INTRO: Long ago, in the days of sailing ships, a terrible storm arose and a ship was lost in a deserted area. Only one crewman survived, washed up on a small uninhabited island. The castaway’s prayer was to be rescued (deliverance from this lonely place). Each day he looked out over the ocean but to no avail. Eventually he built a crude hut and stored some things he recovered from the wreck. One day the sailor was returning from hunting for food when he saw a column of smoke. He ran to see that it was his hut on fire.
Devastated because he lost everything he didn’t know how he was going to survive. After spending a sleepless night he was walking down the beach and to his amazement he saw a ship in the harbor and a small boat coming ashore. After being rescued he asked the captain how he found him. He replied we saw your smoke signal yesterday. Do not despair when calamity strikes for God is always able to bring a blessing out of what seems to be a curse.
TITLE: Life
TEXT: Gen. 16:1-4 (READ)
I. The Problems
II. The Provisions
I. The Problems
A. Hagar’s problem - Lost respect for her authority.
1. Understand - servant, Egyptian maidservant, probably picked up by Abraham when in Egypt.
2. Given as wife - concubine, bond servant, someone who didn’t have all the authority of a wife but more than a servant.
3. Began to despise mistress - even after mistress had given her more status, Hagar despised her.
ex Welfare system, helping out the needy and sometimes they become ungrateful.
-America sees this same type of problem in Africa (Somalia).
Attitude of unthankfulness to the hand that provides, like Hagar turning on her master.
a. God will punish those that mess with God’s chosen. Gen. 12:3 - “I will bless those who bless you and whoever curses you I will curse.”
-Covenant was made to Abraham by God. That also applied to Sarah because she was part of the chosen. Like us we are a part of the chosen (God protects us).
4. Result: Punishment from Sarah, so abusive that she fled into the desert region, pregnant, emotions were stretched to the limit.
a. Gen. 21:9-10 Ishmael did: Ishmael mocks and makes fun of Isaac Just as mother had despised Sarah years before (Ishmael following in mother’s footsteps).
1. Result: Sent away into desert of Beersheba. Didn’t learn lesson that Hagar went through so many years before.
Saying: Smart man learns from his mistakes, but a wise man learns from other’s mistakes.
B. Sarah’s Problem: Lack of faith and taking matters into her own hands.
1. Barren woman - probably the worst thing that could happen to a woman back then. (Worst nightmare) like AIDS.
a. Understood the promise - God had told Abraham that his descendants were going to be as numerous as the stars in the sky.
b. Too much time has passed - many years even decades have gone by without seeing God’s promise. There still were no children!
Like some of us today, God has promised us something, but we have lost hope because too much time has passed.
1. Sarah takes matters into her own hands - she is going to help God. God has not acted so she will help.
ex Not waiting on God’s timing, snow storm experience.
Q: How are we trying to attain God’s blessing through human efforts when we should be waiting on his timing.
2. Results: Taking matters into her own hands.
a. Conflict between servant Hagar and herself. (If She waited on the Lord, this problem would never have happened).
b. Conflict between Sarah and Abraham - blaming him for the problem when the idea was hers (Gen. 16:5 READ).
-Oldest problem in the world: blaming others.
c. Conflict between Isaac and Ishmael - still warring today: Jews and Arabs.
C. Abraham’s problem - not saying “no” because he wanted something so bad he just let it slide.
1. Polygamy - more than one wife, culturally and socially acceptable at that time.
a. The author disapproves the way the original language is written plus the example out of Adam and Eve.
-I believe Abraham knew better, but went along with it because he wanted a son so badly he just let it slide.
Q: Have you ever gone along with something because you wanted it so badly?
1. Compromise is a very dangerous thing. When you start down the path, it’s hard to know when to stop.
Russian parable: A hunter raised his rifle and took careful aim at a large bear. When he was about to pull the trigger the bear spoke in a soft voice. “Isn’t it better to talk than to shoot? What do you want? Let us negotiate the matter. Lowering his rifle, the hunter replied, “1 want a fur coat.” “Good”, said the bear, “that is a negotiable question. I only want a full stomach, so let us negotiate a compromise.” They sat down to negotiate and after a time the bear walked away alone. The negotiations had been successful. The bear had a full stomach and the hunter had his fur coat.
Compromise rarely satisfies both sides in equal measure.
-Abraham compromised his good judgment because he wanted something so badly.
II. The Provision
A. Hagar - Lost respect for authority.
1. Setting: She ran away into the desert because she was getting mistreated by Sarah.
-Gen, 16:7-10 (READ)
a. Angel’s words: Shows her position “servant of Sarah” not wife of Abraham.
-Told to go back and submit to her.
-Hard to submit (husband, bosses, authorities).
2. God’s provision - God gave her greatest wish: to have children and they will be too numerous to count.
3. Second confrontation - Years later, Ishmael mocks Isaac at his celebration and Sarah tells Abraham to get rid of that Egyptian woman and her son. Given provision, soon ran out, Hagar leaves Ishmael under a bush. She didn’t want to watch him die. She begins to cry.
4. God’s comfort - Gen. 21:17-21 (READ)
a. God heard the boy crying - God hears us when we are at our rope’s end, hurting.
-They probably felt abandoned by everyone including God. (He promised me my descendants would be too numerous to count. Now we’re in the desert dying.) God steps forth.
5. God’s answer:
a. Instructions: Told not to be afraid, pick the boy up, renewed his promise to her.
1. God opened her eyes - divinely showed her where life-giving water was.
-Life was as close as her eyesight, but she was blind because she was overwhelmed with grief
-Sometimes we need our eyes opened by God because we are blind. We are overly concerned with day-to-day problems.
B. Sarah’s problem: Lack of faith, taking matters into her own hands.
1. God’s provision - Gen. 21:1-2 (READ)
a. Heart’s desire, she had lost all hope.
-God promised something and God provided (God is always faithful) may not be on our time frame, but if God promises something, He will deliver.
Story: Persian legend tells us that a certain king needed a faithful servant and had to choose between two candidates for the office. He took both at the same wage. King told them to fill a basket with water from a nearby well saying that he would come in the evening to inspect their work. After dumping one or two buckets of water into the basket, one of the men said, “What is the good of doing this useless work? As soon as we pour the water in the basket, it just runs out.” The other answered, “But we have our money and we should not question the work he has assigned us.” The complainer said, “I’m not going to do a fool’s work (throwing his bucket down and walking away).” The other man continued until he had drained the well. Looking down he saw something shining at the bottom of the well. (It turned out to be a diamond ring). Now I see the use of pouring water into the basket! If the bucket had brought up the ring before the well was dry, it would have been caught by the basket. Our work is not useless. When God’s blessing does not fully coincide with our expectations, remember to wait until the well is dry. There may be something precious at the bottom.
C. Abraham’s problem: Not saying “no” because he wanted something so bad that he just let it slide.
I. Fruits 21:11-14 (READ)
a. Caused trouble in the family because he allowed this situation to occur.
I believe Abraham knew it was wrong because he was in close communion with God.
1. God wishes one husband with one wife.
2. God’s provision - provided for his son, and was going to make him into a great nation.
a. Strength - Abraham got strength from God to send his son away.
-God can give us the same strength to endure hardships.
D. Our Problem: What is it?
1. We all have problems and struggles, some in different areas than others.
The key is how we handle these problems. Do we try to blame others? Do we try to go it alone?
a. We need to work together and uplift one another... amen!
IN CONCLUSION: Story of a father who was being helped by his young son painting the house, and they had scaffolding to reach the high parts. Son was on scaffolding reaching for a hard spot to reach. He slipped and was hanging on. Luckily his father was below him and said, “Jump, I’ll catch you.” Son was scared because it was a long way down. The father was standing below him and encouraging him to let go. The son finally let go and as he was falling the father stepped out of the way and the boy hit the ground and began to cry (not understanding why his Dad did not catch him.) Dad replied, “Son, I wanted to teach you a lesson. Never, ever, trust anyone.”
Sometimes we have that same attitude with God, afraid He is going to drop us when we trust in Him.
I. The Problems II. The Provision
A. Hagar A. God blessed them because theft obedience
B. Sarah was dependent on God.
C. Abraham
