Genesis 16

In Chapter 15, we were able to see this amazing covenant that God made with Abram. We saw that the Covenant was binding, as God was the only One who passed through the animals. He had caused a deep sleep to come on Abram so that he could not pass through.

The Covenant was based on the fact that God was going to provide Abram with a sin of his own flesh, turn that son into a nation, and give the land of Canaan to all of those descendants.

I can’t imagine what it must have been like to be in the very presence of God Himself during this moment, or to hear His voice directly. It must of been amazing.

But regardless of that, we see that after some time, the affects of that night wear off and Abram and Sarai drift into sin.

***Read Genesis 16

(vs. 1-3) Sarai grows impatient because the promise of the Lord has not yet been fulfilled. So she devises a plan to bring about God’s promise herself.

She decides to follow a worldly custom of their day, which stated that if a wife could not bear her husband children, that the husband could marry their handmaid, and children could be born unto them through her.

This was not a Godly custom, but a worldly custom. Since God’s plan did not seem to be happening as He said it would, Sarai turns to the worldly way instead.

Notice that Hagar is an Egyptian. If we have noticed anything lately, it is that we are to stay away from Egypt. Egypt means bad in the Scriptures. Anytime you are headed towards Egypt, you are headed away from God.

Some argue that Sarai believed the promise of God, but that she doubted whether or not that promise covered her or not. This would explain why she was willing to make such a sacrifice with her husband. If she loved him enough, and truly thought that God’s promise was for him and not her, she would step aside to see her husband fulfill his Godly calling.

With that being said, I can’t think of a single instance in all of Scripture to where that happens. When a husband and wife get married under the bonds of Holy matrimony, the two become one flesh. The promises of God made upon either spouse is a promise made upon that union. That means the blessings and curses of either one extends to both.

(vs. 4-6) The plan works, just not in the way they thought it would. Instead of bringing about peace, it just brings even more pain and suffering.

Hagar does get pregnant and bear Abram a son.

But once she becomes pregnant, everything changes.

Sarai gets jealous; Hagar gets prideful; Abram becomes passive.

Look at all the sin that happens as a result of this decision:

Abram commits sexual immorality (adultery/polygamy)

Hagar despises Sarai (either because Sarai used her in a way that she was unwilling or because she was able to do what Sarai could not)

Sarai blames Abram for what has happened when it was her idea in the first place

Abram passively does nothing as the women go at each other

(vs. 7-16) Though all of this was completely avoidable and done apart from God’s will, God was still in the midst of this situation and used for His own glory.

Because of the harshness of Sarai, Hagar decides to run away.

As she sits alone in the wilderness, God calls out to her.

God realigns things as they should be because Abram didn’t (He sends Hagar home and tells her to submit to Sarai)

God uses this mistake for His own glory:

He shows Hagar that He hears her (Ishmael means “God Hears”)

He shows Hagar that He sees her (vs. 13 - the God who sees/El Roi)

He promises to Hagar that Ishmael will also be made great and will have many descendants. He will constantly be at war with those around him, but he will be made into a great people.

(vs. 11-12) Ishmael and Isaac are contrasted through Scripture as picturing the two different Covenants of God. Ishmael represents the old covenant of the Law while Isaac represents the new covenant of grace and promise.

Gal 4:21-31

Romans 9:7-8