Sarah And Hagar

Genesis 16 Verse 1 - Now Sarai Abram's wife gave him no children: and she had an handmaid, an Egyptian, whose name was Hagar. Sarai’s handmaid Hagar is introduced. Sarai had no children.

Remember in Genesis 11:29-30 Sarai was introduced and we were told that she was barren and had no child. Now Sarai’s handmaid Hagar is introduced. All we know is that she is an Egyptian. (Sarai was later renamed Sarah by The Lord.)

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Verses 2-3 And Sarai said to Abram, The Lord has restrained me from having children: I beg you, go in to my maid; it may be that I may obtain children by her. Abram hearkened to the voice of Sarai. And Sarai Abram's wife took Hagar her maid the Egyptian and gave her to her husband Abram to be his wife after they had dwelt in the land of Canaan for ten years

Sarai has an idea. Sarai and Abram have been in the Canaan land ten years. Abram was 75 years old when he left Haran. That means he is 85 yrs old now. Sarai has an idea. Abram (later renamed Abraham by The Lord) didn’t come up with the idea. He didn’t say “that Hagar sure is cute.” It was Sarai’s idea. She decides that the only way Abram would get a child was through her handmaid. (This apparently was not an uncommon practice. In Genesis 30:3 and 9, Rachel and Leah give their handmaids to Jacob to bear children for them.) Abraham hearkened (listened and took action) to Sarai. Yes, some husbands DO listen to their wives. Was Sarai’s idea a good idea? Let’s read on.

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Verse 4 - And Abram went in to Hagar, and she conceived: and when she saw that she had conceived, her mistress was despised in her eyes.

Hagar despises Sarai. As soon as Hagar knew that she had conceived, she despised Sarai. Maybe she felt like she now held a more important position than Sarai because she was carrying Abram’s heir. She went from a lowly servant to someone deserving respect, in her mind. Whatever the reason, we know that she now despised Sarai and let it be known.

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Verses 5-6 And Sarai said to Abram, My wrong be upon you: I have given my maid into your bosom; and when she saw that she had conceived, I was despised in her eyes: the Lord judge between me and you. But Abram said to Sarai, Behold, your maid is in your hand; do to her as it pleases you. And when Sarai dealt hardly with Hagar, she fled from her face.

Sarai responds to Hagar’s attitude. Sarai is a good wife. She realizes there is a problem. She goes to her husband and says I was wrong and seeks his counsel. Abram is a good husband. He says do whatever you think is best. Whatever you decide, I support you 100%. Sarai “dealt hardly” with Hagar. She was pretty harsh and Hagar ran away.

Looking Back: Was Sarai’s original idea the best way to handle the situation? No

The best thing would have been to wait on the Lord to fulfill His promise. Sarai was like a lot of us. We want results now. If God promised this, and it’s not possible that He could have really meant it the literal way, He must have meant my handmaid is going to provide the heir. How often do we interfere when God in working out a plan in our husbands’ lives?

Story of man going bankrupt: A wealthy businessman began having financial problems to the point that he was about to go bankrupt. His wife stepped in and made some changes and saved the business. Sounds like a good plan; however, the husband later left his wife for another woman. God could have been using financial problems to chasten the man for immoral behavior. The wife interfered with the chastening. The man then went unchastened and his immoral behavior continued to the point that he left his wife for another woman.

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Verses 7-8 And the angel of the Lord found her by a fountain of water in the wilderness, by the fountain in the way to Shur. And he said, Hagar, Sarai's maid, From where do you come? and where will you go? And she said, I flee from the face of my mistress Sarai.

Hagar has a conversation with the angel of the Lord. Hagar is on her way back to Egypt – “in the way to Shur.” She stops at a fountain of water in the wilderness. It is there that the angel of the Lord finds her. Hagar has a conversation with the angel of the Lord. He asks where she came from and where would she go. Did he already know the answer? Yes, the Lord knows and sees everything.