And Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian, whom she had borne to Abraham, scoffing. (Gen 21,9)

It would seem that the joy of Isaac's birth must overwhelm everyone, that everyone would share it with Sarah, but after a few years, it mercilessly became apparent that this would not be true. There was a growing tension between Hagar and Ishmael on one side and Sarah and Isaac on the other. Hagar tried to hide it within herself, but still there was no doubt what everyone in the camp felt: she had been struck to the core by this, she had gone from being a queen to someone who was now at someone's mercy. Moreover, the one who could not hide his bitterness, and whose contempt for Isaac therefore radiated quite openly, was Ishmael. In short, it was obvious that Isaac's birth marked a major upheaval in the circumstances of Abraham's family. Hagar's future with Ishmael was suddenly uncertain.

Until God visited Sarah and she miraculously conceived, the situation in the camp was more or less stable. Sarah maintained her status as a woman, whom Abraham honored despite her barrenness, even though he had already had a child with Hagar. When Hagar tried to "raise her head" against Sarah. Abraham made it clear to her that she could not afford to do that, so she took a stand and kept a safe distance from him and Sarah. In doing so, she took pleasure in Abraham's continued preoccupation with her son, and it was clear to her that his and her future with the wealthy Abraham was secure. Fortune had not turned its back on her, she often thought.

But then God stepped in. The God with whom Abraham had spoken and to whom he had sacrificed... and everything was turned upside down. No, Hagar wasn't a diplomat by nature (as few in the tribal societies of the East were), and the hot-tempered Ishmael certainly wasn't. The tension that had been building in the camp since then was rubbing off on the others. Everyone was waiting to see what resolution the whole situation would take. Some sympathized with Hagar, others wished that this miracle-born child would one day become their new head rather than the quarrelsome Ishmael, as they had more or less already accepted. But at the sight of Abraham, who had grown so deeply attached to Ishmael, the fruit of his old age, a tension of expectation of the outcome hung over the camp.

It's strange, but sometimes things get complicated when God comes, they said quietly among themselves.