Bible Basics: Genesis 16
Genesis 16
Sarai's (Not So Great) Plan to Help God
Verses 1–4: Although God promised Abram descendants as countless as the stars in the sky, ten years had passed without the hint of a child. Abram was now in his mid-eighties, and Sarai in her mid-70s. Doubting the feasibility of God's promise, Sarai figured she could bring it to fulfillment through another means. She reasoned that their family could be built with the help of Abram's Egyptian slave, Hagar. Abram readily agreed to her idea and took Hagar as his second wife. A short time later, Hagar conceived. However, Sarai’s plan backfired as Hagar began to despise her.
5: No longer willing to take responsibility for the situation, Sarai shifts the blame to Abram. She claims that he’s at fault for Hagar’s change of attitude, when in fact they’re both to blame, and she instigated the plan. She even goes as far as declaring that God could judge between her and Abram, implying that she would be found innocent. In fact, the icy climate of her household was a natural consequence of the disobedience both she and Abram chose. Rather than trusting God’s faithful character to fulfill his promise, they took matters into their own hands and made a mess of things. I can relate to this. Can you? Life is so much better when we let God take his rightful, loving lead in our lives.
6: Once again yielding the well-being of his family to his wife’s poor judgement, Abram grants Sarai permission to do whatever she deems best with Hagar. Sarai mistreats her, and Hagar runs away.
Finding God in the Midst of a Mess
7–8: Hagar stops at a desert spring near the road to Shur (probably the common route of travelers between Canaan and Egypt) (1). As an Egyptian, it’s possible she was trying to make her way back to her homeland. The angel of the Lord (generally agreed upon by Christian scholars to be an Old Testament appearance of Christ) (2) meets her there and engages her in her distress. He asks her indirectly about her desperate circumstance, and Hagar acknowledges that she’s running away from Sarai.
9–10: All three parties—Abram, Sarai and Hagar—are at fault in this situation. Hagar acted wrongly toward Sarai and left her position as their servant. But God instructs her to return and submit to Sarai, which no doubt includes submission of her heart and attitude as well her physical return and outward submission. In doing right by Sarai and Abram, despite her mistreatment, God would bless Hagar beyond comprehension: like Abram and Sarai, he would also make her descendants too many to count.
God's Grace and Help, Even When We Blow It
11–12: Jesus also foretells the birth of Hagar’s son. He instructs her to name him Ishmael, meaning “God hears,” for God had seen her misery, and cared enough to meet her in the midst of it and help her through it. If we open ourselves to his presence and listen for his inward voice in our own struggles, he’ll help us as well (Psalm 46:1 NIV 1984).
Jesus further prophesies the unfortunate future of her child, who would eventually live separate from and in hostility toward Abram’s side of the family and others in general. This independent, hostile nature would continue with his descendants, who have been known throughout history as warlike and a much warred-against people (3,4).
13–14: In gratitude, Hagar responds by calling Jesus “the God who sees me.” The spring is called Beer Lahai Roi, or the “well of the Living One who sees me” (see footnote on verse 14).
15–16: Returning to Abram and Sarai, Hagar gives birth to Ishmael. At eighty-six years of age, Abram still awaits God’s fulfillment of a promised son with Sarai. Stay tuned . . .
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shur_(Bible)
https://biblehub.com/commentaries/genesis/16-7.htm
https://biblehub.com/commentaries/genesis/16-12.htm (see especially notes from the Benson Commentary, Pulpit Commentary, and Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible)
https://www.christiancourier.com/articles/963-ishmael-his-hand-against-every-man