Genesis 16

What a contrast between Gen. 15 and Gen. 16.  In one Abram is seen as the man of faith; in the other as the man of unbelief.  He believes in the Lord; then he harkens to the voice of Sarai.  He walks the walk of faith; then he walks in the energy of the flesh.

Abram may have been doing what was culturally permissible, but he was not following God’s leading.  He was not true to the principle of marriage that dated back to creation.

What we see here is an attempt to accomplish the will of God in the power of the flesh.  It is crucial that we not express amazement at Abram’s sin.  Rather we must acknowledge that we are no different or else we will miss an essential lesson in life.

The story illustrates how wrong things can go when we act in the flesh.  Take Sarai, for example.  Look how quickly she changes from the person with a good plan to being filled with jealousy.  See how quickly she turns on her husband and heaps cruelty on Hagar.  Abram fails as a husband, not providing leadership in the initial plan, and then failing again by encouraging Sarai to follow her own sinful action.

And then there is Hagar.  Look how she belittles Sarai in the matter of being able to conceive (in fact this is always from the Lord).  Then when she is treated unfairly she runs.  Running from conflict always seems easier at the time, but rarely satisfies in the long term.

We may think that everyone’s actions here are somewhat excusable, but they are not.  No one is seeking the Lord as to what they should say or how they should act.  The consequences for each one are not what they had planned.  Sarai’s advice results in constant friction between her and Hagar for years to come.  Abram’s descendants through Isaac will for generations be in conflict with those through Ishmael.  And Hagar, having followed her instincts, finds herself by a spring, pregnant, angry and with no one to care for her.

It is there that God meets her in a remarkable scene, urging her to return and submit to Sarai.  This seemingly unreasonable command is joined to a promise to bless her and her son.  Her obedient response to God should encourage us in those times when God leads us to submit to hardship.  He is El Roi, the God Who sees me.  As always the question is, for all involved, will we trust God?  Or will we trust in ourselves, doing the best we can do, following our own plans?