Sarai was furious. Verse 5. Verse 6 Abram delivers her to Sarai.

The Life of Faith 06

Faith and Surrender Genesis 16:1-16
Story of the Avianca Airlines jet crashing in Spain. English, Pull up Pull up. Pilot thinking the system was malfunctioning snapped, Shut up Gringo! And switched the system off. Minutes later the plane plowed into the side of a mountain. Often in our lives we grow weary of the word of God. Tired of his repeated promises. Distressed at the lack of progress. Temptation is to slide into the pilot seat and switch off the warning signals. Fly by sight instead of faith. Story of Abram and Hagar.

We have another dysfunctional family. What a mess. Notice Gods tender way. Verse 7. Verse 8. Hagar, Sarais maid, not Abrams wife. Great question, Where have you come from and where are you going? God often asks that of us. Verse 9 powerful truth. Return and submit. Verse 10 promise for her. Ishmael. God hears. Verse 12. How true. Verse 16. Abram was 86 when Ishmael was born. That means that Ishmael was 13 when Isaac was born. This was to become the Arab people.

Application. Exposition:
Verse 1. Egyptian. Probably picked up in Egypt. This is more to highlight the roots of Ishmael than any significance to the story. Unless there was already a built in animosity or feeling of superiority from the Egyptian. Verse 2. God has prevented Me. Genesis 15:4. God told Abram, from your own body, so the promise was to Abram but not necessarily to Sarai. 17:16 he gets specific. So Sarais idea was not bad. Notice she intended for Hagars child to be hers. This was common practice in that ancient culture. Surrogate mothers. Children were so important. Inscriptions on the wall showing how it was done. The surrogate would sit and deliver through a seat. The wife would be under the seat to receive the baby. She would then present it to her husband as if it came from her. By the way. Hagar was not Abrams wife. Verse 3. To Abram as his wife. Not in the fullest sense. This had more to do with taking her the way a man takes a wife. Notice when the thing goes wrong, Verse 6 she is still Sarais maid. Problem. During pregnancy Hagar grew contemptuous. Verse 4. See this great big mess. Persists today. Problems among the middle eastern people is nothing but long standing sibling rivalry.

1. You Can Do Right and Be Wrong.

Emphasize that what they did was not wrong. Not for that day. But it wasnt faith in God. Just wasnt right. Proverbs 14:12 There is a way which seems right to a man, But its end is the way of death. How could they have known? Clue was in the covenant. 16:17 God passed through. Point. God would do this alone. He was completely responsible. Dont panic.

2. When God is Silent Be Still.

Blackaby, Dont just do something Stand there. Feel like we must jump in. Dont panic. Be still and know that I am God. Wait and see the glory of the lord.

Wait on the lord, be of good courage and he shall strengthen thine heart. Wait I say on the lord. Max Lucado. Time has a way of separating whim from need. This time he could wait no longer.

3. When We Fail He Finds a Way.

Did all of this wreck the will of God? No. In fact I think they fulfilled the will of God. God wanted to make two nations out of Abram. Our choices never limit his sovereignty. Interesting insight. David, the shepherd king. Man after Gods own heart. Ron Allen, distinguished professor of OT at Dallas Seminary. Could be that David was illegitimate. David. In sin did my mother conceive me, more naturally meant, in sin. Conceived in sin. This would explain the unusual treatment by his father. Fact that when Samuel asked for the family to be summoned he left out David. Would also account for the ill treatment by his brothers at the battle. Consider the scenario. Davids father, Jesse, a prominent elder in the small village a Bethlehem. Because of his position they overlooked the indiscretion. Result, David. Could also explain why when Samuel came to the village that the elders were so afraid. They had not done what they were supposed to do and punished sin. If this is all true then it adds further poignancy in the connection between David and Jesus. Jesus, too, was considered illegitimate. Think of the implications. Our problem his sovereignty. But our choices do have long term implications. This choice is still our problem. Ishmael the father of the Arabs. Isaac the father of Israel. Conflict.