Sarai uses Hagar as a Surrogate

English Standard Version Chapter 16

16 Now Sarai, Abram’s wife, had borne him no children. She had a female Egyptian servant whose name was Hagar. 2 And Sarai said to Abram, “Behold now, the LORD has prevented me from bearing children. Go in to my servant; it may be that I shall obtain children by her.” And Abram listened to the voice of Sarai. 3 So, after Abram had lived ten years in the land of Canaan, Sarai, Abram’s wife, took Hagar the Egyptian, her servant, and gave her to Abram her husband as a wife. 4 And he went in to Hagar, and she conceived. And when she saw that she had conceived, she looked with contempt on her mistress. 5 And Sarai said to Abram, “May the wrong done to me be on you! I gave my servant to your embrace, and when she saw that she had conceived, she looked on me with contempt. May the LORD judge between you and me!” 6 But Abram said to Sarai, “Behold, your servant is in your power; do to her as you please.” Then Sarai dealt harshly with her, and she fled from her.

7 The angel of the LORD found her by a spring of water in the wilderness, the spring on the way to Shur. 8 And he said, “Hagar, servant of Sarai, where have you come from and where are you going?” She said, “I am fleeing from my mistress Sarai.” 9 The angel of the LORD said to her, “Return to your mistress and submit to her.” 10 The angel of the LORD also said to her, “I will surely multiply your offspring so that they cannot be numbered for multitude.” 11 And the angel of the LORD said to her,

“Behold, you are pregnant

and shall bear a son.

You shall call his name Ishmael,

because the LORD has listened to your affliction.

12  He shall be a wild donkey of a man,

his hand against everyone

and everyone’s hand against him,

and he shall dwell over against all his kinsmen.”

13 So she called the name of the LORD who spoke to her, “You are a God of seeing,” for she said, “Truly here I have seen him who looks after me.” 14 Therefore the well was called Beer-lahai-roi; it lies between Kadesh and Bered.

15 And Hagar bore Abram a son, and Abram called the name of his son, whom Hagar bore, Ishmael. 16 Abram was eighty-six years old when Hagar bore Ishmael to Abram.

English Standard Version Chapter 16

16 Now Sarai, Abram’s wife, had borne him no children. She had a female Egyptian servant whose name was Hagar. 2 And Sarai said to Abram, “Behold now, the LORD has prevented me from bearing children. Go in to my servant; it may be that I shall obtain children by her.” And Abram listened to the voice of Sarai.

Sarai and Abram are still childless and they have been waiting on God for a long time. Probably one of the most patient and faith in God people in all of history. Sarai sees this issue and takes matters into her own hands. She has no baby and she doesn’t know if God will keep the promise so she comes up with a plan for Abram to have a Old Testament Surrogate and through her servant she would receive a child. We can see this as unbelief or as giving up but how easily we see this and don’t see ourselves in this story. When God calls us and we feel the calling to serve in some capacity, we want to be blessed immediately or for things to happen now. But that is not how God works. He is the good Father who knows what we need, when we need it and will provide us with whatever He we need to become the person God is molding into. He will direct us to our calling and sometimes if were set on maybe this is my calling He will direct us in a different path. We all have choices and waiting on God is hard. Sarai was waiting years, and we can wait years as well.

English Standard Version Chapter 16

3 So, after Abram had lived ten years in the land of Canaan, Sarai, Abram’s wife, took Hagar the Egyptian, her servant, and gave her to Abram her husband as a wife.

Abram is waiting as well as His wife Sarai and up to that point it has been 11 years since God has called Abram from his country and promised to make him into a great nation and in order to do that he needs kids, or at least one child. So no kids for 11 years, still waiting on God to provide that kid, Abram listens to his wife and takes her servant as his wife. Theres no argument or disagreement but Abram listens. He doesn’t mention, lets wait for God, at least the passage doesn’t say this but he gives into this new way out, instead of waiting on God.

English Standard Version Chapter 16

4 And he went in to Hagar, and she conceived. And when she saw that she had conceived, she looked with contempt on her mistress. 5 And Sarai said to Abram, “May the wrong done to me be on you! I gave my servant to your embrace, and when she saw that she had conceived, she looked on me with contempt. May the LORD judge between you and me!” 6 But Abram said to Sarai, “Behold, your servant is in your power; do to her as you please.” Then Sarai dealt harshly with her, and she fled from her.

We see what happens when they take matters into their own hands. Hagar gets pregnant and she sees her mistress and looks at her disapprovingly. She had just given her master a kid and now she is no longer a servant but on equal footing with Sarai. So she looked at her with despise or belittling look that offends Sarai. She is still Abram’s wife and is still over the servant but that is not what the servant sees. So Sarai gets Abram involved and Abram says do whatever you want to her. Sarai deals harshly and Hagar fled. We see the consequence of Sarai’s decision.

English Standard Version Chapter 16

7 The angel of the LORD found her by a spring of water in the wilderness, the spring on the way to Shur. 8 And he said, “Hagar, servant of Sarai, where have you come from and where are you going?” She said, “I am fleeing from my mistress Sarai.” 9 The angel of the LORD said to her, “Return to your mistress and submit to her.” 10 The angel of the LORD also said to her, “I will surely multiply your offspring so that they cannot be numbered for multitude.” 11 And the angel of the LORD said to her,

“Behold, you are pregnant

and shall bear a son.

You shall call his name Ishmael,

because the LORD has listened to your affliction.

12  He shall be a wild donkey of a man,

his hand against everyone

and everyone’s hand against him,

and he shall dwell over against all his kinsmen.”

13 So she called the name of the LORD who spoke to her, “You are a God of seeing,” for she said, “Truly here I have seen him who looks after me.” 14 Therefore the well was called Beer-lahai-roi; it lies between Kadesh and Bered.

God cares for the person outside the promise to Abram.