Is Ishmael a good or bad guy?

[Jesus_is_Saint]

Genesis 17: 20
And as for Ishmael, I have heard you: I will surely bless him; I will make him fruitful and will greatly increase his numbers. He will be the father of twelve rulers, and I will make him into a great nation.

Can we blame Ishmael for the wars in middle east?
Can we blame his descendants?
It is God who bless him to be a great nation too.
Why?

 

[Hank77]

Genesis 17: 20
And as for Ishmael, I have heard you: I will surely bless him; I will make him fruitful and will greatly increase his numbers. He will be the father of twelve rulers, and I will make him into a great nation.

Can we blame Ishmael for the wars in middle east?
Can we blame his descendants?
It is God who bless him to be a great nation too.
Why?

Why are you sure that the Mohammedans are the descendants of Ishmael? If so, why?

 

[CodyFaith]

Why are you sure that the Mohammedans are the descendants of Ishmael? If so, why?

Many people believe this to be the case, including a large majority of Muslims because of the verses posted in the original post, God saying he would make a great nation come from him.
As well, he said Ishmael's hand would be against his brother, and it's often seen as a generational thing - something that will be passed down, war in the generations of his descendants. Similar to how the sword would not depart from David's lineage.

It seems very likely.

To answer the OP, we are all responsible for our own sins, so no Ishmael is not to be blamed.

It doesn't really say Ishmael was a good or bad person outright, but he was blessed from God and God heard his mother's cries in the wilderness. That says something I believe.

 

[Hank77]

As well, he said Ishmael's hand would be against his brother,

Then why not Esau rather than Ishmael?

 

[CodyFaith]

Then why not Esau rather than Ishmael?

Genesis 16:11-12
And the angel of the LORD said unto her, Behold, thou art with child, and shalt bear a son, and shalt call his name Ishmael; because the LORD hath heard thy affliction.
And he will be a wild man; his hand will be against every man, and every man's hand against him; and he shall dwell in the presence of all his brethren.

 

[Hank77]

Genesis 16:11-12
And the angel of the LORD said unto her, Behold, thou art with child, and shalt bear a son, and shalt call his name Ishmael; because the LORD hath heard thy affliction.
And he will be a wild man; his hand will be against every man, and every man's hand against him; and he shall dwell in the presence of all his brethren.

The Greek says 'wild-ass or donkey' man. A wild donkey roams and belongs to no one. I think this is more descriptive of the Arab Bedouins who roam rather than live in cities. Many have tried to control them over the centuries, even Mohammad, and they failed.

 

[DamianWarS]

Muhammad is said to be a descendant of Kedar, son of Ishmael. There is a lot of stuff spoken of Ishmael that we like to connect to Arabs. In Muhammad's day fighting was common. Not so much that they hated each other more like a pastime and bragging rights because there isn't a whole lot to do in the desert. All of that seems to fit a "wild-ass of a man".

These qualities don't really make someone bad or good. If characteristic of a culture usually we just say they are a hot culture meaning they like to be loud and expressive but these things aren't inherently bad they just interact with the world differently.

Isaiah 42:11 tells us that even "the villages that Kedar inhabits" will sing the glory of God. Ishmaelites are a blessed people, hot tempered and all. Their blessing will some day point back to God's glory.

 

[Jesus_is_Saint]

Iranian, Iraqi, Arabian etc,
are they descended from Ishmael?

 

[Greg J.]

As @CodyFaith said, people are responsible for their own sins. At the time God said what he did in the original post, Ishmael and his descendants had done nothing wrong. They would be blessed. God's foreknowledge of the future does not affect his attitude toward people for things they have not yet done.

Even though God granted Solomon blessings because of David's faithfulness, he also said to Solomon,

And if you walk in my ways and obey my statutes and commands as David your father did, ... (1 Kings 3:14a, 1984 NIV)

Even though the Jews were God's chosen people, he still said "if" in Deuteronomy 28.