Thursday, December 8, 2011

Hagar and Ishmael

Good evening or morning brothers and sisters,
Today we continue our theme of mothers and children looking at the trouble story of Abraham, Sarah and Hagar. Both before and after God called Abraham and Sarah to leave their home for the promised land, Sarah was unable to have children. That was a problem not only because wanting to have children and being unable to is heart-breaking, but especially because God had promised to make Abraham's descendants into a great nation. That promised felt like a dead end without any kids. At one point Sarah proposed the idea of having Abraham sleep with Sarah's slave Hagar so they could have children that way. The trouble was when Hagar did conceive she and Sarah stopped getting along. When God's promise of a son through Sarah finally came true, Sarah wanted to make sure her son wouldn't have a rival for his inheritance. That's where our story takes off. God's love works even when our injustice seems worst.

God bless,

Sam



Genesis 21:9-21
9But Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian, whom she had borne to Abraham, playing with her son Isaac. 10So she said to Abraham, “Cast out this slave woman with her son; for the son of this slave woman shall not inherit along with my son Isaac.” 11The matter was very distressing to Abraham on account of his son. 12But God said to Abraham, “Do not be distressed because of the boy and because of your slave woman; whatever Sarah says to you, do as she tells you, for it is through Isaac that offspring shall be named for you. 13As for the son of the slave woman, I will make a nation of him also, because he is your offspring.”

14So Abraham rose early in the morning, and took bread and a skin of water, and gave it to Hagar, putting it on her shoulder, along with the child, and sent her away. And she departed, and wandered about in the wilderness of Beer-sheba. 15When the water in the skin was gone, she cast the child under one of the bushes. 16Then she went and sat down opposite him a good way off, about the distance of a bowshot; for she said, “Do not let me look on the death of the child.” And as she sat opposite him, she lifted up her voice and wept.

17And 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? Do not be afraid; for God has heard the voice of the boy where he is. 18Come, lift up the boy and hold him fast with your hand, for I will make a great nation of him.” 19Then 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. 20God was with the boy, and he grew up; he lived in the wilderness, and became an expert with the bow. 21He lived in the wilderness of Paran; and his mother got a wife for him from the land of Egypt.

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