June 22, 2006

• Genesis 16

  
  

  Have you ever tried to help God? God shows you a plan and you try to make it happen in your own strength? I sure have. Pastor Don often teaches that sometimes God will show you a vision for your future, a prophesy, but that doesn’t mean that it will happen tomorrow. There are many instances in the Bible where a prophesy could take years and years. One such example is Abram and Sarai.

  
  

  Now, what Abram and Sarai did was traditional in their time, where their handmaiden would give birth to a child, and that child would become Abram’s, but in this case, by trying to help God, the repercussions of this act are still with us today. What we fail to factor in when we try to “help” God is that God has a timing system that also has to be met. Reading the Prophets, the Pharisees could have predicted to the day and hour when Jesus would come through the gates riding on his donkey. Had one year been added or subtracted from events, the timing would have been off. The same thing is true about the birth of Isaac to Abraham and Sarah, the timing had to be exact. Also, by God waiting until there is no earthly chance of a dead womb to produce a child, God guaranteed that there would be no mistaking of the miracle of the birth.

  
  

  Although Abram made a mistake here, we see that his successes and failures at faith will ultimately give him the strength that will take him to the culmination of his faith – the offering up of Isaac.

  
  

  Remember that Hagar was brought back from Egypt – the world, sin, the flesh.

  
  

  In Genesis 16:2 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.

  
  

  Sarai was operating under a misconception, that she would not bear children. In fact she won’t for quite some time have Isaac, so she thought to help God by suggesting that Abram impregnate Hagar. Where Abram missed it here is that he heeded the VOICE OF SARAI. In retrospect, I am certain he wished that he had first consulted God about this plan. I certainly can learn from this that no matter what people tell me, if I don’t consult God first, I may be setting myself up for missing God’s best for me. It is a hard lesson to learn.

  
  

  Pastor Don once told us that we don’t have to learn everything from our own experiences, while experience is a great teacher, it would be far better to learn from the mistakes of others in the Bible, and not repeat them in our lives.

  
  

  Sarai gave Hagar to her husband to be his wife – again, while multiple marriages were the norm in that culture, it was not God’s best, nor God’s plan that people would marry more than one wife. God’s idea was listed in the creation of Adam and Eve and emphasized by Jesus, that two would become one. He never said three or four or more become one – just two.

  
  

  It is human nature, but verse 4 points out that once Hagar conceived, Hagar despised Sarai, puffed herself up and felt that she was better because she had a child. And, I wish I could say it wasn’t typical of me, but there are times that I have done what Sarai does. She came up with a suggestion that failed, and says to Abram:

  
  

  Verse 5 “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.”

  
  

  Granted, Abram should not have gone into Hagar, even if his wife suggested it. But here he acts correctly when he listens to Sarai. Abram gives Sarai permission to do with Hagar what she would. So she dealt harshly with Hagar, and Hagar flees from Sarai’s presence.

  
  

  Again Abram made a mistake I suspect we all do, he did not pause to pray and ask God’s advice about the situation, he just acted. Sometimes the expedient action isn’t the correct one, and sometimes an action leads to repercussions down the road.

  
  

  Here is an interesting pre-incarnate appearance of Jesus in Verse 7 “Now the Angel of the LORD found her by a spring of water in the wilderness by the spring on the way to Shur.” Notice how He addresses Hagar, He doesn’t not say, Abram’s wife, He says, Verse 8 “Hagar, Sarai’s MAID, where have you come from, and where are you going?” She explains her situation, and the Angel of the LORD tells her to return to Sarai and submit to her. And he gives Hagar a promise that has come true, Verse 10 “I will multiply your descendants exceedingly, so that they shall not be counted for multitude.”

  
  

  We can see that came true, for Hagar’s descendants are the Arab Nations.

  
  

  Here is the prophesy in verses 11-12 “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.”

  
  

  We will see this prophesy about his hand being against every man, for many of Ishamael’s decendants will be those who give grief to the nation of Israel from that time until now.

  
  

  This encounter of Hagar with the Lord sort of reminds me of a shepherd leaving the 99 sheep (Abram’s family), and going after the one. Hagar was doing something illegal – running away from her mistress, and yet the Lord reveals himself to her, and gives her a promise. She will choose to obey him and go back to her mistress.

  
  

  One thing that we will see often in the Scriptures is that when a person has an encounter with God, God reveals a part of his nature to them, and Hagar in Verse 13 tells God, “YOU ARE THE GOD WHO SEES. EL ROI in Hebrew. This encounter takes place at a well that will be called Beer Lahai Roi (The well of him who sees or the well of the vision of life). It is between Kadesh and Bered. Kadesh means holy and Bered means hail.

  
  

  In a way, you could say that this is the first “Woman at the Well.” For the woman at the well was a Samaritan, so the Jews would have given her a wide berth, as they would have a woman from Egypt. The Lord instructs her, gives her the Word of God, and she acts on it.
  
  Hagar bears a son and obeys God, calling him Ishmael. Abram is now 86 years old. We will see that he loves Ishmael, and considers him the first born son, but we will also see that God has other ideas.

  
  

  I will continue on tomorrow. If I am inconsistent in getting on the computer it is because there is a major computer situation that Jim is dealing with, so my time may be limited.

  
  

  I am hoping this finds you all well. Tomorrow my son is hosting a “back of the bus” party for 15 of his friends (the number keeps growing). I suspect I will be very busy, but it will be fun for him. Hoping it doesn’t rain and praying that it is a fun-loving, peaceful party.

  
  

  Heather

  
  

   

  • 9:16 pm
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