Yes—Isaac's lineage is more significant because God established His covenant with Isaac, while Ishmael was blessed as the natural son but not made the covenant heir.
God told Abraham that He would establish His covenant with Isaac, not Ishmael (Genesis 17:21). Les Feldick emphasizes that only through Isaac are the covenant promises valid; Abraham's other sons were sent away and could not share in those promises. Ishmael was still blessed and became a great nation, but the line of promise continues through Isaac.
Genesis 17:21 — God explicitly places His covenant with Isaac, making Isaac the heir of the promise over Ishmael.
God's word in Genesis 17 draws a clear distinction between Abraham's two sons. When Abraham pled for Ishmael, God answered: "Sarah thy wife shall bear thee a son indeed; and thou shalt call his name Isaac: and I will establish my covenant with him for an everlasting covenant, and with his seed after him." (Genesis 17:19). He then addressed Ishmael with a separate promise: "And as for Ishmael, I have heard thee: Behold, I have blessed him, and will make him fruitful, and will multiply him exceedingly; twelve princes shall he beget, and I will make him a great nation." (Genesis 17:20). But the covenant was exclusively attached to Isaac: "But my covenant will I establish with Isaac, which Sarah shall bear unto thee at this set time in the next year." (Genesis 17:21).
Les Feldick teaches that the covenant promises are valid only through Isaac. In Genesis 17, God told Abraham that although Ishmael would be blessed with fruitfulness, twelve princes, and a great nation, "my covenant I will establish with Isaac." Les stresses that Abraham's other sons were given gifts and sent away so they could not share in the covenant promises (Clip 0). Ishmael, he explains, was the natural son born from a fleshly plan to use Hagar as a surrogate—never something God commanded (Clip 4). For that reason, Ishmael represents the energy of the flesh, while Isaac is the child of promise. Les also points to a repeated pattern in Genesis: the natural posterity is presented first, then the spiritual—Cain then Seth, Ishmael then Isaac, Esau then Jacob (Clip 2). He connects this to the Middle East, noting that Arabs trace their lineage to Abraham through Ishmael, and claim the Holy Land accordingly, but the scriptural covenant line is Isaac's (Clip 1). God did bless Ishmael and made him a great nation—the Arab nations, Les says, far outnumber the Jews—but the promise of the seed of the woman runs through Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob alone (Clips 4, 5, 6, 7).
No. God explicitly said, "As for Ishmael, I have heard thee: I have blessed him... twelve princes shall he beget, and I will make him a great nation" (Genesis 17:20). Les notes that God dealt with Ishmael graciously and kept His word—Ishmael had exactly twelve sons and his descendants became Arab nations. The separation is not rejection; it is a distinction between blessing and covenant.
Les teaches this is the law of Scripture: the natural comes first, and then the spiritual. Just as Cain's line precedes Seth's, and Esau's precedes Jacob's, so Ishmael's generations are recorded before Isaac's (Clip 2). This ordering shows the natural son came first, but the spiritual line—the line of covenant and promise—is the focus.
Les sees the present conflict rooted in the two lines. Since the Arab world traces its descent to Abraham through Ishmael, they claim the right to the Holy Land; the Koran, Les notes, puts the covenant with Ishmael rather than Isaac. But the Bible's covenant is with Isaac, so the biblical claim remains with Isaac's descendants.
Covenant Promises Reserved for Isaac
Les teaches that only through Isaac are the covenant promises valid; Abraham's other sons were sent away and could not share in them.
Ishmael as the Natural Son
Les explains that Ishmael was born from the fleshly plan of a surrogate mother, yet he is still a child of Abraham—the root of the Middle East conflict.
Natural Before Spiritual
Les points out the repeated sequence in Genesis—Cain then Seth, Ishmael then Isaac, Esau then Jacob—showing the natural line is covered first, then the spiritual line.
God Chooses Isaac Over Ishmael
Les reads Genesis 17:19 where God establishes His covenant with Isaac, not Ishmael, while not casting off Ishmael.
Ishmael as the Flesh
Les teaches that Ishmael is always the picture of the energy of the flesh, born in response to fleshly wishes, and the promised seed comes only through Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
Blessed but Not the Promise
Les emphasizes that God blessed Ishmael and made him a great nation, but the covenant is with Isaac—so not all children of Abraham are children of the promise.
God's Promise to Ishmael Fulfilled
Les points out Ishmael had exactly twelve sons, fulfilling God's promise, but the covenant was still with Isaac.
Ishmael Blessed as a Nation
Les notes that God dealt graciously with Ishmael and fulfilled His promise to make him a great nation, but the covenant line remains Isaac.
Genesis 17:19: And God said, Sarah thy wife shall bear thee a son indeed; and thou shalt call his name Isaac: and I will establish my covenant with him for an everlasting covenant, and with his seed after him.
God names Isaac as the son through whom the everlasting covenant will continue.
Genesis 17:20: And as for Ishmael, I have heard thee: Behold, I have blessed him, and will make him fruitful, and will multiply him exceedingly; twelve princes shall he beget, and I will make him a great nation.
God promises to bless Ishmael and make him a great nation, separate from the covenant.
Genesis 17:21: But my covenant will I establish with Isaac, which Sarah shall bear unto thee at this set time in the next year.
This is the key verse showing the covenant is placed on Isaac alone.
Genesis 25:9: And his sons Isaac and Ishmael buried him in the cave of Machpelah, in the field of Ephron the son of Zohar the Hittite, which is before Mamre;
Both sons are present at Abraham's burial, showing Ishmael is still a son, yet the narrative moves to Isaac's line.
Romans 9:8: That is, They which are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God: but the children of the promise are counted for the seed.
Paul reinforces the distinction between fleshly descent and the children of promise.
No. God blessed Ishmael and fulfilled His promise to make him a great nation, but He established the covenant with Isaac. Ishmael was not cast off, yet the primary spiritual line runs through Isaac.
Isaac was born through a supernatural promise when Abraham was a hundred years old, while Ishmael was born through natural fleshly means. Scripture and Les both emphasize that the covenant seed comes through the promised son.
Yes, Abraham also had sons by Keturah, but Les points out they too were sent away and could not partake of the covenant promises. Only Isaac carries the covenant line.
Watch the Teaching: The Birthright Explained: Why God Chose Jacob Over Esau