Abraham: Who Are We Listening To?

As we take time today to recognize and honor our graduates, I felt it was fitting to approach today’s passage with them in mind. That being stated, we all know that the wisdom from God’s word passed on to one stepping from High School to the next stage of life is wisdom that is just as applicable for those who have lived life longer and continuing to learn.

As we go about our lives there are a constant array of voices calling for our attention...

College professors, media, coworkers, friends, peers… greater knowledge awaits you… all CALLING OUT to you.

Proverbs describes this calling out with a contrast of Wisdom and Folly

Joshua challenges the people to this when he challenges the nation to choose this day who they will serve

Who is the choice NOT that we serve

Abram heard the voice of God promise him a son. Abram has been waiting TEN YEARS!!!

This passage today emphasis this ten year wait, it emphasizes that Sarai was bot able to have children,

Sometimes in our impatience we find ourselves more susceptible to giving ear to other voices more so than God

Let’s read together this narrative that holds for us so much practical wisdom for life Genesis 16:1-16

Genesis 16:1–16 NASB95

Now Sarai, Abram’s wife had borne him no children, and she had an Egyptian maid whose name was Hagar. So Sarai said to Abram, “Now behold, the Lord has prevented me from bearing children. Please go in to my maid; perhaps I will obtain children through her.” And Abram listened to the voice of Sarai. After Abram had lived ten years in the land of Canaan, Abram’s wife Sarai took Hagar the Egyptian, her maid, and gave her to her husband Abram as his wife. He went in to Hagar, and she conceived; and when she saw that she had conceived, her mistress was despised in her sight. And Sarai said to Abram, “May the wrong done me be upon you. I gave my maid into your arms, but when she saw that she had conceived, I was despised in her sight. May the Lord judge between you and me.” But Abram said to Sarai, “Behold, your maid is in your power; do to her what is good in your sight.” So Sarai treated her harshly, and she fled from her presence. Now the angel of the Lord found her by a spring of water in the wilderness, by the spring on the way to Shur. He said, “Hagar, Sarai’s maid, where have you come from and where are you going?” And she said, “I am fleeing from the presence of my mistress Sarai.” Then the angel of the Lord said to her, “Return to your mistress, and submit yourself to her authority.” Moreover, the angel of the Lord said to her, “I will greatly multiply your descendants so that they will be too many to count.” The angel of the Lord said to her further, “Behold, you are with child, And you will bear a son; And you shall call his name Ishmael, Because the Lord has given heed to your affliction. “He will be a wild donkey of a man, His hand will be against everyone, And everyone’s hand will be against him; And he will live to the east of all his brothers.” Then she called the name of the Lord who spoke to her, “You are a God who sees”; for she said, “Have I even remained alive here after seeing Him?” Therefore the well was called Beer-lahai-roi; behold, it is between Kadesh and Bered. So Hagar bore Abram a son; and Abram called the name of his son, whom Hagar bore, Ishmael. Abram was eighty-six years old when Hagar bore Ishmael to him.

Let’s take just a few moments to think through some things we can learn and take away from this narrative lesson. REMEMBER… the Jews were ones who learned lessons and instruction through the narrative events of the past. You and I can learn from this past event as well.

Be Willing to Listen

I have to give Abram credit for his relationship with his wife for them to engage in this conversation and for him to listen to her ideas and thoughts on the matter

Be willing to listen to others ideas, this does not mean you have to do it!

This idea was very acceptable in the world around them in which they lived

Just because “culture” says it is okay DOES NOT make it right

Take Things to God

The events that unfold could have been avoided had Abram (as he had done before) gone to God

Waiting is hard, stay in constant, close, communication with Him

In his impatience we see Abram take things into his own hands and bypass God

Abram listens to the voice of his wife over the Lord

Actions Have Consequences

SIDE BAR… God intended marriage to be between one man and one woman. Just because we see individuals take additional wives does not mean God is condoning this.

In Fact… everywhere we see this in scripture it does NOT go well in that family or the marriage relationships

Once again, just because culture says it is okay does not make it right or Good

Hagar mistreats Sarai… not being able to have children was a very hard thing to live with in those days far more than today

We see marital strife… BLAME GAME-

Abram should have took a stand,

been the spiritual leader,

taken care of the strife between the two women…

but he does not. He passes his responsibility on.

Relationships are fractured, mistreatment occurs, and Abram’s impatience will have lasting consequences that we still see today

The descendants of Ishmael are the Arab nations

The wars going on in Israel today still stem from this one event!

To bring peace in the middle-east… we would have to go back to this event and undo what Abram did here.

Life Can Be Hard

We find Hagar in a place of despair and distress

Others choices and actions can and do impact us

Your sin and mine will IMPACT those around you

NOTICE: God ask her where she came from and where she is going...

She is able to answer the first question but not the second

You and I cannot run from difficulties

God instructs her...

Return to Sarai

Submit to her authority

Regardless of others actions… we are accountable for our own actions,

We are to listen to the Lord even when it is difficult

God Is Sovereign

He will do as He pleases…

He blesses her offspring with great numbers

He gives power and wealth to this offspring as well

He knows all things…

This will be the type of man he will be

There will be family hostility (even today)

You and I do not always understand all God does… BUT HE IS GOD and HE IS SOVEREIGN

God Hears & Sees

The lowest of the low… a servant woman, outcast and despised by her mistress, crying out… AND GOD SEES HER, HEARS HER

Ismael = “God Hears”

every time she would call her son she would be reminded… God hears

every time Abram would address his son he would be reminded… of God’s compassion on this woman and that God heard her

she gives God another name = “Hebrew” El-roi : the God who sees me

Beer-lahai-roi = well of the Living One who sees me

To address God by His many names is such an intimate comforting thing.

I find it an interesting, statement that the narration ends with here… Verse 15

Abram’s attention turns to Ishmael, scripture is silent for another 13 years of Abram’s life

God’s servants should trust the Word of God, patiently waiting for Him to fulfill His promises until the end. You and I are called to live by faith as His servants, Abram here simply tried to accomplish this with human effort. As we will unfold in chapters ahead… this did not help.

Who Will You Listen To???

This world will give many voices to hear and listen to… Will you listen and seek Him

Life is hard, difficulties will come… Will you obey

REMEMBER: We serve a sovereign God , who hears and see all that we are and will be facing