Genesis 16

Back in the ’60s, my wife and I enjoyed a brief vacation in the beautiful foothills of the Appalachian

Mountains. As we began to drive home, she said, “Let’s take this side road. It looks interesting.’’

Interesting! It turned out to be one of the worst rural roads we have ever encountered, including some we’ve seen on mission fields overseas. There were no potholes; they were all craters. And while my car was raising dust, my impatience was raising my temper. As we carefully rounded a curve, we concluded that few people ever took this route; for there in front of us were two turtles, leisurely taking a walk in one of the two ruts that kept you on the road.

When we finally reached civilization and a paved road, I thought of the statement Vance Havner often made: “The detour is always worse than the main road.’’

Genesis 16 records a painful detour that Abraham and Sarah made in their pilgrim walk, a detour that brought conflict not only into their home but also into the world. What today’s journalists call “the ArabIsraeli conflict’’ began right here.

But this account is much more than ancient history with modern consequences. It’s a good lesson for God’s people about walking by faith and waiting for God to fulfill His promises in His way and in His time. As you study the stages in the experience of Abraham and Sarah, you will see how dangerous it is to depend on your own wisdom.

Abraham was now eighty-five years old. He had been walking with the Lord for ten years and had learned some valuable lessons about faith. God had promised Abraham and Sarah a child but had not told them when the child would be born. It was a period of waiting, and most people don’t like to wait. But it is through “faith and patience [that we] inherit the promises’’ (Heb. 6:12).

God has a perfect timetable for all that He wants to do. After all, this event was not the birth of just another baby: It was part of God’s great plan of salvation for the whole world. However, as Sarah waited for something to happen, she became impatient.

Why did God wait so long? He wanted Abraham and Sarah to be physically “as good as dead’’ (Heb. 11:12) so that God alone would get the glory. At age eighty-five, Abraham was still virile enough to father a child by Hagar; so the time for the miracle baby had not yet arrived. Whatever is truly done by faith is done for the glory of God (Rom. 4:20) and not for the praise of man.

A willingness to wait on the Lord is another evidence that you are walking by faith. “He that believeth shall not make haste’’ (Isa. 28:16). Paul quoted this verse in Romans 10: and amplified its meaning: “Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.’’ (The same Holy Spirit inspired both Isaiah and Paul, and He has the right to make these changes.) Whenever we stop trusting God, we start to “make haste’’ in the wrong direction and we end up being ashamed.

A third evidence of faith is that you are acting on the authority of God’s Word. “So, then, faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God’’ (Rom. 10:17). You can act by faith, and know that God will bless, if you are obeying what He says in His Word. Hebrews 11 records the mighty acts of ordinary men and women who dared to believe God’s promises and obey His commandments.

Finally, whenever you act by faith, God will give joy and peace in your life. “Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing’’ (Rom. 15:13). Conflict may surround you, but you will have God’s peace and joy within you.

These, then, are the evidences of true biblical faith: (1) you are willing to wait; (2) you are concerned only for the glory of God; (3) you are obeying God’s Word; and (4) you have God’s joy and peace within. While Abraham and Sarah were waiting, God was increasing their faith and patience and building character (James 1:1–4). Then something happened that put Abraham and Sarah on a painful detour.

Scheming (16:1b–4a) Sarah knew that she was incapable of bearing a child but that her husband was still capable of begetting a child. God had specifically named Abraham as the father of the promised heir, but He had not yet identified the mother. Logically, it would be Abraham’s wife, but perhaps God had other plans. Sarah was “secondguessing’’ God, and this is a dangerous thing to do. Remember, true faith is based on the Word of God (Rom. 10:17) and not on the wisdom of man (Prov. 3:5–6), because “faith is living without scheming.’’ Sarah said, “It may be’’; she did not say, “Thus saith the Lord!’’ God had told Abraham, “Know of a surety’’ (Gen. 15:13), but Sarah had no such assurance on which to base her actions.

Furthermore, Sarah was not concerned about the glory of God; her only goal was “that I may obtain children by her’’ (16: 2). Perhaps there is a hint of disappointment with God and even blaming God when she says, “The Lord hath restrained me from bearing’’ (v. 2). It has often been said that God’s delays are not God’s denials, but Satan whispers to us, “God is holding out on you! If He loved you, things would be different! Blame Him!’’ (See 3:1–6.)

Abraham’s taking Hagar as a second wife was perfectly legal according to the marriage code of that day. In later years, Jacob would marry his wives’ maids, Bilhah and Zilpah, and each would give him two sons. Moreover, the plan seemed to be successful, for Hagar conceived a child. Perhaps Sarah was right after all.

But not everything that is legal or that appears to be successful is approved by the will of God. God never accepted Hagar as Abraham’s wife; the Angel of the Lord called her “Sarah’s maid’’ (16:8). Later she was called “this bondwoman and her son’’ (21:10), not “Abraham’s wife and son.’’ Why? Because “whatever is not of faith is sin’’ (Rom. 14:23). God rejected the whole enterprise because He had something far better in mind for Abraham and Sarah.

When you review the four evidences of biblical faith that were explained above, you can see that Abraham and Sarah did not pass the test. They were unwilling to wait on the Lord but rushed ahead with their own plans. They acted only to please themselves and not to glorify God. They were not obeying the Word, and what they did certainly did not bring joy and peace to their hearts or their home.

Scottish novelist George MacDonald was right when he said, “In whatever man does without God, he must fail miserably, or succeed more miserably.’’ This leads us to the third stage in Abraham and Sarah’s “detour’’ experience.

When you follow the wisdom of the world, you will end up warring like the world (James 3:13–18). Of all fights, family fights are the most painful and the most difficult to settle. Had Hagar maintained the attitude of a servant, things might have been different, but she became proud, and this irritated her mistress (Prov. 30:21–23).

“Having begun in the Spirit, are ye now made perfect by the flesh?’’ Paul asked (Gal. 3:3), and you see this illustrated in Abraham’s home. He and Sarah had begun in the Spirit when they put their faith in the Lord, but now they had turned to the flesh for help, and some of the works of the flesh were starting to appear (Gal. 5:19–21). Abraham, Sarah, and Hagar were at war with each other because they were at war with the Lord, and they were at war with the Lord because they had selfish desires warring within their own hearts (James 4:1–10).

The first thing they should have done was build an altar, worship the Lord, and tell Him their problems. They should have confessed their sins and received His gracious forgiveness. Once you stop fighting with God and with yourself, you will have an easier time not fighting with others. The first step toward reconciliation with others is getting right with God.

However, instead of facing their sins honestly, each of the persons involved took a different course, and this only made things worse. Sarah’s solution was to blame her husband and mistreat her servant as she gave vent to her anger. She seems to have forgotten that she was the one who had made the marriage suggestion in the first place. Abraham’s solution was to give in to his wife and abdicate spiritual headship in the home. He should have had pity for a helpless servant who was pregnant, but he allowed Sarah to mistreat her. He should have summoned them all to the altar, but he did not.

Hagar’s solution was to run away from the problem, a tactic we all learned from Adam and Eve (Gen. 3:8). However, you soon discover that you cannot solve problems by running away. Abraham learned that when he fled to Egypt (12:10ff.). There was peace in the home for a short time, but it was not the “peace of God.’’ It was only a brittle, temporary truce that soon would fail.

James 4:1–10 explains why Christians fight and how Christians can be at peace. Our battles among ourselves are caused because we obey our three enemies: the world (James 4:4), the flesh (v. 1), and the devil (v. 7). How can we expect to be at peace with God and each other if we are living for the enemy! “God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble. Therefore submit to God’’ (4:6–7 nkjv).

Hagar had to submit to God (vv. 7–14). This is the first appearance in Scripture of the Angel of the Lord, who is generally identified as our Lord Jesus Christ. In Genesis 16:10, the angel promised to do what only God can do, and in verse 13, Hagar called the angel “God.’’ These pre-incarnation visits of Jesus Christ to the earth were to meet special needs and to accomplish special tasks. The fact that the Son of God took on a temporary body, left heaven, and came down to help a rejected servant-girl surely reveals His grace and love. His servants Abraham and Sarah had sinned against the Lord and against Hagar, but the Lord did not desert them.

The angel called her “Sarah’s maid,’’ which suggests that God did not accept her marriage to Abraham. Apparently Hagar was on her way back to Egypt when she met the angel, but God told her to return to Abraham’s camp and submit herself to her mistress. That would take a great deal of faith, because Sarah had mistreated Hagar before and might do it again.

God then told her that she was pregnant with a son whom she should name Ishmael (“God hears’’). While he would not be Abraham’s heir in the blessings of the covenant, Ishmael would still enjoy blessings from God since he was Abraham’s son. God promised to multiply Ishmael’s descendants and make them into great nations (21:18; 25:12–18), and He did, for Ishmael is the founder of the Arab peoples.

Ishmael would be a “wild donkey of a man’’ (16: niv), which is not a very flattering description. It identified him with the wilderness where he lived by his skill as an archer (21:20–21; Job 24:5). It also revealed his independent and pugnacious nature.

He would be a hated man, living “in hostility toward all his brothers’’ (Gen. 16: niv). While we must not apply these traits to every descendant of Ishmael, the centuries-long hostility between the Jews and the Arabs is too well known to be ignored. The Arab nations are independent peoples, dwelling in the desert lands and resisting the encroachments of other nations, especially Israel and her allies.

Hagar’s wilderness experience brought her face-toface with God and taught her some important truths about Him. She learned that He is the living God who sees us and hears our cries when we hurt. The name of the well means “The well of One who lives and sees me.’’ He is a personal God, concerned about abused people and unborn babies. He knows the future and cares for those who will trust Him.

Hagar did return and submit herself to Sarah. Surely she apologized for being arrogant, for despising her mistress, and for running away. She trusted God to protect her and her son and to care for them in the years to come. We never solve life’s problems by running away. Submit to God and trust Him to work things out for your good and His glory.

Sarah had to submit to God. How did Sarah feel when Hagar came back to the camp and reported that God had talked with her? Did God have time for a poor servant? Was God concerned about a slave-girl’s baby? Did the God of Israel care for an Egyptian? Yes, because that Egyptian’s baby had Abraham as a father, and God had a covenant with Abraham. The record does not tell us how Sarah responded, but it would appear that she accepted both Hagar and her report and took her back as her servant. Sarah did not mistreat her again for, after all, God was watching!

Abraham had to submit to God. In this entire episode, Abraham played a rather passive role. He let Sarah talk him into marrying Hagar, and he allowed Sarah to mistreat Hagar and drive her from the camp. Apparently, Abraham did not offer to help Hagar in any way. (Later, he made up for that—Gen. 21:9ff.) But when his son was born, Abraham acknowledged him and obediently gave him the name that God had appointed.

Both Abraham and Sarah had to learn to live with their mistakes. Certainly Abraham enjoyed watching the boy grow up, and the old man’s heart was full of love for him (17:18). But Abraham knew that Ishmael would not be a permanent part of the covenant family. God’s solution to the “Ishmael problem’’ was not to blame Abraham, Sarah, or Hagar, but to send another baby into the home—Isaac. Ishmael did not give Abraham and Sarah any trouble until Isaac came along; then he started to create problems (21:1–11). As we shall see in later chapters, all of these things have profound theological significance for the Christian believer today.

As you review the chapter, you will see that several key texts from Romans are illustrated by what is recorded here.

“For whatsoever is not of faith is sin’’ (Rom. 14:23). Be sure that your plans and procedures can pass the four “tests of faith’’ outlined above. People may agree with you, and the law may defend you, but if God cannot bless you, don’t do it! Let God accomplish His will in His way and in His time. Sarah tried to run ahead of God, and she created problems that are with us yet today.

“They who receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life’’ (Rom. 5:17). In Genesis 15, grace was reigning through righteousness because of Abraham’s faith (v. 6), and Abraham was reigning in life to the glory of God. But he abdicated the throne in chapter 16, and sin started to reign. Unbelief, impatience, anger, pride, and indifference took over in Abraham’s home and almost destroyed it. God’s people are kings and priests (Rev. 1:6), who should “reign in life’’ by yielding to Jesus Christ (see Rom. 6:11–14).

“But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound’’ (Rom. 5:20). This does not mean that God winks at sin or that abundant sinning is the key to abundant grace (6:1–7). Rather, it means that God’s grace is greater than man’s sin and can accomplish God’s best even when men do their worst. In grace, God saw Hagar fleeing to Egypt, and He came to her and met her needs. He made her the mother of a great nation. Of course, He did it because of Abraham, but God’s covenant with Abraham was a covenant of grace.

From the human viewpoint, this “detour’’ was a tragedy that brought God’s great salvation plan to a standstill. Consider, however, the divine point of view. God is never caught by surprise. When He cannot rule, He overrules, and He always accomplishes His purposes.

Satan wants us to think that our “disobedience detours’’ must become the permanent road for the rest of our lives, but this is a lie. Like Abraham and Sarah, we can confess our sins, accept God’s cleansing (1 John 1:9), and then learn to live with our mistakes. Yes, there will be pain and regret, but God’s grace will overcome in the end.

George Morrison is worth quoting again: “The victorious Christian life is a series of new beginnings.’’