 Now Sarai, Abram’s wife, had borne him no children. She had a female Egyptian servant whose name was Hagar. 2 And Sarai said to Abram, “Behold now, the Lord has prevented me from bearing children. Go in to my servant; it may be that I shall obtain children by her.” And Abram listened to the voice of Sarai. 3 So, after Abram had lived ten years in the land of Canaan, Sarai, Abram’s wife, took Hagar the Egyptian, her servant, and gave her to Abram her husband as a wife. 4 And he went in to Hagar, and she conceived. And when she saw that she had conceived, she looked with contempt on her mistress. 5 And Sarai said to Abram, “May the wrong done to me be on you! I gave my servant to your embrace, and when she saw that she had conceived, she looked on me with contempt. May the Lord judge between you and me!” 6 But Abram said to Sarai, “Behold, your servant is in your power; do to her as you please.” Then Sarai dealt harshly with her, and she fled from her.
7 The angel of the Lord found her by a spring of water in the wilderness, the spring on the way to Shur. 8 And he said, “Hagar, servant of Sarai, where have you come from and where are you going?” She said, “I am fleeing from my mistress Sarai.” 9 The angel of the Lord said to her, “Return to your mistress and submit to her.” 10 The angel of the Lord also said to her, “I will surely multiply your offspring so that they cannot be numbered for multitude.” 11 And the angel of the Lord said to her, “Behold, you are pregnant and shall bear a son. You shall call his name Ishmael, because the Lord has listened to your affliction. 12 He shall be a wild donkey of a man, his hand against everyone and everyone’s hand against him, and he shall dwell over against all his kinsmen.” 13 So she called the name of the Lord who spoke to her, “You are a God of seeing,” for she said, “Truly here I have seen him who looks after me.” 14 Therefore the well was called Beer-lahai-roi; it lies between Kadesh and Bered. 15 And Hagar bore Abram a son, and Abram called the name of his son, whom Hagar bore, Ishmael. 16 Abram was eighty-six years old when Hagar bore Ishmael to Abram. Meditation God remains faithful to His covenant promise when His people compromise ethically and are complacent spiritually. God is faithful to His promise when we are faithless (2 Timothy 2:13). Sarai compromised. First described as “barren, with no child” (11:30), Sarai allowed her circumstances to catapult compromise, looking to Hagar for hope. Sarai’s pressure to perform led her to conform to the pattern of her culture by allowing her servant to sleep with Abram. Compromising faith in God’s sovereign plan always leads us to taking matters into our own hands, fueling competition and contempt. Abram was complacent and compromising. Rather than spiritually leading through struggle, trusting God to be faithful to His promise, Abram allowed fear and frustration to drive decisions. The silence of Abram speaks volumes as he surrendered to Sarai’s plan. The complacent silence of spiritual leaders always leads to pain and problems. God is faithful. God finds the servant Sarai had shunned. God meets Hagar at “Beer Lahai Roi,” meaning “well of the Living One who sees me.” Hagar’s child is named “Ishmael,” meaning “God hears.” Hagar describes God as “El Roi,” or “The God who sees me.” God meets the marginalized personally. God hears the cry of the oppressed. God sees us in our suffering. God does not reject Sarai and Abram because they compromised their faith and were complacent in their spirituality. God remains faithful to His covenant promise. Jesus will be the promised seed of Sarai, the Living One who sees us, hears us, and meets us personally. God is faithful and redeems all He allows. Richly Dwelling -What stands out to you from today’s reading, especially regarding compromise, complacency, and God’s mercy? -Where do you identify with either Sarai or Abram? Be specific. -How does the covenant faithfulness of the Lord evidenced in the finished work of Jesus invite you to repent, return to God’s grace, and refocus your faith on God and His promises? Be specific. Key Verse 2 And Sarai said to Abram, “Behold now, the Lord has prevented me from bearing children. Go in to my servant; it may be that I shall obtain children by her.” And Abram listened to the voice of Sarai. Comments are closed.
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