Two women and one man
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| .1
Now Sarai Abram's wife bare him no children: and she had an handmaid, an
Egyptian, whose name was Hagar.
.2 And Sarai said unto Abram, Behold now, the LORD hath restrained me from bearing: I pray thee, go in unto my maid; it may be that I may obtain children by her. And Abram hearkened to the voice of Sarai. .3 And Sarai Abram's wife took Hagar her maid the Egyptian, after Abram had dwelt ten years in the land of Canaan, and gave her to her husband Abram to be his wife. 4 ¶ And he went in unto Hagar, and she conceived: and when she saw that she had conceived, her mistress was despised in her eyes. |
1
- [Polygamy] Sarai (later "Sarah") doubted and made the proposition
to her husband who, like Adam, fell into sin. Then in verse 5, the parallel
continues. Sarai blamed Abram.
God had given the principle of marriage of only one man with one woman. ge0224. Many others in the OT (Old Testament) copied Abram's bad example and we may be tempted to wonder if the original plan was unimportant. The archaeological discovery of documents in or near Abram's native country outlined this very plan of a a wife offering for her servant to bear a child when she was unsuccessful. This confirms the idea that Abram and Sarai were following a plan which was was not of divine origin. ge1502. God had more than one good reason for telling Abram to get up and leave Ur ge1201. |
| 5 And Sarai said unto
Abram, My wrong be upon thee: I have given my maid into thy bosom; and
when she saw that she had conceived, I was despised in her eyes: the LORD
judge between me and thee.
6 But Abram said unto Sarai, Behold, thy maid is in thy hand; do to her as it pleaseth thee. And when Sarai dealt hardly with her, she fled from her face. |
6 -
In
thy hand The Mesopotamian code of Hammurabi allowed a concubine
who claimed equality to be marked as a slave but not sold.
6 - Dealt hardly This may imply corporal punishment. So much of the world's misery is based on defending or demanding selfish interests. It is not God's way. See r09m for the Islamic connection here. |
| 7 ¶ And the angel of
the LORD found her by a fountain of water in the wilderness, by the fountain
in the way to Shur.
8 And he said, Hagar, Sarai's maid, whence camest thou? and whither wilt thou go? And she said, I flee from the face of my mistress Sarai. 9 And the angel of the LORD said unto her, Return to thy mistress, and submit thyself under her hands. |
7 -
Angel
of the Lord Was this the Messiah? I believe
so considering v10 and v13.
9 - Return ... and submit Submission was already implied in the way He addressed her. This command does not excuse Sarai's behavior. God will finally deal with unconfessed sin. It is generally not the responsibility of the oppressed to punish their oppressors. The cycle of revenge is not broken except by forgiveness and withholding retaliation. |
| 10 And the angel of
the LORD said unto her, I will multiply thy seed exceedingly, that it shall
not be numbered for multitude.
.11 And the angel of the LORD said unto her, Behold, thou art with child, and shalt bear a son, and shalt call his name Ishmael; because the LORD hath heard thy affliction. 12 And he will be a wild man; his hand will be against every man, and every man's hand against him; and he shall dwell in the presence of all his brethren. |
To a great degree this prophecy continues to be fulfilled. A large part of the Christian church today mistakenly assumes that the Arabic people are to be dealt with harshly. I don't believe this is God's plan any more than it was for Sarai. |
| .13
And she called the name of the LORD that spake unto her, Thou God seest
me: for she said, Have I also here looked after him that seeth me?
14 Wherefore the well was called Beerlahairoi; behold, it is between Kadesh and Bered. |
The Angel named the child and Hagar names the Angel. It was at least her name for Him. |
| 15 And Hagar bare Abram
a son: and Abram called his son's name, which Hagar bare, Ishmael.
.16 And Abram was fourscore and six years old, when Hagar bare Ishmael to Abram. |
Abram honored the Angel's command (and no doubt Hagar's wishes) v11. He apparently considered Ishmael the promised heir. See ge1718 . 4 years later, Isaac was born. |
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