Genesis 16
Bible Passage: Genesis 16
Lots of lessons to learn from today’s chapter!
I am sure we are all very familiar with the age old story of Sarah and Abraham, who conceived Issac at a very old age.
But let us read this chapter over a few more times to capture the essence and lessons that God wants us to learn …
GOD WILL NEVER FORGET YOU
In the midst of the great story of Abraham and Sarah, it is easy to overlook the character of Hagar.
In Matthew 25, Jesus teaches us that neglecting and forgetting about the insignificant or poor means neglecting him.(Matt 25:40,45)
Consider Hagar’s life.
She was taken away from her home in Eygpt to be a servant in Canaan. She was also used to produce a child for Abraham and Sarah.
To them, Hagar was an insignificant person, who never knew the love of a husband or the protection of a master.
However, Hagar was also one of the rare few in the bible who had the privilege of a personal visit from the Lord.
In her distress, God loved and cared for her.
There are times when we feel like a broken toy, discarded and all alone.
Empty promises and unfulfilled expectations are common in human relationships but with God it is different.
Our God is a loving God who cares for those that no one cares about.
God is faithful and will never forsake us. (Deut 31:6)
IN HIS TIME
Sarah knew of God’s promise for Abraham (to have descendants as many as the stars Gen 15:5), and was eager to get started.
It had been ten years since the promise was made, and ten years seems like a really long time!
In an effort to “help God out”, Sarah allowed Abraham to make her servant pregnant.
After all, doesn’t God help those who help themselves?
In our society today, we are too used to instant gratification that we lack the patience and also faith in God to fulfill His promise.
Waiting and not knowing what the futures holds might discourage us and make us vulnerable to act in the flesh..to act in ways we deem are the best for us.
Even though we KNOW that we have to fully entrust our lives to the Lord..do we REALLY KNOW what it means by trust? (Proverbs 3:5)
Dictionary.com puts it simply for us.
To ‘trust’ means to have “confidence in the certainty of future”, “rely or depend on”, “expect confidently; hope” and simply, “to believe”
It is not a matter of what ‘I’ want, but what ‘God’ wants.
Do we have that utmost confidence in Him today?
Maybe we did in the past, but as trials and tribulations pepper our journey of life our trust in him dwindles and we rely more on our own judgment.
So, let’s give our lives over to God, let go and let Him takeover the reins to our lives.
“For I know the plans I have for you declares the Lord, plans to prosper, not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future. ” Jeremiah 29:11
FACE IT!
After Hagar fled from Abraham and Sarah, the Angel of the Lord found her by a spring of water in the wilderness, by the spring on the way to Shur.(Gen 16:7)
God tells Hagar to do something that very difficult: Go back to her awful situation and submit herself to Sarah.
After that we see in verse 10, God promises to multiply her descendants exceedingly.
It is tough to face up to problems.
This is especially so at the workplace where we meet all sorts of people, or when our bosses give us a difficult time, it is hard to not want to give up and escape to greener pastures.
During such times, let us remember Hagar and how she came face-to-face with her problems.
With God’s support, we will be able to face whatever things that life throws at us.
The end is victorious because of His promise.
2 Comments
biblereadingcompanion
InHisTime concentrates on Hagar in her post. I like to focus on Sarai (: (which InHisTime also does in her second point).
Reading about what Sarai did in getting Abram to “go in to (sleep with) my maid; perhaps I will obtain children through her” (Genesis 16:2) makes me think about this…
Like most humans, Sarai wanted to feel as though she could control her life and what happens to her family.
The more helpless she felt, the more obsessed she became with control. Ultimately, she decided the best way to meet her need was to “take charge.”
Although the Bible just says that Abram heeded her, he may have given way after constant nagging by Sarai.
But after getting what she wanted, she realized it was a terrible mistake. And then she tried to correct the situation with another erroneous act of judgement. This created a conflict that has trickled down through the centuries.
Does this sound familiar to you?
Have you ever failed to trust in the Father? Be careful before making rash decisions, because it could cost in the end!
Many a times I do find myself like Sarai. Despite knowing the promises of God and what will happen, I am too anxious and want to ‘help’ God along. I push for certain things to take place and when things do not work out, I try to cover it by doing something else and this inadvertently makes this worse.
In my walk with God I must learn to wait for God’s time and have faith in Him (pretty much what InHisTime has said).
But because I know what happened in the future for Sarai, I am also encouraged that our God is a gracious God.
With His love and compassion, He changed the way of error to bring great good to the family of Abram and his descendants.
I pray that God will continue to show His loving compassionate face upon me in my weakness.
PS
Gen 15:4 And behold, the word of the LORD came to him, saying,”This one shall not be your heir, but one who will come from your own body shall be your heir.”
God said from Abram’s own body, He didn’t say from Sarai’s body, isn’t t?. God only said so in Gen 17:16 “And I will bless her and also give you a son by her;…”.
Hence what’s wrong with Sarai and Abram getting a son through Hagar?
i think their mistake is the failure to protect the pureness of their marriage and holiness in their trust of God.
Pr Ling said in the lessons of Song of Song that the loyalty and chastity (忠贞) require in a marriage is the same kind of spiritual loyalty and chastity (ie faithfulness) require in our relationship with God (1 Cor 6:17).
Abram and Sarai was one flesh not two (Gen 2:24, Eph 5:31-32). They should not let Hagar intrude into their oneness, pureness and holiness.
But did He not make them one, having a remnant of the Spirit?
And why one?
He seeks godly offspring.
Therefore take heed to your spirit,
And let none deal treacherously with the wife of his youth. (Mal 2:15)
Let’s go back to the beginning of everything.