Genesis 16
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Now Sarai Abram's wife bare him no children: and she had an handmaid, an Egyptian, whose name was Hagar.
2 And Sarai said unto Abram, Behold now, the Lord hath restrained me from bearing: I pray thee, go in unto my maid; it may be that I may obtain children by her. And Abram hearkened to the voice of Sarai.
3 And Sarai Abram's wife took Hagar her maid the Egyptian, after Abram had dwelt ten years in the land of Canaan, and gave her to her husband Abram to be his wife.
4 And he went in unto Hagar, and she conceived: and when she saw that she had conceived, her mistress was despised in her eyes.
5 And Sarai said unto Abram, My wrong be upon thee: I have given my maid into thy bosom; and when she saw that she had conceived, I was despised in her eyes: the Lord judge between me and thee.
6 But Abram said unto Sarai, Behold, thy maid is in thine hand; do to her as it pleaseth thee. And when Sarai dealt hardly with her, she fled from her face.
7 And the angel of the Lord found her by a fountain of water in the wilderness, by the fountain in the way to Shur.
8 And he said, Hagar, Sarai's maid, whence camest thou? and whither wilt thou go? And she said, I flee from the face of my mistress Sarai.
9 And the angel of the Lord said unto her, Return to thy mistress, and submit thyself under her hands.
10 And the angel of the Lord said unto her, I will multiply thy seed exceedingly, that it shall not be numbered for multitude.
11 And the angel of the Lord said unto her, Behold, thou art with child and shalt bear a son, and shalt call his name Ishmael; because the Lord hath heard thy affliction.
12 And he will be a wild man; his hand will be against every man, and every man's hand against him; and he shall dwell in the presence of all his brethren.
13 And she called the name of the Lord that spake unto her, Thou God seest me: for she said, Have I also here looked after him that seeth me?
14 Wherefore the well was called Beerlahairoi; behold, it is between Kadesh and Bered.
15 And Hagar bare Abram a son: and Abram called his son's name, which Hagar bare, Ishmael.
16 And Abram was fourscore and six years old, when Hagar bare Ishmael to Abram.
Public Domain KJV text from Wordproject.org
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Commentary
It’s easy for us, the readers, to inwardly chastise Sarai and Abram for being impatient. After all, we know that in five chapters Isaac will be born and then the couple gets their long awaited happy ending. However when it comes to our own lives, we often struggle with the same basic challenge of the Christian walk—waiting.
Waiting to see God’s promises come to fruition can feel like one of the hardest periods in our life. From our viewpoint the wait appears long, and we justify fulfilling the promise in our own way. We think maybe God wants us to do something to make things happen. When we don’t trust God’s timing, we hurt ourselves and we inevitably also affect the lives of those around us. Yet we serve a God who doesn’t abandon us to our hasty choices.
God didn’t sugarcoat to Hagar what Ishmael’s future relationships were going to become as a result of his parents’ decisions and his own. At the same time God chose to bless the child, as Abram’s son, with many descendants. God hears our cries of misery, whether they are of our own or others’ making. He doesn’t turn a deaf ear.
Kathlyn Mayer
Joy of Troy SDA Church
Troy, New York USA
