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our message
The birth of Ishmael. - Pastor Terry Jones
Genesis 16
As this chapter begins, we still have the scene in chapter 15 in mind. Abraham has just been greatly encouraged by God to believe that he will have a son. He was preparing for his chief servant to be his heir but God appeared to him and told him that he would have a son from his own body and from that son would come multitudes of descendants as many as the stars of heaven. Abraham believed God and God counted it to him for righteousness. The message from God said nothing about Sarah. There was no direct encouragement to Sarah that she would produce Abraham's child but that was implied.
However in chapter 16 we see that Sarah has not been inspired to faith as Abraham was. She was still labouring under the pressure of being childless. She felt like a failure, like she was the problem, and that if it wasn't for her, Abraham might already have had a son.
Her words to Abraham were "See the Lord has restrained me from bearing children" She acknowledged that her barrenness was of God but did not take the next obvious step of faith and say "Therefore we shall just wait until He opens up my womb"
Instead she came up with a way around the problem that was in one sense very noble and generous and in another sense very wrong. Her purpose was that she might obtain children by Hagar. Hagar was a means to an end not an end in herself. The temporary liaison she was suggesting between Abraham and her servant was not one based on lust and deceit and unfaithfulness but one which she generously suggested might be a means to obtain that which she so greatly longed for and which God had so clearly promised. Hidden in this suggestion of Sarai's is the timeless and mistaken theory that it is alright to do evil if good may come from it.
"Does the end justify the means"
The clear teaching of the bible is that the end does not justify the means. We cannot do evil that good may come. The teaching of the bible is not ambiguous and muddied. It states clearly that we reap what we sow. That a corrupt tree produces corrupt fruit. Only righteousness produces blessing.
Romans 6:1 What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound?
Matthew 7:17 Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. 18 A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. 19 Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.
Notice also that the maid was an Egyptian. I told you that when Abraham went down to Egypt all that he brought back which seemed like a blessing was in fact a corrupting influence in his life and the life of his family. It had corrupted Lot and eventually led to the destruction of his family and the loss of all that he possessed. Now there is an Egyptian servant girl who is going to be given to Abraham to produce offspring. Could it be possible that God would make the child of promise in such a way, from a union between separated faithful Abraham and the fleshly Hagar who represented the world.
I have asked myself many times. "How could Abraham do it?" "How could he be so blind"
We do not realize the influence of our husbands and wives at times. Adam listened to his wife Eve and lost Paradise, bringing the curse of sin and sickness and death on all mankind. Abraham listened to his wife Sarah and produced Ishmael whose descendants became mortal enemies and persecutors of the descendants of Isaac and are still so today.
A man with a vision, a woman with a vision must be careful that the vision is not altered or diluted or wrecked by a partner who is not spiritually minded and who does not share that vision. I know of several men who would have been mighty servants of God if their wives had not opposed them spiritually and weakened them and redirected them into earthly pursuits instead of paying the price of faith and supporting them in their God given calling and ministry.
I have also known women who have been greatly anointed of God and filled with the spirit whose husbands have opposed and undermined and worn them out with their worldly ways and unreasonable demands. The purposes of God and the church of God are much the poorer for these things. If you are hindering the work of God in and through your husband or wife this morning because you have a natural vision, learn from the example of Sarah and Hagar. Seek to reach the faith level, the commitment level of your husband, of your wife and become heirs together of the blessings and promises of God.
So Abraham took Hagar and she conceived. Sometimes we expect there to be no consequences to our sin. We sin and expect God to step in and somehow wipe out all the effects of our sin. God does not do this. He forgives the sin but the consequences may remain.
Abraham did the wrong thing. Perhaps we would expect God to make Hagar barren to protect Abraham. Instead He had made the righteous Sarah barren and allowed the worldly Hagar from Egypt to become pregnant first try. Why was this? God allows many things to take their course.
He has certain reasons for holding back blessings that you long for until their appointed time and if you take it into your own hands to try and do in your own strength what God wants you to wait for Him to do, he may stand back and let you reap the consequences of your foolishness and lack of faith.
Ch 21vs 1-2 Sarah had her son. It happened at the set time that God had appointed and God, after making the promise to Abraham and Sarah, expected them to wait for it to be fulfilled at the time He had appointed.
Sarah couldn't wait which showed that she didn't really believe. Abraham did believe and God had counted that faith to him for righteousness. But the pressure and natural reasoning of his wife seemed to find a way around his faith and he listened to her and produced a child that was not the child of promise.
Gal 4:22-23, 28-31.
Now when Hagar saw that she was pregnant she began to imagine herself as an equal to Sarah. She began to think of herself as if she was the second wife of Abraham and she began to despise Sarah. Sarah began to regret what she had done. She had thought that good would come from evil but she was quickly learning that evil produces only more evil.
People think that if they cheat on their taxes or take bribes they will become more wealthy but evil only produces more evil and the snake of sin turns around and bites you and you finally lose more than you ever thought to gain.
People think that by living in adultery they will overcome loneliness and they will be happy, but the long term result is only more evil and it ends up in eternal separation from God in hell.
People think that by ignoring the call of God on their life and focusing instead on making money and building their business up they will be filled with blessings and prosperity and peace of mind but the opposite occurs and they become more and more miserable and more and more unhappy until they are forced to admit that only God can make them happy and they humble themselves and stop wasting their lives on putting more into their business and the pursuit of money than God ever wanted them to do. They think that they are able to control it but they get out of control and their business ends up running their lives and then ruining their lives.
Sarah was upset because it seemed that Abraham was not remembering that Hagar was only a servant girl and that the arrangement was for her to produce a son that would become Sarah's son. Sarah rebuked Abraham in vs 5. She said my wrong be upon you. I did wrong in suggesting this thing and now I can see it. I am unhappier than I was before, but some of it is your fault because Hagar is thinking herself to be something and is looking down on me. Have you placed her in the position of being a second wife and so are despising me too?
Abraham responded to his wife encouragingly. He said. "Your maid is in your hand. Do what you want with her." He was saying, she is still just your maid. She is not my wife. I haven't changed the plan.
So Sarah took Hagar away from Abraham and dealt harshly with her for her pride.
So Hagar fled from her into the desert and no one followed her, no one tried to find her.
Perhaps both Abraham and Sarah were secretly happy that the problem they had created had gone away. Now they could both just acknowledge that it had all been a mistake and that they had sinned and lost faith in God and now they could get on with life.
But the consequences of their sin remained and God required them to face up to the responsibility of it.
So God appeared to Hagar as she sat lonely and confused beside a well in the desert.
God addressed her "Hagar, Sarah's maid." God knew who she was and called her Sarah's maid, not Abraham's wife.
Then God asked her two questions. He said to her "Where have you come from?" and "Where are you going?"
Often when we are moved by our feelings or circumstances and we respond without really thinking about what we are doing, we are moving into dangerous spiritual territory. We are leaving a place of blessing and promise and light and heading back to a place of cursing and bondage and darkness. We can do this without thinking about it. Hagar was leaving Palestine and returning to Egypt. God knew this and didn't need to ask her the questions, but he asked her them for her sake. He wanted her to stop and think about it. Often if we just stop and think about things we can save ourselves from much sorrow later on.
There are times when God through his servants says to us. "Where have you come from and where are you going?" What are you giving up and what are you getting in its place? When Elijah ran away from his duty, God appeared to him and asked him "What are you doing here Elijah?"
Are there people in our midst this morning who because of personal difficulty or loss of face or humbling treatment from others are running away from God, or are running away from what God wants you to do? Is God saying to you this morning?
What is going on? Where are you going? What are you doing?
Then God said to Hagar. Return to your mistress and be subject to her. With a change in attitude Hagar was acceptable to Sarah. As soon as she lost her arrogance and her sense of being better than Sarah, she fitted in again. Often the problems that make us run away from our duty to God are caused by pride in our own lives and when we humble ourselves and face up to our responsibilities and commitments we get on OK again.
In His kindness to Hagar, God did not ignore her or forget her like Abraham and Sarah were doing. No God followed her into the wilderness and spoke to her. He told her to return and be subject to her mistress.
Then he gave her a promise. If God call us to serve him in faith we can expect that he will give us a promise.
2 Cor 6:17,18-7:1
The promise to Hagar was that her son would be the founder of a great race of people with innumerable descendants. He told her that she would have a son and that he was to be called Ishmael (God hears). The he told her three prophetic things about him and his descendants.
1. The Arabs would be a wild nation. Untamed, proud, independent.
2. The Arabs would be in confederacy with no one but would take up arms against all. They would be opposed by all other races and nations and would find it impossible to even agree among themselves.
3. The Arabs would dwell in the presence of the other offspring of Abraham, namely the Jews. We see that even today when the Jewish state of Palestine must seek to exist with Jews and Arabs alongside each other contesting for the land and for Jerusalem.
So Hagar named the well where the Lord spoke to her "The well of the living God who sees me."
Hagar learned that God in heaven is a living God who knows everything. He knows who she is. He knows her name and her calling in life. He knows her duty and her responsibilities, He knows where she is coming from and where she is going. He knows the pride in her heart and He knows what she needs to do about it.
There is a living God who sees you. There is a living God who sees your affliction and your sorrows. There is a living God who loves you enough to rebuke you and send you back to the place you are running away from. Humble yourself this morning as James says under the hand of God that He may exalt you in due time.
Finally this morning, if you are tempted as Abraham and Sarah were to run before the Lord and create an Ishmael. Be patient and let God work at the appointed time in His program and bring forth the living fruits of faith rather than the dead fruits of unbelief and self effort. God will guide you if you fully trust Him.
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