Genesis 16:1-16 • The issue with Ishmael
- Steve Schott
- Aug 2
- 6 min read
► Right on the heels of one of the, if not THE, greatest moments in the Bible, wishy-washy Abram (again, it's easy to be critical when you can already see the whole story) once again will step in it, this time with both feet. Now everyone involved has to deal with the dirty boots.
► It's the re-visiting of the same problem. God promised Abram a son. From his own body. But Sarai can't get pregnant. What to do?
Genesis 16:1-16 → 1Now Sarai, Abram’s wife had borne him no children, and she had an Egyptian maid whose name was Hagar. 2So Sarai said to Abram, “Now behold, the LORD has prevented me from bearing children. Please go in to my maid; perhaps I will obtain children through her.”
• Sarai, believing that she can't conceive, comes up with a solution for Abram. She offers him the services of her maid, Hagar.
• I didn't hear anyone asking Hagar what she thought of this idea.
• I'm assuming that this was not totally a forbidden process, as we'll see it again when Jacob, Abram's grandson, is also put in the same predicament when BOTH of his wives offer up the services of their maids to get more babies.
And Abram listened to the voice of Sarai. 3After Abram had lived ten years in the land of Canaan, Abram’s wife Sarai took Hagar the Egyptian, her maid, and gave her to her husband Abram as his wife. 4He went in to Hagar, and she conceived; and when she saw that she had conceived, her mistress was despised in her sight.
• And Abram heard what Sarai offered and immediately put her in her place! Oh, wait, he actually didn't even hesitate. "We've been here 10 years. In all that time Sarai, you've not produced any kids, so I guess we'll try plan B."
• Hagar's nickname must have been Fertile Myrtle, as Abram barely looked at her and she was pregnant. That had to really sting for Sarai.
• And then to add insult to injury, Hagar starts putting on airs, looking down on Sarai, as if she is now in the #1 spot with Abram. Adding salt to the sting.
5And Sarai said to Abram, “May the wrong done me be upon you. I gave my maid into your arms, but when she saw that she had conceived, I was despised in her sight. May the LORD judge between you and me.” 6But Abram said to Sarai, “Behold, your maid is in your power; do to her what is good in your sight.” So Sarai treated her harshly, and she fled from her presence.
• In Sarai's despair, she points the blame for her troubles on Abram, as if it was his idea.
• And to make matters worse, she calls on the LORD to judge between them.
• Abram basically refuses to deal with the situation and washes his hands of it. "She's your maid - YOU deal with it!"
• Sarai begins to be harsh with Hagar, so Hagar bolts.
7Now the angel of the LORD found her by a spring of water in the wilderness, by the spring on the way to Shur.
• "angel of the LORD (AOTL)" - the word angel, literally means "messenger". In this instance though, there is the strong implication that this is actually the pre-incarnate Jesus. Unlike a normal angel, that might begin his message with "Thus saith the LORD", this One just begins speaking with authority, both giving commands to Hagar, as well as promises, both of which would seem to be out of bounds for just any angel, but not so for the 2nd Person of the Trinity.
• Given the location of the spring, it appears that Hagar was possibly attempting to return to Egypt.
8He said, “Hagar, Sarai’s maid, where have you come from and where are you going?” And she said, “I am fleeing from the presence of my mistress Sarai.” 9Then the angel of the LORD said to her, “Return to your mistress, and submit yourself to her authority.” 10Moreover, the angel of the LORD said to her, “I will greatly multiply your descendants so that they will be too many to count.”
• The AOTL begins his dialogue with Hagar by asking her the "from" and "to" locations of her Google maps entry. It's not like He doesn't know, but He's giving her a chance to explain.
• After she gives her side of the story, the AOTL commands her to return, and to submit herself under the authority of Sarai.
• But the AOTL also promises her a result similar to that of the PROMISED CHILD (which won't come for several more years), in that, an uncountable assortment of descendants will come from the child she is carrying.
• The AOTL goes on to give specifics in regards to this child - a son, a wild man, a man of combat and aggression, a man who will dwell to the east of his family, whom she is to name Ishmael.
• The name Ishmael means "God hears".
13Then she called the name of the LORD who spoke to her, “You are a God who sees”; for she said, “Have I even remained alive here after seeing Him?” 14Therefore the well was called Beer-lahai-roi; behold, it is between Kadesh and Bered.
• Her responses to this encounter give more credence to the AOTL actually being God.
• She calls him "a God who sees", and also is amazed that she is still alive after having been in the presence of God. And the AOTL doesn't correct her when she says these things about Him.
15So Hagar bore Abram a son; and Abram called the name of his son, whom Hagar bore, Ishmael. 16Abram was eighty-six years old when Hagar bore Ishmael to him.
• So the story concludes the way the AOTL said it would. She bore a son to Abram, which Abram named "Ishmael". Whether Abram had it in his own mind to call him that, or was also visited by the AOTL, or just went along with Hagar's story of her meeting with Him, we don't know, but the name stuck.
• And another year has passed for Abram. He's now 86 years old. If God is going to fulfill his promise through Sarai, when is He going to do it?
► As I said earlier, it's easy to point out Abram's failings, and the failings of those around him, but the reality is that if we were in their shoes, we probably wouldn't have performed much better. We are by nature impatient people, trained to be so by our modern "instant gratification" mindset so prevalent in today's society. Companies like Amazon increase the expectation of that, when you can order something on your computer to be delivered to your home, on a Sunday, and get it delivered on the SAME DAY! We want it, and we want it NOW!
► If we learn nothing else from this passage, we need to understand that when God works in our lives, sometimes we won't see where He's taking us until we get there. And there's no guarantee that we'll get there any time soon. It's like going on a trip. I can fly from Oklahoma to Southern California in 4 to 5 hours (depending on the connecting flights). But if I drive, especially when I take the scenic routes, it's not so much about the destination - yes we will get there... eventually - as it is about the journey. I see so much more, get to exist in the environment of each place I stop, get to absorb the aura of each location, when I take the slow process. And my life is richer for it.
► So maybe that's what God wants for us. To live through each season of our lives, experiencing the subtle movements of His hand as He directs us to the next stop. Keep your cameras ready!
Photo • 2015/07/09 - Rain on Weir Lake (more like a pond or spring), west of Bishop, CA
“Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995
by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org”
All linked verses are from the YouVersion at www.Bible.com
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