“Goodbye, Haggar”
Genesis 16: 1-6
Philippians 3:13-15
Genesis 21: 9-14
Galations 4: 22-31
Goodbye to a woman and a son that I love? In the text Father Abraham is dealing with trouble in the home, trouble in the camp, and trouble in the heart. All of the issues stem from the inability of the Father of the faithful to be patient. Just as God dealt with Abraham, his friend, so he deals with us today. We must sever the ties with our past sin.
Abraham has two sons and loves both of them. The strife that developed in the home was no doubt a burden to this Patriarch of Faith. He becomes the proverbial rope in the tug of war between Haggar and Sarah and also between Ishmael and Isaac. God had already spoken concerning Ishmael that he would be a wild man and no one would be able to cohabitate with him. The effect of sin is something that the faithful cannot cohabitate with.
In wisdom God gives the command to cast out the bondwoman and her son. Certainly this task must have been one that Abraham dreaded to carry out.
His very heart torn by the love and responsibility he felt for Haggar and Ishmael he makes provision for them during their exile. God did not want Abraham nor the promised son to be hindered again by the remnants of yesterday’s mistakes and sins. God expects us to sever ties with sin and mistakes of the past without making provision for them.
There are times in the life of Christian that we must “cast out” things from our past. It is no secret that these tasks may tear at our hearts and bring great despair to our emotions. The plan of God doesn’t include his children having to deal with the presence of yesterday in the today of life. We must all deal with haunts or regrets at times because of our failures. A new creature in Christ does not need baggage of the past to contend with. Those things must be cast out! Relationships developed in sin are many times the ball and chain and the eventual devastation to the experience of a Christian.
Those who intend to be conquerors and victorious overcomers must forget the past and reach towards the brightness of the future. Goodbye Haggar and all you represent my hands and heart are reaching forth to new heights in God!
