Romans 4:18 : Who in hope believed against hope, to the end that he might become a father of many nations, according to that which had been spoken, So shall thy seed be. The promise--"so shall thy seed be" --was made to Abraham before Ishmael was born. To say that Abraham's body was then as good as dead is to commit one to the theory that Ishmael was miraculously begotten. It is not likely that any one will take that position. Abraham was then still in possession of the full powers of his manhood. But Sarah was barren, and hence there were no natural grounds for Abraham to hope that she would ever bear a son. Yet, God had promised to make his seed as numberless as the stars. "And he believed in Jehovah and he reckoned it to him for righteousness" (Genesis 15:6). In hope he believed against hope--believed that he would become a father in spite of Sarah's barrenness. It seems that Abraham and Sarah tried to help God out of the seeming difficulty. "And Sarai said unto Abram, Behold now, Jehovah hath restrained me from bearing; go in, I pray thee, into my hand-maid; it may be that I shall obtain children by her. And Abram hearkened to the voice of Sarai" (Genesis 16:2). As a result of this step of unbelief, a son was born to Abraham by Hagar. Evidently Abraham thought that move settled the difficulty, and that Ishmael was the one through whom the promise would be fulfilled; for when God later promised that he should have a son by Sarah, he said to God: "Oh that Ishmael might live before thee" (Genesis 17:15-18). But when Jehovah in-formed him that his covenant would be established with the son to be born to him by Sarah, he believed Gad.