Sarah and Abram : It seemed like a good idea at the time!
Genesis 15:1-5,16,17,20
Last week we discussed obedience and submission to God using the life of Sarah and Abram. We learned that fear cause them to sin against God but God still protected them and found favor in them .Today we will continue with that mindset and continue with Genesis 15:1-6.
Here God is making a promise to protect and provide an heir for Abram and Sarah. Abram discusses his future with the Lord and God tells him that his heir will not be from a servant maid (this was acceptable in society) but an heir will be born from him. Abram believes him and the covenant is made.
In chapter 16 Sarah does what she thinks is best and gives her maidservant to Abram so an heir can be born. She was old and this was probably a painful things to do. However, this action that was acceptable in their world was not acceptable to God. Abram does not take the lead in this situation and tell his wife that this is wrong, but we learn that he let her call the shots and went along with her plan forgetting what the Lord had said to him in Chapter 15:4. Abram sleeps with Hagar the maidservant and she becomes pregnant. Hagar becomes resentful and despises Sarah for this, and fights erupt in the marriage between Abram and Sarah. (16:5-7) Abram gives over control to Sarah completely and the result is Hagar getting mistreated and she runs away.
Hagar running away causes God to come down and speak to her as an angel. He comforts her and let her know that he seems what is going on and that she is hurting but also reassure her that he will protect her and her future son Ishmael. This is the first time we read of an angel talking to a woman and now doubt we all would have been awestruck. She was filled with the Spirit and returned to Sarah and Abram as God had said.
13 years later chapter 17. Where God once again comes to Abram and tells him that soon Sarah will have a son. And in light of this he changes Abram’s name to Abraham (100 y/o) and Sari’s to Sarah(89 y/o). As a sign of maturity and a sign of the promise that is about to come true. They will become the parents of a many nations.
Lastly, in chapter 20 we see God testing them once again in the same way that they were tested 25 years previous. But God stops, and protects them from their sin, and blesses them with land before the birth of Isaac. Which leads us into our next session…
when he talks to me 