The Gospel according to Abraham: The story of Hagar: The LORD had seen me

Genesis 16:1-16 ESV

Now Sarai, Abram's wife, had borne him no children. She had a female Egyptian servant whose name was Hagar. And Sarai said to Abram, "Behold now, the Lord has prevented me from bearing children. Go in to my servant; it may be that I shall obtain children by her." And Abram listened to the voice of Sarai. So, after Abram had lived ten years in the land of Canaan, Sarai, Abram's wife, took Hagar the Egyptian, her servant, and gave her to Abram her husband as a wife. And he went in to Hagar, and she conceived. And when she saw that she had conceived, she looked with contempt on her mistress.  And Sarai said to Abram, "May the wrong done to me be on you! I gave my servant to your embrace, and when she saw that she had conceived, she looked on me with contempt. May the Lord judge between you and me!" But Abram said to Sarai, "Behold, your servant is in your power; do to her as you please." Then Sarai dealt harshly with her, and she fled from her. The angel of the Lord found her by a spring of water in the wilderness, the spring on the way to Shur. And he said, "Hagar, servant of Sarai, where have you come from and where are you going?" She said, "I am fleeing from my mistress Sarai." The angel of the Lord said to her, "Return to your mistress and submit to her." The angel of the Lord also said to her, "I will surely multiply your offspring so that they cannot be numbered for multitude." And the angel of the Lord said to her, "Behold, you are pregnant and shall bear a son. You shall call his name Ishmael, because the Lord has listened to your affliction. He shall be a wild donkey of a man, his hand against everyone and everyone's hand against him, and he shall dwell over against all his kinsmen." So she called the name of the Lord who spoke to her, "You are a God of seeing," for she said, "Truly here I have seen him who looks after me."  Therefore the well was called Beer-lahai-roi; it lies between Kadesh and Bered. And Hagar bore Abram a son, and Abram called the name of his son, whom Hagar bore, Ishmael. Abram was eighty-six years old when Hagar bore Ishmael to Abram.

Rev. Dan Whang

Hagar finds incredible hope after much trial, hurt, and trouble. This story reads like a soap to me.

This is ten years after Abram received a promise from God. Sarai told her husband that God had prevented her from having children. She had given up on God keeping His promise. Abram puts up no resistance. He goes along with her leading.

Hagar was a servant of Sarai. Sarai gave her servant to Abram. When Hagar conceived, her status excelled Sarai. In this time, women were valued by their ability to bear children. So Hagar becomes greater. When Sarai experiences this, she takes it out on Abram. And in response, Abram takes a even more passive position. He lets Sarai have her way. Sarai takes out her frustration on Hagar, very likely in the form of physical abuse. So Hagar does the only thing she can, she runs away and gets away from this ugly situation.

When it's clear that God is causing us to wait, the best thing to do is to keep waiting.

Hagar had run away and was on her way back towards Egypt. This is when the Lord catches up with her. It was likely that this story was told to the Israelites while they were fleeing from the Egyptians after for hundred years of oppression. Some may have even thought that Hagar was getting her just desserts. So the rest of this story is much of a shock, God does not deal with her as they would have expected.

God brings Hagar back into the promise of Abram. It is a crazy situation there, but God casts her lot with Abram. Not only that, but God gives a promise of numerous descendants to Hagar as well. They are an echo of the promise given to Abram. God draws her attention from past pain to the hopeful future. It is not comforting, but rather a bracing promise. A foreign slave, an Egyptian receives the words of God.

The gospel according to Abraham: Faith and prosperity

Genesis 13:1-18 ESV

So Abram went up from Egypt, he and his wife and all that he had, and Lot with him, into the Negeb. Now Abram was very rich in livestock, in silver, and in gold. And he journeyed on from the Negeb as far as Bethel to the place where his tent had been at the beginning, between Bethel and Ai, to the place where he had made an altar at the first. And there Abram called upon the name of the Lord . And Lot, who went with Abram, also had flocks and herds and tents, so that the land could not support both of them dwelling together; for their possessions were so great that they could not dwell together, and there was strife between the herdsmen of Abram's livestock and the herdsmen of Lot's livestock. At that time the Canaanites and the Perizzites were dwelling in the land. Then Abram said to Lot, "Let there be no strife between you and me, and between your herdsmen and my herdsmen, for we are kinsmen.  Is not the whole land before you? Separate yourself from me. If you take the left hand, then I will go to the right, or if you take the right hand, then I will go to the left." And Lot lifted up his eyes and saw that the Jordan Valley was well watered everywhere like the garden of the Lord , like the land of Egypt, in the direction of Zoar. (This was before the Lord  destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah.) So Lot chose for himself all the Jordan Valley, and Lot journeyed east. Thus they separated from each other. Abram settled in the land of Canaan, while Lot settled among the cities of the valley and moved his tent as far as Sodom. Now the men of Sodom were wicked, great sinners against the Lord . The Lord said to Abram, after Lot had separated from him, "Lift up your eyes and look from the place where you are, northward and southward and eastward and westward, for all the land that you see I will give to you and to your offspring forever. I will make your offspring as the dust of the earth, so that if one can count the dust of the earth, your offspring also can be counted. Arise, walk through the length and the breadth of the land, for I will give it to you." So Abram moved his tent and came and settled by the oaks of Mamre, which are at Hebron, and there he built an altar to the Lord .

Rev. Dwight Yoo

Abram retraces his steps after his failures. This symbolizes repentance. He is going back to where it all started. He is going back and seeking God's face.

Abram is a rich man. He had plenty of wealth on the form of livestock. So did Lot. So much so that they had to separate.

Prosperity can be both a test and temptation.

When things are tough, our character is tested. We are under pressure. And when that happens, our true character is revealed. The same happens in times of prosperity and easy going.  We can be tempted to forget God and walk away from Him.

Deuteronomy 6:10-12 ESV

"And when the Lord your God brings you into the land that he swore to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give you—with great and good cities that you did not build, and houses full of all good things that you did not fill, and cisterns that you did not dig, and vineyards and olive trees that you did not plant—and when you eat and are full, then take care lest you forget the Lord , who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.

Proverbs 30:8-9 ESV

Remove far from me falsehood and lying; give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with the food that is needful for me, lest I be full and deny you and say, "Who is the Lord ?" or lest I be poor and steal and profane the name of my God.

Mark 10:25 ESV

It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God."

We, as citizens of the US, are far richer than most of the people in the world. In this country, we are in a culture of materialism. We have things that people can only dream of. Or there is a time of success at work or at your studies, even this is a form of prosperity.  We are tempted to forget God.

We often hear for prayer when we go through tough times. Job layoffs, exam failures, and singleness are frequent prayer requests. But what about temptations of prosperity? We never hear of prayers for those who are doing well in life. But we should pray.

Lot chose to walk by sight and not faith.

Lot chose only by sight. It looks good, but it is close to wicked people. It looks like the garden of Eden, but with one significant difference. God is not there. Lot desires earthly, created things rather than the Creator.

We think that money gives us a sense of security and control. But it is a false promise. The security is fleeting. Whether we look for security in wealth, material possession, relationships, and created things, we can only find disappointment.

Real prosperity leads to radical generosity.

Abram failed the first prosperity test, but he passed the second one. He gives Lot first choice.  The younger cousin is allowed to choose first. It is counter cultural. Lot can only benefit. Abram gives this choice to Lot. Abram chooses to seek out Good rather than wealth.

Hebrews 11:9-10 ESV

By faith he went to live in the land of promise, as in a foreign land, living in tents with Isaac and Jacob, heirs with him of the same promise. For he was looking forward to the city that has foundations, whose designer and builder is God.

Abram decides that material gain is not the ultimate. Seeking God is. The mark of true faith is one who lowers their standard of living... to raise their standard of giving. Giving up HD TV so they can give more. We cover the idolatry of material security with an excuse of wisdom or stewardship.

"I place no value on anything I have or may possess, except in relation to the kingdom of God. If anything will advance the interests of the kingdom, it shall be given away or kept, only as by giving or keeping it I shall most promote the glory of Him to whom I owe all my hopes in time or eternity.” - David Livingston