Digging Deeper: Short-Circuiting the Process
4 And he went in to Hagar, and she conceived. And when she saw that she had conceived, she looked with contempt on her mistress. 5 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!” 6 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.
Genesis 16:4-6 (ESV)
SHORT-CIRCUITING THE PROCESS
As we continue the story of Sarai and Abram, keep in mind the old saying, “Be careful what you wish for.” I think a part of Sarai’s plan may have been to hope for a failure to conceive, thus relieving her from some of the guilt she may have been feeling. However, remember that the offspring of Abram and Hagar would be considered the rightful heir of Abram (barring any other legitimate heir born to Sarai), and Sarai would be considered the child (Ishmael’s) mother. What could go wrong? Hagar does in fact conceive, and the plot begins to thicken.
Hagar, a lowly servant, now begins to think of herself as better than her mistress — not exactly what Sarai had in mind. Sarai immediately puts the blame on Abram, and conflict between them arises. David Guzik comments, “Whatever a man or woman attempts to do without God will be a miserable failure – or an even more miserable success.” An heir was conceived, but at what cost? Again, Guzik notes, “This is a good reminder that results are not enough to justify what we do before God. It’s not right to say, ‘Well, they got a baby out of it. It must have been God’s will.’ The flesh profits nothing, but it can produce something. Doing things in the flesh may get results, and we may be sorry we got them.”
Sarai begins to treat Hagar harshly, and Hagar flees. This is the stuff of modern-day soap operas (not that I would ever admit to watching one)! The lack of patience exhibited by Abram and Sarai, and not trusting in the timing of God, has brought strife, pain, and discord into the household. I think we can all agree that waiting patiently for a resolution to our situation is not easy. However, as we can also see in the saga of Abram and Sarai, trying to short-circuit the process in our own way can have disastrous results. I challenge you today to pray for patience, and ask God to strengthen your resolve to, “Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord” (Ps 27:14)!
Phil Meade is a father of three, and grandfather of five. He has a Masters in Theological Studies from Liberty University, and lives in Acworth. He has led various small groups throughout his more than 20 years attending NorthStar Church. He recently retired after 33 years as a pilot for Delta Airlines.