Gospel Light Christian Church Thru-The-Bible Series (18.3)
The Book of Genesis
Genesis Chapter 16 - Read this Bible passage
once through before referring to the notes below.
Ishmael: The Result of Impatient Unbelief
v.1 Sarai was barren. By all human calculations
the heir of the promises could not come through her at all (cf. 11:30). This chapter recalls a similar situation
in Genesis 12:10-20, where
the land of promise suffered a severe famine but here it is Abram’s wife who is barren. Just as the famine
provided a test for Abram’s faith in the promise, so did this barrenness of his wife.
The theme of barrenness is important in the stories of the patriarchs. Sarai, Rebekah and Rachel were all
barren until God opened their wombs and enabled them to bear important sons. The theme stresses the sovereignty
of God in bringing into the world famous ancestors (cf. 1
Sam. 1).
v.2-3 Ten years had elapsed since God’s original promise
of an heir and Abram and Sarai became even more concerned. Sarai attempted to solve her problem of barrenness
by applying the social customs of the day. Legal customs of the day is clear that a barren wife could give
her maid to her husband as a wife and that a son of that union could the heir if the husband declared him to be
so. According to the customs and law of the ancient
Near East, Sarai’s proposal is neither shocking nor objectionable. It was an accepted norm, which could appear as a reasonable method for the divine promise to be fulfilled.
There is, however, a note of frustration in Sarai’s speech (“Behold now,
the LORD hath restrained me from bearing”). She placed the blame on the LORD for
her barrenness (cf. 3:12). Her words were not entirely false because the LORD did delay the fulfillment of
His promise of a “seed”. What was amiss is that Sarai’s frustration betrays her impatience in waiting on
the LORD for the fulfillment (cf. Ja. 1:2-3). And instead of inquiring of the LORD (cf. 25:21), she proposed
a plan of her own devising.
There appears to be a parallel with the account of the fall with the report “And
Abram hearkened to the voice of Sarai” (cf. 3:17). An interpretation that a man
should never listen to the words of his wife or a woman is too superficial because women are capable of sound counsel
too (see Sarah, 21:10-12; Deborah, Judg. 4:4-16;
Abigail, 1 Sam. 25:18-35; Prov. 31:26; Priscilla, Acts 18:24-28). Obviously, the problem with Sarai’s
proposal was not because it came from a woman but because it was contrary to the will of God. A plan was
thus accepted in which the pair overstepped a boundary, where faith should have taken them a different way.
v.4 This impatient solution soured when Hagar became
pregnant and despised her mistress. The word “despised” is the same verb used in 12:3 “and curse [treats you lightly] him that curseth thee”. It would be too
much to say that Hagar cursed Sarai but she may have looked upon Sarai insolently.Hagar’s response may have developed from the maternal pride of her
new status.
v.5-6 Sarai cast the blame for the tension on Abram
and demanded that something be done about it. When Abram said, “Behold,
thy maid is in thy hand,” he was returning Hagar to her status as Sarai’s servant (i.e.
Hagar is not to be on par with Sarai). With his permission, Sarai began to deal “hardly with her”. This action depicts the torture of a lone Egyptian
woman at Sarai’s hand, as the entire Hebrew population will be enslaved and will suffer at the hand of the Egyptians
(cf. “afflict” in 15:13). Clearly, Sarai
was attempting to maintain her status by treating Hagar as a slave, trying to remind her that Sarai was her mistress.
As a result, Hagar fled.
The lesson is sobering for believers of all time – any deviation through unbelief from the will of God will lead
into a dark passage in life. Abram and Sarai’s impatient unbelief produced a mess from which Hagar’s pride
and Sarai’s cruelty emerged. Whenever the path of faith (even when
it involved prolonged waiting) is abandoned and the route of human calculation is taken,
a vicious cycle of grief, sorrow, and misery will be set in motion because the natural actions and reactions of
the sinful human nature (i.e. the flesh in Ro. 7:18-19) has been activated. We must thus beware of the forbidden
calculations of a Sarai or we’ll suffer the conflict of a Hagar!
v.7-12 It is not surprising that Hagar fled toward her native homeland
(“Shur”). Before she reached it, she met the “angel of the LORD”. This is usually understood as a pre-incarnate
appearance of the second Person of the Trinity. The
character, deeds and power of this “angel” appears
to confirm this interpretation. After a brief inquiry and response, the angel instructed Hagar to return
and submit to her mistress. He also extended to her great promises concerning the child in her womb.
At the heart of the conversation is the divine promise of a son and the designation of his name as Ishmael – “God
hears”. A popular way of naming draws from an experience the explanation for a child’s name – “because the LORD hath heard thy affliction”. Thus, the name becomes
a means by which events and their significance would be remembered. The name of Ishmael would forever recall how the LORD heard and responded to Hagar’s cry of distress in
the wilderness.
God’s response included a promise of blessing for Ishmael, for he too would be known as a
son of Abram. The descendants through Ishmael would
be innumerable but their destiny would be filled with tension and strife (“his
hand will be against every man, and every man's hand againsthim”). Many Arabs claim Ishmael as their ancestor and therefore,
Palestine as their land. The description of Ishmael
“a wild man” refers to the wild and untameable onager, which roams the
desert at will. This description fits very accurately
the freedom-loving Bedouin moving across vast stretches of land.
The point should not be missed – God did not exclusively commit Himself to Abram; He delivered
and blessed people who stood outside the family of the chosen heir as well. The effects of the breach in
faith remained because Ishmael who reminded the Israelites of the LORD’s concern for people in distress would also
be a threat to them (“and he shall dwell in the presence of all his brethren”).
v.13-14 Hagar response to the Word of the LORD, “Thou God seest me”, is related to the name of the well “Beer-lahai-roi,” which means “the well of One who sees and lives”.
It is a general reference to the living God and a specific reference to a divine intervention – He is a God who
sees all things (general) and manifest His providence accordingly (specific), and by His manifestation He can be
seen.
v.15-16 The naming of Ishmael by Abram testifies to
the fact that Hagar related to him all that God had done for her and said to her. For Abram to give the boy
the name “Ishmael” would have been a lesson in
itself – God hears! Abram and Sarai ignored the proper Source for the fulfillment of the promise, and Ishmael’s
name would forever be a reminder. They should have known that God sees distress and affliction, and hears
the cry for help. God knew that Sarai was barren
and Sarai knew that God knew she was barren. She should have cried out to the LORD as Hannah later did (cf.
1 Sam. 5, 10). Instead, Sarai learnt her lesson
the hard way – from the experience of a despised slave-wife who came back with the faith-experience and a word
from God – “Ishmael”! Isaac did not make
that same mistake for when his wife was barren, he prayed (25:21).
The message to believers is timeless. Whenever Christians are in distress, they must cry out to God instead
of resorting to human calculations. There is ever the danger of impatient unbelief, which turns our anxieties
into the path of careless plans and calculations. This will only activate a vicious and deathly cycle of
carnal actions and reactions in our life. The adoption of worldly customs and schemes will only complicate
matters and bring great tensions and misery. Believers must ever cry out to the only One who can help.
Therefore, trust God and wait patiently for His promises. The good news from Hagar is that no matter what
the affliction is, God sees and hears!