Thank you. And when we applaud that way, it's
not so much for those who've played, as it is
a praise to the Lord, isn't it? We're grateful,
though, for their ministry to us in music. Have
you ever felt treated unfairly? If so, you may
be able to identify with one of the characters
in our text today in Genesis chapter 16. If you
are childless and you have watched longingly
as your friends have had children, You may find
someone in today's text to identify with. If
you've ever taken a job and then you were assigned
responsibilities that you hadn't expected, only
to find that you were in trouble then because
of performing your job, you will find an incident
in today's event of Genesis chapter 16 to identify
with. Life is not fair. At some point in our
growing up, we have to learn that lesson. Life
is not fair. God, however, is just. Yet in the
affairs of life, in the flowing out of the circumstances
of the people we meet and the events that take
place around us, very often we witness injustice.
And we do in today's text. In this text, we read
about the birth of Ishmael. And the chapter before
seems to unfold actually in four chapters of
the story. To each one of these chapters in Genesis
16, I'm going to assign a title. Chapter number
one, I've entitled, Ten Long Years. We see this
in verses one through four. Now, Sarai Abram's
wife had borne him no children. And she had an
Egyptian, her maid, whose name was Hagar. And
so Sarai said to Abram, now behold the Lord has
prevented me from bearing children. Please go
into my maid, because I shall obtain children
through her. And Abram listened to the voice
of Sarai. In chapter 15 we observed God establishing
a covenant with Abram. in which he again promises
to his servant a son, one who would come from
Abram himself. But you see, time is marching
on. Abram had entered Canaan at 75 years of age,
believing God's promise that his descendants
would be as the sand upon the seashores. He is
now 85, and Sarai His wife is 84. Their biological
clocks are winding down. How is this promise
from God going to be fulfilled? Couples who are
struggling with infertility can perhaps identify
with the frustration that Sarai felt. And so
she, in this case, suggested a scheme in verse
2. Undoubtedly, she did it with good intentions.
The promise of a son had, after all, been made
to Abram and not to her, at least at this point.
The suggestion that she makes here regarding
Hagar was one that fit well with the cultural
values of that day. In fact, what happened here
conforms even to the legal codes of those centuries.
Back in 1901, 1902, there were some excavations
at the city of Susa. The archaeologist uncovered
a seven foot high stone monument called a stele
on which were written some laws that were applicable
to a very complex urban kind of culture. These
came to be known as the code of Hammurabi because
he was the king of Babylon who had these laws
inscribed on the stone. Hammurabi lived about
300 years or so after Abram. And so this was
not inscribed in Abram's day, but it reflects
the kind of thinking and codes of law that were
in existence in Abram's day. And law 144 on this
stele says, that it is permitted for a slave
to be exalted for this purpose in a home where
the wife is unable to bear children. It was,
in a sense, a law for a surrogate mother. And
that is what they followed. This is what Saray
followed. Now did Moses, who wrote these words,
approve of what was... schemed out here, but
his language does not seem to indicate that.
In fact, the verbs that are used here to describe
what happens very closely parallel what is said
regarding Adam and Eve in Genesis chapter 3 with
the fall. In both of these incidents there was
an attempt to gain advantage or even blessing
by circumventing God's plan. And so because he
uses language that reminds us of Genesis chapter
3, Moses is subtly saying to us that this was
not something that was approved, but it happened.
This story, like several of the things that have
happened in Genesis already, was an attempt to
preclude the coming of the divinely promised
Redeemer of Genesis You say, how is that? Because
you see, this produced a son of Abram who was
of the line of Ham. Because you see, the Egyptians
were descendants of Ham, the son of Noah. The
divinely promised Redeemer, however, had to come
through the line of Shem, the son of Noah. And
that was the case with Sarai. It is not the case
with Hagar. And so here we see an attempt on
the part of Satan, most likely, to bring about
a son of Abram who could not fulfill the promise
of Genesis 3 .15. And so although this was a
scheme that was culturally acceptable, it was
not pleasing to the Lord, yet Hagar became pregnant
and was with child. That brings us to chapter
number two, which I've entitled, Trouble at Home.
It begins in verse four. It says, Abram went
into Hagar, she conceived, and when she saw that
she had conceived, her mistress was despised
in her sight. Hagar became pregnant, and when
she became pregnant, she began to look down upon
Sarai. She made light of her. She slighted her.
The word despised here is the same word as in
Genesis 12 .3, where God gives the promise to
Abram that those who curse him, he the Lord will
curse. And so it almost sounds as though Hagar
was cursing Sarai in despising her and making
fun of her. And so there's this tension building
up. The handmaiden is pregnant with Abram's child,
and she is despising and making life miserable
for Sarai. So who do you think hears about the
problem? That's right, Abram. The husband hears
about it. And Sarah said to Abram, may the wrong
done to me be upon you. He looked at her and
said, you did this to me. I gave my maid to your
arms. And when she saw that she had conceived,
I was cursed in her sight. May the Lord judge
between you and me. When she said that, she wasn't
saying, good night honey, I love you. May the
Lord judge between you and me was a statement
that is used other places in Genesis between
two people who didn't trust each other. They
said because we don't trust each other the Lord
judged between us. Sarah is a little upset and
so of course she goes to Abram. You see Sarah
was not a strong believer, but she was a very
good blamer. So Abram responds and he permits
Sarai to handle the situation as she chooses.
Again, within the Code of Hammurabi, in Law 146,
written 300 years later, the reduction of a person
to the former status of slave is permitted. And
so that's what Sarai did. She had exalted Hagar
for this purpose of being a surrogate mother.
Now she places her back in slavery. and makes
life miserable for Hagar. Life is tough. Like
somebody said, if mama ain't happy, ain't nobody
happy, and Hagar is unhappy, and Abram is unhappy.
Warren Wisbee writes regarding this by way of
application, when we walk by sight and not by
faith, we get impatient. We scheme and blame
others. Then, when things go wrong, we try to
get rid of our mistakes. Isn't that right on
with where we live? The commentator George Henderson
says, There is trouble at home. That brings us
now to the third chapter, which I've entitled,
Rendezvous in the Desert. Because you see, Hagar
leaves. She flees from her mistress. Verse 6
says, Sarai treated her harshly and she fled
from her presence. Now the angel of the Lord
found her by a spring of water in the wilderness,
by the spring on the way to shore." This is the
first time that we have seen this figure that
is called here the angel of the Lord in the Bible.
When you see something for the first time, you
need to take note of it. And we remind ourselves
that the angel of the Lord was no mere angelic
creature. as the name might imply, but this was
a special messenger of the Lord, indeed the Lord
himself. And thus the angel of the Lord is often
spoken of as the appearance of the pre -incarnate
Christ. That is, before Jesus Christ was born
in Bethlehem, he appears in the Old Testament
as this figure, the angel of the Lord. And so
we can say it is our Lord Himself, the Son of
God, who finds Hagar there in that wilderness.
I like the way it says it. It wasn't that Hagar
was looking for Him. It was that He found her.
And He said, Hagar, surise maid, where had you
come from? And where are you going? Does that
remind you of another question that God asked
in the garden one day of Adam? Where are you?
Did God know the answer to that question? Of
course He did. And obviously He knew who this
was that He was talking with. He calls her by
name and identifies what she is. She is Hagar's
slave. And then he asks her this probing question,
where did you come from and where are you going?
And she said, I'm fleeing from the presence of
my mistress Sarai. Then the angel of the Lord
said to her, and we have a rather long paragraph
here of some statements that the Lord makes to
Hagar there in the wilderness. You see, he had
been watching these events unfold. He had tracked
Hagar through the wilderness, and he came to
her at this well in the wilderness." May I say
that this is not the last woman at the well to
whom he will reveal himself. The Lord's words
to her are marvelous words. In verse 10, they
are the words of a prescription. You see, Hagar's
life was miserable. In fact, that Hebrew word
is found three times in this chapter, tucked
away. Not so obvious in the English translations.
But her life became harsh. It was a miserable
existence for her. She needed to know how to
get out of that misery. And so the first thing
the Lord tells to her are words of prescription.
In verse 9 we see them, where it says, return
to your mistress and submit yourself to her authority.
These are words of prescription. Let me explain
to you why the angel of the Lord tells her to
submit herself. By the way, the word submit is
one of these words for misery. He says to her,
go back and be miserable again with your mistress
Sarai. Why would the Lord say that to her? Is
the Lord telling people who are abused to go
back to the relationships of that abuse? Is that
what he means here? There are some who would
probably use this verse for that purpose. That
is not the meaning of the Lord telling her to
go back to her misery. You see, she, Hagar, had
cursed Sarai, despised her. What had the Lord
said in Genesis chapter 12? to Abram and his
descendants. The one who curses you, I will."
What? I will curse. That is what Hagar had done.
She was in danger of the curse of God. And so
the angel of the Lord says to her, go back and
submit yourself to Sarai and bless her. Because
the Lord had also said, to Abram, the one who
blesses you, I will what? I will bless. That's
why the Lord told her to go back. She had to
go back in order to be blessed. So it's a prescription
you see. Here's what you need to do, Agar. And
then the Lord gives her a promise. The blessing
begins to unfold. He says in verse 10, I will
greatly multiply your descendants. so that they
shall be too many to count." This is the same
thing that God had already said to Abram and
will say again. I will bless you with many descendants.
Chapter 17 verse 2, almost the identical language.
The Lord is speaking here to Abram. I will multiply
you exceedingly. But here, the promise is to
Hagar. That's the promise of God. She had to
go back to get the promise, but this is what
God promises her. Then there's a prophecy. Beginning
in verse 11, the angel of the Lord says to her,
behold, you're with child, and you shall bear
a son. She did not know this yet. So the Lord
says, you're going to have a son. You shall call
his name Ishmael. And so this name is not one
that was given by Hagar. But the Lord Himself
says, call His name Ishmael. Which means, God
hears. And the angel explains that because the
Lord has given heed to your misery. There's that
word again, your affliction, your misery. And
then the Lord says, and He will be A wild donkey
of a man. I've known some people like that, haven't
you? A wild donkey of a man. And that sounds
like it's not a very pleasant prospect. Because
we think of donkeys as rather stubborn beasts.
Well, in fact, they can be, but in those days,
a donkey was a very valuable beast. Because you
see, a donkey was one who bore burdens. A donkey
was an economic asset. And so the Lord is saying
that this is a positive thing regarding Ishmael,
but not everything is positive. Look at the text.
His hand will be against everyone and everyone's
hand against him. And then he says, and he will
live to the east of all his brothers. When it
says he will live to the east of all of his brothers,
That can also be understood to mean he will live
in the face of hostility with his brothers. And
so there are some positive things said and some
other things that are rather difficult. But nonetheless
the Lord gives these predictions, these prophecies.
She will have a son, his name will be Ishmael.
He will be a wild donkey of a man. His hand will
be against everyone and everyone's hand against
him and he will live in the face of his brothers.
The Lord gives her this information and then
she gives the Lord a name. Verse 13, she called
upon the name of the Lord who spoke to her. Thou
art a God who sees. Here's the name of the Lord
that we see here, El -Rohi. El -Rohi. You see
it in the name of the well in verse 14. The well
where she was, was named B 'er lehai rohi. The
well of the living one who sees. Here's one of
these great names of God that we see in the Old
Testament, el rohi. Here was Hagar and all of
her misery at this well in the wilderness. And
el rohi knows. And he understands. He sees. her
plight, and he comes to be kind to her. And you
may be at some well today, in the bitterness
of being treated unfairly. And you wonder, does
anybody know? Friend, there's a God who sees.
And He will meet you there, at that will of your
bitterness. and show kindness to you. Listen
to his heart. Listen to his words. Hagar, though
she was not without fault in what happened here,
had been treated unjustly. After all, this pregnancy
was not her idea. Abram and Sarai had greatly
wronged her. She was a lonely and distressed
girl. She had little hope. because of the injustice
that was done to her. But Jesus Christ steps
in and He meets her there and He treats her with
grace as He does with all who will look to Him,
all who will listen to Him. Donald Gray Barnhouse
writes, Hagar learned that all which happened
to her was known to the Heavenly Father. who
was interested in her sighs and groans and cries.
She had seen that God was able to meet her in
the midst of her need and to extricate her from
all her difficulties. In the midst of trouble,
we are tempted to think that our case is desperate,
but at the fountain in the wilderness He teaches
us that He looks upon all our afflictions. That
brings us to chapter four, a brief chapter simply
entitled, It's a Boy. Verses 15 and 16. Hagar
bore Abram a son, and Abram called the name of
his son whom Hagar bore Ishmael. And Abram was
86 years old when Hagar bore Ishmael to him.
Time is marching on, and still Abram does not
have the son of the promise. And there's a reason.
There's a reason. We'll talk about that another
time. Those who are familiar with the New Testament
will remember that this story is an allegory.
It's an allegory regarding salvation as a gift
of faith apart from human effort. Read about
it in Galatians chapter 4. Paul says that Hagar
represents the law. And Sarah represents grace.
And he says the promise of God cannot be obtained
through human efforts of rule keeping through
the law. But God's promise of salvation rather
is gained through believing in the gift of God's
grace. It's a wonderful allegory of this historical
event. Are you today, depending upon Hagar, as
it were, to earn your own way to God? Are you
trying to get God's blessing, to try for advancement
the human way? Or will you come to God in faith
and believe the promise of God, which is righteousness
by faith given to all who will trust in the Savior?
What this story teaches us devotionally is this,
that when we fail to act in faith, we create
trouble in the lives of others and consequences
for ourselves. Did you hear what I said? When
we fail to act in faith, we create trouble in
the lives of others and consequences for ourselves.
Think about this. Think of the pain that Abram
and Suri could have avoided if they had patiently
believed God. Home problems. Misery for Hagar.
Future stress that will come into their home
when Isaac is born. And then generations of antagonism
between the two branches of Abram's family through
Ishmael and Isaac. Antagonism that is still being
played out today in the Middle East. as the descendants
of Ishmael are in the face of, with hostility,
their brethren the Jews. All of that could have
been avoided if only Abram and Sarai had patiently
waited upon God. And so let us learn to act in
faith so that we may know blessing and that blessing
may be experienced by those around us. instead
of acting in impatience and unbelief and bringing
trouble into our lives and theirs. Let's bow
together in prayer. Father, in the chapters of
this story of the birth of Ishmael, we are wonderfully
reminded that you are El -Rohi, the God who sees.
And you are the God today who sees our need.
And you have come into the world in the person
of your Son and given yourself for us. You have
provided what we have needed through the death
and resurrection of the one who appears here
as the angel of the Lord. We bless you that you
have met us in our miserable sin and have brought
to us salvation by faith. As we partake of these
elements at the table, we pray that you would
help us to partake of them with gratitude and
with the realization that they represent Jesus
identifying with us. But we remember that He
too was treated unfairly. He did not deserve
to die, but willingly did die for our sake. Amen.