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*Inscription: Writing God’s Words on Our Hearts & Minds*
*/Part 7: The Ishmael Incident/*
*/Abraham’s Faith & Failure/*
*Genesis 16*
*/January 17, 2010/*
* *
*Prep: *
· Spurgeon notes
· 101, leftovers
· Gen.
12, 15, 16, 21, 22
*Scripture reading: *Genesis 12:1-7
* *
Prayer
Everything that *written* in the *past* is to *teach* us, bring us *encouragement* and *hope*.
Help us learn, both what to do and what not to do, from your servant Abraham.
Father Abraham
How many of you grew up in Sunday School?
Do you remember the world’s most *annoying* *song*, “Father Abraham”?
It’s like “100 Bottle of Beer” except we had complete it.
Abraham was the father of the Israelites, one of the *two* most *import* *figures* (along with Moses) is Jewish history.
What I love about the Bible is that it doesn’t try to *airbrush* him, Genesis is very much “*warts* and *all*.”
· Abraham becomes a figure we can *relate* *to* and learn from.
Man of faith
As we heard, Abraham was a man of faith.
God told him to move and he did.
He *wasn’t* a particularly *righteous* man (as we will see), for no obvious reason, God *selects* Abraham and promises to make him into a *great* *nation*.
· Abraham’s greatest act was simply *BELIEVING* God and it was “*credited* to him as righteousness.”
(Genesis 15:6)
To be honest, he really didn’t *know* *much* about God, and he may *not* have even been a *monotheist*, but he trusted Yahweh.
God’s *promise* to Abraham takes the form of a *covenant*.
We don’t have time to properly cover covenants this morning, but covenants are a *key* *theme* in the Bible.
A covenant is a *binding* *relationship* between two parties, and the Bible is full of covenants between God and his people: *Noah*, *Abraham*, *Moses* and *Israel*, and finally with *us*.
A dangerous detour
Up until this point, Abraham has been the man of faith we honor him as.
But then there is a *famine* in Canaan, and Abraham takes his family to Egypt to wait it out.
NIV *Genesis 12:11-16* ¶ As he was about to enter Egypt, he said to his wife Sarai, “I know what a beautiful woman you are. 12 When the Egyptians see you, they will say, ‘This is his wife.’
Then they will kill me but will let you live.
13 Say you are my sister, so that I will be treated well for your sake and my life will be spared because of you.” 14 When Abram came to Egypt, the Egyptians saw that she was a very beautiful woman.
15 And when Pharaoh’s officials saw her, they praised her to Pharaoh, and she was taken into his palace.
16 He treated Abram well for her sake, and Abram acquired sheep and cattle, male and female donkeys, menservants and maidservants, and camels.
Does this sound like “*Indecent* *Proposal*” to anyone?
I’ll give you a million dollars for a night with your wife.
So Abraham throws Sarah *under* the *train* to save his skin.
Real godly.
· While it’s never addressed, I wonder how this *affected* their *relationship* – it may explain some *future* *events*.
But this is worse than risking his wife’s *dishonor*, and begin *calloused* towards her *wellbeing*.
Abraham was *gambling* with God’s covenant – what would happen if Sarah got *pregnant* around this time?
It would have thrown the baby’s *parentage* into question.
That’s why both stories are very *clear* that Sarah was *not* *touched* by any other man.
· Fortunately for Sarah, *God* *cared* *more* for her wellbeing and honor than her husband.
I’d like to think that he *learned* his *lesson* but Abraham pulls the *same* little *stunt* in chapter 20 (and his son *Isaac* would do the same thing).
Doubting God
Q What is the *real* *problem* here?
What is the basic sin?
He didn’t *believe* that God could *take* *care* of him.
God hadn’t told Abraham to go to Egypt, so even being there betrays a lack of trust in God’s ability to care for him.
Last week, we looked at the *Fall*, when Satan tempted Adam and Eve to doubt *God’s* *goodness*.
This similar – Abraham is *doubting* God’s *ability*.
· This theme is run through the rest of Abraham’s story, like a thread of shame.
The Ishmael incident
Now we come to Abraham’s greatest failure.
King *David* had the Bathsheba affair, *Peter* denied knowing Jesus, and *Abraham* had the *Ishmael* *incident*.
NIV *Genesis 16:1* ¶ Now Sarai, Abram’s wife, had borne him no children.
But she had an Egyptian maidservant named Hagar; 2 so she said to Abram, “The LORD has kept me from having children.
Notice she *blames* *God*.
It has now been *10* *years* since God had promise to make a great nation out of Abraham.
He is now *85* years old and Sarah is *75*.
So Sarah decides to take matter *into* her own *hands*.
Go, sleep with my maidservant; perhaps I can build a family through her.” Abram agreed to what Sarai said.
3 So after Abram had been living in Canaan ten years, Sarai his wife took her Egyptian maidservant Hagar and gave her to her husband to be his wife.
Way to take one for the *team* Abraham!
How *surprising* is it that he agrees?
He gets to have *sex* with the *hot*, *young* *housekeeper*!
*Culturally* this was *acceptable* – you can’t have kids so you have your servant stand in proxy for you.
It’s like being a *surrogate* mother, but without the *turkey*-*baster*.
But just because it was culturally acceptable did not make it *right*.
There are *two* huge *problems* here:
1.
It violated their *marriage* *covenant*.
*Polygamy* is not expressly condemned in the Bible, but it *violates* God’s *intent* “they shall be one flesh.”
*Open* *marriages* may be become more acceptable, but that doesn’t make it any less *destructive* to the *intimacy* of the marriage.
One wonders how this must have *affected* their *marriage*.
I also wonder if her offer was a *result* of Abraham’s disregard of her honor in *Egypt*.
2.
It missed *God’s* *plan*.
Sarah’s barrenness was not an *obstacle* to God’s promise, it was an *opportunity* to see God’s *divine* *working*.
This is a *theme* in Bible (Sarah, Rebekah, Rachel, Hannah, Elizabeth).
· As Paul indicates, *Hagar’s* child will be a son of the *flesh*, but *Sarah’s* a son of *God’s* *promise*.
4 He slept with Hagar, and she conceived.
When she knew she was pregnant, she began to despise her mistress.
· *Hagar* is not *guiltless* either, she wants to *supplant* Sarah.
5 Then Sarai said to Abram, “You are responsible for the wrong I am suffering.
I put my servant in your arms, and now that she knows she is pregnant, she despises me.
May the LORD judge between you and me.” 6 “Your servant is in your hands,” Abram said.
“Do with her whatever you think best.”
The good news is that Sarah’s plan worked.
The bad news is it wasn’t such a great plan.
So what does she do?
*Blames* *Abraham*.
· But she’s right – it’s his fault for going along.
Q Does this story sound at all *familiar*?
In Eden, *Eve* offers *Adam* something he should have said no to, now Sarah gives Abraham someone he should have said no to.
Abraham is *passive* when he should have been active.
He was *wrong* when he *slept* with Hagar and when he *refused* to *protect* her.
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