Genesis 21:16 And she went, and sat her down over against him a good way off, as it were a bow shot: for she said, Let me not see the death of the child. And she sat over against him, and lift up her voice, and wept. 17 And God heard the voice of the lad; and the angel of God called to Hagar out of heaven, and said unto her, What aileth thee, Hagar? fear not; for God hath heard the voice of the lad where he is. 18 Arise, lift up the lad, and hold him in thine hand; for I will make him a great nation. 19 And God opened her eyes, and she saw a well of water; and she went, and filled the bottle with water, and gave the lad drink. 20 And God was with the lad; and he grew, and dwelt in the wilderness, and became an archer.
This passage of scripture teaches us beyond the shadow of a doubt, that there is hope for the descendants of Ishmael, who are the Arabians and other peoples derived from that line. Both Ishmael and Isaac had the same father, and although Ishmael was born of a marriage that was not approved of God, yet it was not his fault that he was brought into this world, and thus, as it is with any other human being on the planet, he is afforded an equal opportunity to be saved in God's eternal kingdom, just like anyone else. Ishmael's descendants are not to be viewed as strangers and foreigners to the grace of Christ, for if that were to be the case, then all gentiles would automatically fall into the same category. Let's read:
Romans 3:9 What then? are we better than they? No, in no wise: for we have before proved both Jews and Gentiles, that they are all under sin; 10 As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: 23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; 29 Is he the God of the Jews only? is he not also of the Gentiles? Yes, of the Gentiles also.
There is a general tendency in the west to favor the Jewish nation over the descendants of Ishmael, and for this reason a perception of biased favoritism has been brewing now for very many years. Even in the current crisis of refugees streaming into Europe and other western countries, there is manifested great hesitation in ministering to the needs of those who have suffered tremendously at the hands of terrorists and extremists. Now, it is true, that in the manifestation of uniform kindness towards members of the human family, there would be certain unavoidable risks involved, but these should never be allowed to override the greater good, when help is desperately needed.
In the story given by Christ of the good Samaritan, we observe that the man who was badly beaten and wounded by robbers, was helped by one who made no claim of Christianity, and Christ highlighted important lessons in kindness that we should all pay close attention to. The place where the man had been attacked, was notorious for such activities, and thus, the good Samaritan could have reasoned that his life would be put in danger by stopping to help his fellowman. But he did not reason thus, nor did he attempt to excuse himself from being his brother's keeper, and for this he is commended in the Bible as a shining example of what God's love looks like in the everyday circumstances of life. Let's read:
1st Corinthians 13:1 Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal. 4 Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, 5 Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil; 13 And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.
Thus it is, that in harmony with God's universal law of love, He bestows His salvation and saving grace upon all men, regardless of what religion they belong to, for when Jesus Christ yielded up His life on Calvary it was to save gentiles, Jews, and all of Ishmael's descendants, if any were to accept of God's unmerited kindness to the human family. Much more concerted efforts need to be made to reach out to the Arab people, in letting them know that God also loves them as He loves us, and whenever and wherever we can help in leading them to Christ, we should do so by the grace of God, and under the guidance of His Holy Spirit.
We therefore end with a passage of scripture which teaches us the will of God in this regard, for the grace of God which bringeth salvation has indeed appeared unto all men, and to every man, woman, and child has been given a measure of faith. Let's read:
Hosea 1:10 Yet the number of the children of Israel shall be as the sand of the sea, which cannot be measured nor numbered; and it shall come to pass, that in the place where it was said unto them, Ye are not my people, there it shall be said unto them, Ye are the sons of the living God.
May God add His blessing to the study and practice of His word. "Good night" and God bless!