Accepting and Rejecting the Bondwoman

Genesis 16:6–14 KJV 1900

But Abram said unto Sarai, Behold, thy maid is in thy hand; do to her as it pleaseth thee. And when Sarai dealt hardly with her, she fled from her face. And the angel of the Lord found her by a fountain of water in the wilderness, by the fountain in the way to Shur. And he said, Hagar, Sarai’s maid, whence camest thou? and whither wilt thou go? And she said, I flee from the face of my mistress Sarai. And the angel of the Lord said unto her, Return to thy mistress, and submit thyself under her hands. And the angel of the Lord said unto her, I will multiply thy seed exceedingly, that it shall not be numbered for multitude. And the angel of the Lord said unto her, Behold, thou art with child, and shalt bear a son, and shalt call his name Ishmael; because the Lord hath heard thy affliction. And he will be a wild man; his hand will be against every man, and every man’s hand against him; and he shall dwell in the presence of all his brethren. And she called the name of the Lord that spake unto her, Thou God seest me: for she said, Have I also here looked after him that seeth me? Wherefore the well was called Beer-lahai-roi; behold, it is between Kadesh and Bered.

Hagar’s Experience

The Hagar incident is usually looked at from the perspective of Sarai’s foolish mistake

From the beginning, Hagar was caught up in Abram and Sarai’s drama

Hagar is an Egyptian, so likely was part of Abimelech’s gift to Abram

Friedman’s ‘triangulation’ theory

But Hagar was known by God

It’s surprising to see Hagar cared for by God

From our text, the angel gave her 3 messages

Challenged to evaluate her journey

Where are you coming from, and where are you going?

Ge 16.7-8 “And the angel of the Lord found her by a fountain of water in the wilderness, by the fountain in the way to Shur. And he said, Hagar, Sarai’s maid, whence camest thou? and whither wilt thou go? And she said, I flee from the face of my mistress Sarai.”

Redirected toward submission

Return to your mistress, and submit yourself

Ge 16.9 “And the angel of the Lord said unto her, Return to thy mistress, and submit thyself under her hands.”

Prophesied destiny

The Lord has heard your affliction; you will have to bear the wild adversity that this has produced

Ge 16.11-12 “And the angel of the Lord said unto her, Behold, thou art with child, and shalt bear a son, and shalt call his name Ishmael; because the Lord hath heard thy affliction. And he will be a wild man; his hand will be against every man, and every man’s hand against him; and he shall dwell in the presence of all his brethren.”

God sees the bondwoman.

God uses the bondwoman.

Instrumental Value of the Bondwoman

By implication, Sarai was called to accept the bondwoman back

She tried to get rid of Hagar too soon. There was a purpose and time for her being there

Ecc 3.1 “To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:”

Hagar as an allegory

Ga 4.22-31 “For it is written, that Abraham had two sons, the one by a bondmaid, the other by a freewoman. But he who was of the bondwoman was born after the flesh; but he of the freewoman was by promise. Which things are an allegory: for these are the two covenants; the one from the mount Sinai, which gendereth to bondage, which is Agar. For this Agar is mount Sinai in Arabia, and answereth to Jerusalem which now is, and is in bondage with her children. But Jerusalem which is above is free, which is the mother of us all. For it is written, Rejoice, thou barren that bearest not; break forth and cry, thou that travailest not: for the desolate hath many more children than she which hath an husband. Now we, brethren, as Isaac was, are the children of promise. But as then he that was born after the flesh persecuted him that was born after the Spirit, even so it is now. Nevertheless what saith the scripture? Cast out the bondwoman and her son: for the son of the bondwoman shall not be heir with the son…”

Natural vs. Divine

Hagar produced, but didn’t create destiny

Ga 4.22-23 “For it is written, that Abraham had two sons, the one by a bondmaid, the other by a freewoman. But he who was of the bondwoman was born after the flesh; but he of the freewoman was by promise.”

Law vs. Promise

Ga 4.24-26 “Which things are an allegory: for these are the two covenants; the one from the mount Sinai, which gendereth to bondage, which is Agar. For this Agar is mount Sinai in Arabia, and answereth to Jerusalem which now is, and is in bondage with her children. But Jerusalem which is above is free, which is the mother of us all.”

God uses anything, including the Hagar’s of our life, to bring about his purposes.

The mistaken direction

It seemed like a good idea at the time.

The Egyptian scapegoat

Victim of someone else’s idea

The dark side of the contrast

The world-bound that proves the heavenly.

Cast out the Bondwoman

The instrumental is not the intrinsic. Never accept the temporary or the broken to overtake the ultimate and the intended purposes of God.

Instrumental utility is time-bound

Ga 4.1-5 “Now I say, That the heir, as long as he is a child, differeth nothing from a servant, though he be lord of all; But is under tutors and governors until the time appointed of the father. Even so we, when we were children, were in bondage under the elements of the world: But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons.”

There is a time to let her go

When it constrains the promise

Ge 21.9-10 “And Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian, which she had born unto Abraham, mocking. Wherefore she said unto Abraham, Cast out this bondwoman and her son: for the son of this bondwoman shall not be heir with my son, even with Isaac.”

Even though it can be distressing

Ge 21.11 “And the thing was very grievous in Abraham’s sight because of his son.”

When God confirms

Ge 21.12-14 “And God said unto Abraham, Let it not be grievous in thy sight because of the lad, and because of thy bondwoman; in all that Sarah hath said unto thee, hearken unto her voice; for in Isaac shall thy seed be called. And also of the son of the bondwoman will I make a nation, because he is thy seed. And Abraham rose up early in the morning, and took bread, and a bottle of water, and gave it unto Hagar, putting it on her shoulder, and the child, and sent her away: and she departed, and wandered in the wilderness of Beer-sheba.”

You’re defined by the promise, not by the instrument that brought you to the promise!

Release the Promise

Ga 4.30-31 “Nevertheless what saith the scripture? Cast out the bondwoman and her son: for the son of the bondwoman shall not be heir with the son of the freewoman. So then, brethren, we are not children of the bondwoman, but of the free.”

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