmael a supply of food and water, he sent them away.

Then God opened Hagar's eyes and she saw a well of water. She quickly filled her empty container and brought it to her son and he drank and was refreshed.

God watched over the young man as he grew up in the wilderness. He became a skillful archer and, when he was old enough, Hagar got Ishmael a wife from her home land of Egypt. Today Ishmael's descendants have become a great people. They are called Arabs.

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