After Sarah's death, Abraham lived for another 38 years. Through an additional wife, Keturah, he fathered six more sons. Genesis 25 records more information about how Abraham became a father of many nations (Gen 17:4-6).
The name Keturah is related to Hebrew words for "smoke" and "incense". Historically her children are associated with the spice trade (Isa 60:6, e.g.).
Gen 25 also shows how God's promises to Ishmael were carried out. Ishmael was the father of 12 princes, as promised in Gen 17:20---see Gen 25:12-18. They were known to be nomadic herders and merchants--see for example the biblical references to the tents and flocks of Kedar (Ps 120:5; Song 1:5; Isa 60:7; Ezek 27:21). They seem to have had lots of interaction with the tribes that came from the sons of Keturah (e.g., Gen 37:25-28, 36).
Abraham continued to follow a policy of promoting peace by spreading his extended family out over a wide region. Isaac and Ishmael came together to bury Abraham (Gen 25:9). Later the Midianites from Jethro's family were friends of Israel. On the other hand, other Midianites would later oppose Israel (Num 25; Judges 6).
Only one of family lines descending from Abraham would lead to the Messiah---the line through Isaac---but God's plan is to bless all nations, and he has all of them in mind.
Although the Bible tells us little about Keturah, she was important to Abraham. In his sermon at Church of the Messiah on Aug 22, Kyle Kettering set aside time for men in the congregation to praise their wives.
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