01.13.2013 Hagar - God Loves the Outsider

SermonAudio

Let’s pray – Lord, thank You – that You are present with us. You care. Your love never fails. We are going through stories in Your Bible – You love, when we fail, but your love never fails. That love is demonstrated at the cross and something we can experience every day. Help us to hear Your word this morning. In a way that is encouraging and a way that challenges us. May we continue to grow and be transformed. In Jesus’ Name – Amen.
We are looking at the life of Abraham. His life- His experience – is a metaphor for his faith journey. Throughout his life, there are things that threaten his receiving of the promise. In every story that comes up – there are some things that just aren’t quite right. This week is no exception.
This is the story of Hagar –
Genesis 16:1 Now Sarai, Abram's wife had borne him no [children,] and she had an Egyptian maid whose name was Hagar. 2 So Sarai said to Abram, "Now behold, the Lord has prevented me from bearing [children.] Please go in to my maid; perhaps I shall obtain children through her." And Abram listened to the voice of Sarai. 3 And after Abram had lived ten years in the land of Canaan, Abram's wife Sarai took Hagar the Egyptian, her maid, and gave her to her husband Abram as his wife
Immediately – our minds go, WHOA! Where is this going here? They have this promise – that their descendants will be greater than all the sands of the seashore. At this point – Abraham is 84-85 years old – and Sarah about 75. Sarah, who is unable to conceive, conceives this plot – she gives Abraham her servant. Hagar conceives and that causes tremendous animosity, rival, and contention between Sarah and Hagar. Hagar names the baby Ishmael –
Genesis 21:8-10
Many believe Ishmael is the father of the Arab world. When we read this story – people look – and say, thus begins the Arab/Israeli conflict – around 2000 BC! This is probably true. And the Arab/Israeli conflict is more complex than that. There is so much going on here in this story – as odd as it may appear to us – as strange as it seems here in the 21st century –
What is interesting – in the middle of this story – God sticks this story of Hagar. It takes up a lot of space. If I were writing a Bible – I don’t think I would take this much space telling this story. This story makes a counterpoint to the big story.
One author says this – the Biblical narrative often conveys its most powerful truths in counterpoint to those that carry the main plot. God has significant theological/practical lessons to be taught through these stories that come out of nowhere. I am going to tell the story – it really is amazing. This is God’s WORD! You can’t read these stories and not think about how God has put all of this together in His book and it all fits together so well.
There is a crisis – then an interruption in the story – so we are introduced to the servant of Sarah – a slave – Hagar. When we are introduced – she is categorized and defined. That is what the writer does. She is a female, Egyptian servant. These words are repeated all throughout the story. It comes up over and over again – trying to make a very specific point. She is categorized by her race, gender, and class. And the first thing he is telling us – you need to get these three things out of your mind – judging everything based on those categories. Hagar is on the margin – inferior – outsider – powerless in every way. And we will see how God will take that and teach a lesson through this outsider.
Gene. 16: 2b And Abram listened to the voice of Sarai. 3 And after Abram had lived ten years in the land of Canaan, Abram's wife Sarai took Hagar the Egyptian, her maid, and gave her to her husband Abram as his wife
Abraham listens to her voice. VOICE comes up several times. Except Hagar has no voice.
Sarah goes to Abraham – you’re 85, this isn’t working – take my servant Hagar – and you can imagine them discussing it – and Hagar saying – I’m standing right here – she has no say in it – they are bartering over her body – it is unreal.
We have to backtrack – for their circumstance – this wasn’t so unreal. For us, someone having more than one wife only happens on TV – but in the Old Testament – it was somewhat commonplace and wasn’t even condemned. Abraham’s grandson marries two sisters – and that is how his family is created. This was not as strange for them.
Gene. 16: 2b And Abram listened to the voice of Sarai. 3 And after Abram had lived ten years in the land of Canaan, Abram's wife Sarai took Hagar the Egyptian, her maid, and gave her to her husband Abram as his wife
This ill-conceived plot elevates Hagar from outsider slave girl to wife of Abraham.
4 And he went in to Hagar, and she conceived; and when she saw that she had conceived, her mistress was despised in her sight.
Hagar was empowered – she was on equal plane to this person who had been a master – and she looks with contempt on Sarah – and even feels she is one up on her.
5 And Sarai said to Abram, "May the wrong done me be upon you.
Imagine Abraham – was really passive – Hagar conceives – and now Sarah is angry. This is why you need to come to the couples conference – men just don’t get it.
5 And Sarai said to Abram, "May the wrong done me be upon you. I gave my maid into your arms; but when she saw that she had conceived, I was despised in her sight. May the Lord judge between you and me." 6 But Abram said to Sarai, "Behold, your maid is in your power; do to her what is good in your sight." So Sarai treated her harshly, and she fled from her presence.
So – the Bible is one big story –pulling itself back together – and what do you have – the beginning of the story of the nation of Israel – you have a Hebrew woman treating an Egyptian slave harshly – and what happens in a few hundred years? You have Egyptians treating Hebrews harshly. It is a foreshadowing of what is to come.
Hagar leaves – she flees –
Hagar 16:7 Now the angel of the Lord found her by a spring of water in the wilderness, by the spring on the way to Shur.
The angel of the Lord sought her out. Like the shepherd leaving the 99 to find the 1 – Here is God’s compassion and love being shown to the one being missing. He searches for the Egyptian slave girl. Like the woman who searched for the lost coin. Like looking for your keys when you need to be somewhere. It is a frantic search. God has that same love – He is working with Abraham and Sarah – and stuck in the middle of this story is God’s deep love for the grandmother of the Arab world. When he finds her:
8 And he said, "Hagar, Sarai's maid, where have you come from and where are you going?"
God always asks questions – and you wonder why – when He already knows the answer! He knows where she is coming from. He is giving the person without a voice a voice. And she speaks – it is her turn – and He wants her to speak. God gives a voice to the voiceless. That is who God is. He is a father to the fatherless. HE gives a voice to the one without a voice. It is a continual story of the Bible. For God to stand in the place for those who cannot stand themselves. We are much more Hagar than we are Abraham! We are servant slaves – outsiders – who just happen to be attached to a Hebrew man – with the name of Jesus. And it is through that that we have value and worth – and God loves us deeply – and we are the ones who have fled and He came to seek us out. We are the lost sheep. We are the ones without a voice – the fatherless that He has become a father to.
And she said, "I am fleeing from the presence of my mistress Sarai." 9 Then the angel of the Lord said to her, "Return to your mistress, and submit yourself to her authority." 10 Moreover, the angel of the Lord said to her, "I will greatly multiply your descendants so that they shall be too many to count."
What does that sound like? The exact same promise made to Abraham. He chose Abraham – and it is through the son Isaac that the promise will be fulfilled – and through that – the entire world would be blessed – But God has always pushed for everyone to have a relationship with Him.
11 The angel of the Lord said to her further, "Behold, you are with child, And you shall bear a son; And you shall call his name Ishmael, Because the Lord has given heed to your affliction. 12 "And he will be a wild donkey of a man, His hand [will be] against everyone, And everyone's hand [will be] against him; And he will live to the east of all his brothers."
What an encouraging thing to hear!
13 Then she called the name of the Lord who spoke to her, "Thou art a God who sees"; for she said, "Have I even remained alive here after seeing Him?"
Hagar is the only woman in Genesis to hold a conversation with God. He reproves Sarah with 3 words. He communicates with Hagar. And Hagar is the first to name God – You are the God who sees me. You see throughout the Bible, people naming God – Yahweh is my Redeemer/salvation/provider – Hagar is the first.
14 Therefore the well was called Beer-lahai-roi; behold, it is between Kadesh and Bered. 15 So Hagar bore Abram a son; and Abram called the name of his son, whom Hagar bore, Ishmael. 16 And Abram was eighty-six years old when Hagar bore Ishmael to him.
Isaac is born – then the story with Ishmael continues:
21:8 And the child (Isaac) grew and was weaned, and Abraham made a great feast on the day that Isaac was weaned. 9 Now Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian, whom she had borne to Abraham, mocking. 10 Therefore she said to Abraham, "Drive out this maid and her son, for the son of this maid shall not be an heir with my son Isaac." 11 And the matter distressed Abraham greatly because of his son. 12 But God said to Abraham, "Do not be distressed because of the lad and your maid; whatever Sarah tells you, listen to her, for through Isaac your descendants shall be named.
Abraham is not happy what Sarah tells him to do here – Abraham doesn’t want to send Ishmael away – and God continues to promise a great nation out of Ishmael.
14 So Abraham rose early in the morning, and took bread and a skin of water, and gave [them] to Hagar, putting [them] on her shoulder, and [gave her] the boy, and sent her away. And she departed, and wandered about in the wilderness of Beersheba.
Jeff will be looking at the story of Abraham and Isaac next week – Abraham rose early in the morning – and for all intents and purposes – he is sending him to his death, but Abraham understands a promise of a multitude through Ishmael – but he is sending them off to the desert basically to die.
15 And the water in the skin was used up, and she left the boy under one of the bushes. 16 Then she went and sat down opposite him, about a bowshot away, for she said, "Do not let me see the boy die." And she sat opposite him, and lifted up her voice and wept. 17 And God heard the lad crying; and the angel of God called to Hagar from heaven, and said to her, "What is the matter with you, Hagar? Do not fear, for God has heard the voice of the lad where he is. 18 "Arise, lift up the lad, and hold him by the hand; for I will make a great nation of him." 19 Then God opened her eyes and she saw a well of water; and she went and filled the skin with water, and gave the lad a drink. 20 And God was with the lad, and he grew; and he lived in the wilderness, and became an archer. 21 And he lived in the wilderness of Paran; and his mother took a wife for him from the land of Egypt.
We see in this story – God is doing one thing – and then he does something completely different – caring just as much for the outsider as for the one inside.
A couple of practical things –
Firs t- this is a warning about taking God’s responsibility into our own hands. We need to learn to determine what part of our situation is God’s responsibility – and then to leave that to Him. For A&S – the begetting of children belonged to God. Taking God’s responsibilities on ourselves causes more anxiety, fear, and sin than what it alleviates.
Second – we need to have a deep understanding of God’s love and compassion for outsiders and the powerless - because God does – he has a tremendous love for those who can’t make it on their own.
Finally – God will protect His promise – will fulfill it in the end. He will bring it about. Abraham was 100 years old before the child of promise was born. 100! We tend to lose faith after a week! Abraham persevered a LONG time – and then God came through. God will be faithful. Let’s pray…