Now Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian, whom she had borne to Abraham, mocking. Therefore she said to Abraham, "Drive out this maid and her son, for the son of this maid shall not be an heir with my son Isaac." The matter distressed Abraham greatly because of his son. But God said to Abraham, "Do not be distressed because of the lad and your maid; whatever Sarah tells you, listen to her, for through Isaac your descendants shall be named. "And of the son of the maid I will make a nation also, because he is your descendant." So Abraham rose early in the morning and took bread and a skin of water and gave them to Hagar, putting them on her shoulder, and gave her the boy, and sent her away. And she departed and wandered about in the wilderness of Beersheba. (Genesis 21:9-14 NASB)
This is an account where what's really going on is implied rather than explicit. First off, for whatever reason, Ishmael is never named but referred to obliquely throughout the chapter. Second, he wasn't mocking, he was laughing with the boy named for such behavior. I see clues that there are two other reasons for sending Hagar and Ishmael away.
The first is from what Sarah says to Abraham, "...the son of this maid shall not be an heir with my son Isaac." It's not that they "play" together, it's that Ishmael threatens Isaac's inheritance, or blessing, from Abraham. It is more jealousy than physical or emotional protection of Isaac. But why be jealous? Hasn't God made it clear that Isaac will be the one through whom the promise and covenant will pass? Time for the second clue.
The second clue I find in what God says to Abraham. Abraham doesn't want to send Ishmael away. He wasn't distressed for Hagar, the word was evil in his eyes because of Ishmael. It sounds like a natural attachment of a father to a son, but God says something interesting, "...through Isaac your descendants will be named." That hadn't been brought up, but wouldn't it be strongly inferred from the promise? God will make Abraham a great nation, and the promise is to pass through the promised son. Yet, God has to tell Abraham again, more specifically. It's as if Abraham still holds on to the possibility that Ishmael can carry the blessing of God; or at least his family blessing.
I see two possibilities that could be true at the same time. I think Sarah is jealous and I think Abraham has given her reason to be. He seems to still hold on to a primary position for Ishmael in his heart. It shows up when he is asked by Sarah to send Hagar and Ishmael away. God finally points it out. But God appreciates that this view isn't evil in a character sense, but it is evil in a "faith" sense. It is contrary to the direction laid out by God. Abraham still hopes for Ishmael. And God honors the character of Abraham. He again promises to make Ishmael into a great nation.
The point I take from this is that my Master knows me better than I know myself. He sees the places where I'm in denial. He sees the places I'm completely blind to my weaknesses. But He also is diligent to correct those faith flaws that aren't necessarily character flaws. In other words He corrects character that distracts from faith. It may not have been Abraham's problem, but when my Master reveals character that is contrary to His call, I also discover that the character quality is often about me rather than my Master.
An example of this is discernment. Through the study of Scriptures, I can often discern when people and situations deviate from my Master's design. This isn't all that unique, in fact it's really common. But when I decide to step in where I'm not invited either by my Master or the person(s) involved, that discernment becomes about me rather than about my relationship with my Master. Sometimes my Master does invite me, and then it's a faith issue to become involved. But if I'm not prompted by His Spirit, and the person hasn't asked, then I need to draw from my discernment and pray specifically for the person(s) in that situation. That's just one example, but it demonstrates the difference between the unrighteous good and the righteous good. One is about me, that is self-righteousness. The other is about my Master, and that's true righteousness.
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