Numbers 32:23 But if you will not do so, behold, you have sinned against the Lord, and be sure your sin will find you out.
Remember when you were a child and you wanted your own way? How did you behave? What did you do to get what you wanted? Today during ‘love month’ I would like to focus our attention on a young woman named Hagar. She was a servant to Sari the wife of Abraham. Sari had a problem. It was a big problem. Now, being the wife of Abram, one of the most Godly men of that era, you would think she would wait for the prayers Abraham prayed to be answered. She did for a very long time, then she came up with her own plan! I hope you know it is never a good idea-if it’s not a GOD idea!
Let me explain. Abram and Sari lived in a culture that prided itself in reproduction. They wanted to see large fruitful crops; more food for the coming year. Many heads of livestock; food and something to barter for something else needed. And…sons! Sons provided workers for the family, and since it was an agricultural society, many hands were needed for the work. If you had sons, that was fewer workers you had to hire.
Sadly Sari did not have any children. She was shunned in society as the woman who could not provide sons for her husband! She cried, moaned, and begged Abram to give her a son. Then when she was beyond childbearing years, and Abram was in his 80’s or so, she came up with this brainstorm.
“Genesis 16:1-2 – NIV Now Sarai, Abram’s wife, had borne him no children. But she had an Egyptian slave named Hagar; 2 so she said to Abram, “The LORD has kept me from having children. Go, sleep with my slave; perhaps I can build a family through her.” And Abram heeded the voice of Sari.”
Funny thing, the Bible records no objections from the ‘man of God’. This was part of their accepted culture because they believed they ‘owned’ their slaves. Now remember, she was Egyptian.
So, Hagar became pregnant and began to despise Sari! Did she know that Sari had planned this? Was she jealous that Sari was the wife, she was still just a slave? We don’t know her motivations for her feelings, but Hagar was bitter toward Sari! Since this was Abram’s child, Sari inquired of him what she should do. He said-your slave-your problem-your solution! Seems like his head was counting his sheep instead of protecting his first born child.
Sari treats Hagar badly and Hagar runs away with the child inside her. Now at this point in the story an entire branch of Abram’s ancestors could have been wiped out! She ran to the wilderness. Maybe a wild animal found and killed her. Maybe she could not find food or water and perished from lack. Maybe she just gave up and allowed herself to perish in the hot sun. She may have even miscarried the baby under the stress of the situation. God could have stepped in with any of those ‘solutions’ at that point, or any other point. But He didn’t! Instead she was greeted by The Angel of the Lord! Hagar does not seem to be shocked at his presence but listens to him. He tells her to go back to Sari and submit to her. Then he gives her a wonderful promise, a promise that her son would have so many descendants that they could not be counted. We will hear this again when God tells Abraham the same thing about Isaac!
Hagar listens, and a boy is born named Ishmael. Many scholars, and in my humble opinion also, believe this is where the Islamic faith comes from. Two half-brothers. One the son born from a sinful conception, raised with strife and jealousy. The other, the son of the promise! In the spiritual world we see this dichotomy occur frequently. The enemy takes the truth and ‘tweaks’ it deceptively. It looks like this is what God wanted, but it is just a little to the left of right. God had promised a son to Abram and Sari was not able to produce one, so, it made sense to them to allow him to try with Hagar. The ‘sin’ of infidelity to Sari brought in a conflict between good and evil from that time to present day. Through Isaac, the son of promise, came the ancestry of the Jews all the way to Jesus. From Ishmael, the son from sin, came the ancestry of the counterfeit’ god, Allah and the intentional destruction of the Christians. Remember, satan’s goal is to steal, kill and destroy.
I will share more about Hagar in future blogs but keep her in mind when you are faced with sin. I am sure Sari saw herself bouncing a beautiful baby boy on her lap with Abram smiling beside her. Her sin did not allow her that joy but instead humiliation from her slave and strife from this relationship with Hagar! You may think about how the sin you are conjuring up might turn out, but be very aware that God ultimately controls the situation and your sin just might be the one that starts the next big conflict that could reach through many generations! Be sure your sin WILL find you out!
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