Genesis 2011 - Lesson 16B

• Remember in Chapter 15 we witnessed the Lord take upon Himself a covenant with Abram

  • In that covenant ceremony, the Lord appeared in the form of fire and smoke while Abram was in a deep sleep

    • When the moment for the agreement to the covenant came, only God acted

    • He proceeded through the bloody animals, thus binding Himself to His vows to Abram

      • And the vows God made included not only the words spoken in that moment

      • They also included the words God spoke to Abram in all three of the appearances God makes to Abram

      • God promised to make Abram a great nation, to grant him descendants, an inheritance, and to bless those who bless him while cursing his enemies

  • These promises were affirmed in Chapter 15, and they were a one-way, suzerainty grant without condition

    • Abram need do no more to keep these promises than he did to obtain them in the first place

    • They depended on God’s faithfulness, not Abram’s 

    • Because they reflected glory upon God and not Abram

• Now in Chapter 16, we’ve witnessed a great sin in Abram’s life, a sin of faithlessness

  • Sarai was unwilling to wait on God for a son, while Abram was unwilling to act to correct his wife

    • The results of their sin are profound, both in the immediate moment and over the course of centuries and millennia

    • The second half of the chapter examines those consequences

  • But above it all, it highlights God’s faithfulness

• When we ended last week, Sarai’s handmaiden Hagar had become pregnant with Abram’s first son

  • The confirmation of Hagar’s pregnancy had created a new and dangerous dynamic in the family

    • The slave now had the upper hand on her owner

    • Scripture said that Hagar showed contempt for Sarai

    • And Sarai, knowing that Hagar couldn’t be sold now that she was Abram’s wife, is at a loss for what to do next

    • So she protested to Abram and demanded he come to her protection

  • Abram for his part as husband is lying down on the job, so to speak

    • He fails in correcting his wife and now he fails in supporting his wife

    • His only response for Sarai was to state the obvious: Hagar was Sarai’s slave, do what you want with her

      • How can we imagine the pain Sarai felt in her situation?

      • She thought she was doing the right thing by her husband in sacrificing her position as wife when she gave Hagar

      • She wanted to give her husband a child, and she made a mistake in how she tried to solve the problem

    • Now Sarai could appreciate her mistake, and she comes to Abram looking for support and concern and she gets it thrown back in her face

• Left with no other options, Sarai treats Hagar harshly hoping to drive her away - and it works

  • In v.16 we’re told that Hagar flees from Sarai

    • This entire episode has been a disaster for everyone

      • Abram lost a servant in his home

      • Sarai lost her handmaiden

      • And Hagar has lost a home and is now on the run in the middle of a pregnancy

    • Hagar’s flight amounts to theft and kidnapping

      • Running away as a slave was stealing from Abram

      • And taking the unborn child was kidnapping, since the child belonged to Abram and Sarai

  • Then the Lord stepped in…

Gen. 16:7  Now  the angel of the LORD found her by a spring of water in the wilderness, by the spring on the way to  Shur. 
Gen. 16:8 He said, “Hagar, Sarai’s maid,  where have you come from and where are you going?” And she said, “I am fleeing from the presence of my mistress Sarai.” 
Gen. 16:9 Then the angel of the LORD said to her, “Return to your mistress, and submit yourself  to her authority.” 

• For the first time in Scripture, we’re introduced to the angel of the Lord

  • The term angel of the Lord is an important character in the Old Testament

    • It occurs 58 times in Scripture

    • Despite the use of the word angel, this is no ordinary angel

      • The word angel itself in Hebrew actually means messenger or ambassador

      • And when this word is combined with the name for God, Yahweh, it always refers to the Second Person of the Godhead

      • The Person Who is eventually revealed as the incarnate Jesus

    • But prior to His incarnation, the Second Person of God appears as a messenger or ambassador of the Father

  • We can know that this term is a reference to God Himself by looking at the context in which it appears

    • In every context where He appears, there is also a reference to God in the same text

    • For example, later in this text we will find Hagar addressing the “angel” as God in v.13

      • Certainly, Hagar came to recognize this Messenger as Someone more than an angel

• When the Lord appears before Hagar, He finds her by a spring of water in the desert, on a road leading to Shur

  • Shur is a wilderness bordering the Negev, which means Hagar is likely headed to Egypt

    • This makes perfect sense

    • Hagar is going home

    • Where else would she go at this point?

  • Since she is moving through a desert, water is a crucial resource, so she has stopped by a spring

    • As the Lord appears to her, He asks two questions:

      • Where have you come from and where are you going?

      • Here we find another example of God asking questions when we know He already has all the answers

    • Why does the Lord ask a question of any kind?

      • When He wants to trigger new thinking and understanding

      • He wants Hagar to think twice about what she’s doing

        • Hagar may have been heading south toward Egypt, but she probably didn’t know her final destination

        • It was simply fleeing, as her name means

  • If you notice, the Lord began by identifying Hagar as Sarai’s maid

    • The Hebrew word for maid literally means slave girl

    • The Lord plainly calls Hagar Sarai’s slave girl

    • He seems to be reminding Hagar right from the start where she belongs

  • Hagar answers plainly

    • She says she is fleeing from the presence of her master Sarai

    • Hagar makes no attempt to deny the truth: she was wrong

  • Hagar is the true victim in this entire episode

    • Hagar was pressed into slavery to support Abram’s family

    • She was pressed again into marrying Abram and giving him a child

    • Then she was hated by her own mistress who made these decisions

      • More importantly, Hagar had no knowledge of the Living God

      • She had no promises from God, unlike Sarai and Abram

  • She was just a Gentile suffering under the sin of her Hebrew masters

    • But as she was committing this sin, the Lord stepped in and turned her around

    • In v.9 the Lord says, return to your owner and submit to her authority

      • Does the Lord’s command surprise you?

      • Let me ask you what else can a holy and perfect God say?

      • Hagar’s flight was breaking the law and depriving Abram of his child

        • How could God approve of that behavior?

        • It mattered not the reason for her sin…sin is sin

        • And two wrongs don’t make a right

• The Lord needs Hagar to stay with Abram because it suits His purposes for Abram and Sarai

  • As you may know, God will direct Abram and Sarai to send Hagar away in a future day

    • But for now, God wants Hagar to remain in the household

  • There are two reasons for this delayed departure

    • First, God wants Hagar’s departure to teach a lesson for the future Israel

    • Hagar and her son will form an important picture for God in telling the story of Israel

      • There will be a seed to rule the world and save men from their sins

      • But that seed will find its source in God’s promises, not in the works of men

      • In order to tell that story fully, God needed not only a son by His promise, but He also needed a son by human effort

      • Then God could contrast the outcomes of each, thereby teaching how only God’s promises lead to glory

        • We’ll study more about this contrast in the next chapter

    • Secondly, Abram’s sin must bear consequences for himself and his nation

      • Remember I mentioned that Abram’s unique position in God’s plan for the world means that both his faithfulness and his sin carry great consequences

        • When Abram is strong, the world benefits

        • And when Abram is weak, the world suffers

        • All this is according to God’s plan

      • The child that will come from Abram’s sin must dwell near the sons of promise, because God will use one to chastise the other

        • The offspring of Hagar will eventually become enemies of Israel

        • And God will use these enemies to discipline His children in Israel

        • For God works all things to good for those who love Him and are called according to His purpose

  • So the Lord tells Hagar to return, submit to authority, do the right thing

    • And then God proceeds to show her how her obedience will lead to blessing

Gen. 16:10 Moreover, the angel of the LORD said to her, “I will greatly multiply your  descendants so that  they will be too many to count.” 
Gen. 16:11 The angel of the LORD said to her further, 
“Behold, you are with child, 
And you will bear a son; 
And you shall call his name Ishmael, 
Because  the LORD has given heed to your affliction. 
Gen. 16:12 “He will be a wild donkey of a man, 
His hand will be against everyone, 
And everyone’s hand will be against him; 
And he will live to the east of all his brothers.” 

• The Lord assures Hagar that her child will yield an uncountable number of descendants

  • Notice the text says “I” will…

    • The angel is speaking as God Himself, as He truly is

  • This promise is exactly the same one that God made to Abram

    • Why would God give the same promise to Hagar’s child?

    • Because this child is also Abram’s child

    • And the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable

    • Because God promised that Abram’s seed would fill the world, so it must be with his child of Hagar

      • This child will eventually become the father of all Arab nations

  • What an amazing testimony to God’s faithfulness

    • God is so faithful, His promises so sure, that not even God Himself can ignore them or change them

      • God promised Abram that his seed would be uncountable, and so it must be

    • And though God’s promise was directed toward a certain son yet to come, nevertheless it was spoken to Abram

      • Therefore God’s word will reign true regardless of how many sons Abram conceives

  • Now we are starting to understand the power of that earlier covenant moment in Chapter 15

    • It means something when God makes a promise

      • It will stand and nothing can change it

    • God made promises to you when He called you into faith

    • And those promises were spoken through His Word

      • He said He would never leave us nor forsake us

      • He will prepare a place for us

      • He will confess us before His Father

      • We will reign with Him in His kingdom

      • We will receive an inheritance in that kingdom

    • Those promises can’t be changed, not by the world, not by you, not by God Himself

      • We will sin, though God desires we live holy and pleasing lives

      • But our sin will not change these promises

      • We will fail, but God will not

    • This is why Paul can say:

Rom. 8:38 For I am convinced that neither  death, nor life, nor  angels, nor principalities, nor  things present, nor things to come, nor powers, 
Rom. 8:39 nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from  the love of God, which is  in Christ Jesus our Lord. 

• This son, however, is not the one of God’s design when He gave His promises to Abram

  • So, even though Hagar will have the benefit of many descendants, she is not the direct recipient of all the other promises

    • Remember, the promises were spoken to Abram not to Hagar

    • So she is benefiting from her association with Abram

    • She is not herself receiving those same promises

  • Therefore her family has a different fate than does Abram’s

    • And God shares those details with her

• Hagar learns what is in store for her pregnancy

  • First, she will have a son

    • God gives the first sonogram

  • And God gives her the name, Ishmael

    • The name Ishmael means “God hears”

      • Because God heard her affliction and visited her

      • There is great irony here, because God rescues an Egyptian after he hears her affliction at the hands of Hebrews

      • Later, God will rescue the Hebrews when he hears their affliction at the hands of the Egyptians

    • Both times, God hears because He is bound by his own word to hear

  • By announcing the name of the child, God is making a prophetic statement

    • As a slave mother, Hagar will have nothing to do with naming the child

    • Abram will name the child

      • So the only way the child’s name will be Ishmael is if Abram selects this name on his own

      • And what do you think Hagar will think when she hears Abram announce the name of the child?

      • Do you think she will be encouraged to witness God’s word coming to reality before her eyes?

      • God is good to show Himself faithful in these ways

  • Next, God tells Hagar her son will be a wild donkey (or ass) of a man

    • His hand will be against everyone and everyone against him

      • These are proverbial statements that carry much meaning

      • Being a donkey reflects both his personality and his lifestyle

        • The people from Ishmael will be roamers in the same way that wild herds of donkeys roam the desert in Abram’s day

        • Wild donkeys are particularly unruly, independent and nomadic

      • Such are the Arab peoples

        • Historically nomadic, hot blooded, and rarely given to submit to the authority of non-Arabs

    • Secondly, God says they will be a warring people

      • More importantly, they will be aggressors by nature, provoking conflict with their neighbors

      • This prophecy has proven true over the centuries

        • And his aggression will result in others retaliating

  • Why does the Lord determine this kind of future for the descendants of Ishmael?

    • The answer comes in the last line of v.12

    • Ishmael will settle east of all his brothers

      • We all know the significance of east by now

      • He will represent the sin and rebellion of the world

    • And geographically, Ishmael will settle directly next to his brothers, the nation of Israel

      • This explains why God has chosen to make Ishmael the man he becomes

      • He will be a thorn in Israel’s side, by design

      • He will be a cause for Israel’s chastisement in the days when God determines to send Israel a message

    • Here we see the full implications of Abram’s sin

      • By choosing to act outside God’s will Abram has set in motion a world of enmity between the seed of flesh and the seed of promise

      • But this is always the pattern

        • When Adam sinned, he set in motion a battle between the sons of the enemy and the sons of God

        • The struggle between spirit and flesh will continue until God puts an end to all flesh

        • And here we see it again, Abram’s child of flesh set to war with the child of promise 

  • We might ask ourselves at this point why God intervened to stop Hagar’s sin of running away, yet God didn’t stop Abram and Sarai from sinning in the first place

    • The answer is that Abram and Sarai knew better

      • They had God’s promises and knew Him through faith

      • They were already in a position to obey properly

      • And yet they didn’t

        • When God’s people sin despite having the word of truth, then we face consequences

    • But Hagar knew none of these things

      • So only now God appears and reveals Himself

      • And by that revelation, God brings understanding leading to obedience

      • Look at Hagar’s response and what follows

Gen. 16:13 Then she called the name of the LORD who spoke to her, “You are a God who sees”; for she said, “Have I even remained alive here after seeing Him?” 
Gen. 16:14 Therefore the well was called Beer-lahai-roi; behold, it is between Kadesh and Bered. 

• Hagar’s first response is to declare that this angel is God Himself

  • This is a statement of faith similar to the one Paul makes on the road to Damascus

    • In both cases a traveler is arrested on a desert road by the Lord, who appears to correct the person’s sinful direction

    • And in both cases the appearance results in a changed life, one that follows the Lord’s leading and receives the Lord’s blessing

  • Here we have evidence that Hagar has received salvation as a result of this experience

    • She may remain a slave and she may have a son destined to torment Israel

    • But she has been called to become a child of God

      • And what led God to bring Hagar into the family of God?

      • Nothing more than her association with Abram, a man who has received God’s promises

      • A promise to bless all the nations of the Earth

    • And in response to that call she will return to Abram and submit to Sarai’s authority, as her Lord has asked her to do

      • She may be a slave to Sarai, but her true Master is now the Lord – and Hagar is obeying Him now

• This is a beautiful picture of how we too share in the blessing to Abram

  • Like Hagar, we are Gentiles who have been arrested in our normal course of sinful life

    • We encountered the Lord, Jesus

    • And by that encounter, our life of obedience began

      • And we are receiving the blessings of promises made to Abram and Israel

      • We are grafted into the promises, and so we share in the blessings