A preacher who was new to town and had dropped off his suit at the dry-cleaners. Later that week, he came back to pick up his suit, and the woman behind the counter said. “That will be $10.50.” “Oh my,” said the preacher. “I only have $9. Would it be alright if I came back later with the rest?” “Oh sure,” she said, “I’ll trust for the $1.50.” The preacher headed for the door. But then a thought occurred to him. He turned to the woman and said: “I’m curious. You just told me that you would trust me for $1.50 cents. But what if I had only the dollar $1.50, would you have trusted me for the $9?” “Oh, no,” she replied, “I couldn’t have done that!” “So,” the preacher said, “what you are really saying is that you didn’t really TRUST me but you were willing to take a chance on me for $1.50?”
Hebrews 11 tells us that Abraham was a man of faith. Nine verses out of the 40 in Hebrews 11 are dedicated to Abraham & his faith. And Galatians 3:7 tells us that “those of faith… are the sons of Abraham.” So God was telling us, Abraham was a man of faith and we want to BE like him!
But there were times in Abraham’s life when didn’t get that far. There were times when he struggled with faith. Times when his faith in God was worth about $1.50 faith. And when that happened, Abraham ended up paying a price for the faith that he lacked… just like in our text today.
A little background: When Abraham was 75 years old, God said: “I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing.” Genesis 12:2
So, God promised to make Abraham into a great nation - and that meant Abe had to have kids.
Well, a few years later, Abraham says to God: “O Lord GOD, what will you give me, for I continue childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?... Behold, you have given me no offspring, and a member of my household will be my heir.” And behold, the word of the LORD came to him: “This man shall not be your heir; your very OWN SON will be your heir.” Genesis 15:2-4
God repeated His promise and told Abraham, YOU’RE GOING TO HAVE A SON! And in response to this promise, we’re told that Abraham “believed the LORD (that he’d have a son), and (God) counted it unto him as righteousness.” Genesis 15:6
So Abraham BELIEVED the LORD. And he now has a $10.50 faith. He was ALL IN! He totally believed that God would do what he promised. He was going to have a SON!!!
Well, fast-forward a few years, and Abe’s getting a lot older. And he’s begun to trim about $9 off that faith because his wife Sarah is tired of waiting for this child. “Sarai, Abram’s wife, had borne him no children. She had a female Egyptian servant whose name was Hagar. And Sarai said to Abram, ‘Behold now, the LORD has
prevented me from bearing children. Go in to my servant; it may be that I shall obtain children by her.” And Abram listened to the voice of Sarai. Genesis 16:1-2
Now, why would Sarai/Sarah suggest this? Well she’s getting old, and the clock’s ticking, and if something isn’t done soon she’ll NEVER have a son. This way (at least) according to the traditions and morals of the day Hagar would have the son … and Sarah could call it hers.
ILLUS: Now, I don’t understand that. I just know that’s how things worked back then. So, to keep peace in the house Abraham agrees he sleeps with HAGAR, and she has a son named Ishmael.
Now notice, Abraham never bothered to ask God if HE approved of this plan. I mean: God had made a promise, but God hadn’t come through … so Abraham figured God needed a little help.
Abraham’s faith (at this point) was worth about a buck & a half.
But then (PAUSE) God made good on His promise. Sarah has a boy named Isaac, and there is rejoicing in Abraham’s tent. The PROMISE had been fulfilled… but now Abraham had a PROBLEM. He had a “Blended Family” - that’s where a husband and wife have some of her kids/ some of his, and they all live under one roof. You know… kind of like the Brady Bunch.
Now sometimes those blended families can work out real good - but not for Abraham. In Genesis 16:4-6 we’re told Hagar “conceived. And when she saw that she had conceived, she looked with contempt on her mistress. And Sarai said to Abram, ‘May the wrong done to me be on you! I gave my servant to your embrace, and when she saw that she had conceived, she looked on me with contempt. May the LORD judge between you and me!’ But Abram said to Sarai, ‘Behold, your servant is in your power; do to her as you please.’ Then Sarai dealt harshly with (Hagar), and (Hagar) fled from her.”
Sarah is so harsh to Hagar that Hagar takes Ishmael and flees from Abraham’s camp, thinking that even dying in the desert would be better than being mistreatment of Sarah. But an angel of God appears to Hagar and convinces her to return to Abraham’s tents.
But (even after that) things never get much better. We’re told after Isaac was born, Sarah saw the son of Hagar (Ishmael)… LAUGHING. So she said to Abraham, “Cast out this slave woman with her son, for the son of this slave woman shall not be heir with my son Isaac.” Genesis 21:9-10
Apparently, this word laughing carries the idea of mocking or scoffing at someone. Ishmael made the mistake of was mocking Isaac in front of Sarah – and that didn’t go over very well. Hagar and Ishmael had to look for a new home.
Now, the question is… why would God tell us this story? I mean, if I were God I’d just focus on Isaac. Ishmael isn’t that central to the story and Isaac is like one of the stars of Genesis. In fact most people know way more about Isaac and they do Ishmael. Most people focus on the PROMISE of Isaac, but very few think about the PROBLEM of Ishmael. So why even bother telling us THIS PART of the story?
Well, I can think of 3 reasons:
1st – This whole mess started when Abraham settled for $1.50 worth of faith. He knew God’s promises… he just wasn’t sure he could trust them. And so – instead of waiting on God - he tried fixing the problem his way
ILLUS: There’s a poem I once read that said this (Lauretta P. Burns) “As children bring their broken toys with tears for us to mend, I brought my broken dreams to God because He was my friend. But then instead of leaving Him in peace to work alone, I hung around and tried to help with ways that were my own. At last I snatched them back and cried, “How could you be so slow” “My child,” He said, “What could I do? You never did let go.”
That was Abraham. He knew the promise (he was going to have a Son) but he tried to help God in ways that were his own to make that the promise would come true. AND IT COST HIM
ILLUS: Someone once said: “Whatever you do in your life, God will make good of it. But not always the good he had prepared for you if you had trusted him.” (a quote from C.S. Lewis’ book Perelandra which I’ve modified for my purposes)
And that brings me to my 2nd observation: My 2nd observation is that God always works for the good of those who LOVE Him. That’s what Romans 8:28 tells us “We know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.”
You see, Abraham loved God, and Abraham was called by God. God wasn’t concerned with the struggles Abraham had with his faith. God knew it would all work itself out… because Abraham loved Him. God worked with Abraham because He knew Abraham loved Him.
Now, going back to our story… Abraham messed up. He created a problem in his family because he didn’t fully trust God. But in Genesis 21 we read this: “God said to Abraham, ‘Be not displeased because of the boy and because of your slave woman. Whatever Sarah says to you, do as she tells you, for through Isaac shall your offspring be named. And I will make a nation of the son of the slave woman also, because he is your offspring.’” Genesis 21:12-13
Did you catch that: “Yes Abraham… you messed up! And yes… it didn’t have to be like this! But that’s OK, because I can make things better. I can work for good of those who love Me and who are called according My purpose. Therefore, because I know you love me, and because Ishmael is your offspring, I can even make his life have value. I will make a nation out of that boy!
What that tells me is this: even if I mess up; even if I make a bad choice; even if do something that damages some part of my life or to some member of my family… if I love God… God can fix that. God can give value and purpose even to that which I’ve harmed.
My 3rd observation is this: God can take my mistakes & messes and weave them into HIS MESSAGE. Someone once noted that only God can turn mess into a message; a test into a testimony; and a trial into a triumph. And that’s what God did with the lives of Abraham, Sarah and Hagar. He took their lives with all the mistakes and messes they created and He weaved them into His message of salvation.
Galatians 4:22-27 tells us “It is written that Abraham had two sons, one by a slave woman (Hagar) and one by a free woman (Sarah). But the son of the slave (Hagar) was born according to the flesh, while the son of the free woman (Sarah) was born through promise.
Now this may be interpreted allegorically: these women are two covenants. One is from Mount Sinai, bearing children for slavery; she is Hagar. Now Hagar is Mount Sinai in Arabia; she corresponds to the present Jerusalem, for she is in slavery with her children.
But the Jerusalem above is free, and she is our mother. For it is written, “Rejoice, O barren one who does not bear; break forth and cry aloud, you who are not in labor! For the children of the desolate one will be more than those of the one who has a husband.”
God used the conflict between Hagar and Sarah to teach us something. He used the conflict between Hagar - a woman who felt she DESERVED a place of honor; and Sarah - a woman who been PROMISED that place of honor.
And God used their conflict to point to the contrast between those believed they DESERVED heaven because they kept the Law - these folks were slaves to the Law, hoping they’d be able to do enough good stuff to deserve/earn salvation (they were like Hagar & her children) and Sarah, who didn’t DESERVE her child. She was too old to have kids. The only reason she could have a child was because God had PROMISED she would.
Paul’s point was this: you don’t deserve heaven. If you think you do… you’re like Hagar. You’ll be a slave to the belief that you can actually do EVERYTHING right.
But if you realize that you had no business getting into heaven, but you relied on the PROMISE about Jesus saving you… now, you’re like Sarah. NOW you’re a person of promise. All you need do is believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the Living God; acknowledge that you’ve sinned and you need to change (repent); be willing to confess Jesus as your Lord and Master; and allow yourself to be buried in the waters of baptism for the forgiveness of sins and the gift of the Holy Spirit.
