Why Is There So Much Animosity Between The Muslims And Jews?

One of my Nigerian sons in the faith asked me this question, and I thought it would make a great bible study. The animosity goes all the way back to the book of Genesis, back to the mothers of Isaac and Ishmael!

Sarah, Isaac’s mother, was despondent about being barren; so she gave her Egyptian slave Hagar to her husband to get pregnant. “Now Sarai Abram’s wife bare him no children: and she had an handmaid, an Egyptian, whose name was Hagar. And Sarai said unto Abram, Behold now, the LORD hath restrained me from bearing: I pray thee, go in unto my maid; it may be that I may obtain children by her. And Abram hearkened to the voice of Sarai. And Sarai Abram’s wife took Hagar her maid the Egyptian, after Abram had dwelt ten years in the land of Canaan, and gave her to her husband Abram to be his wife. And he went in unto Hagar, and she conceived: and when she saw that she had conceived, her mistress was despised in her eyes.” Gen. 16:1-4 (KJV)

As his 2nd wife, Hagar most likely expected to be treated as a wife, and not a sex slave, but the latter was the reality. Sarah felt threatened and despised by Hagar for her barrenness, so she went to her husband, and Abraham reminded her Hagar the Egyptian was her slave…property! So Sarah gave Hagar a whole lot of guff, and she couldn’t take it, so she ran away – “But Abram said unto Sarai, Behold, thy maid is in thy hand; do to her as it pleaseth thee. And when Sarai dealt hardly with her, she fled from her face…And the angel of the LORD said unto her, Return to thy mistress, and submit thyself under her hands…And the angel of the LORD said unto her, Behold, thou art with child, and shalt bear a son, and shalt call his name Ishmael; because the LORD hath heard thy affliction.” Gen. 16:6, 9, 11 (KJV) – But an angel told her to go back to Sarah, and to name her child Ishmael; Abraham was 86 when Ishmael was born.

“And God said, Sarah thy wife shall bear thee a son indeed; and thou shalt call his name Isaac: and I will establish My covenant with him for an everlasting covenant, and with his seed after him. And as for Ishmael, I have heard thee: Behold, I have blessed him, and will make him fruitful, and will multiply him exceedingly; twelve princes shall he beget, and I will make him a great nation. But My covenant will I establish with Isaac, which Sarah shall bear unto thee at this set time in the next year.” Gen. 17:19-21 (KJV) God tells Abraham He has a blessing for each of his sons. For Ishmael, a multitude of descendants, but for Isaac, an everlasting covenant land grant! Remember, Isaac is a pure Hebrew, while Ishmael is 1/2 Hebrew, 1/2 Egyptian! Also, Ishmael is the son of a slave woman; a bondservant. Isaac is both the son of a free woman and a promise of God to Abraham!

Gen. 21:9-21 Has Ishmael mocking, causing Sarah anxiety, so she went to Abraham to ask him to kick Hagar and her son out of the camp. Counselled by God, Abraham put them both out, only bread and a bottle of water, and off into the wilderness. He grew up an archer, and his Egyptian mother saw to it he married an Egyptian woman. This means Ishmael’s children were 1/3 Hebrew, 2/3 Egyptian, but in believing they’re decendants of Ishmael, one can see a Muslim would have a deep-seated resentment of how Hagar and Ishmael were treated, don’t you think? Ishmael was not wholly one of God’s chosen people. Yet, all this has fired up animosity, jealousy, covetousness – whatever you want to call it.

Now let’s leap into the New Testament; Paul is writing to the Galatians, and he writes of these two mothers and their sons – “Tell me, ye that desire to be under the law, do ye not hear the law? For it is written, that Abraham had two sons, the one by a bondmaid, the other by a freewoman. But he who was of the bondwoman was born after the flesh; but he of the freewoman was by promise. Which things are an allegory: for these are the two covenants; the one from the mount Sinai, which gendereth to bondage, which is Agar. For this Agar is mount Sinai in Arabia, and answereth to Jerusalem which now is, and is in bondage with her children. But Jerusalem which is above is free, which is the mother of us all. For it is written, Rejoice, thou barren that bearest not; break forth and cry, thou that travailest not: for the desolate hath many more children than she which hath an husband. Now we, brethren, as Isaac was, are the children of promise. But as then he that was born after the flesh persecuted him that was born after the Spirit, even so it is now. Nevertheless what saith the scripture? Cast out the bondwoman and her son: for the son of the bondwoman shall not be heir with the son of the freewoman. So then, brethren, we are not children of the bondwoman, but of the free.” Gal. 4:21-31 (KJV)

If you understand all this, and continue to believe you’re a Muslim from Hagar and Ishmael, then Paul is calling Hebrews from a freewoman, a miraculous promised forefather in Isaac, representing a free spiritually grace-blessed nation, God’s chosen people. He is also saying Muslims come from a bondwoman, ordinary, common; of the flesh, and not the Spirit, under the law, without being spiritually grace-blessed. If you claim to be a Muslim from this history bound to all the bible references for Hagar and Ishmael, wouldn’t you be rather offended, and pick and choose what to say you believe in the bible, to soothe your pride and ego? Any wonder why the Muslims call the bible corrupted?

All this has blinded them to the truth. They don’t have to be Muslims of that history; they can acquire salvation, despite their human past. They can discard their vain genealogy and obtain precious salvation! They can receive the promise – “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” John 3:16 (KJV) – They can become born again Christians! Christ’s sacrifice can cover every Muslim that comes to Him! Mohammad brought them another Jesus; but they must discard the Koran, accept the bible, believe in Jesus’ gift of love, and they can put the animosity behind them and become a new creature! “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” 2 Cor. 5:17 (KJV)

Before Mohammad, Arabs worshipped over 150 false gods. Mohammad gave them one false god, one with no hope, no love. With Jesus Christ, not Issa, they have blessed assurances of paradise! They just have to let go of the Islamic legacy, it’s not worth holding onto!

‎Rich Joseph‎