Genesis Chapter 16: Sarai and Hagar

In this chapter, Abram’s wife Sarai presents him with a suggestion to fufill God’s promise to Abram.  God told Abram that he would have children.  It’s been about 10 years since God spoke to Abram,  Abram is now about 85 years old, and Sarai believes that God is not allowing her to have children.

Now Sarai suggest that Abram use Sarai’s maidservant Hagar to have children.  Abram accepts Sarai’s proposal and conceives a child with Hagar.  Now Sarai flips out because Hagar is pregnant and told Abram the following:

Genesis 16:5 “And Sarai said to Abram, May the wrong done me be upon you.  I gave my maid in to your arms, but when she saw that she had conceived, I was despised in her sight.  May the LORD judge between you and me.”

At this point Abram seemed to not want to be part of the conflict and reminded Sarai that Hagar was her servant and to “do to her what is good in your sight.” (Genesis 16:6)  Needless to say that Sarai treated Hagar bad enough to drive from the home.  However, God was not finished with Hagar or Abram’s child..

An angel came to Hagar while she was fleeing and told her to submit to Sarai’s authority, go back, and that her descendants would be too many to count.

Genesis 16:1-12 “Behold, you are with child, And you will bear a son; And you shall call his name Ishmael, Because the LORD has given heed to your affliction. 12 He will be a wild donkey of a man, His hand will be against everyone, And everyone’s hand will be against him; And he will live to the east of all his brothers.”

Hagar went back to Sarai, bore a son and Abram called him Ishmael.

This chapter is screaming consequences to me.  Abram appears to have made a decision that he was going to “help” God fufill the prophecy by having children through Hagar (Sarai’s maidservant).  God did not tell him to do this!  What complicated things further is that his wife suggested this course of action and it doesn’t seem as if Abram had given his decision much thought.

This is the second time that Abram took a slight detour from God’s will.  The first time I recall is when he told Sarai to tell the Egyptians that he was her sister so that his life would be spared.  The result? God caused the Pharoah to experience plagues because he took Sarai as his wife when she was Abram’s wife.  God still sparred Abram, even blessed him with increased wealth (can we say grace) but we may never know how God would have worked things out if Abram has chosen to go another route.  The second time we see Abram starting his line of descendants with Hagar instead of his wife Sarai.