It is said of Abraham in Genesis 15:6: “And he believed the Lord, and he counted it to him as righteousness.” Abraham was a far from perfect man. He didn’t always lean on God’s wisdom.

OLD TESTAMENT & ART: A Flemish Baroque painting reanimates Genesis 16–21 and helps us reflect on trust, covenant and the consequences of human shortcuts.

Abraham’s wife, Sarah forces him to choose between their son, Isaac, and Ishmael, his son with his second wife, Hagar, both of whom Abraham banishes to the desert (Genesis 20).