Genesis 16: Beware of Sinful Choices

Introduction

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/bomb-threat-mcdonalds_n_60da2b7be4b09ead19f713ce

You can’t do stupid and get away with it… Always consequences to your bad choices.

A heavy story. After such a hopeful story in Gen. 15, a tragic story of faithlessness.

Bad, sinful choices abound in this story and disastrous consequences abound in this story as well.

Story is a reminder that your sinful choices don’t just affect you. Sin affects all of your relationships.

This story is for those of us who are experiencing the pain of bad choices. Maybe it’s the bad choices you made. Maybe it’s the bad choices someone else made… Your spouse, your kids, your parents....

If you’re tempted to make a bad choice, there’s a clear warning in this passage for you. If you’ve made some really bad choices, there’s a clear word of hope for you.

Your sinful choices will lead to disastrous consequences.

Gen. 15 - a highpoint in Abraham’s faith journey. In dramatic fashion, God cut a covenant with Abe and promised Abe that he would have a descendant from his own flesh.

Up to this point, we haven’t heard much from Sarah. She’s been faithful to follow Abe. She left her homeland trusting that Abe had heard the voice of God.

Promise of descendants. How was it possible? She was barren - in her culture and at her age, her barrenness was a mark of shame.

Now, after Abe’s incredible experience with God, more pressure and shame is put on Sarah. Abe: “God said I’m going to have a descendant from my flesh...” Sarah: “How? I’m 75. Not possible.” Abe keeps talking about it, and she keeps feeling shame. She can’t give her husband what he desperately wants… She can’t have what she desperately wants… a child… the joy of being a mom.

They can’t have what they want, or can they? Is God teasing them? She has an Egyptian slave that they were given when they left Egypt. “Through her I can build a family...”

It seems like a repeat of Gen. 3. Eve dangled a forbidden fruit in Adam’s face and said “Take it.” Now, Sarah dangles a forbidden woman in Abe’s face and says, “Take her.” How will Gen. 3:15 be fulfilled when God’s people continue to act like their first parents? You know Sarah’s plan isn’t going to go well.

Sinful but not uncommon. In the garden, God’s design one man and one woman, but in Gen. 4, first account of polygamy. Every time we see polygamy in Genesis, it doesn’t go well. BUT, a barren woman woman giving her servant to her husband to produce an offspring… archaeology has uncovered written records that give evidence to this happening in ancient culture. Accepted and common, but not God honoring. It was sinful.

Hagar becomes pregnant. “Her mistress became contemptible to her.” (vs. 4) Think if you’re Hagar. What if Abraham whispered in Hagar’s ear, “The child your carrying is the child of promise?” All of a sudden, this slave they brought out of Egypt sees her significance. She’s not a slave. She’s the mother-to-be of the child of promise. She gets prideful, and she looks down on Sarah.

Sarah thought she would hold this child in her arms and raise him as her own, but Hagar’s not having it. This slave woman looks at her master and says, “This baby’s mine. Abraham told me how important this child is going to be.”

vs. 5 - Sarah to Abe: “This is your fault...” She blames Abe, but doesn’t take responsibility for her sinful choice. After all, Abe was the one who couldn’t stop talking about having a baby.

Abe to Sarah: “She’s your slave, she’s your problem. Do with her what you want...” Abe fails to take responsibility for his sin. “Not my problem.” It’s like the Garden of Eden: shifting blame and not taking responsibility.

Sarah mistreated her… Same word used of the Egyptians when they mistreated the Hebrews as their slaves years later… You have to wonder if Sarah physically mistreated her servant… However she was mistreated, Hagar was mistreated so horribly that she fled.

She’s miles away from Egypt, but this pregnant woman makes her way to her homeland brokenhearted, confused, and hurt.

This mess started with a simple desire, even a good, God-given desire: a desire for a child. The problem was that Abe and Sarah tried to fulfill their desires in their way rather than God’s way, and it was disastrous.

Don’t make sacrifices you’ll later regret. Sarah sacrificed her intimacy with her husband. Abe sacrificed his intimacy with his wife. Both made huge sacrifices to go after what they wanted, and the results disastrous.

Some of you are making sacrifices you’re going to regret later. You’re sacrificing your marriage to fulfill your lust. You have your eye on that other woman or other man.

You’re sacrificing your time to your job so you can live the American Dream. You’re leaving no margin for you to be with your family, and your relationship with your family is suffering.

You’re sacrificing your children. You’re pushing them to be athletes, musicians, etc, but you’re not discipling them as followers of Christ. They know how to hit a fastball, but they don’t know how to pray or share the Gospel.

You’re sacrificing your money to fund your pleasures. You’re so far in debt because you had to have that car, that house, that boat, that vacation, and you have nothing to give.

Some of you are making tremendous sacrifices that you are already started to regret because you have refused the only sacrifice that matters: Rom. 12:1 - laying down your life down before God as a living sacrifice: “Not my will but your will.”

Don’t think your sinful choices will work out for your good. When what we desire becomes so important to us, we think it will work out for our good, but it never does. Your sinful choices will always bring pain. You will always regret disobedience but you will never regret obedience.

https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/30-second-sermon-crash/ Who does that? Someone who’s made the right sacrifices in life… You get to the end and realize what you have. That will eventually be Abe.

Your sinful choices do not disqualify you from the gracious love of God.

Everyone in the story sinned, and everyone in the story was sinned against.

In the wilderness alone and in pain. Hagar wants to go back to Egypt.

Angel of Lord comes to Hagar. (First appearance of the Angel of the Lord. Jesus?) God comes to this slave woman and tells her not to go back to Egypt but to return to Sarah and submit to her. Hard words to hear, but this Egyptian slave woman needed to trust the Lord. There was nothing for her in Egypt. The promise was going to be fulfilled in the house of Abraham. As sinful as they were, God wants Hagar around the people of promise. He is going to give her a front row seat to see His plan unfold.

Side note: In the wilderness God’s people wanted to return to Egypt. Theme in OT story: it’s never God’s plan for His people to go to Egypt.

God assures Hagar. She would have a son - Ishmael - “God hears.” God heard her cries of affliction.

Hagar was not a part of the covenant family. She was afflicted by the covenant family. God heard. A wonderful promise: “You’re going to have a great nation as well...”

Beautiful promise, but there’s a consequence for sin… The descendants of Hagar would always be at conflict with the descendants of Abraham and Sarah. God is gracious, but you can’t escape the lasting consequences of sin.

God assures her and even tells her that there would be consequences for what had taken place in Abe’s house, but she is overwhelmed by grace. “You are a God of seeing. I have seen Him who looks after me.” (vs. 13-14)

She goes back to Abe’s house, but the tension is high. Sarah watches as Hagar gives birth to a child. Abe’s the father, but Sarah is not the mother… The consequences of sin. But… Hagar has encountered the gracious love of God. So have you...

Since you know God graciously loves you: Stop it.

Stop thinking God’s gracious love isn’t enough to satisfy your soul. That thing you want more than God is not as satisfying as God.

Stop going back to what God has saved you from. "How can we who died to sin still live in it?” (Romans 6:2)

Stop pretending the consequences for sin aren’t real. They’re lasting. God is faithful to Abe, Sarah, and Hagar, but the consequences of their sin would follow them for the rest of their lives. Think before you act! Is the sin worth the consequences that will follow?

Stop thinking you can never change. “I can’t stop the addiction, the gossip, etc. It’s just who I am.” Nope. You have a new identity and the power of the Spirit within you.

Stop hurting others and stop holding on to past hurt. Be reconciled! Go back!

This is a hard story that reminds us of the destructive nature of sin and of the lasting consequences of sin, but there’s hope in this story.

God hears your cries of affliction. Right now, some of you are experiencing the pain of sin. Maybe you’re experiencing the pain of you own sin. Maybe you’re experiencing the pain that someone else’s sin has caused you. You’re crying in pain… God hears.

This morning, cry to God with the assurance that no matter what you have done or what’s been done to you, you are not disqualified from His gracious love.

In this story, everyone fails, yet everyone is blessed. That’s your story. No matter your failure, you can experience the blessing of God. Abe and Sarah not disqualified from God’s promises.

Isn’t that the Gospel? Everyone fails - Romans 3:23. Yet, everyone who believes is blessed. Romans 3:24.

The God who heard our cries of affliction sent His Son who cried out for us. In the garden as tears like drops of blood fell from His face, “Not my will, but your will be done.” At the cross, “Father, forgive them, they don’t know what they are doing.” Breathed His last breath taking the penalty of our sins upon Himself. Rose three days later so we could be given the gift of eternal life.

Let God’s gracious love motivate you to stop it this morning. Confess your sin, and ask Him to help you to stop making sinful choices and to start making choices that honor Him.