Hagar Flees – The Plight Of Hagar

   January 13, 2020
HAGAR FLEES

The moral implications that you and I read into this are not quite here in the historical record.

Abram and Sarai were brought up in Ur of the Chaldees where this was a common practice, and the moral angle is not the thing that for them was so wrong.

The terrible thing was that they just did not believe God. The wrong that they committed by Abram taking Sarai’s maid Hagar was a sin, and God treated it as such.

But today we reverse the emphasis and say that taking a concubine is a sin, but we do not pay too much attention to the unbelief.

Yet the unbelief was the major sin here; that is, it was lots blacker than the other.

Genesis 16:6-16 KJV

[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.

[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.

[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.

[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 Beer–lahai–roi; behold, it is between Kadesh and Bered.

[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.

Genesis 16:6

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.

  • The Scripture doesn’t tell us what Sarah did.

Genesis 16:7

And the angel of the LORD found her by a fountain of water in the wilderness, by the fountain in the way to Shur.

  • Every evidence is, this “Angel of the Lord” is none other than a pre-incarnate appearance of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Genesis 16:8

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.

 

Genesis 16:9

And the angel of the LORD said unto her, Return to thy mistress, and submit thyself under her hands.

  • Had she not obeyed, she would no doubt have died in the wilderness.

Genesis 16:10

And the angel of the LORD said unto her, I will multiply thy seed exceedingly, that it shall not be numbered for multitude.

  • However, the Lord said nothing about Faith, because there was no faith in the heart of Hagar, and neither would there be any in the heart of her son, Ishmael.

Genesis 16:11

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.

  • The fault of her situation did not belong with Hagar, but rather with Abraham and Sarah.
  • However, she ultimately forfeited what the Lord could have done for her by opposing His Plan, which was Isaac. “Ishmael” means “God hears.”
  • However, it has nothing to do with Ishmael, but rather the plight of Hagar.

Genesis 16:12

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.

  • These predictions describe the Arab people perfectly. They cannot get along with anyone in the world, and they cannot even get along among themselves.
  • The descendants of Ishmael dwell in the presence of all his brethren [Israel], but do not subdue them and, in fact, never will subdue them!

Genesis 16:13

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?

  • Hagar recognized that the Angel was, in fact, the Lord, actually the God of Abraham
  • Hagar gave the name to the Lord of “El Roi,” which means, “You are a God Who permits Himself to be seen.”
  • As is obvious, she truly had a wonderful Revelation, but, sadly and regrettably, her self-will overrode her faith.
  • She wanted her son, Ishmael, to be the heir of Promise, but that was not to be. She would even go so far, even as we will see, to try to kill Isaac.
  • And so do all who reject the Cross follow in her footsteps.

Genesis 16:14

Wherefore the well was called Beer–lahai–roi; behold, it is between Kadesh and Bered.

  • “Beer-lahai-roi” means “Well of the Living-Seeing God.”

Genesis 16:15

And Hagar bare Abram a son: and Abram called his son’s name, which Hagar bare, Ishmael.

  • Hagar, without doubt, related to Abraham all that had happened, placed herself under the authority of Sarah, and Abraham was then careful to name the boy what the Lord had said —“Ishmael.”

Genesis 16:16

And Abram was fourscore and six years old, when Hagar bare Ishmael to Abram.

  • Onescore= 20 years, so 20 years times 4 = 80, plus six years totals 86
  • Abraham would yet have to wait some 14 years before the Promise would be fulfilled.
  • As previously asked, I have to wonder if this lapse of faith did not prolong the waiting period for the Promise to be realized!

I hope that you have really enjoyed this post,

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