Hello my “Walking with Jesus” friends,
What do you do when you feel there needs to be a decision made, action taken, and you’ve waited for God, but God doesn’t seem to be doing anything, heaven seems silent? Is there something inside you that reacts when you see procrastination, especially in people who hold leadership positions?
Join me today in Genesis 16, one of the most powerful examples of three people facing this issue. We’ve been traveling with Abram and Sarai and their journey has already lasted more than 10 years. They’ve been developing the ability to discern when God is speaking to them, and follow His instructions. That’s been a learning curve for them as it probably has been for you, and certainly for me! For more than 10 years they’ve been waiting to see Sarai miraculously pregnant, because God promised they’d have descendants, even in their old age. But thus far nothing… and time is passing, and now Abram is in his mid 80’s, Sarai in her mid 70s’. Too late for babies, right?
So the record says: “Now Sarai, Abram’s wife, had borne him no children. But she had an Egyptian maidservant named Hagar, so she said to Abram, ‘The LORD has kept me from having children. Go, sleep with my maidservant, perhaps I can build a family through her.” (Genesis 16:1,2) Now before you pick up rocks to stone Sarai, please understand this plan was then, and is even today, in some cultures of the world, a very acceptable practice. Surrogate motherhood for wives who are barren prevents barren wives from being divorced or cast aside, while enabling children and descendants and heirs and continuation of the family line. Thus, the record says “Abram agreed to what Sarai said. So after Abram had been living in Canaan 10 years, Sarai his wife gave her Egyptian maidservant Hagar to her husband to be his wife. He slept with Hagar and she conceived.” (Gen. 16:3,4) The word ‘wife’ here must be understood as a second wife for the purpose of childbearing. Hagar would not have the same standing with Abram as Sarai, and Hagar would still be a servant of Sarai, but now her service included bearing a child for Sarai.
But as we read the story in Genesis 16, emotions and attitudes change. Of course they do! Jealousy, resentment, pride, bitterness and so much more. A serious rift grows between Sarai and her servant Hagar. But an even more dangerous rift grows between Sarai and her husband Abram who now is watching Hagar’s belly grow knowing he has a child in there, and hopefully a son. Looks turn to words turn to anger and finally Sarai demands Abram dismiss Hagar from employment and send her away, totally rejecting the baby in her womb. Abram turns it back on Sarai and says “Do with her whatever you think best.” (Gen. 16:6) Let’s not minimize the problem. This is serious here. God is still trying to nurture Abram and Sarai to be a God honoring couple with whom He can accomplish great things in our world… but once again they’ve both stumbled, complicating what God is trying to do here. Do you see how they’ve stumbled?
First, Sarai grew impatient with God and made a plan to help God’s promise get accomplished, but not God’s way... a surrogate mother rather than patience to see a miracle child!
How many times have you and I grown impatient with God and developed a plan…a plan that can work without God?
Second, Abram agreed with Sarai’s plan… rather than going to meet with God and seek God’s counsel, God’s wisdom, God’s advice for this situation.
How many times have you and I allowed ourselves to be talked into participating in something we knew, down deep inside, wasn’t right, but in the moment, it seemed an OK thing to do. But in short order we knew we’d created a problem by NOT including God in the plan!
Third, as the problem developed in his family, Abram did it again… he did NOT seek God’s help. He refused to deal with the problem, simply handing it over to his wife Sarai to do whatever she wanted.
Oh Abram still had so much to learn. He had a great need for spiritual maturity if he was going to father and lead a miracle son and a large family to be God followers!
Wandering in the desert, rejected by her master after she had done exactly what Sarai had told her to do, struggling with attitudes of resentment, bitterness,...Hagar was frightened, lost, abandoned. But God was watching. God is always watching. This was a mess! So God did, what God so often does. God took the initiative and sent ‘the angel of the LORD’ from heaven to that desert in Canaan, to meet Hagar and help her. The record says: “The ‘angel of the LORD’ found Hagar near a spring in the desert…and he said, ‘Hagar, servant of Sarai, where have you come from and where are you going?” (Genesis 16:7)
Don’t miss this friends. Whenever angels come here from heaven, they know exactly where to go, with whom they are to meet, and what God has instructed them to do here on earth. They also know the name of the person they are to meet and often call them by name, as happened here. And they know the language that person speaks, so they address them in their own language! In this case the angel also knew who Hagar worked for…Sarai! We can assume, of course, the questions the angel asked were not to inform the angel…my goodness if he knew all about Hagar, the angel certainly would know why she was running. The questions provided Hagar an opportunity to express what she was feeling and to explain her plan. It’s amazing isn’t it?
Now look at Hagar’s response: “I’m running away from my mistress Sarai.” That amazes me! Hagar doesn’t show shock and amazement, she doesn’t run and hide, she responds directly to the angel. That tells me the angel was probably NOT dazzling brilliant like lightning, nor speaking with a loud booming voice…but the angel looked so normal, she responded normally. Why is that important? Consider this statement from Hebrews 13:2 “Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by doing so some people have entertained angels without knowing it.” I invite you to ponder that for a moment!!
I invite you to read or listen to the dramatic audio Bible version of Genesis 16 my friends, and look carefully at the conversation between this angel and Hagar. As you see the angel urged her to return to Abram and Sarai and submit to them as her employer, and carry through on her commitment to bear a child for Sarai. And then the angel said this: “I will so increase your descendants that they will be too numerous to count….you will have a son and you are to name him Ishmael, for the LORD has heard of your misery.” (Gen. 16:10,11) The name Ishmael means “God hears”. Did you notice the angel said “I will so increase your descendants”? The angel did not say, “God will increase your descendants”!! Angels do not have the power to create life, only God has that power. So, what does it mean? Many Bible scholars believe this angel is an Old Testament appearance of God the Son, Jesus!!
You’ll also notice in vs. 12 the angel gave further explanation of the type of man Ishmael would grow up to be. “He will be a wild donkey of a man; his hand will be against everyone and everyone’s hand against him, and he will live in hostility toward all his brothers.” Can you imagine how that sounded in Hagar’s ears? History tells us it happened just that way.
Finally please notice what happened next, it is very important. “Hagar gave this name to the LORD who spoke to her, ‘You are the God who sees me… I have now seen the One who sees me.” This is the name for God “El Roi” or “Jehovah Lahai Roi”. It’s a name that has encouraged people for centuries, all over the world, who feel lost or abandoned or all alone…“The God who sees ME”
In closing today the record says: “So Hagar bore Abram a son, and Abram gave him the name Ishmael. Abram was 86 years old when Hagar bore him Ishmael.” (Gen. 16:15,16) Everything changed in Abram’s life and his household. Nothing would ever be the same for them or the region of Palestine or even the entire world. Ishmael became the father of many of the Arab peoples. There was both the excitement for Abram of finally having a son, but also the discord of deep jealousy and bitterness between Sarai and Hagar.
Oh the problems which can arise when we refuse to be patient with God and take things into our own hands, make our own plans, rush ahead without God. I wonder if you live even today with the results of such decisions? Oh my friends, I found a tender song to help us ponder these great truths…‘I can’t even walk, without YOU holding my hand.”
Today’s Scripture is Genesis 16.
Choose below to read or listen.
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Bible images provided with attribution to www.LumoProject.com.
Have a comment or question about today’s chapter? I’m ready to hear from you, contact me here.
Pastor Doug Anderson 262.441.8785
“Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, with our eyes fixed on Jesus…” (Heb. 12:1,2)
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