Hagar Escapes

00:00:00 Speaker 1: Previously on the chosen people. 00:00:03 Speaker 2: I would have you achieved this promise another way. I would present my maid to you so that you could conceive a child with her. The child would be of your flesh and blood, and you would only have to adopt him as your heir. In that way, we would achieve God's promise to us. We could build our family through this child you would conceive with another. 00:00:25 Speaker 1: And so Hagar did as her lady instructed. That very night she was escorted to her lord's tent. 00:00:35 Speaker 3: I nothing but a mayor to you to be broken in bread. However you see fit. You will snatch this child of mine the moment it is free, and claim it as your own. 00:00:46 Speaker 4: Master Abram, congratulations, Hagar. 00:00:50 Speaker 5: Has born your son. The boy's name will be Ishmael. Let me ask you this is anything impossible for God Almighty? Is anything too hard or too marvelous for him to achieve? 00:01:07 Speaker 3: No? 00:01:08 Speaker 5: At the appointed time, I will come back to you. In about a year, she will have a son. 00:01:18 Speaker 2: How could this be? After all this time, when I am worn out and my lord is old? Will I have this delight? I can't help it. You're never going to believe it. It's finally happened. God's promised to us. 00:01:38 Speaker 4: With child, you're going to be our father. Sarah has given you a son, Isaac Master. The boy's name is Isaac. 00:01:55 Speaker 1: Ishmael loved his father and wanted him to be happy, But all this laughing was beginning to grate on him. Each peal of laughter and joy turned to mockery in Ishmael's ears. Their joy was his loss. The speeches were just beginning. Torches illuminated the joyful faces of Abraham's household, beaming as Abraham waxed poetry about his newborn son. The teen aged Ishmael was already well into his fourth cup of wine, fury rising with each sip. 00:02:36 Speaker 4: I still can't believe the joy I felt, both for Sarah and me in these three years. Who would have thought that I, one hundred and three year old man, would be giving a speech at his son's waning celebration. Why I was already as old as an oak when God promised Isaac to me, and that was over thirty years ago. I finally have a son, ha ha. 00:03:04 Speaker 1: Ishmael winced at the words, murmuring into his cup. 00:03:09 Speaker 6: You already had a son, foolish old. 00:03:11 Speaker 1: Man, Haeger gave him a sharp look. Isaac groaned, and he returned to his cup, listening to his father ramble on about how the birth of his son Isaac had completely changed his life. It had been a long three years for Ishmael as he watched the babe grow, every day, drawing closer to this weaning ceremony, the day that marked personhood. Isaac had survived infancy and crossed over into the threshold of childhood. 00:03:42 Speaker 5: The day also. 00:03:44 Speaker 1: Marked the unofficial acceptance of Isaac's claim to airship. Abraham continued, face bursting with youthful exuberance. 00:03:54 Speaker 4: I'm reminded of that glorious encounter I had all those years ago as we celebrate Isaac now the fruition of our God's incredible promise. Our God has truly blessed my soul. 00:04:09 Speaker 7: I am overwhelmed by how great he is. 00:04:13 Speaker 1: Ishmael's sighed as his father referenced the promise that had shaped his entire life. There was a time when that promise had applied to Ishmael. His mother often told him the story of his birth and how she was elevated from slave to wife, begrudgingly so, especially if he were to confer with Lady Sarah. But despite Sarah's resentments, Ishmael was the legitimate heir of Abraham in the eyes of the law. His mother reminded him of this often when he endured scathing looks from Sarah, or when the other boys teased him about his mother's lowly heritage or his distinctly Egyptian features. His mother told them it was only because of their jealousy that they poked and prodded at his ego. This came to shape Ishmael's worldview. The law was on his side, no matter what anyone had to say about it. But despite that assurance, Ishmael was emboldened to work hard and earn his father's affection. He would prove that he was a worthy heir, despite how it came to be. 00:05:22 Speaker 8: I imagined the mystery and majesty of our God as if he was clothed in a splendor, and the light of his glory covers all of us and into the heavens like a great tent. 00:05:37 Speaker 1: The faith of his father's his father, the prophet of the God almighty. Ishmael just didn't understand it. His father spoke of his God as if he were a friend and a guide, but also to be feared and respected. Ishmael found he would rather rely on the strength of his hands and the sharpness of his mind. But he had played the part of dutiful sun and air. He followed the customs, prayed the prayers, and had even been circumcised with the rest of the household. He was marked by this god and a part of this covenant, the same as every other man in Abraham's house, But deep down, Ishmael felt separated from them, exemplified by his distinct Egyptian features passed down from his mother. 00:06:30 Speaker 4: And even the clouds and the winds and. 00:06:35 Speaker 2: Abraham, my love, are guess what to eat your rambling? 00:06:41 Speaker 4: Yes, my love, You're right, I have gotten carried away. Please, my friends, let us feast and drink to my promised son Isaac. May he always bring his mother and me joy, as well as to all he meets. 00:06:59 Speaker 1: The crowd of their agreement and smatterings of conversation struck up throughout the tent. Ishmael was seated at the end of his father's table with his mother. From this vantage point, it was painfully obvious that she was slighted by the other women, though she had been raised from the status of slave, she had not overcome the stigma. Ishmael's blood boiled at this familiar hurt on behalf of his mother. When most of their party had eaten their fill, Sarah's nursemaid brought the now ween child Isaac out and placed him in his mother's hands. The other women fawned over the boy and showered Sarah with their attention. It was more than Ishmael could stand. He stood abruptly from the table and went to recline with the other young men at a table further out of earshot. 00:07:53 Speaker 9: Released from your duty as air already, Ishmael. 00:07:56 Speaker 4: Oh, yes, how does it feel to be overshadowed by an infant? 00:08:02 Speaker 6: That baby is not going to replace me. 00:08:07 Speaker 9: Chmael, We only jest. I'm sure this day can't. 00:08:10 Speaker 5: Be easy for you. 00:08:12 Speaker 6: Why should it make a difference. I'm a legitimate heir. I don't see why this second son should change anything. 00:08:19 Speaker 4: I wouldn't be so sure of that that. 00:08:21 Speaker 9: What Tabam means to say is that we're sure you have a better understanding of the situation than we do. 00:08:28 Speaker 4: Don't speak for me, Jock Shan. Ishmael should consider what this means for his birthright. 00:08:36 Speaker 9: Keep your voice down, you're just gonna stir up trouble. 00:08:39 Speaker 6: No, no, I think Teba may be right. This child could challenge my right to what is rightfully mine, Ishmael. 00:08:50 Speaker 10: They're going to hear you. How much wine have you had? You're not thinking straight? Look at him. His child is going to be coddled by his ancient mother. He's going to be soft and weak. This clam needs a strong leader. His name means to laugh. The other nations will be laughing at us. This child is a joke. His co airship with me is laughable. He makes a mockery of our people. 00:09:20 Speaker 1: The two other boys gaped to Dishmael's outburst in an almost silent room. The guests had quieted as Ishmael's rant had built to its height. Sarah fixed him with a venomous stare, which, if he had been sober, would have given him the good sense to back down. He also failed to note the mounting panic in his mother's eyes. 00:09:43 Speaker 6: What we all know the law? Are we not people who uphold the laws of our land? This child can't snatch my birth right away from me. This changes nothing. 00:09:56 Speaker 1: With that, Ishmael kicked back the dregs of his wine, threw his cup to the ground, and stormed from the tent. One could cut the tension in the silence that followed with a knife. 00:10:09 Speaker 4: All right, everyone, pay no attention to my oldest. The fire of youth burns in his belly. Please return to your meal. 00:10:20 Speaker 1: The most assertive of the guests coaxed their neighbors back to the uneasy conversation to smooth over the awkwardness of Ishmael's tantrum. Sarah passed isaacov to the nursemaid, gave her husband a look, and marched out of the tent as well in the opposite direction. Abraham sighed and followed her. Sarah had grown to hate Ishmael as she had grown to hate Hagar, but his outburst was a step too far. 00:10:53 Speaker 2: The audacity of this brazen, entitled child, the child of a slave, Nola Ah, I don't know why you haven't divorced that Egyptian slave and expelled both of them from our household. There's no need for him anymore. 00:11:09 Speaker 4: We have our son, Sarah. I know you're upset. 00:11:13 Speaker 2: Est cannot stand Abraham. This impertinent child in his mother must be dealt with He's just a boy. 00:11:22 Speaker 4: This is a big adjustment for him. 00:11:25 Speaker 2: I don't care. His feelings mean nothing to me. You heard him. The law does protect him until you divorce his mother. Our son will always have to bear this rivalry. I have not endured what I have endured or suffered the way I have suffered to see my son sit as co heir to our legacy and the promise of our God. You know I am speaking the truth, Abraham. Don't give me that look like I'm speaking nonsense. 00:11:57 Speaker 4: But Ishmael is of my flesh and blood God. He is my son. Should he be denied what is owed to him by the laws of our land, I am. 00:12:07 Speaker 2: Your flesh and blood too, as well as Isaac. What do you value more the law of the land or the promise of our God. 00:12:16 Speaker 1: Sarah could tell her words had stopped her husband in his tracks. She let the silence settle between them and cried out to their God in her heart. Her fury still heated her skin, but her words were sound. Abraham had to see reason. He had to understand the division he was creating by allowing the boy and his mother to stay. This was a threat to the very promise that God had made them. This was bigger than the two of them. 00:12:48 Speaker 4: Sarah, in your anger towards the boy's mother, would you really have me strip them of their status? Where would they go? They would have no place in our land or any others. 00:13:02 Speaker 2: This union between you and Hagar was a mistake, a mistake I still hold you accountable for. But I endured it so you may have an heir. But now I've provided you with a son untainted by all this nonsense. I won't see it ruined. I must protect the promise that is to be inherited by our son. I cannot stand by any longer for the sake of Isaac. I must protect my son. I can only hope you will do the same as his father. 00:13:32 Speaker 4: What you ask is not a small task. I must seek our God about this matter before I give you an answer. 00:13:41 Speaker 2: He is my God. To Abraham, I pray that he will show you that this is right. 00:13:47 Speaker 9: You will know my answer by morning. 00:13:50 Speaker 2: I know you've come to love the boy. I'm sorry for the pain this will cause you, but you know I'm right, don't you. 00:13:58 Speaker 4: I I need to pray. 00:14:03 Speaker 1: Abraham pays the length of his lands for several hours, weighing every option and wading through every anxiety that he felt until he finally heard from his God, Abraham. 00:14:17 Speaker 5: I know your heart is greatly burdened. Do not be distressed. 00:14:23 Speaker 4: But my God, how can I not be the fate of my firstborn son hangs in the balance. Must I truly choose between my sons? And if I choose wrong, will I lose the trust of my wife. 00:14:38 Speaker 5: Do not worry about the boy Ishmael or his mother, Hagar, for they are not only in your care, Abraham, they are in mine. 00:14:48 Speaker 4: What would you have me? 00:14:49 Speaker 5: Do you are to honor your wife Sarah? Listen to what she says and do what she asks. Remember I am fulfilling my promise to you. Through Sarah and through your boy Isaac, your line will be traced through him. 00:15:12 Speaker 7: Yes, God Almighty, I remember your words well. But what of Ishmael? How can I abandon him? 00:15:23 Speaker 5: I have seen Ishmael and his mother in their strife. I will not forget them. I have promised Hagar that her son, your son, will be made into a mighty nation. He will be all that you have faithfully raised him to be. Trust what I am telling you. 00:15:45 Speaker 1: Soothed by his God's words, Abraham, set out to make the preparations for the departure of Ishmael and Hagar. Early in the morning, mere hours after Ishmael's blunder, Elieza and a reluctant Abraham entered Hagar and Ishmael's tent. 00:16:04 Speaker 11: Hagar, Master Abraham has informed me that it's time for you both to leave immediately. 00:16:12 Speaker 3: What but why is this about Ishmael's outburst last night? He won't do it again. 00:16:20 Speaker 11: I swear this is the will of my master. You are no longer welcome here. This is a formal renouncing of your marriage to Abraham and Ishmael's writer's heir. 00:16:33 Speaker 6: It was that serpent Sarah. She was behind all this. 00:16:36 Speaker 11: She's I wouldn't make this any worse, Ishmael. I have some of our armed men ready. 00:16:42 Speaker 12: But but I would prefer not to call them. 00:16:46 Speaker 7: Father. 00:16:47 Speaker 6: You would stand there and say nothing. Well, this man casts us out. 00:16:52 Speaker 3: He's always been a cart. How long do we have to leave? Is there a cart prepared for us? Goods, Master Abraham, do you have anything to say for yourself? 00:17:04 Speaker 1: Hagar's anger raged against Abraham's tortured face as he stood still and straight. The picture of enacting justice on behalf of his offended primary wife. Hagar knew that was the true reason for this divorce, for that was what this was. Sarah had finally had enough. She could no longer suffer the looming threat of Ishmael contesting her son's airship, and once again what little Hagar had was being stripped away from her. 00:17:39 Speaker 4: You know everything. I cannot say freely. I have no right to give you anything, but I would not have you cast out with but nothing. I have a sack of bread and a waterskin. 00:17:58 Speaker 9: You must go now. 00:18:00 Speaker 4: For what anyone sees, please. 00:18:05 Speaker 9: Go now. 00:18:07 Speaker 6: Unbelievable, the cruelty, the heartlessness. Why are you doing this? 00:18:17 Speaker 13: You know why, young Ishmael. This is how it has to be. No, please leave, And that was it. There was no ceremony, no preamble or formality to it. But by sending them out, Abraham had effectively divorced Hagar, stripping her and her son of their status in his household. This was the way of their culture and sound in the eyes of the law. With this simple gesture, Hagar was no longer a wife, and Ishmael's claim was dissolved. The only inheritance Hager's son would see was the bread and water skin. Hagar was free. Datus would not revert back to being a slave, but somehow freedom felt like a punishment. With no protection from the law or husband, there were not many places for them to go, and so Hagar and her son wandered in the wilderness of Beer Sheba. The region was barren and inhospitable. In her exhaustion and thirst, Hagar could not remember how long it had been since they passed a well. They had finished the bread weeks ago and survived off the meager gain that likewise wandered the wilderness. Ishmael was a talented shot, but he could not summon a game that was not there. And now they were down to the last drops of water in the water skin Abraham had given them. Ishmael did not acknowledge its near emptiness as he handed the last of their water to his mother. Hagar accepted his gesture as her heart sank at their dire situation. Few words had been extened change between them since they had been expelled, but she could read the devastation all over her son's face. It told her everything. 00:20:08 Speaker 1: She needed to know about how he was processing the loss of his inheritance. The loss of his father, and so they wandered two ghosts upon the land. Hunger clawed at Hager's belly, and collapse threatened. As now days had passed since her last sip of water, Ishmael started to stumble beside her. He was younger and stronger, but his body required more food than hersted he was nearly a man grown now. When she looked into his eyes, she could see grief and weariness etched inside. He was losing the very will to live. Her eyes welled with tears and her throat tightened at the sight of her once vibrant son starting to falter, his body on the brink of shutting down. He cried out as he suddenly slumped to the ground. 00:21:04 Speaker 2: Ishmael, Mother, I Ishmael, come over here. 00:21:09 Speaker 3: Let me get you to the shade. 00:21:11 Speaker 6: I'm I'm afraid, I miss Holme. 00:21:17 Speaker 3: I'll stay with you until you fall asleep. 00:21:19 Speaker 1: Hager winced as tears immediately brimmed her eyes. Hagar dragged her son over to the meager shade of a bush near the road. It would have to do. Grimly, She supposed this was as good a place to die as any in this terrible wasteland. Ishmael groaned and closed his eyes as he sagged in the dirt. He murmured fragments of apologies and regret that Hagar could not comprehend, but she whispered comforting words in reply. She stayed with him until his breath slowed and he lost consciousness and fitfully fell quiet as she watched his chest right and fall. Agony tore through Hagar, and she found she could not bear to watch thirst and hunger steal her son away from her. She crawled away from where he lay, lest he wake and hear her sobbing over his body. When she was about a bow shot away, she finally gave in to the depths of her despair. 00:22:22 Speaker 2: I can't I can't watch him die. 00:22:27 Speaker 1: Hager failed to notice the stillness that settled around her, or the comforting presence that wrapped its arms around her. She wept until a gentle voice whispered in her ear. 00:22:43 Speaker 12: Hagar, do not be afraid, Hagar, do not be afraid. Your cries have been heard by the God Almighty. He has also heard the anguish of your son. Your torment has not gone unnoticed. Get up, go to your son and help him. 00:23:08 Speaker 3: How how can I do as you ask, where would we go? What are we to do? 00:23:15 Speaker 12: As I have seen you before, I see you now, and as I promised you then, I will remind you. Now grasp the hand of your son, for he is to be a great nation some day I will make it so. 00:23:34 Speaker 1: Before Hager could answer, she felt the comforting presence lift from her shoulders, and she suddenly saw a well before her. She cried out in surprise. Had she been delirious or blind? There had been nothing, no water sauce at all for miles and miles, but here was one before her now. She crawled over to it on her hands and knees. She had to be dreaming some frenzied mirage, conjured up by her dehydration, But no. She placed her hands on solid, chiseled limestone stones. She pulled herself up to haul off the cover and peer over the edge. In its depths was an abundance of fresh, clean water. She cried out in relief and grasped the rope hanging over the side of the well, sunk the pail on the other end into the water, and pulled it up. She collapsed against its side as she drank deeply. She then fumbled for her satchel. The water skin was still inside. With shaking hands, she filled it and limped back to Ishmael's side. She gently lifted his head so he could drink from the water skin. Her heart soared, and a flicker of hope sprang back to life as she saw her son's eyes open. If Male's alertness returned when they both drank their fill, and he also noticed the world before them, they both laughed and laughed on the edge of delirium and relief. Perhaps now they too would see a promise fulfilled by the God of Abraham. This Prey dot com production is only made possible by our dedicated team of creative talents. Steve Gattina, Max Bard, Zach Shellabarger, and Ben Gammon are the executive producers of The Chosen People. Narrated by Paul Coltefianu. Characters are voiced by Jonathan Cotton, Aaron Salvado, Sarah Seltz, Mike Reagan, Stephen Ringwold, Sylvia Zaradoc, Thomas Copeland Junior, Rosanna Pilcher, and Mitch Leshinsky. Music by Andrew Morgan Smith. Written by Aaron Salvato, Bree Rosalie and Chris baig. 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