Sarai and Hagar
Transcript
Good morning. Grab a Bible. Go to Genesis chapter 16. If you do not own a Bible, there should be, or if you didn't bring one with you, there should be a blue one on your row. If you don't own a Bible, take that one home with you. We want you to own a Bible.
We want you to read it. But you will need a Bible today, so I would encourage you to grab one. There won't be any verses on screen, and we have a lot of reading to do. We're going to be working our way through kind of a longer story. The story we're going to look at today will span several chapters. We'll actually skip a few because in the middle of kind of this story playing out, there's some other things that happened, and so we'll come back to those later.
And so it's the first time we've kind of moved around a little bit. We'll do that. And the story that we're looking at has great theological and historical implications. I mean, massive for how humanity plays out, for how the rest of the world is going to work, and we are going to talk about none of that today. We will talk about that next week. So next week we'll look at a lot of the similar texts and look at the historical significance and the theological significance.
And today we're really just zooming in and kind of seeing this story as it happens, in the time it happens, to see how God interacts with these individuals. And I'm hoping that as we go through it, we're going to be pretty straightforward today. We're just going to read the story. We're going to talk about the story. We'll draw some things out kind of as we go. And then hopefully as we move through it, we will see how God chooses to interact with these individuals.
And we'll learn a little bit about what does God do and what do we do when life gets sideways, when our circumstances are just terrible, everything's bottomed out, when people have sinned against us and we are in a bad spot, when we in our hearts have grown angry and bitter and frustrated and lost hope and lost faith, when our circumstances are bad, when we are sinning, when others are sinning against us. And for most of us, that is how life plays out. I think sometimes we like to think that we are the, at least I do, I like to think I'm the main character of my story. And, you know, like in a good movie, there's a few plot twists, but mostly like I develop character over time.
There's like things I'm going to overcome and then there'll be this resolution and everybody will be happy. At some point in my life, I'll just freeze and there'll be words at the bottom of the screen that say, you know, the last little bit of facts that happened, but they're not super important because I already accomplished all this stuff. But that's not really how life works. For most of us, we have, I have whole seasons where my character doesn't develop at all, you guys. And they just be terrible to watch. Like, it's like, when is this guy going to grow?
And it's like, I don't know, keep watching, maybe never. You know, it's like sometimes my life looks like, what's the police show where it's the same thing every single time you watch it? Like, it just feels like that. And if I remember that, that would have been helpful, but I don't remember the name of the show. So, um, it goes, don't, don't, you know, it's all I'm talking about now. No, not helpful.
Law and order. It's the same thing every single time you watch it. Sometimes my life looks like that. No character development, no change, no whatever. Even if the character dies, I just swap them out for the same person who does the same stuff. So, uh, there's whole seasons of life like that.
There are other times where you feel like, oh, I've conquered this, I've overcome it, I've gotten better. And then, no, you haven't. And so that's kind of what we're seeing here is real people in a real story in real life. And it's a mess. What does God do? How does he interact?
What happens in the middle of that? And so let's pray and then we'll start reading. God, we pray that your word, um, would train us, would correct us, would encourage us today. and that ultimately as we see this story, um, that we would see you more clearly and more fully and in a real, genuine way that sinks into the depths of our hearts. And we pray this in Jesus' name. Amen. Um, Genesis chapter 16.
So we'll, we'll read through 16, we'll read through a good bit of 17, we'll read through half of 18, and we'll read through some 21. So we got, we got our work cut out, but it is a story and so hopefully it'll be better than if we just read through all of Ephesians or something at once. All right. Now, Sarai, Abram's wife, had borne him no children. Okay, so we hadn't talked about Sarai in a little while. Uh, when they introduced her at the beginning of this in chapter 12, they say Sarai, or chapter 11, they say, uh, Abram's wife, Sarai, was barren, she had no children and this is kind of her marker throughout life.
This is, uh, her identity is wrapped up in, uh, barrenness. And so it seems that, uh, for Sarai, this would have been part of who she understood that she was, part of who, how she understood her life. And if you think about this, there's a lot of pain wrapped up in that one verse that we just read. She, at this point, is in her seventies. she would have gotten married fairly young, most likely. Um, so if she got married somewhere between 15 and 25, she has been married for 50 to 60 years and has born no children. And in this culture, even in our culture, but in this culture, that was specifically, uh, consistently painful. she's actually married to a great man who's the head of a clan.
And that's very surprising because they have no children. He actually, at one point, has to go to war. We already read about that. He took 300 trained men that were born in his household, but he doesn't have a physical offspring. He doesn't have a physical household. He has a household that he has amassed through, uh, growth over time, but he's married to Sarai and she has never born children.
And this has to hurt that for a long time, she prayed and hoped and wished nothing. The people kept kind of thinking, right, is this going to happen? And then eventually the assumption would be there's something wrong with her or God is displeased with her or at least he hasn't put his favor on her. Forty years go by. I'm assuming at some point she accepts this. This is how it's going to look.
This is what it's going to be like. And then God, God, goes and speaks to her husband and says, you're going to be the father of a great nation. You're going to be a father of a great offspring. Your children won't be able to be numbered. And I'm assuming when he went back and told Sarai that for the first time in a long time, she had some hope here. Sarai the barren wouldn't be barren any longer.
When we pick up here, that was ten years ago. So for ten years, she waited, hoping, longing. Abraham waited. Abram waited. I'm assuming every month, no, not pregnant. Okay.
Every month for ten years, no, not pregnant. Now, Sarai, Abram's wife, had borne him no children. She had a female Egyptian servant whose name was Hagar. It's possible they picked her up while they were in Egypt. If you'll remember that story, they went there. Abram said, you're really pretty, but that's a problem.
Pretend to be my sister. He let her marry another guy. It was not his finest hour. Don't worry, though. He learned from it and does it again in chapter 20. So, she, it's possible that's where they picked her up.
It's possible at some other point. They kind of live on a trade route, so it's possible that people were going back and forth throughout there. They are Chaldeans, or at least they come from that land, and this is an Egyptian servant. And Sarai said to Abram, Behold, now the Lord has prevented me from bearing children. Go into my servant, it may be that I shall obtain children by her. So, Sarai comes to Abram, she says, Behold, now the Lord has prevented me from bearing children.
It is most likely, it's possible that she lost hope over the course of ten years, but she's reached 70, she's in her 70s, it is most likely that what she is saying is, I have ceased to have my cycle. That she has entered menopause or gone, completed menopause, which you know that had to be so painful the first time that, because when you enter menopause, and I looked this up, I don't know much about it, your menstrual cycle becomes irregular. And so for Sarai, who's been hoping and praying and longing for an irregular menstrual cycle, one time it doesn't happen. she waits. She's not pregnant. She goes through menopause and is no longer able, biologically, factually, to bear children.
I assume this crushed her. She goes to Abraham and says, the Lord's prevented me. God has chosen to say no to this. And I guess the hope that was in her, that maybe that was going to happen through her, that she was the one who was going to receive the promise that God was going to make a great nation out of her, that finally this thing she had longed for was going to happen, that she would no longer be Sarah, the barren, is gone. And so what she does is she comes up with a plan. She immediately enters in with, okay, I've got the backup plan.
She kind of tries to take control of the situation. I think she probably felt pretty insecure in her situation with Abram anyway, if he was willing to let other people marry her. I think that probably damaged their relationship a bit. And so she now is no longer able to bear children, but this promise to Abram is that he will have children. She was never mentioned in the promise. It was just to Abram.
It was assumed. Maybe she longed for, hoped for, that it would be her, but it's not. And I think if you went to her and you said, well, just hope, maybe it's still you, she would say, hope is gone. Look at the facts. We were wrong. It's not me.
But she comes up with this plan. She says, I'll give you Hagar, and maybe by her, I'll bear children. Now, that may sound crazy to us, and maybe it doesn't sound crazy to you, but that was a common practice. to have a surrogate practice in this way was common in this time. I don't think it was ideal. I don't think God blesses this as we read the rest of the story, but this was a common practice. That someone who was in a position of power, someone who had means and had servants, would present a servant to their spouse and say, she's going to bear children for me, and the children would actually be hers.
That's what Sarah says. Now, I wish this story stopped here. Let's read. It says, Go into my servant. It may be that I shall obtain children by her. And Abram listened to the voice of Sarah.
I wish that it didn't say that. I wish it said that Abram looked at Hagar and said, I'm sure you're very nice. I'm sure you're a lovely person. And then he looked at Sarah and said, Boo. You are the only woman for me. And then the lights got dim and he said, baby, baby, baby, baby.
I wish that was the story. Or at least he said, hey, maybe we ought to pray about this. God's the one who gave us the promise. Maybe we ought to seek him a little bit. It does seem like maybe that's not what's going to happen. I don't know all the stuff you've got going on, but you're saying you're not going to have children.
Maybe we ought to pray about this. Maybe we ought to seek his face. What it says is, and Abram listened to the voice of Sarah. Now, most people would argue that listening to your wife is a very good thing. This phrase, however, when used in Genesis, has only ever been used negatively. It was what God says to Adam when he shows up.
He says, because you listened to the voice of Eve, because you listened to the voice of your wife, and now it says he listened to the voice of Sarah. It does not mean just listened. It means obeyed. Abraham's the idea that he just took her word and submitted. He took her word and followed. It's what we're supposed to do with God.
Listen to the voice of God. If it said, and Abraham listened to God, what it would mean is he took it, he took it to heart, and he acted on it. You see, Abram is supposed to lead, love, defend, care, and he doesn't. Abram's in this story throughout the rest of this time, and he's the first sitcom dad. He does this. That's pretty much what he does in the rest of this story.
He just is kind of there. There's a lot of times where you're like, okay, do, okay, no. Okay, you're going to, okay, no. And he doesn't lead, love, serve as he ought. Abram listened to the voice of Sarah. Verse three.
So after Abram had lived ten years in the land of Canaan, so that's when the promise came when they came, so she's had ten years of trying to be pregnant. Sarah, Abram's wife, took Hagar, the Egyptian, her servant, and gave her to Abram, her husband, as a wife. And he went in to Hagar, and she conceived. And when she saw that she had conceived, she looked with contempt on her mistress. So that's Hagar.
When she saw that she was pregnant, she suddenly viewed Sarah as worthless. she hated her. She looked on her with contempt. Now, Hagar hasn't had a say in this. This historically plays out this way that those who have no means, often what they do have, their body, their talent, is taken from them by those who do have means. that those who have the ability to pull some strings and have some money and have some ability will take those who have nothing really and will use them for their own purposes, their own value, use them up. They're only good for what they're able to do. They have no value in and of themselves.
So Hagar is in this position and her response is hatred, contempt, towards Sarah. She suddenly feels like, okay, hold on a second. First of all, it confirms very quickly according to the text that Sarah was the issue, that she was not able to get pregnant, that it was something going on with her, not with Hagar. And so Hagar immediately is pregnant and then looks down on Sarah. Treats her differently, Acts differently towards her. And it also can kind of hold the idea, contempt can mean that she just kind of rejects this idea, she's going to keep the child, it's not going to be Sarah's.
There are places in the Bible where it says that you have contempt on the plan, you're not going to do this until it seems like that may be what is happening. She looked on contempt with her mistress. Verse 5, And Sarah said to Abram, May the wrong done to me be on you. I gave my servant to your embrace, and when she saw that she had conceived, she looked on me with contempt. May the Lord judge between me and you. But Abram said to Sarah, Behold, your servant is in your power, do to her as you please.
Then Sarah dealt harshly with her and she fled from her. So Hagar gets pregnant, she treats Sarah with contempt, she becomes maybe haughty, she looks down on her, she treats her as worthless, Sarah goes to Abram and says, This is your fault, may the wrong done to me be on you. She had told herself that if Haggai got pregnant she would feel better, that this would work, that this would be beautiful, that this would fix the plan. And she had, in the midst of her turmoil and hurt, she had grabbed the reins and just said, I'm going to work this out. I'm going to make sure I'm still in control here, I'm going to make this work, and it doesn't.
And that's played out in human history, that's played out in our histories over and over again. This will fix me, this will make me happy, if I can just make this work out, I'm just going to step in, I'm going to pull some strings, and then when we get it, it's worse. When we get what we wanted, it falls apart, it makes it worse, it's more hurtful, it's more painful, that's what happens. And she goes to Abram and says, this is your fault, and she's not entirely wrong. And all he says is, hey, hey, hey, hey, she's your servant, do whatever you want. So it seems as if Sarai beats her, she dealt harshly with her, and Hagar flees.
The angel of the Lord found her, that's Hagar, by a spring of water in the wilderness. So she runs away into the wilderness. This would not have gone well for her. She is pregnant. We don't know how pregnant, but obviously pregnant. She runs off into the wilderness where we're told in the land that they are in it is not well watered, so she finds a spring.
She's hanging out there. She has no real hope of a future. She can live in the woods and try to have a baby by herself, which probably won't go well. She can get picked up by somebody else and be a servant or a slave. She can die. She finds some water, she's there.
The angel of the Lord found her by a spring of water in the wilderness, the spring on the way to Shur. And he said, Hagar, servant of Sarai, where have you come from and where are you going? We're told at the beginning that that's her name, is Hagar. She's not called by that any time that Abram or Sarai speak of her. She's called the servant. Servant, servant, servant, servant, servant.
Until God shows up, until the angel of the Lord shows up and he says, Hagar. Because her value to him does not come from what she's able to do. Her value comes from who he has made her. His love for her. That she is a person that he cares about and he calls her by name. And I'm assuming the voice that she heard both instilled her with fear and with longing and with hope.
He said, Hagar, servant of Sarai, where have you come from and where are you going? She said, I am fleeing from my mistress Sarai. The angel of the Lord said to her, return to your mistress and submit to her. Those are not words of hope. That sounds terrible. He says, no, go back.
Submit to her. Change your attitude. Change your posture. Be there. The angel of the Lord also said to her, I will surely multiply your offspring so that they cannot be numbered for multitude. So there now lies hope that the baby will live or that eventually she'll have more children, that she will live.
And the angel of the Lord said to her, behold, you are pregnant and you shall bear a son. And that's exciting. She got to do an old fashioned God version of an ultrasound. And you shall call his name Ishmael, which means God hears. He doesn't say that, but that's what it means. You shall call his name Ishmael because the Lord has listened to your affliction.
He shall be a wild donkey of a man, his hand against everyone and everyone's hand against him. And he shall dwell over against all his kinsmen. Now, when we hear that, we might think, okay, is that like, is that good? Is that Bible talk for something good to be a wild donkey of a man? Because I've read Song of Solomon and he says your teeth looked like sheep and he was trying to be nice. Your neck is a pomegranate.
Like, is this just one of those weird? No, it translates about as well in English. It's not a nice thing to say about someone. If you're like, yeah, my neighbor is a wild donkey of a man. You're going to be like, he seems nice. So it's not a good prophecy.
He will be great. He will be a great multitude, but he will be against everyone and everyone will be against him. That plays out in history. Very significantly, and we're not going to talk about it. Verse 13. Talk about it next week.
So she called the name of the Lord who spoke to her. You are a God of seeing. For she said, truly here I have seen him who looks after me. So she says, I'm seeing. He knows me. He hears me.
That's what he says. I see you. I hear you. I know you. Only person in the Old Testament, male or female, to give God a name. Right here.
You are a God of Abraham. Abraham a son. Abraham called the name of his son, whom Hagar bore, Ishmael. Abraham was 86 years old when Hagar bore Ishmael to Abraham. So Abraham is excited.
He has a son. The promise is being fulfilled. She comes back and says, God says he's going to make him a great multitude. He's going to be a wild donkey. We'll talk about that later. Abraham is like, what was that?
She's like, you're going to Abraham was 86 years old. Now he's 99 years old. This is a 13 year old. Ishmael is 13 now. So Sarai, she's not mentioned.
Hagar comes back, says, God met me, told me to come back. Hopefully she changed her attitude and did what God told her to. There's a son. Sarai watches Ishmael grow to be 13. the promise has moved. He's going to be the great multitude. That's the situation Sarai is in.
When Abram was 99 years old, the Lord appeared to Abram and said to him, I am God almighty before me. I'm God almighty. Walk before me and be blameless that I may make my covenant between me and you and may multiply you greatly. Then Abram fell on his face, which is a good response. And God said to him, behold, my covenant is with you and you shall be the father of a multitude of nations. No longer shall your name be Abram, which means exalted father, but your name shall be Abraham, which means father of a multitude.
Be Abraham, which means father of a multitude. For I have made you the father of a multitude of nations. I will make you exceedingly
Fruitful and I will make you into nations and kings shall come from you and I will establish my covenant between me and you and
Your offspring after you throughout their generations for an everlasting covenant to be God to you and to your offspring after you and I will
Give to you and to your offspring after you the land of your sojournings all the land of Canaan for an everlasting possession and
I will be their God so Abraham is laying on his face and God is just saying this is what I'm going to do
This is my promise this is what's going to happen and God said to Abraham as for you you shall keep my covenant you
And your offspring after you throughout their generations this is my covenant which you shall keep between me and you and your offspring after
You every male among you shall be circumcised you shall be circumcised in the flesh of your foreskins and it shall be a sign
Of the covenant between me and you he who is eight days old among you shall be circumcised which is interesting that's when blood
Begins to clot in a human generations whether born in your house or bought with your money from any foreigner who is not your
Offspring both he who is born in your house and he who is bought with your money shall surely be circumcised so shall my covenant
Be in your flesh an everlasting covenant any uncircumcised male who is not circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin shall be cut off from
His people he has and we're not going to talk about that verse 15 and God said to Abraham as for Sarai your wife
This is the first time that we've seen God speak about Sarai as for Sarai your wife you shall not call her name Sarai
But Sarah which means princess so all of you who get really down on little girls being called princess and being taught that they're
A princess boom proof text Sarai is a princess I will bless her and more over I will give you a son by her
I will bless her and she shall become nations kings of people shall come from her then Abraham fell on his face and laughed and
Said to himself you ever laugh at an inappropriate time Anna and I were at a wedding reception rehearsal dinner they were doing toast luckily we were at the
Back table we got to laughing so hard we were both crying I couldn't look at her it was terrible this is worse Anna and I really shouldn't go places together
It's a problem he laughed and said to himself shall a child be born to a man who is 100 years old shall Sarah who
Is 90 years old bear a child and Abraham said to God oh that Ishmael might live before you and God said no but
Sarah your wife he says that over and over again by the way he says Sarah your wife Sarah your wife a little bit of hey next time
She says marry this other lady say no Sarah your wife shall bear you a son and you shall call his name Isaac this
Is great y'all Isaac means he laughs so Abraham falls over laughing I guess he thinks God didn't know and he said you know
What you're going to name him you think this is funny it's going to be hilarious that's what it says that Abraham falls over
And Esau is the same it says Abraham falls over he laughs he says yeah that's what we're going to name him I will
Establish my covenant with him as an everlasting covenant for his offspring after him as for Ishmael I have heard you behold I have
Blessed him and will make him fruitful and multiply him greatly he shall father twelve princes God shows up when Ishmael is thirteen and
He says hey Abraham your name is Abraham now which is good because that's what I've been calling him the whole time hey Abraham
Remember that covenant that we cut I'm about to cut it into your flesh we're going to cut it into your flesh and it's
Going to be with you and Sarah your wife and I'm assuming that when Abraham went back to Sarah and he said it's you
You you're the one he said her her her she she she Sarah Sarah Sarah Sarah I even I hate to bring this up
I was like are you sure and he was like yeah Abraham has great love for his son Ishmael but God says no I'm going
To do it through Isaac and it's interesting the Bible doesn't place a lot of circumcised who conceives Isaac God comes in and says no this covenant wasn't clear
Enough I'm making the promise to you and to her and we're cutting it into your flesh the rest of this chapter says that
Abraham got up and did what God said and on that very day circumcised himself and everybody in the household which I can just imagine some
Guys watching some sheep and some people came running towards him and they were like what's going on and they were like God just
Spoke to Abraham God spoke to Abraham what'd he say the covenant he's gonna have children do what now everybody I wasn't even born
Here I was bought bought too he clarified twice when right now okay this is all coming on a little fast I'm gonna be
Honest well they got it over with and Abraham did what the Lord told him to 18 and the Lord appeared to him by
The oaks of Mamre and as he sat at the door of his tent in the heat of the day now their tents would
Have been goat skin tents so these are big black tents made out of goat skin and they would have during the summer most
Likely rolled the sides up so it was just like a big open air kind of thing and during the winter they rolled the
Sides down because it gets pretty cold but it says he's in the heat of the day he's sitting out in his tent so
It's probably pretty warm he's sitting out underneath the covering also remember he's very old as he sat at the door of his tent
In front looked and behold three men were standing in front of him I said earlier that the Lord appeared to him so these
Three men it says the Lord is among them and behold three men were standing in front of him when he saw them he ran
From the tent door to meet them and bowed himself to the earth and said oh Lord if I have found favor in your sight
Do not pass that you may pass on since you have come to your servant so they said do as you have said and
Abraham went quickly into the tent and said quick three seeds of fine flour knead it and make cakes and Abraham ran into the herd
And took a calf tender and good and gave it to the young man who prepared it quickly then he took curds and milk
And the calf that he had prepared and set it before them and he stood by them under the tree while they ate I
Don't know if they fried the cheese curds but if you ever get a chance to eat fried cheese curds are delicious verse nine
They said to him where is Sarah your wife I want y'all to see this God shows up to Abraham the first thing he
Says when he sits down he says where is Sarah he cares about her he reinstituted this promise and he says this is for
Sarah and he says where is she he said she is in the tent and the Lord said I will surely return to you
About this time next year okay if we're sitting next to a tent just think about this for a second we're sitting next to
A tent or in the so she wasn't even like she was at the door she was at the flat behind him now Abram
And Sarah were old advanced in years the way of women had ceased to be with Sarah so Sarah laughed to herself saying after
I am worn out and my Lord is old shall have pleasure meaning will this come true will this finally be real now immediately
You're like is that a good laugh is it like a joyous laugh is it like a not good laugh it's not good one let's see how
God respond Lord said to Abraham why did Sarah laugh and say shall I indeed bear a child now that I am old is
Anything too hard for the Lord so her laughter was lack of faith she scoffed we'll talk about that in a second is anything too
Hard for the Lord at the appointed time I will return to you about this time next year and Sarah shall have a son
But Sarah denied it saying I did not laugh I did not laugh she just pokes out behind the curtain or she just shouts
It what no laughing in here something else was funny for she was afraid and he said no but you did laugh no you
Did Sarah you did okay here's what happened God said I've made a promise to Sarah and then he reiterates it and she goes
Yeah okay we do that somebody comes up to you you're in the midst of a situation you can't see past the situation all
You know is pain all you know is hurting they say let me tell you something God loves you and in your heart you go
Okay do we do the thing I know I do this I don't necessarily laugh but I'll do the thing where it's like theologically
I know God can do whatever he wants secondarily I know he won't she has facts on her side after the way of women
Has ceased it's just how she wants to walk out and say don't you know biology I thought you created stuff ain't happening it's
Not a joyous laugh when Abram came back and told her this promise she was too shut down she was too hurt she didn't hold
On to this because it says about the same time next year twice meaning that God shows back up the first question he has
About Sarah is because when the news reached her that the promise was to her she did not believe it and God wants to
Talk to her about it this is where is she about this time next year she's gonna have a son and he says why
Are you laughing is anything impossible for so many of us we get in these situations where all we can see is impossible and
Then somebody comes along in your group and says let me remind you how much Jesus loves you let me remind you what happens
When the Holy Spirit works on somebody that they might repent let remind you and you go yeah okay and he says no but
You did laugh all right Sodom and Gomorrah happens situation with Abraham and Abimelech where Abimelech marries Sarah again somebody else marries her it's not great he thinks
You get over some stuff they would quit doing this anyway chapter 21 it's an exciting chapter you'll notice a little heading that was added
Later the birth of Isaac kind of giving away the ending here but okay chapter 21 the Lord visited Sarah as he had said
And the Lord did to Sarah as he had promised meaning that God fulfilled his promise he said he was going to do this
He did and she conceived and bore Abraham a son in his old age at the time of which God had spoken to him now think about this she just
Started gaining weight y'all she's 90 wasn't like she was on a menstrual cycle that she could notice was missing all of a sudden one
Day she was just like no maybe she started throwing up first I don't know I don't know how this went she started having
Problems and then she was like wait a second Sarah conceived bore Abraham a son his old age at the time of which God had spoken to him Abraham
Called the name of his son who was born to him who Sarah bore to him Isaac and Abraham circumcised his son Isaac when he was eight days old as God
Had commanded him Abraham was a hundred years old when Isaac was born to him and Sarah said God has made laughter for me
Everyone who hears will laugh over me I love that verse she said who would have said to Abraham and Sarah who would have
Said to Abraham that Sarah would nurse children yet I have born him a son in his old age she has a son 75
80 Years late 25 years after the promise and she says I get the joke he made laughter for me so much joy in
That moment she also says everyone else will think this is funny and it is funny picture a 90 year old woman now picture
Her nine months pregnant it's startling yet humorous she gives birth to this child she does not die she has a healthy child she
Is healthy she nurses she says who on earth would have ever said this would happen and she now believes the impossible she says
The Lord did this and I get it I get the kind of laughter that this Isaac was going to be I get it
And the child grew and was weaned started eating solid food and Abraham made a great feast on the day that Isaac was weaned
Men take a note here if you're the husband the dad the head of the household find things to celebrate this is one of
The cool things that Abraham does here he says you're eating solid food now well you're about to get all kinds of solid food
This is going to be a celebration find things to celebrate put your foot in the ground on some stuff don't always just be
Like it about time you started eating food I've been telling your mama I thought you were behind on that don't do that say boy
You ain't even have fried chicken for have you like just throw down find things to celebrate find things to be excited about don't just
Fuss when things are bad but celebrate but Sarah saw that the son of Hagar the Egyptian whom she had born to Abraham laughing he's
15 16 At he had an attitude so she said to Abraham cast out this slave woman with her son for the son of
This slave woman shall not be heir with my son Isaac her heart towards Hagar has not changed cast out this slave woman her
The son of this slave woman will not be an heir with my son and the thing was very displeasing to Abraham he's that
Word pretty heavy he's very frustrated very angry on account of his son he's like that's my son you can't just say get rid of
Your son but God said to Abraham be not displeased because of the boy and because of your slave woman whatever Sarah says to
You do as she tells you for through Isaac shall your offspring be named so I just want to point this out earlier was a problem when he
Listened to his wife because God wasn't involved now she has some wisdom God steps in and says no listen to her so it's
Not like a general rule don't listen to your wife no she's helpful but listen to God as well what God said to him
Be not displeased because of the boy because of your slave one whatever Sarah says you do as she tells you for through Isaac
Shall promises for Sarah and Isaac that's where the promise has always been send them out I think this is a big messed up
Situation I think God also thinks it is but this is what should happen they're still facing the consequences of their sin and their
Desire to take control in their own hands so Abraham rose early in the morning he took bread and a skin of water and gave
It to skin was gone so this is some days later she had a skin of water they've been rationing it I'm assuming they're
Trying to figure out a place to go they're trying to make it somewhere safe when the water and the skin was gone she
Put the child under one of the bushes then she went and sat down opposite him a good way off at the distance of the
Shot for think it means he was refusing water and letting her drink that's my guess so she lays him parched lips chapped lips
Cheeks sunk in she drags him under a bush when he finally falls over because they're out of water and they've been out of
Water for a while and she just goes off somewhere kind of close but not too close because she doesn't want watch her son
Die she sits down let me not look on the death of the child and as she sat opposite him she lifted up her
Voice and wept and God heard the voice of the boy and the angel of God called to Hagar from heaven and said to
Her what troubles you Hagar fear not for God has heard the voice of the boy where he is his name is God hears
He said I have Ishmael Ishmael and it's like M. Night Shamelan signs or whatever when all just comes together at the end he
Was going to hear him all along I heard the voice voice the boy where he is verse 18 up lift up the boy
And hold him fast with your hand for I will make him into a great nation then God opened her eyes and she saw
A well of water she went and filled the skin with water and gave the boy a drink and God was with the boy
And he grew up he lived in the wilderness and became an expert with the bow he lived in the wilderness of Paran and
His mother took a wife for him from the land of Egypt she's like I'm done with these Chaldeans okay you read this who's
The person that you think ah let's learn moral lessons from this character Hagar isn't the main character she does she's not terrible from what
We can see she has a lot of really bad circumstances happen to her but they're not really highlighting Hagar Sarai has this moment
Of redemption where she's laughing and it's almost like you got it you see what God was doing and then she sees Ishmael laughing
And says the joke is not for him kill him and you're like like y'all were having a party what what on earth she
Goes to Abraham in the middle of the party and says they gotta go he'll have nothing to do here and there may be
Some he was a threat to her son she's afraid of it but she's not saying send him away give bread give him some water and they
Can go die Abraham is not the hero in this he's not held up as like they wrote this so that everybody would think Abraham was awesome
That's not how it's written Ishmael seems okay from the little bit that we see Isaac started eating solid food that's pretty good I think he's the
Best character he made people happy and then he ate food and it's like all right Isaac this story is a mess and that's so
So good because your story is a mess and do y'all see how good God is in this story how tender he is how loving
He is like I want him to show up and bang some people's heads together like you want him to show up and say
What are you doing come no come here Abraham come sit down Sarah you think this is funny too come here both y'all in
Trouble like you want him to do that when he shows up to Hagar like he there's just these moments where you're like but
He just shows up and he's so kind and he's so gracious and he's just walking with them through this we so often think
That he's just so disappointed in us and he's so slow to anger and so slow to wrath and so welcoming and gracious and
In the middle of this he's just working it out with them and he's saying it's going to be okay no no let me
Clarify that the promise was for her now I hear you about Ishmael but I will bless him but it's not for him and
He just the whole time is just working through this and I want y'all to know that that God definitively does that for us
In Christ that he calls our name that he works out our problems that he accomplishes his purpose for our good in Jesus that
Ultimately Jesus is the Isaac that we get the laughter and the joy in the midst of our broke down inability to get there if you are
Not a Christian today I want you to just think and be like Hagar for a moment and know that God calls your name
I want you to hear him call your name and know that he knows you and that he sees you and that he loves
You and he can work in the middle of this and you can't see past your pain I want you to know that he
Works with you so similarly to the way he works with Sarah the promises don't break down because you actively worked to destroy them
He shows back up he renews him he reminds you and he works for your good and he calls you princess or prince if
That's better for you that you're a son or daughter of the king and his promises will hold fast a band is going to
Come back up here Matt and Bianca are going to come back up here we're going to sing we're going to worship a God
Who in the midst of our chaos and our sin and our lack of faith and our contempt and our scoffing at his promises
Consistently works to draw us nearer to him loves us so deeply is so kind and so gracious and that's what those pages are drenched
With the love of God for them and I don't know where you are I don't know what you've got going on right now
I don't know the circumstances you can't see past I don't know the promise you've been waiting on for 5 10 15 25 35
45 60 Years I don't know I know what you've been holding out on I don't know what you thought was going to happen
In life that hasn't happened in life I don't know what you have seen just crash around your ears but I know that there
Is a God who sees you and knows you and knows your name and through Christ is at work for your good and who
Cares and who loves and who in the midst of you being so devastatingly disappointing is not disappointed but comes to you and says
No and that through Jesus we can have that eternally secured for us forever let's pray God we thank you for your grace that you
See us thank you that you hear us and we thank you that when we are a catastrophic mess you call to us you
Clarify you walk with us you address us and you drag us forward towards your hope and your joy we pray that those who
Don't know Jesus would be forever changed by him would hear him calling their voice today would step out in faith we pray those
Who have grown hardened to your promises that you would soften them they would see the joy and laughter and the hope and the
Promises that are given from you and they would know that nothing is impossible with you in Jesus name we pray amen