Session 11
Genesis 15:1-6; 16:1-6
Memory Verse: Genesis 15:6
Shortcuts are often helpful-until they lead away from where we should be, that is. In 2011, news broke of the discovery of a woman who had gone missing some seven weeks earlier. The lady and her husband were on a trip from Canada to Las Vegas when their GPS unit led them onto a snow-covered dirt road in the mountains of northern Nevada. Soon, they got stuck in mud and snow. After three days the husband tried to hike out to get help. The wife stayed behind in the van, surviving on snow, water, and trail mix. Finally, forty-eight days later, she was found by hunters in the area. Her husband’s body was discovered more than a year later.
Not all short cuts can be trusted. As you reflect on this session from Genesis 15 and 16, think about shortcuts that didn’t work out well for you-both on a trip and in life? Consider sharing with your group how the shortcuts you tried were definitely the wrong choice.
It is difficult for children to wait patiently for something they’re excited about. Schoolteachers know that children grow more antsy and impatient as summer break draws near. Impatience is a normal response for children because patience comes with maturity. Sometimes adults struggle to be patient too. In God’s dealings with Abram, we learn that He expects believers to be mature in their faith and to exercise patience, trusting in God’s perfect timing in all things. (PSG, p. 100)
Documents found at the ancient city of Nuzi in Mesopotamia shed significant light on the customs and practices of the world of the patriarchs. One custom included the legal adoption of a male servant as heir if the master had no biological son. This historical fact provides the groundwork for today’s session.
Ten years or so had passed since God first promised Abram that he would have a son. Abram was pushing 85 or 86 years old when the events of Genesis 15 took place. Still, he had no son, no heir. No doubt, Abram grew impatient, as did Sarai his wife.
Genesis 15:2 suggests that Abram was familiar with the customs described in the Nuzi documents and was thinking about adopting his servant. God, however, had a different plan. He had made His promises to Abram, and He would be faithful to keep them.
After reasserting the promise of a son who would be the first in a line of innumerable descendants, God formally ratified His covenant with Abram. Ancient agreements like this were established with the slaying of animals that would be cut into halves.
After the animals were cut in half, each party would pass between the pieces. This symbolized the seriousness of the agreement with the understanding that “may I too be cut asunder if I break this agreement.” It was a solemn and serious vow because covenants were not taken lightly.
The one thing that set this agreement apart from any other was that God alone passed between the animal halves, emphasizing the one-sidedness of this covenant. God took the initiative and would bless Abram immensely. This blessing was not based on anything Abram had done or would do. It was rooted in nothing but the sovereign nature and grace of God. Abram’s only part in this covenant agreement was trusting and obeying God.
Trust, however, sometimes proves difficult. While Abram and Sarai had God’s promise, Sarai grew impatient and doubtful as time passed. In her impatience, she chose a shortcut that proved disastrous. Fathering a child through Sarai’s maidservant, Hagar, seemed reasonable. However, this attempt to run ahead of God turned out to be a wrong choice and created problems for years (even centuries) to come. From this shortcut came a son named Ishmael.
Despite Abram and Sarai’s attempt to “help” God, He remained faithful to His word. A line of nations was born to Abram through the descendants of Ishmael. But this was not the line of promise. For that, Abram needed to trust-and wait-a little longer.
As you read Genesis 15:1-6 and 16:1-6, identify the problems that arose because of Abram’s impatience. (PSG, p. 101)
EXPLORE THE TEXT
1 After these events, the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision: Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield; your reward will be very great. 2 But Abram said, “Lord God, what can you give me, since I am childless and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?” 3 Abram continued, “Look, you have given me no offspring, so a slave born in my house will be my heir.” 4 Now the word of the Lord came to him: “This one will not be your heir; instead, one who comes from your own body will be your heir.” 5 He took him outside and said, “Look at the sky and count the stars, if you are able to count them.” Then he said to him, “Your offspring will be that numerous.” 6 Abram believed the Lord, and he credited it to him as righteousness.
(v. 1) The word of the Lord: This phrase appears here for the first time in Genesis-and again in verse 4. While these are the only two times the wording appears in Genesis, it occurs more than one hundred times throughout the Old Testament, often in conjunction with a vision from God. The phrase most often is associated with a prophetic word from God.
(v. 1) Vision: The Old Testament differentiates between a dream and a vision. God spoke to His people in both ways, but a vision often occurred when a person was awake. Visions were a frequent way that God spoke to the patriarchs in Genesis. These encounters with God always contained some special revelation from Him that provided direction and commands.
(v. 1) Shield . . . reward: The challenge to Abram to reject fear might raise the question of why he was afraid. Perhaps his fear was that God’s promise of an heir was not going to happen. To this fear (and any others Abram might have harbored), God’s answer was twofold. First, He promised protection, pictured in the image of a shield. Second, God also promised provision as He spoke of a great reward. This reward referred to the promised descendants of Abram.
(v. 2) Lord God: The Hebrew-Adonai Yahweh-can also be translated “Sovereign Lord.” This title is very rare in Genesis among the patriarchs, but it is much more common in the Old Testament’s prophetic writings.
(v. 2) Childless: In Abram’s world, being childless was interpreted as divine punishment. Abram reminded God of the promise given to him and suggested a shortcut or a compromise that might fulfill God’s promise. Taking a household servant as an heir was common in that day.
(v. 2) Eliezer of Damascus: This is the only time this servant is mentioned by name. Eliezer could possibly be the servant mentioned in the narrative of Abraham seeking a wife for Isaac in Genesis 24.
(v. 5) Count the stars: To dispel the idea of Eliezer being Abram’s heir, God restated the promise of numerous offspring. In Genesis 13:16, God stated that Abram’s descendants would be as numerous as particles of dust. Here, God pointed to the stars and challenged Abram to count them, a task that can’t be done.
(v. 6) Believed: For a husband and wife who were childless and advanced in age, God’s promises seemed like an impossibility. Yet, Abraham believed the Lord. The phrase carries the idea of putting your full weight on something, trusting it will hold you up. The word also points toward the future because what had been promised would be achieved at a later date.
Abram put his confidence in God’s promise, trusting that He would accomplish what He said He would do (see Rom. 4:21). This was not the first time Abram trusted the Lord. His obedience in journeying to Canaan was another step of faith (see v. 7).
(v. 6) Credited . . . righteousness: Credited is an accounting term that relates to assigning value or adding to one’s account. Righteousness speaks of behavior that holds to a certain standard. Abram’s belief met God’s standard; therefore, he was in a right standing with God. This righteousness did not come from anything Abram did. It was a unilateral act of God. This verse is quoted three times in the New Testament (Rom. 4:3; Gal. 3:6; Jas. 2:23).
1 Abram’s wife, Sarai, had not borne any children for him, but she owned an Egyptian slave named Hagar.
2 Sarai said to Abram, “Since the Lord has prevented me from bearing children, go to my slave; perhaps through her I can build a family.” And Abram agreed to what Sarai said. 3 So Abram’s wife, Sarai, took Hagar, her Egyptian slave, and gave her to her husband, Abram, as a wife for him. This happened after Abram had lived in the land of Canaan ten years. 4 He slept with Hagar, and she became pregnant. When she saw that she was pregnant, her mistress became contemptible to her.
(v. 1) Egyptian slave: The Hebrew wording does not refer to a common slave, but to a personal servant. Bible scholars speculate that this servant was acquired while Abram and Sarai were in Egypt (see Gen. 12:10-20), possibly even as a gift from Pharaoh (12:16).
Hagar
The name means “stranger” which may be an apt description of how she felt when Sarai turned against her. The name appears 12 times in Genesis and twice in the New Testament book of Galatians. The two different Genesis narratives concerning Hagar-here and in chapter 21-identify her as both a victim and an antagonist in her conflicts with Sarai. While Sarai’s plan to get an heir for Abram turned out to be a tremendous mistake, the descendants of Hagar through Ishmael would agitate the descendants of Sarai through Isaac for centuries to come.
(v. 2) Has prevented me: Ten years had passed since God’s promise of an heir, and Sarai apparently had lost hope. In fact, she blamed God for her circumstance, stating that He was the reason she had not had children. Barrenness was a devastating embarrassment and stigma. Out of this mindset, Sarai hatched a plan to remedy the situation.
(v. 2) Through her I can build a family: Ancient cultures in the Middle East allowed for surrogate arrangements to ensure heirs. To build a family was an idiomatic expression for bearing children. This custom of surrogate motherhood is illustrated well in the life of Jacob. Because one of his wives, Rachel, was initially barren, she gave Jacob her maidservant to father a child (30:1-9). Later, his other wife, Leah, did the same thing when she could no longer bear children of her own (30:9-11).
It should be noted that, as the story played out, Sarai never directly addressed Hagar as a person. Rather, Sarai saw her as a piece of property to be used for whatever purpose was needed. Also, Sarai never recognized Ishmael as a son.
(v. 3) As a wife: Clearly, Hagar was treated as an inferior to Sarai. This was not a case of Abram taking a second wife so much as taking a concubine. The relationship was essentially sexual, as Hagar served as a surrogate mother for Abram’s offspring. This is the only instance of “wife” being applied to Hagar.
(v. 3) Ten years: According to the teachings of Jewish rabbis, after ten years of barrenness, a husband could lawfully divorce his wife and marry another. This, of course, was not happening here. What we do see, though, is that Sarai lost hope in the promise of God after a decade of waiting. Her shortcut around God’s plan and her ability to bring Abram into the scheme might remind some of Eve bypassing God’s command and Adam following her example (3:6).
(v. 4) Her mistress became contemptible: Contemptible means to think lightly of someone or to despise them. Obviously, Hagar was filled with pride because she had achieved what Sarai could not. The seeds of discord between the two began to grow. In fact, the contempt demonstrated between Sarai and Hagar foreshadowed the strife that has grown between their offspring over thousands of years. Genesis 16:12 states that Ishmael’s descendants would live in conflict with others-and that included Abram’s descendants through Isaac.
5 Then Sarai said to Abram, “You are responsible for my suffering! I put my slave in your arms, and when she saw that she was pregnant, I became contemptible to her. May the Lord judge between me and you.” 6 Abram replied to Sarai, “Here, your slave is in your power; do whatever you want with her.” Then Sarai mistreated her so much that she ran away from her.
(v. 5) You are responsible: Sarai’s immediate response to the birth of Hagar’s child was the opposite of what one might expect. Earlier, she had blamed God for her situation. Now, she placed the blame on Abram. In essence, she wished all the cruelty and oppression she was experiencing would fall on his head as well.
Sarai had lost sight of the fact that this was her idea from the beginning-not to mention a step away from God’s specific promises and direction. This shortcut to achieving God’s promise had no chance of succeeding from the start and brought out the worst in everyone involved.
(v. 5) The Lord judge between me and you: Sarai demonstrated a self-righteous attitude, as if she had done nothing wrong. In truth, both Sarai and Abram bore the judgment of God due to their lack of faith. Sarai sought to do God’s will her way. Abraham allowed Sarai to control the situation instead of taking the lead. Both were at fault, and the faith exhibited in Genesis 15:6 appears to be missing in this whole incident.
(v. 6) In your power: This is the second time that Abram had given in to his wife’s wishes. Instead of feeling compassion for Hagar and defending the biological mother of his son, Abram left her open to the vindictive abuse of Sarai. Abram, the great man of faith and character, didn’t always act in a righteous manner. His journey of faith, with its ups and downs, mirrors the journey we all take today. We are all broken, but, thankfully, we are not beyond repair.
(v. 6) Sarai mistreated her: The Hebrew term translated mistreated comes from a group of words that speak of oppression, domination, and severe treatment. The phrase indicates bursts of anger and possibly even physical blows. All the anger that Sarai had experienced during these barren years, waiting on God’s promise, was suddenly and explosively poured out on Hagar.
This was not the last time Sarai would do this. Later after Hagar’s son, Ishmael, was born, Sarai kicked both of them out of the camp in jealousy and rage (see Gen. 21:9-10).
(v. 6) She ran away: Most likely, Hagar thought about fleeing back to Egypt. Since the support of a family group was lacking in Abram’s camp, the next logical thing would be to return to her own people.
Genesis 16 states that later on her journey, Hagar encountered the angel of the Lord who announced that she would give birth to a son who would father numberless descendants. The angel of the Lord instructed her to return to Sarai and to submit to her authority.
The Kingdom
The Kingdom is the realm of salvation into which men enter by trustful, childlike commitment to Jesus Christ. (See Romans 4:22-25; Galatians 3:5-6.)
Compare the attitudes and actions of different Bible characters.
Create a chart with three columns labeled Sarai, Abram, and Hagar. Read Genesis 16:1-6 and identify the incorrect attitude and action of each person. Write words and phrases in each column to express your thoughts. What might each person have done differently that would have eased the difficult situation? What lessons can you learn about relating to others from this study?