Last 5 Days
Be faithful in times of waiting
1 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.
In Genesis chapters 13-15, Abram went through many trials related to the promise of land, and in chapters 16-17, Abram faced challenges and trials related to the promise of heir. From today’s passage, we learn from the narratives of the three main characters - Abram, Sarai, and Hagar.
First, Genesis 16:3 records that at that time, Abram had lived ten years in Canaan. From the promise that God had given him in Genesis 15 (where Abram’s heirs would be like the stars in the heavens), Abram had waited ten years. After ten years, did Abram still believe in God's promise? Does the wait of ten years express his persistent faith? Abram had followed Sarai’s advice to sleep with Hagar, did it express his faith in God’s promise, that perhaps an heir will come from Abram, but just not through Sarai? In the same way, was Abram's doubt that God would give him a descendant from Sarai an expression of unbelief? Genesis 16 shows that although Abram was eventually called the father of faith, there were still times when he was of little faith.
Dear brothers and sisters, how is your exercise in faith today? The season of waiting may be a season of trial. How do we wait? During seasons of waiting, do we reinterpret God’s promises in order to help ourselves have an easier time waiting, or do we attempt to help God to accomplish what He “ought to be doing”? Or, are we willing to wait patiently and trust completely? How do we wait?
Second, at the start of Chapter 16, the author reiterated that Sarai, Abram's wife, had borne him no children. Could it be possible that the heir that God had promised Abram will be from him, but not from Sarai? The tension from infertility is whether God is able to fulfil His promise in the face of infertility. If Abram and Sarai trusted that God’s promise would be fulfilled, then they would have to trust that God can overcome infertility.
The focus is therefore on God, and infertility itself should not bring despair but hope. Often times we think of infertility with an attitude of resignation, believing that it is a situation that cannot be changed, and thus making the future hopeless. But that makes the whole situation about ourselves only. What might God want to be showing us during this time when we wait upon Him? The true challenge of infertility is whether we are able to accept the reality of today but hold fast to the hope of the not yet. Dear brothers and sisters, are we able to trust in God’s timing and God’s guidance, and see the hope that comes from God’s covenant and promises?
Finally, the way God treated Hagar reflected His attributes. God did not disregard Hagar because she was not a Jew; nor did He despise her because of her status as a servant. God knew, heard, and saw her suffering, and although He directed Hagar to return to Sarai, it was the best place for Hagar and her child to survive and have a future. Dear brothers and sisters, do you need to go to a place of "suffering" today because of God's leading. If it is God's leading, our obedience will allow us to experience God seeing us, hearing us, knowing our situation, and experiencing the blessings that come from God. During the time as we wait for our deliverance, are we willing to trust and obey?
Dear brothers and sisters, are we able to trust in God? Are we willing to be obedient to His guidance? Are we able to trust that God has seen us, heard us and know us? May we be found faithful.
