二十一章第一段有两个后裔，两种人，和两种生命。然而，没有第二段，我们就看不见他们生活的源头或结果。第二段有两口井，一口为以实玛利（创二一14-21），一口为以撒（创二一22-34）。圣经既不浪费字汇，这段两口井为着两种生命的记载，就必定非常有意义，并且满了属灵的重要性。
第一口井——为以实玛利的井
在旷野靠近埃及——以实玛利的井，就是他生活的源头，位于旷野，靠近埃及（创二一19-21，二五12，18）。在圣经里，旷野总是代表神所弃绝的地方。神绝不悦纳旷野。只要我们在旷野，我们就是祂所弃绝的。这事最好的例证乃是以色列人在旷野的飘流。在表号上，旷野也表征我们的魂。倘若我们活在魂里，我们就是迷失在神所弃绝的旷野里。以实玛利井所在的旷野，靠近埃及。他很容易就会从那里飘进埃及。这意思是当我们在魂里，在天然的所是里，我们就是在旷野飘流，并且很容易飘到世界里。
使以实玛利成为弓箭手——以实玛利生活的源头使他成为弓箭手（创二一20）。弓箭手和栽种者是不同的，栽种者栽培生命，弓箭手杀害生命。就如十章八至十二节的宁录，弓箭手是凶猛的猎人，是旷野中的杀手。这段话甚至用“一箭之远”这辞，描述夏甲所坐之地与她将孩子撇弃之地间的距离（创二一15-16）。因此这段话启示，我们若留在魂的旷野，并喝以实玛利井（他生活的源头）的水，我们就会为着建立我们自己的国，成为用弓箭杀害生命的弓箭手；而不是为着建立神的国，栽培生命的栽种者。
导致联于埃及——以实玛利生活的源头最终使他联于埃及，就是世界（创二一21）。夏甲从埃及，从她自己的源头，为以实玛利娶了一个妻子。她是埃及人，渴望得着埃及女子作她的媳妇。夏甲从埃及地为以实玛利娶了一个妻子，藉此给他印上了埃及的事物。我们从这一切看见，有一口井，就是生活的源头，能使我们成为杀害生命的凶猛猎人，并使我们联于世界。
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Two Wells – Two Source of Living (1) – Gen. 21:19-21
In the first section of chapter 21, there are two seeds, two persons, and two lives. However, without the second section, we cannot see the source or the result of their living. In the second section, there are two wells: one for Ishmael (Gen. 21:14-21) and one for Isaac (Gen. 21:22-34). Since the Bible does not waste any words, the record of these two wells for two kinds of lives must be significant and full of spiritual importance.
The First Well — The Well for Ishmael
In the wilderness near Egypt — The well for Ishmael was the source of his living, located in the wilderness, near Egypt (Gen. 21:19-21; 25:12, 18). In the Bible, the wilderness always represents a place rejected by God. God never accepts the wilderness. As long as we are in the wilderness, we are those rejected by Him. The best illustration of this is the wandering of the children of Israel in the wilderness. In typology, the wilderness also signifies our soul. If we live in the soul, we are lost in the wilderness rejected by God. The wilderness where Ishmael’s well was located was close to Egypt. He could easily drift from there into Egypt. This means that when we are in the soul, in our natural being, we are wandering in the wilderness and can easily drift into the world.
Making Ishmael an Archer — The source of Ishmael’s living made him an archer (Gen. 21:20). An archer is different from a planter; a planter grows life, while an archer kills life. Like Nimrod in chapter 10:8-12, an archer is a fierce hunter, a killer in the wilderness. This passage even uses the phrase “a bowshot” to describe the distance between where Hagar sat and where she had cast the child (Gen. 21:15-16). Therefore, this passage reveals that if we stay in the wilderness of the soul and drink the water of Ishmael’s well (the source of his living), we will become archers killing life for the building of our own kingdom, rather than planters growing life for the building of God’s kingdom.
Resulting in Union with Egypt — The source of Ishmael’s living eventually caused him to be joined to Egypt, that is, the world (Gen. 21:21). Hagar took a wife for Ishmael out of the land of Egypt, out of her own source. She was an Egyptian and desired to have an Egyptian woman as her daughter-in-law. Hagar took a wife for Ishmael from the land of Egypt, thereby stamping him with the things of Egypt. From all this, we see that there is a well, a source of living, that can make us fierce hunters who kill life and cause us to be joined to the world.