Monday
May 8, 2023
Hagar and Ishmael
Genesis 16:1-16 NIV
16) 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.”
Abram agreed to what Sarai said.
3) So after Abram had been living in Canaan ten years, Sarai his wife took her Egyptian slave Hagar and gave her to her husband to be his wife.
4) He slept with Hagar, and she conceived.
When she knew she was pregnant, she began to despise her mistress.
5) Then Sarai said to Abram, “You are responsible for the wrong I am suffering. I put my slave in your arms, and now that she knows she is pregnant, she despises me. May the Lord judge between you and me.”
6) “Your slave is in your hands,” Abram said. “Do with her whatever you think best.” Then Sarai mistreated Hagar; so she fled from her.
7) The angel of the Lord found Hagar near a spring in the desert; it was the spring that is beside the road to Shur.
8) And he said, “Hagar, slave of Sarai, where have you come from, and where are you going?”
“I’m running away from my mistress Sarai,” she answered.
9) Then the angel of the Lord told her, “Go back to your mistress and submit to her.”
10) The angel added, “I will increase your descendants so much that they will be too numerous to count.”
11) The angel of the Lord also said to her:
“You are now pregnant
and you will give birth to a son.
You shall name him Ishmael,[
a]
for the Lord has heard of your misery.
12) He will be a wild donkey of a man;
his hand will be against everyone
and everyone’s hand against him,
and he will live in hostility
toward all his brothers.”
13) She gave this name to the Lord who spoke to her: “You are the God who sees me,” for she said, “I have now seen the One who sees me.”
14) That is why the well was called Beer Lahai Roi; it is still there, between Kadeshand Bered.
15) So Hagar bore Abram a son, and Abram gave the name Ishmael to the son she had borne.
16) Abram was eighty-six years old when Hagar bore him Ishmael.
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Comments- Here in Genesis we find scripture where God Gives Abraham a son but not by Sara his wife, but her Egyptian slave named Hagar.
Versus 2-4 we find that Abraham agreed. Slept with Hagar and she conceived. But then Hagar became bitter and began to despise Sarah.
In verse 5 I think most men who read that verse think.. Wow, I did what you asked me to do, slept with your slave, but now you are blaming it all on me for the fallout.
v6 Abraham tells Sarah she's your slave, do with her as you please. So Sarah started to mistreat Hagar to the point where Hagar fled,
v7-9 finds Hagar meeting an angel of the Lord who told her to go back and submit to her mistress.
v10 the Angel tells Hagar that her descendants will be to numerous to count.
v11 The angel told Hagar he she would bare a son and would name him Ishmael
v12-16 Sarah and Abraham did as the lord instructed. Abraham was 86 years old when Hagar bore him Ishmael.
It is generally accepted this is where the modern day Christian/Muslim split happened. We know later through scripture that Hagar and Ishamel were sent away and that Ishmael was raised in the desert of Paran which scholars believe to be the Gaza Strip.
We will find later when we look at the story of Issac how God made his covenant with Abraham through his 'seed' Issac.
God please bless this reading of your Holy Word!
AMEN!
Enjoy your week