Genesis 17: 20 And Ishmael? Yes, I heard your prayer for him. I’ll also bless him; Ill make sure he has plenty of children–a huge family.
God had THE master plan for man and then He had many back up plans for when we messed up.
Ishmael was not part of God’s plan; he was Abraham’s impatient interpretation of God’s plan. Yet when doling out blessings, God blessed Ishmael too. God did this because 1) He loved Abraham and heard his prayers; and 2) His grace covers all–absolutely all–of our shortcomings
Says Fyl 