Gensis 16:1- Now Sarai Abram's wife bare him no children: and she had an handmaid, an Egyptian, whose name was Hagar.
Sarai was getting impatient waiting for God to give them a child. Perhaps she thought it was hopeless. But then the devil gave her an idea.
I want to point out first where she could have known that she was being decieved. Hagar was an Egyptian. Remember when Abram went to Egypt and lied? He got servants from Pharoah! But God didn't say that the promise of a son would come from Egypt. Can you guess why the promis wouldn't come from Egypt? Because Egypt, in the Bible, is a type of the world.
Only the devil offers you something worldly to use in place of God's promise. You can't go into the world, or even worldly churches, and find God's promises fulfilled with anything in them! They are all distractions from the devil, and they will cause trouble in the end- Sarai will find that out too late!
Genesis 16:2- And Sarai said unto Abram, Behold now, the LORD hath restrained me from bearing: I pray thee, go in unto my maid; it may be that I may obtain children by her. And Abram hearkened to the voice of Sarai.
Sarai wanted a child so badly that she would accept someone else's child as her own. But God didn't promise her someone else's child. He promised her a child of her own!
Genesis 16:5- And Sarai said unto Abram, My wrong be upon thee: I have given my maid into thy bosom; and when she saw that she had conceived, I was despised in her eyes: the LORD judge between me and thee.
Uh oh! Sarai realized that she was wrong, but instead of repenting, she blamed Abram! Why is it that we always blame someone else for our mistakes? Adam did it. Eve did it. In fact, if you look through the Bible, there are very few people who repent of their mistakes without blaming someone else first.
Sarai started treating Hagar badly. So badly, that Hagar ran away!
Genesis 16:7-8- And the angel of the LORD found her by a fountain of water in the wilderness, by the fountain in the way to Shur. And he said, Hagar, Sarai's maid, whence camest thou? and whither wilt thou go? And she said, I flee from the face of my mistress Sarai.
God sends an angel to talk with Hagar. The angel tells her some important things about her child.
Genesis 16:9-12- And the angel of the LORD said unto her, Return to thy mistress, and submit thyself under her hands. And the angel of the LORD said unto her, I will multiply thy seed exceedingly, that it shall not be numbered for multitude. And the angel of the LORD said unto her, Behold, thou art with child, and shalt bear a son, and shalt call his name Ishmael; because the LORD hath heard thy affliction. And he will be a wild man; his hand will be against every man, and every man's hand against him; and he shall dwell in the presence of all his brethren.
First, the angel tells her to go obey. It's always important to obey those who have the rule over us- parents, teachers, and most importantly, God!
Next, the angel tells her that she will have a son, Ishmael, and that he will be a wild man. He's going to fight against everybody, and everybody will fight against him! That doesn't sound too good!
Genesis 21:9- And Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian, which she had born unto Abraham, mocking.
Time had passed, and Ishmael was now 14 years old. What the angel said about him was true. He would fight with anyone! Even a toddler! This made Sarah mad.
Genesis 21:10, 12, 14- Wherefore she said unto Abraham, Cast out this bondwoman and her son: for the son of this bondwoman shall not be heir with my son, even with Isaac. And God said unto Abraham, Let it not be grievous in thy sight because of the lad, and because of thy bondwoman; in all that Sarah hath said unto thee, hearken unto her voice; for in Isaac shall thy seed be called. And Abraham rose up early in the morning, and took bread, and a bottle of water, and gave it unto Hagar, putting it on her shoulder, and the child, and sent her away: and she departed, and wandered in the wilderness of Beersheba.
Abraham told them to leave. The Lord's promise wasn't through them. It was through God's choice. And Abraham had to let go of the choices he made in the world!
But, you know what's the great thing about God? He takes our feelings into account. Abraham loved Ishmael, so God saw to it that Ishmael was taken care of.
Genesis 16:17,18, 20- And God heard the voice of the lad; and the angel of God called to Hagar out of heaven, and said unto her, What aileth thee, Hagar? fear not; for God hath heard the voice of the lad where he is. Arise, lift up the lad, and hold him in thine hand; for I will make him a great nation. And God was with the lad; and he grew, and dwelt in the wilderness, and became an archer.
Even today, there are descendants of Ishmael living all over the world. But, even today God's words are true. Ishmael's descendants are still fighting with everyone, especially the Jews. This one little mistake made by an impatient woman has cost the lives of untold people, and has troubled Sarah's descendants for 4,000 plus years!
You see, it's always a good idea to wait for God's will. It may be a few weeks or it may be a few years, but God's way is best. And if you're patient, there'll be a whole lot less fighting and troubles and consequences that you'll have to reap.
