Genesis 15&16

Reaffirming the Covenant

God speaks to Abram again

some time has passed from the first time that God spoke to Abram

maybe God can sense that Abram is beginning to have doubts again

no offspring of promise has come to Abram yet

God makes the promise from before with words again and then takes it a step farther

tells him to prepare the animals to cut a covenant

God tells Abram of the future of his people

God walks through the pieces alone

no promise more significant than the one where God appears and walks himself

Sarai and Hagar

Sarai is beginning to have doubts just as her husband does

an Egyptian servant- from the misadventure in Egypt

even after all of this, they still try to make things work their own way and without God

By Sarai’s command, Abram makes Hagar his wife and has a child with her

she conceives and looks on Sarai with contempt

most likely, this is not what she wanted for her self. No one wants to be used

Sarai treats her harshly and she flees

she encounters God who sees and hears and names her son and the well she finds accordingly

still 13 years before the child of promise will be born

Application

sometimes we make bad decisions and it affects our lives poorly

other times though, our wanting to do things our own way hurts other people too

God has grace and mercy to offer, even when sin and hurt come from outside of us

the God who heard and saw affliction then, coming from the people he chose, sees and hears now and offers peace and redemption still