Introduction: Genesis 15 has the story where Abram asked God a question after God had told him, “I am your shield and your exceedingly great reward (Gen. 15:1, paraphrased). Abram’s question was “What will You give me? I’m childless, and the only heir I have is Eliezer of Damascus (Gen 15:2, paraphrased)”. The Lord GOD promised Abram that he would have a son and that he himself would be the father of that son (verse 4). This and other communication from God prompted Abram to believe in the LORD, if he had never done this before, and this belief, this faith, was “counted . . . to him for righteousness (verse 6)”. So far, so good.
But a number of years came and went. Instead of seeking the LORD and His guidance, Sarai led Abram to take matters into his own hands. The results of this “solution” affect the world in general, and the Middle East in particular, to this day!
1 The childless wife (and a suggestion)
Text, Genesis 16:1-3, KJV: 1 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.
Sarai and Abram had been married for several years but Scripture never gives their ages when they married. We do know Abram was 10 years older than she was, and that he was 75 years old when they left Haran (Gen. 12:4). For all the years of their marriage, up to this time, Sarai was never able to give Abram a child. Even then that was a concern for women; some commentators have observed that Sarai was the first woman in the entire Bible to be called “barren”.
And there didn’t seem to be any help for this situation.
Apparently there was a loophole or “Plan B” to obtain a male heir, and Sarai seemed to be aware of this. Abram believed that Eliezer of Damascus would be his heir, but God had said No in Genesis 15. By this time, 10 years had come and gone, Abram was around 85 and Sarai 75. The chances of her having a child by this time seemed to be shrinking more and more.
Yet, Sarai had another plan, as mentioned. She could arrange for another woman to become a “wife” to her husband, and perhaps give him a male child as an heir, while the first wife would retain her position, prestige, and so forth. This seems to be the program Sarai had developed. And she already had a prospective “bride” already in mind for her husband!
2 The servant bride (and other problems)
Text, Genesis 16:4-5, KJV: 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.
Notice how “matter of fact-ly” Moses records this “marriage”. There is nothing in the text to describe a ceremony, if there was one; only that Abram took Hagar as a wife. Of note is that Hagar was specifically mentioned as an Egyptian woman (verse 1). Did she retain her Egyptian style of clothing and appearance, or did she wear the same kind of garments as Abram, Sarai, and the other members of the household? Even more important, did she ever come to believe in the God of Abram, or did she continue to worship the idols of Egypt?
Besides all that, some people, myself included, have wondered how Abram and his household would have “acquired” any Egyptian person at all, male or female, especially since Abram and all of the others there with him were basically kicked out of Egypt at Pharaoh’s direct command (see Genesis 12:17-20)!
Then notice how quickly Hagar became pregnant with Abram’s child. The text does not mention a specific period of time between the marriage—such as it was—and the conception of the new child. The text also does not directly state the emotions or feelings of Hagar or Abram, but Abram must have been pleased. He was going to have a son! This son was going to be heir of his estate once Abram departed this life. At the very least, Abram knew his estate was going to a blood relative, not to someone who wasn’t even from his hometown of Ur.
But we do have a hint of how Hagar was feeling. She was a wife, and now a mother-to-be, knowing her child by Abram was going to be the heir. And it seems she wasn’t above letting Sarai know about it, either. The last part of verse 4 is not very clear as to who’s doing what, but Moses recorded that Hagar’s mistress, Sarai, was “despised” in her eyes. Further study on the word “despised” would give additional light to this passage. Maybe Hagar thought that since she had the child, the heir, she had the position of first wife, and Sarai would be demoted to the second wife position. We will never know for sure down here.
Even though Sarai gave Hagar to be Abram’s (second) wife, Sarai wasn’t about to be in second place to Hagar or anyone else. Once she saw Hagar, pregnant with Abram’s child—and heir to all Abram had—Sarai, as some say, “lost it”! She told Abram, in so many words, “My wrong be on you (even though it was her idea in the first place! Was Sarai trying to deny her suggestion or, as in a current figure of speech, “walk it back”?). I gave you my maid (which was true, and even allowable in those days) but when she became pregnant with YOUR child, she hated me! Now let the LORD be the judge between you and me (but what was there to judge?)”
If Abram thought he had a problem before, now he had a double problem. He was going to be the father of a child whose mother wasn’t his original wife, but his first and true wife was absolutely upset beyond words with him. What was he going to do? What could he do?
3 The servant who escaped (and was later rescued)
Text, Genesis 16:6-10, KJV: 6 But Abram said unto Sarai, Behold, thy maid is in thy 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.
Abram found himself in a no-win position. If he tried to please Sarai, he might lose Hagar and his child if she either decided to leave or if anything else were to happen to her. If he tried to protect Hagar, then Sarai would be even more upset with him. Any choice he made would be considered by one or both women the wrong choice—as far as they were concerned!
So he did the only thing he might have been able to do. He didn’t decide in favor of one or the other (sadly, he didn’t pray about it either). What he did do was “kick it back” to Sarai, saying, “She’s your maid, not mine (but, wasn’t she technically married to Abram), do whatever you like with her. It’s none of my concern (paraphrased and implied)”,
This must have been the answer Sarai desired, but Hagar dreaded. Remember, she’s far enough along in her pregnancy that people know she’s having a baby, most of all, Sarai. But instead of showing Hagar any kind of compassion, Sarai “dealt hardly with her (verse 6)”. Ironically, many years later, the Egyptians would make life bitter for the Hebrew people, the descendants of Abram, by years of hard bondage.
Abram had made a decision; Sarai had made a decision; now, Hagar made a decision. Just when she realized she wasn’t going to get anywhere with Sarai (and possibly Abram) she fled! The text does not mention how much she took with her or the direction she traveled (only that it was “on the way to Shur”), but she was probably bound for Egypt, her home country. Another irony is that Hagar left the Hebrew people because of harsh treatment, and tried to return home in Egypt; Israel, many years later, suffered for years under Egyptian harsh treatment but was able to leave—and yet, time and again, they too wanted to go back to Egypt!
Hagar was at least some distance from Abram and his household (how did she escape without being noticed?) but at least was smart enough to head for water. There was at least one such place, called a “fountain of water in the wilderness (verse 7).” The term “wilderness” usually means “desert” in the language of the KJV, not un-, nor underdeveloped country as the word usually means today. Whether this “fountain” was a well or an oasis is not important; the fact that she was headed towards the water was. In fact, the “angel of the LORD” found her there.
And what a conversation they had!
The Angel (like many, I believe this was Jesus Christ appearing to Hagar before He once and for all took on a body of flesh and bones years later) first asked her a pair of questions. Being God, He already knew what her answers would be, but He was asking Hagar in order to hear what she was going to say. He asked, “Where did you come from, and where are you going?” That should be a practical question, especially for someone who is alone in the desert! The fountain of water might have been the only landmark for a great distance!
But she gives only a partial answer, “I’m running away from my mistress, Sarai”. Odd: did she think this Person knew Sarai? Or, did she think that she only had to mention Abram and his household? Were they so well known by this time that everybody would know who she was talking about? And, note that she didn’t say where she was going. Why didn’t she? Fear?
Now after this exchange (somewhat one-sided), the Angel of the LORD tells her what to do next. He said, “Return to Sarai, your mistress, and submit yourself ‘under her hands’” Hagar must have been terrified at that prospect; remember, she had left Sarai and Abram already! Why else would she be in the desert, trying to escape?
And that wasn’t all. The Angel also gave her a promise, that He would multiply her seed exceedingly, so much that her descendants couldn’t be counted. Note the parallel to the promise God gave to Abram in Genesis 15, where He told Abram about how great a number of descendants he would have.
Now what decision would Hagar make, after being rescued in the desert wilderness?
4 The servant restored (and now a mother)
Text, Genesis 16:11-15, KJV: 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. 15And Hagar bare Abram a son: and Abram called his son's name, which Hagar bare, Ishmael.
The conversation between the Angel of the LORD and Hagar closes with a number of prophecies. He reminded her that she was pregnant (“with child”, verse 11) but revealed to her that she was going to have a son! He also told her she would name him Ishmael, meaning (as some render it) “God hears” or “God heard” because the LORD had heard her affliction.
Notice, also, that the Angel of the LORD didn’t stop there. He added some almost disturbing information about the yet-unborn Ishmael: he first would be a “wild man”, further stating that “his hand will be against every man, and every man’s hand against him”. History has proved this prophecy true. Then the Angel added that Ishmael would “dwell in the presence of all his brethren”, which must have startled Hagar: Ishmael was not even born and as far as Hagar knew, Ishmael had no brothers!
Hagar’s response to all of this is puzzling: she doesn’t seem to reply at all to the Angel (when He disappeared is not stated), but she does acknowledge that she has seen God! She was one of only a few people in the entire Bible who saw the Angel of the LORD and heard Him speak. She also called the LORD (notice how Moses equates the Angel of the LORD with the LORD Himself!) by the name “Thou God seest me (Hebrew name “El Roi” as best I can determine)” because she said, “Have I also here looked after Him that seeth me?”.
Then Moses calls attention to the “well” that Hagar had apparently stopped at before she met the Angel. Earlier, he had mentioned a fountain” but whether this is the same thing as this “well” is not certain. The two important things are that first, she found water, which in the desert would have been precious and priceless; also, that she had seen the LORD in the Person of the Angel of the LORD and heard Him speak. Note that she obeyed the Angel’s command but whether she was or had become a genuine believer in the God of Abram is nowhere affirmed.
Eventually Hagar did make it back to Abram’s household but nothing is mentioned about the reception she received or how long before she went back to being whatever she was: servant, wife, or something else? All we do know for certain is that she did give birth to a son, and, as prophesied and commanded, Abram called his name Ishmael.
Moses added one more sentence to this chapter that gives us a point of reference.
5 The last words in this chapter
Genesis 16:16, KJV: 16 And Abram was fourscore and six years old, when Hagar bare Ishmael to Abram.
Abram had believed in the LORD and received His righteousness when he was around 75. The LORD had promised Abram a child—but never said just when that child would be born. He and Sarai had waited 10 long years and decided, “no child, no problem: we’ll help God out” but the results almost caused a disaster. Now he and Sarai were parents, sort of, at ages 86 and 76, respectively, but conspicuous by its absence is the lack of God’s blessings on Ishmael’s birth. The good thing is that God wasn’t done with Abram and Sarai and in fact, God was going to make good on His promise of a child born of Abram and Sarai—together. All they had to do was just wait a little longer—and not try to help God out anymore!
Conclusion: there is nothing wrong with in attempting to solve problems. The idea of trying to help God out, by either not seeking His guidance or refusing to obey His command, will never work to an eternal advantage.
Following His guidance may not give us the results we want, or even in the time frame we want, but the results will be much better in terms of eternity.
Don’t we all want the best? Then let’s listen to the Lord, follow His guidance, and stop trying to help Him accomplish things in our own strength!
Scripture quotations taken from the King James Version of the Bible (KJV).
