Genesis 16

Trusting can be difficult at times. Abram and Sarai attempt to take matters into their own hands here. To be fair, we don’t have proof that God told Abram that Sarai would be the natural mother of his children. However, the tenor of the passage suggests that they understood the promise and wanted to “help” God make His promise come true. After all, Abram is getting older, his wife seems barren, so something had to be done! The absolutely wrong thing, as it turns out, that causes generations of heartache. We should take a warning from this. Sometimes we want to forge ahead with what seem like a good idea to us. Perhaps waiting, praying, and observing would be good first steps before we rush into anything!

The “angel of the Lord” in the OT is often thought to be a pre-incarnate appearance of Jesus Christ, and Hagar seems to indicate that this angel is more than simply a messenger: “Have I even stayed alive after seeing him” (WEB)? God shows that He understands the fact that Hagar was put in a terrible predicament by Sarai and Abram. He also shows that He cares for her and her offspring by promising them a future, albeit a difficult one.

Genesis 16:12 “He will be like a wild donkey amongst men. His hand will be against every man, and every man’s hand against him. He will live opposed to all of his brothers” (WEB).

Thought for the day: what does it mean to you that God sees you?

Hebrews 4:13 “There is no creature that is hidden from his sight, but all things are naked and laid open before the eyes of him to whom we must give an account.”