Genesis 16

Scripture:  Genesis chapter 16

Observation:  Sarai feared she was too old to have children, so she decided to give her servant Hagar to Abram as a wife, so that Hagar would bear children that she could call her own.  This idea backfired; Hagar indeed became pregnant, but then she despised Sarai (v. 4), indicating that she no longer respected her as her mistress.  Sarai blamed Abram for Hagar's behavior, and Abram told Sarai to do as she wished.  Sarai dealt harshly with Hagar, who fled towards Egypt, her home.  An angel appeared to Hagar, and told her she must return to Sarai and submit to her.  She was told she would bear a son, whom she would name Ishmael, and he would be a wild man, rude and uncontrollable.  Hagar acknowledged the Lord as "the God who sees," because even far from her mistress and master God watched over her.

Application:  Sarai thought she was doing the right thing by giving her maidservant to her husband Abram.  After all, how would her husband have descendants if she was barren?  But both she and Abram forgot the Lord's promise to give them descendants, as many as there were stars in the sky.  Sarai was wrong to take matters into her own hands, and Abram was wrong to go along with it.  Even those things we do with good intentions, if we do not consult with the Lord first and verify that it is His will, can turn out very badly indeed.

Prayer:  Father, You know I have good intentions in many of the things I do, yet good intentions are not enough if they go against Your will.  Obedience is better than good intentions, and that is a lesson I need to be reminded of repeatedly.  Thank You for Your Word and all the life lessons it teaches.  In Jesus' precious name, Amen.