Introduction: In chapter 15, Abram displayed an incredible faith in God and it was credited to him as righteousness. The principle holds true for all of us. “And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.” (Hebrews 11:6 NIV)
God promised that Abram would have descendants as numberless as the stars. Then, God pledged His own being to Abram by entering into a covenant with him. One would think that when God goes to such incredible lengths to assure us it would be easy to remain faithful. All too often, however, we are eager to accept the blessings but are not willing to accept God’s methods and/or timing. We take things into our own hands. We want God to do things our way.
I. A Legal Loophole (Genesis 16:1-2a)
What Sarai suggested to Abram seems very strange to us, yet it was a perfectly accepted and legal procedure in that culture. Archaeologists have found copies of laws from that era which describe the very thing Sarai proposed. It was the accepted and respectable thing to do. The procedure was equivalent to using a surrogate mother today.
Lesson: Just because society says something is okay doesn’t make it right. Similarly, just because something is legal doesn’t make it right.
II. Failure Of Leadership (Genesis 16:2b)
“Abram agreed...” Here we have a replay of what happened in the Garden of Eden. In both cases, the wives proposed something which was wrong and the husbands agreed to it. Instead of directing their wives, they followed the leadership of their wives. In both cases, this abdication of leadership led to disastrous consequences.
III. Arrogance (Genesis 16:4)
All too often we get the big-head over something for which we can take no credit at all. When Hagar found out she was pregnant, she began to despise Sarai. Think about it. Hagar had no say in the matter at all. She had no choice about being in Abram’s bed. She had no control over getting pregnant. If she was going to accept the situation at all, instead of despising Sarai she probably should have been grateful to her for giving the opportunity to rise above the status of mere slave-girl.
IV. Ducking Responsibility (Genesis 16:5-8)
When things go in an unexpected direction we can either accept responsibility for our actions or try to pass the blame onto someone else. All three people in this family drama tried to escape the consequences of their own actions.
1) Sarai wasn’t too happy with the consequences of what she had proposed. But, she was unwilling to accept her part in what happened. She turns around and blames Abram for a situation she had brought down on her own head. The irony is that, in a sense, Sarai was right. Abram was to blame. If he hadn’t listened to Sarai, the problem with Hagar would never have arisen.
2) Abram had another lapse of leadership. Instead of dealing with the problem between the two women, he basically washed his hands of it. Instead of settling the matter he gave Sarai a license to bully someone who had no recourse. He turned a blind eye to injustice.
3) While Hagar was not to blame for the basic situation, she did bear part of the responsibility for the trouble between her and Sarai. Instead of making it right, she did what we all too often do. She ran.
V. God Who Sees Me (Genesis 16:9-16)
As usually happens, running away from a problem didn’t solve it. Hagar found herself alone in the wilderness, with no place to go. The angel of the Lord confronted her at a well and told her go back and submit to her mistress Sarai. He also told her what the future of her son would be. Hagar had the faith to obey and return home. She realized that God knew of her circumstances and was her protector. Experiencing God changes one’s perspective. Once we realize that we are not alone, it enables us to bear up under hard circumstances. Realizing that God knows us and what we are doing also helps us to do what is right.
Though the text does not tell us, it seems that this incident put an end to the rivalry between the two women – until, that is, Isaac was born years later. It seems that Hagar learned her lesson. It seems that Sarai was willing to let her be. It seems that Abram once more took the leadership in his household.
Application: God is still good to us in spite of all our failings. Not only is He good, He is also aware. Though He lets us do our own thing and go our own way, He will intervene for our good. He makes us face up to our situation. He makes promises. He sustains in the wilderness. He demands obedience, yet gives the strength to obey.