Genesis 16
The Birth of Ishmael
16 Now Sarai, Abram’s wife, had not been able to bear children for him. But she had an Egyptian servant named Hagar. 2 So Sarai said to Abram, “The Lord has prevented me from having children. Go and sleep with my servant. Perhaps I can have children through her.” And Abram agreed with Sarai’s proposal. 3 So Sarai, Abram’s wife, took Hagar the Egyptian servant and gave her to Abram as a wife. (This happened ten years after Abram had settled in the land of Canaan.)
4 So Abram had sexual relations with Hagar, and she became pregnant. But when Hagar knew she was pregnant, she began to treat her mistress, Sarai, with contempt. 5 Then Sarai said to Abram, “This is all your fault! I put my servant into your arms, but now that she’s pregnant she treats me with contempt. The Lord will show who’s wrong—you or me!”
6 Abram replied, “Look, she is your servant, so deal with her as you see fit.” Then Sarai treated Hagar so harshly that she finally ran away.
7 The angel of the Lord found Hagar beside a spring of water in the wilderness, along the road to Shur. 8 The angel said to her, “Hagar, Sarai’s servant, where have you come from, and where are you going?”
“I’m running away from my mistress, Sarai,” she replied.
9 The angel of the Lord said to her, “Return to your mistress, and submit to her authority.” 10 Then he added, “I will give you more descendants than you can count.”
11 And the angel also said, “You are now pregnant and will give birth to a son. You are to name him Ishmael (which means ‘God hears’), for the Lord has heard your cry of distress. 12 This son of yours will be a wild man, as untamed as a wild donkey! He will raise his fist against everyone, and everyone will be against him. Yes, he will live in open hostility against all his relatives.”
13 Thereafter, Hagar used another name to refer to the Lord, who had spoken to her. She said, “You are the God who sees me.”[a] She also said, “Have I truly seen the One who sees me?” 14 So that well was named Beer-lahai-roi (which means “well of the Living One who sees me”). It can still be found between Kadesh and Bered.
15 So Hagar gave Abram a son, and Abram named him Ishmael. 16 Abram was eighty-six years old when Ishmael was born.
There is a popular saying, ‘God helps those who help themselves.’ The idea is that if you wait on God, he will let you down. However, if you take matters into your own hands, you will get what you want. Abram has been obedient and ten years later he is still waiting for a son. So, he decides that he must do things his own way. This leads us to a story that is shocking to read of Abram and Sarah so desperate to receive the blessing that they want from God that they do not care who gets hurt along the way.
Abram forces himself upon his servant (who has no choice in the relationship) and she gets pregnant. This causes jealousy and abuse from Sarah causing Hagar to flee. However, God does not abandon her. He meets her, protects her and restores her. Her son Ishmael will go on to be the forefather of the Arab and Muslim peoples.
The trouble with ‘God helps those who help themselves’ is that it is not only not true but it can lead you in the opposite direction of where God wants you to be. I have so many people who use the wrong methods to reach the right goals. Leaders who are desperate for people to follow Jesus and use shame and manipulation to get people there. Evangelists who want to reach people for Christ and who leave their teams burnt out and cynical.
When you choose self-sufficiency over trust, you are taking back control from God and the fruit is bitter. There is a world of difference between proactive obedience and taking control. The true miracle is only possible if you keep trusting in God.
