Bible Discussion Thread

 
  • GiGi on Genesis 16 - 2 years ago
    Praise be to the God Who sees me!

    I was taught that Hagar was Egyptian. Perhaps she was "acquired" when Abraham and Sarah went to Egypt due to the recent famine. She was away from her home country and had very little power of her own. I have always felt sorry for Hagar. She was "used" by Sarah and Abraham because they tried to "help" God accomplish His promise. I imagine that she was much younger than Sarah and Abraham. Perhaps she was very lovely and Sarah was concerned that Abraham would turn to Hagar to have more children and relegate Sarah to status as "second wife". Hagar didn't help matters with her disrespect for Sarah. Yet she still was carrying a child and knew that the child would become Sarah's, not hers. She may have been concerned that the child might be a girl and therefore, not be an heir. She may have been concerned about what would happen to her if the child was female. When Sarah sent her away harshly, she probably thought she was going to die in the wilderness. But, thankfully, God stepped in and gave her hope as well as instructions on what she should do. She was relieved and grateful that God took notice of her. She may not even have been a follower of the true God. Because the child was not the promised heir, God could have had her miscarry, or die in the wilderness, or be taken by another chieftan to be in his harem. Then the child would not be part of Abraham's lineage. God chose differently. But Hagar returned to Sarah and submitted to her, as God told her to do.

    Sarah lacked faith to believe that she would be the woman to bear the heir for Abraham. She was very desperate to have a child and decided to make it happen one way or another. Let this be a warning to us today when people go to methods of conception other than what God ordained from the time of Adam and Eve. It is very difficult to deal with infertility, especially if it last a long time and then a woman ages past childbearing years. Sarah must have struggled greatly with this.



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