I received a series of questions from an old acquaintance. Here are the responses:
Dear Friend,
It’s good to hear from you again. I’ll do my best to answer your questions.
Q: Ishmael was the first son, why doesn’t he have the birthright?
A: Ishmael was born to Abraham through his handmaiden Hagar, a servant. As such, he had no right to the birthright. Isaac was born to Sarah, Abraham’s first wife and thus inherited the birthright of his father.