神的目的是要将祂自己作到一个团体的人里面，使祂能得着团体的彰显。从创世记十一章下半到二十五章上半的记载，显示神在亚伯拉罕这人身上作了多少工。虽然如此，到了亚伯拉罕一生记载的末了，我们有没有看到一个生命成熟，在各面彰显神的人？没有。亚伯拉罕还不是这样的人。
创世记二十四章很美妙，亚伯拉罕为他儿子选娶了正确的妻子。但紧接着，他自己又娶了妻。创世记二十五章不是说，“亚伯拉罕为以撒娶了一个好妻子之后，他和他们在耶和华面前又活了三十多年。有一天，他叫以撒和利百加来。按手在他们头上，祝福他们，就到主那里去了。”这段记载若是这样，我们都要赞赏说，“这里有一个生命成熟的圣徒。”生命成熟的证明是甚么？就是祝福别人。亚伯拉罕虽然老迈，却没有祝福任何人。这证明他的生命没有成熟。
亚伯拉罕在撒拉死后娶了基土拉，并生了六个儿子
创世记二十五章不是记载祝福，乃是记载再婚。亚伯拉罕在撒拉死后又娶了基土拉。亚伯拉罕的一生可分为三段：以实玛利的一段，以撒的一段，以及六个儿子的一段。以实玛利是凭着亚伯拉罕的肉体生的，以撒是凭着神的恩典生的；那六个儿子怎样？他们更是凭着肉体生的。在以实玛利出生之后，亚伯拉罕的肉体受了对付，恩典来顶替了肉体。但以撒出生长大之后，亚伯拉罕的肉体又开始活跃。在头一段，以实玛利的一段，亚伯拉罕的肉体是一倍，但在第三段，六个儿子的一段，他的肉体是六倍－加强了六倍。年轻的肉体只生出一个以实玛利，年老的肉体生出六个儿子。
圣经是诚实的，告诉我们亚伯拉罕娶了基土拉，从她生了六个儿子。但亚伯拉罕知道神的旨意，创世记二十五章五节说，“亚伯拉罕将一切所有的都给了以撒。”以撒是独一的后嗣，是神所拣选、所指定、所设立的后嗣；其他的儿子没有一个算为后嗣（创二五6），因为他们都是妾所生的，和以实玛利一样为神所弃绝。亚伯拉罕有两个妾，第一个生了以实玛利，第二个生了六个儿子。但他们没有一个是神所要的。
每日一问：为什么说亚伯拉罕的生命还没有成熟？
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Abraham’s Life Was Not Mature (1) – Gen. 25:1-2
God’s purpose is to work Himself into a corporate group of people so that He may obtain a corporate expression. The record from the latter part of Genesis 11 through the first part of Genesis 25 shows how much work God did on the person of Abraham. Nevertheless, at the end of the record of Abraham’s life, do we see a person of mature life who expressed God in every way? No. Abraham was not such a person.
Genesis 24 is wonderful; Abraham chose the right wife for his son. But immediately after, he himself took another wife. Genesis 25 does not say, “After Abraham had chosen a good wife for Isaac, he and they lived before Jehovah for another thirty-plus years. One day, he called Isaac and Rebekah to come, laid his hands on their heads, blessed them, and went to the Lord.” If the record were like this, we would all applaud and say, “Here is a saint of mature life.” What is the proof of mature life? It is to bless others. Although Abraham was old, he did not bless anyone. This proves that his life was not mature.
Abraham Took Keturah after Sarah Died and Begot Six Sons
Genesis 25 is not a record of blessing, but a record of remarriage. After Sarah died, Abraham took Keturah. Abraham’s life can be divided into three sections: the section of Ishmael, the section of Isaac, and the section of the six sons. Ishmael was born of Abraham’s flesh; Isaac was born of God’s grace; what about those six sons? They were even more of the flesh. After the birth of Ishmael, Abraham’s flesh was dealt with, and grace came to replace the flesh. But after Isaac grew up, Abraham’s flesh became active again. In the first section, the section of Ishmael, Abraham’s flesh was onefold, but in the third section, the section of the six sons, his flesh was sixfold — strengthened six times over. The young flesh only produced one Ishmael, but the old flesh produced six sons.
The Bible is honest; it tells us that Abraham took Keturah and she bore him six sons. But Abraham knew God’s will. Genesis 25:5 says, “Abraham gave all that he had to Isaac.” Isaac is the unique heir, the heir chosen, designated and established by God; none of the other sons are counted as heirs (Gen. 25:6) because they were all born of concubines and, like Ishmael, were rejected by God. Abraham had two concubines; the first bore Ishmael, and the second bore six sons. But not one of them was whom God wanted.
Daily Question: Why is it said that Abraham’s life was not yet mature?