Genesis 16:1-16 (NIV)

Now Sarai, Abram’s wife, had borne him no children. But she had an Egyptian slave named Hagar; 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. 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. He slept with Hagar, and she conceived. When she knew she was pregnant, she began to despise her mistress. 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.” “Your slave is in your hands,” Abram said. “Do with her whatever you think best.” Then Sarai mistreated Hagar; so she fled from her. The angel of the LORD found Hagar near a spring in the desert; it was the spring that is beside the road to Shur. 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. Then the angel of the LORD told her, “Go back to your mistress and submit to her.” The angel added, “I will increase your descendants so much that they will be too numerous to count.” 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, for the LORD has heard of your misery. 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.” 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.” That is why the well was called Beer Lahai Roi; it is still there, between Kadesh and Bered. So Hagar bore Abram a son, and Abram gave the name Ishmael to the son she had borne. Abram was eighty-six years old when Hagar bore him Ishmael.

I thank God for being a merciful God who can take a negative situation and turn it into a positive one. Throughout history the concept of family has been proclaimed in the old and new testament. Family lineage through procreation historically serves as evidence of who God is and what He is able to do through the lineage of mankind. In order for the Children of God to achieve the promises of God the family unit had to be established and maintained for the growth and expansion of communities and families. In this story we find out that Abram who is very prosperous is lacking one thing. See the family of Abram is without an heir.

This story is important historically as well as in today’s society where women have procedures done by their doctors to place their fertilized eggs in another woman and she carries the baby full time. The family takes care of all expenses and the Surrogate Mother then gives up any parental rights to the child.

Our story begins with the barren Sarai who has devised a plan in her heart to ensure that Abram will have a successor. After planning the scenario in her mind, Sarai prepares a time to break the news to her husband of the plan that she had devised to ensure that his legacy would live on. It probably occurred when He was resting from a hard day. I can imagine her fixing his favorite meal, smiling so sweetly as she slowly informs Abram that Hagar will become his second wife. Her plan seems innocent, but when making decisions it is important to know who we are getting involved with and what type of baggage they may be carrying from their past.

Hagar was an Egyptian, her name means “FORSAKEN”. Of course she did not have a say in what Sarai was proposing to Abram. Being a servant/ slave she was obedient and did as she was told. For a moment in time Hagar was probably happy as she felt the life growing within her. She knew she could see the child at least for a while because she would nurse him, bathe him and watched the changes occur in his life as he went through the stages of life (baby, toddler, teen, young man). As the surrogate mother she knew that by tradition her child would become the son of Sarai and Abram.

As her belly begins to swell and her hormones begin to take control, I believe this was when the unpleasant war began to brew. In desperation and hindsight Sarai goes to Abram and tells him that Hagar is out of control. Abram simply tells her this is your servant do what you want to do with her. In her frustration the moment of truth erupts within her. This is when the barren woman, (Sarai) begins to reflect over what she has done. As she realizes that she should have carefully planned out everything and now it is to late to change what has already been done. She regrets her decision and begins to treat Hagar with cruelty. Whether it was in fear, frustration or just a rage of hormones Hagar prepares herself to leave. She runs away to the desert. While in the desert the Angel of the Lord comforts her and tells her to go back to her Mistress. He gives her a promise that her son Ishmael (whose name means God has heard) will be protected and God will keep them safe.

To be truthful a lot of us have found ourselves in a position that we could not control the things that happened around us and ran away from people, places and things that made us feel uncomfortable. Therefore I challenge you to relook at your life when things aren’t going the way that you think that they should and realize that God sees, God knows, God cares, and God is waiting on you to call on Him for the fulfillment of your destiny. Begin with trusting and believing that He will not forsake or leave you in the midst of a difficult and trying moment in your life through prayer.

Prayer:

Heavenly Father,

I pray that You would open our blinded eyes and help us to see Your children as You do. Give us a heart of compassion and understand and deliver us from the simple mindset that it is about us and those that we love. Help us to look and react in love and kindness and not bitterness especially when we are a part of the problem. Father, open our ears, and remove the scales of spiritual blindness from our eyes that we will treat others with kindness and respect. Allow Your Love to serve as a shield of protection when we encounter others that we would treat them fairly. Lord deliver us from stereotypes and looking down on others.

Father it is my prayer that YOU would lead, guide, walk and talk with us daily. Open our hearts and minds to the realities of life, that we will hear Your voice and bless others. As we realize that greatness can come from a broken abused and marred vessel that has been tossed away. Open our blinded eyes to trust what You allow us to see. Equip us through the Word to walk in faith daily as we trust and believe in fairness, compassion, and truth that says every person deserves the same opportunity to live and excel to their greatest potential and not be ostracized and treated like a slave. I pray that all who read this will seek Your Face as they walk on the life path of Faith. Bless them and keep them focus as they strive to walk in LOVE. In Jesus Name I Pray. Amen x 3