In chapter 16, we see the results of people trying to make things happen by taking matters into their own hands. Ten years after Abram settled in the land of Canaan, Sarai, who couldn’t have children of her own, urges her husband to marry her maid Hagar. She figured to have children through Hagar. Abram, who wanted a son of his own so his inheritance would not be passed down to a servant in his household (Eliezer of Damascus … see Gen. 15:2), goes along with Sarai, even though he had to know it was not the right thing to do.
When Hagar gets pregnant, here attitude changes and she begins to treat Sarai with contempt. Sarai, being human, blames everything on Abram, even saying the Lord would show who’s wrong – her or him. Abram, who apparently has no affection for Hagar, tells Sarai to do with Hagar as she wants. She treats her so harshly that Hagar runs away.
Put yourself in Hagar’s shoes. She was a servant, not given a choice about having a child with Abram. No wonder she held Sarai and probably Abram in contempt.
Well, the Lord wasn’t having any of that. The angel of the Lord finds Hagar in the wilderness along the road to Shur and convinces her to return to Sarai and submit to Sarai’s authority. This doesn’t come without reward. He promises Hagar more descendants than she can count, that her son will be a wild man. Considering his circumstances, it’s not hard to believe that he will “raise his fist against everyone and everyone will be against him.”
The Lord is watching out for Hagar. Every time Hagar speaks or hears her son Ishmael’s name, she will be reminded that “the Lord hears.”
Chapter 17 is a pivotal part of Genesis and the Bible. El-Shaddai, God Almighty, appears to Abram and makes an everlasting covenant with him: He will guarantee him countless descendants. He will make Abram the father of a multitude on nations. He changes Abram’s name to Abraham, which means father of many nations. Would this be hard for Abram believe? Remember, he’s ninety-nine years old. He again tells Abram He is giving him and his descendants the entire land of Canaan.
With most covenants both parties have responsibilities. Abraham must obey the terms of the covenant: each male in his household, including servants and purchased foreign-born servants must be circumcised. This circumcision was the mark of God’s everlasting covenant. God sure didn’t make it easy on Abraham, did he?
Not only is Abram’s name changed to Abraham, but Sarai also gets a new name: Sarah meaning mother of many nations. Kings will be among her descendants. God promises Sarah will give Abraham a son. Abraham apparently can’t believe his ears – he brings up Ishmael, but God sets him straight: it will be Sarah’s son and his descendants who will be part of the everlasting covenant.
God reassures Abraham that Ishmael will be the father of 12 princes and He will make him a great nation, but the everlasting covenant was with Isaac, who would be born to Sarah about a year from then.
Abraham is immediately obedient. He takes his thirteen-year-old son Ishmael and every male in his household and circumcises himself and them.
We don’t know how God appeared to Abraham when He established the everlasting covenant, but we do know God reaffirms this covenant at a later day. Three men come to Abraham’s tent and he treats them with great hospitality. Sarah, again acting very humanly, overhears one of the men tell Abraham that he will return in about a year and Sarah will have a son.
Imagine how she felt. Wouldn’t you laugh if you were that old? Isn’t it neat that she thinks “How could a worn-out woman like me enjoy such pleasure, especially when my master –my husband—is also so old?” When The Lord asks Abraham why Sarah laughs, she denies she did it, but the Lord refutes that.
We see Abraham as a great negotiator when God tells Abraham He will be destroying Sodom and Gomorrah because of their flagrant sin. He gets the Lord to say He will not destroy Sodom and Gomorrah if He finds only TEN righteous people. Why was Abraham concerned about this? His nephew Lot lived in Sodom.
Next time, we’ll be reading Genesis 19 – 21.
Until next time…
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