Genesis 16:1-16

Just when is seems like Abraham is walking with and trusting God, he follows Sarah’s advice to have relationships with Hagar in order to try to have children.  God has repeatedly assured Abraham that He will have descendants, but as time goes on Abraham and Sarah grow impatient and take matters into their own hands.  Sometimes the hardest thing for us to do is wait and trust God.  This plan brought about several problems in the family, many of which continue to this day.
ABRAHAM TRIES TO HELP GOD: Abraham and Sarah’s plan for Abraham to bear children through Hagar was not born out of lust but out of a lack of faith.  They had been told that they would have a child, but as time went on it became harder and harder to believe and wait.  Men have an ability to rationalize sin when they think that it will in some way help God to keep His promises.  There are two things we must remember: first, God does not need our help; and second, God’s will is never accomplished through sin.  We must not rationalize sinful behavior thinking that the end in some way justifies the means.  God is fully capable of accomplishing His promises within the boundaries of His Word.  We are called to trust Him and obey His Word and never try to do His work without following His will.
SARAH TRIES TO HURT HAGAR: As soon as Sarah’s plan is “successful” in that Hagar conceived, trouble began to brew.  Hagar became proud, Sarah’s feelings were hurt and Abraham was caught between the two.  Sarah became spiteful to Hagar and bitter towards Abraham.  When we try to rationalize sin, these types of consequences are never far behind.  Abraham gives preference to Sarah, but throughout this entire ordeal, Abraham has demonstrated an extreme lack of leadership.  When Sarah shared with him her plan with Hagar, Abraham should have come along side of his wife and encouraged her to trust God, assured her of his love no matter if she never bore children and helped her to see wait with him for God to act in His way and according to His time table.  Now he finds himself in a situation where he has lost his authority with Sarah, so he authorized her to treat Hagar poorly.  In the midst of all of this, Hagar has to be wondering about her masters and the God they serve.  When we sin, we not only bring pain to ourselves and others we end up bringing shame to the glory of God.
GOD BRINGS HOPE TO HAGAR: When Hagar saw that Sarah was angry and Abraham was not protecting her, she ran away from them with no hope for her own life.  God appears to her and offers her the hope that she so desperately needs.  He promises her that her son will be the father of a large nation.  God warns her that her son will be a brute of a man and warrior, but that as Abraham’s son, he would become a nation.  God also tells Hagar to stop being so proud and self absorbed and to return to Abraham’s home and live in submission to Sarah’s authority.  Sin leads to despair and desperation, but no matter how bad we might mess things up, God is always able to turn our ashes into diamonds if this is of His choosing.  God is the source of our hope.  We must always remember to turn to Him in the times when we are hurt.  He will help us much more than we will ever be able to help Him.

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