Verses 1-2, “Now Sarai, Abram’s wife, had borne him no children. And she had an Egyptian maidservant whose name was Hagar. So Sarai said to Abram, 'See now, the Lord has restrained me from bearing children. Please, go in to my maid; perhaps I shall obtain children by her.' And Abram heeded the voice of Sarai.” By going to Egypt, Sarai acquired this maidservant Hagar, who would be used in attempt to help God fulfill His promise to multiply their descendants. This work of the flesh would not come without consequences, and God would not recognize the resulting child as the child of promise. Galatians 4:28-29, “Now we, brethren, as Isaac was, are children of promise. But, as he who was born according to the flesh then persecuted him who was born according to the Spirit, even so it is now.” As women, we need to be careful that our influence on our husbands is a godly one. Putting pressure on your husband to do things that are outside of God's will, will result in consequences you both will have to live with. Sometimes it's just best to stay away from Egypt (our flesh life) altogether. After they find themselves in mess, it makes you wonder if Sarai wished they had never gone to Egypt in the first place.
It had been nearly 10 years of waiting for God to deliver on His promise. Sarai's idea came at a time when they were both weak in the flesh, which is right when we all are tempted and tested. We cannot give into our flesh just because we cannot see God working in our lives. Walking by faith means that we believe Him and act in belief, even when we cannot see the results. Galatians 6:9, “And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart.” If you are tired of waiting for something, go to God and ask for strength to continue. 2 Corinthians 12:8-10, “Concerning this thing I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me. And He said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.' Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”
Verses 4-6, “So he went in to Hagar, and she conceived. And when she saw that she had conceived, her mistress became despised in her eyes. Then Sarai said to Abram, 'My wrong be upon you! I gave my maid into your embrace; and when she saw that she had conceived, I became despised in her eyes. The Lord judge between you and me.' So Abram said to Sarai, 'Indeed your maid is in your hand; do to her as you please.' And when Sarai dealt harshly with her, she fled from her presence.” Abram once again had a lapse in faith when he agreed to get Hagar pregnant. The mere fact that it worked caused problems for Sarai, believing that it was her inability to conceive that was ther problem, making her less of a woman. It may have led to Hagar's negative feelings toward her mistress, and Sarai blamed Abram for the whole mess. Ultimately, he was the leader and should have put his wife in place, correcting her wrong thinking and encouraging her to trust in God's promise. But he chose to turn the whole situation over to her, rather than taking the lead, which compounded the problematic situation even further...and doesn't excuse him one bit.
Verses 7-12, “Now the Angel of the Lord found her by a spring of water in the wilderness, by the spring on the way to Shur. And He said, 'Hagar, Sarai’s maid, where have you come from, and where are you going?' She said, 'I am fleeing from the presence of my mistress Sarai.' The Angel of the Lord said to her, 'Return to your mistress, and submit yourself under her hand.' Then the Angel of the Lord said to her, 'I will multiply your descendants exceedingly, so that they shall not be counted for multitude.' And the Angel of the Lord said to her: 'Behold, you are with child, And you shall bear a son. You shall call his name Ishmael, Because the Lord has heard your affliction. He shall be a wild man; His hand shall be against every man, And every man’s hand against him. And he shall dwell in the presence of all his brethren.' ”
Sarai's harsh treatment of Hagar caused her to flee to the wilderness. But notice that God tells Hagar to return and submit to her authority. Harsh treatment by those who rule over you does not give you an excuse to rebell against them and step out from underneath their rule. We often seek to flee from difficult situations, when it may be God's will for us to stay and persevere right where we are. We see that Hagar did return and told Abram of her meeting with God in the wilderness, and the plans He had for this child. Abram obeyed God and named the child accordingly. Verse 15, “So Hagar bore Abram a son; and Abram named his son, whom Hagar bore, Ishmael.” Ishmael would become the father of all Arabic people, who still remain a problem for the Jews to this day. We can all create Ishmael's when we step outside of God's will and take matters into our own hands. You may think you are solving your immediate issue, but you are actually creating lasting consequences for yourself which could have been entirely avoided by walking in faith.
Then Sarai said to Abram, “My wrong be upon you! I gave my maid into your embrace; and when she saw that she had conceived, I became despised in her eyes. The Lord judge between you and me.” Genesis 16:5
ReplyDeleteSarai thought because she could not bear a child, that the promise had to be fulfilled another way. So she came up with another way to for it to happen. However, when we try to take things in to our own hands, it tends to backfire. When we try to do things in the flesh, doing things on our own and our own way, we will also make Ishmaels. We need to be careful that we don't also make Ishmaels, and we will have to live with the consequences. Allowing God to work in His own timing and way is always better than our own.