After a decade of waiting for God’s promise to be fulfilled, Abram and Sarai grew impatient and took matters into their own hands. Sarai suggested that Abram conceive a child with her servant, Hagar, and he willingly agreed. In doing so, he followed Sarai’s counsel rather than trusting in God’s timing and the covenant established with him. This decision mirrors the events in the Garden of Eden, where mankind once again placed human reasoning above divine guidance.
Circumventing God’s Plan
Hagar, a slave girl whom Abram acquired in Egypt, was merely a pawn in the scheme devised by Sarai and Abram. Though Abram had the choice to reject Sarai’s plan, his actions reveal his wavering trust in God’s promise at this moment. Despite witnessing God’s covenant, confirmed when He passed between the divided carcasses, Abram lacked the patience to wait for God’s fulfillment. Instead, he embraced Sarai’s plan, which appeared to offer a quicker and more immediate solution.
How difficult it can be to resist the allure of a quicker solution when faced with challenges, rather than patiently waiting and trusting in God. It is easy to be tempted when the outcome seems certain. Ultimately, every action we take is a reflection of what is in our hearts. Abram and Sarai faced a similar problem, and a seemingly immediate solution was right before them. By using Hagar as a surrogate, they could have a son without waiting any longer, while still leaving room to see if God would later fulfill His promise with another child. Sarai even goes so far as to blame God for her condition, and Abram does not correct her.
This reveals how much their faith had diminished since the last time Abram encountered God. Instead of trusting in God’s promise, they allowed doubt and impatience to shape their decisions. It is all too easy and tempting for us to fall into the same trap, justifying our choice to follow the world’s path rather than God’s. At times, like Sarai and Abram, we may even blame God for our circumstances, convincing ourselves that our actions are justified. However, no matter how difficult our situation may be, straying from God’s plan is never the right choice in the long run. His ways, though sometimes requiring patience, always lead to what is best for us.
The Plan Backfires
He slept with Hagar, and she conceived. When she knew she was pregnant, she began to despise her mistress. – Genesis 16:4 (NIV)
Hagar conceives Abram’s child, and what unfolds next resembles a dramatic conflict straight out of a daytime soap opera. Once pregnant, Hagar begins to despise her mistress, creating tension within the household. When Sarai brings the matter to Abram, he appears unconcerned, showing little interest in resolving the dispute. The same man who once sought peace between his herdsmen and Lot’s now seems indifferent to the strife brewing within his own home.
Hagar despised her mistress because childbearing was considered a mark of social superiority in her time. Bearing a child, especially for the leader of the tribe, elevated her status and gave her a sense of importance. As a result, she began to see herself as greater than Sarai, who remained barren. Hannah and Peninnah, the wives of Elkanah, shared a similar rivalry, with Peninnah using Hannah’s barrenness to assert superiority. In a society where childbearing signified status, this became a source of tension, highlighting mankind’s tendency to take pride in personal achievements and forget God’s role in shaping circumstances.
“Because the Lord had closed Hannah’s womb, her rival kept provoking her in order to irritate her.” – 1 Samuel 1:6 (NIV)
This reflects a common human tendency—to believe that our achievements are solely the result of our own efforts. When we accomplish something significant, we may feel entitled to it, forgetting that it is ultimately God who has placed us in our current position. We take pride in our hard work, intelligence, and perseverance, seeing them as the driving forces behind our success. The key issue lies in the mindset of “I”—the belief that we have done it ourselves, when in reality, it is God who enables and sustains us. The danger lies in adopting a mindset of self-sufficiency, where we attribute success entirely to ourselves, saying, “I built this,” or “I made it happen.” This perspective blinds us to the truth that our abilities, circumstances, and even the breath in our lungs are gifts from God.
Aborting the Plan
Sarai mistreated Hagar so severely that she fled from home. Despite Hagar now being his wife and no longer just a concubine, Abram did not defend her. He remained indifferent, much like his passive stance when Sarai first asked him to sleep with Hagar. Instead of acknowledging his role in the situation, he continued to refer to Hagar as a slave, disregarding the new status she held as his wife. As the head of the family, Abram had the responsibility to lead with wisdom and fairness, yet he chose not to intervene, allowing Sarai’s harsh treatment to drive Hagar away.
Your slave is in your hands, ” Abram said. “Do with her whatever you think best.” Then Sarai mistreated Hagar; so she fled from her. – Genesis 16:6 (NIV)
Sarai began mistreating her slave so severely that Hagar saw no choice but to flee. She ran into the wilderness, possibly heading back to Egypt, seeking refuge from her suffering. However, in that desolate place, the angel of the Lord met her and made a promise similar to the one God had given Abram.
Then the angel of the LORD told her, “Go back to your mistress and submit to her.” The angel added, “I will increase your descendants so much that they will be too numerous to count.” Genesis 16:9-10 (NIV)
However, what seems strange and unexpected is that the angel then instructed Hagar to return to her mistress and submit to her. Why would God send her back to the very person who had tormented her? The overwhelming presence of the Lord left Hagar with no doubt, and she obeyed without question. This reveals a deeper purpose—God was allowing Abram’s actions to unfold, yet He was also weaving His plan through it. Though Sarai’s treatment was unjust and Abram had failed in his responsibility, God remained in control, ensuring that His promises would come to pass even through human failure. God is even allowing the evil plot of Abram to come to fruition, but His grace surpasses all human endeavors.
She gave this name to the LORD who spoke to her: “You are the God who sees me, ” for she said, “I have now seen the One who sees me.” – Genesis 16:13 (NIV)
Encountering God At Our Lowest
The term “angel of the LORD” in the Bible is often used to denote God’s messenger, and at times, it refers to God Himself. This is sometimes understood as a Theophany or by some as a pre-incarnate appearance of Christ. In Hagar’s case, it is most likely God Himself speaking to her, a Gentile slave servant from Egypt, of all places. This places Hagar in the same company as Moses and Elijah, a select few who have encountered God directly.
What is particularly significant is that she doesn’t refer to God as the God of her master Abram, as the Israelites would later do. Instead, as she experienced God in a deeply personal encounter in her lowest moment, she gives Him a very personal name. She calls God “the One who sees me” and names her son as a reminder of this glorious day in her life, marking a profound turning point in her journey of faith.
So Hagar bore Abram a son, and Abram gave the name Ishmael to the son she had borne. Genesis 16:15 (NIV)
The Bible is full of women who had the privilege of naming their children according to their wishes. For example, Eve named her firstborn Cain, and Rachel and Leah named their children, often in a way that reflected their desire to keep score of their husband’s affection towards them. This practice was common among women in biblical times, but what makes Hagar’s story unique is that, despite being a slave, she was granted the right to name her son.
Ishmael means “God hears,” a name that reflects God’s attentive response to Hagar’s plight. In a culture where most women had the right to name their children, slaves like Hagar were typically denied this privilege. Yet, God granted Hagar the honor of naming her son, a powerful testament to His care for her. She also named the well where she encountered God Beer-lahai-roi, meaning “the well of the Living One who sees me,” a lasting reminder of God’s presence and mercy in her life.
Just as God was with Abram, He was also with Ishmael. God promised to make Ishmael into a great nation, and His protection and guidance continued over him throughout his life, signifying that God’s covenant and care extended beyond just the chosen line of Abram, reaching even to those who were considered outside of that covenant.
God’s Plan keeps Moving Forward
Abram and Sarai had been waiting for the Lord to fulfill His promise for ten years. How often do we find ourselves waiting for something from God for such a long period? How easily do we want to take matters into our own hands when God doesn’t seem to answer our prayers? This incident reveals something important about Abram—he is not perfect or deserving of his calling. Despite being chosen by God, he failed to consult or even speak to God in this situation. Instead, we see Sarai and Hagar calling on the name of the Lord, while Abram remains conspicuously silent.
Much like his time in Egypt, Abram’s response reflects a common human tendency: we seek God when things go our way but often walk away when we desire something that is outside of His will. Yet, even in the midst of Abram’s silence and missteps, God still chose to reveal Himself to Hagar, an Egyptian slave who had lost all hope in what she perceived to be a “blessed family.”
When we later read about Ishmael, we see that God was with him, demonstrating that only God can bring good out of our disobedience. His grace is not bound by our failures, and even when we veer off course, He is able to fulfill His purpose in our lives. He is the God who understands what we are going through and is able to comfort us even at our lowest moments.
Discussion Questions
- How tempting is it when we are faced with a quicker solution to our problems rather than waiting and trusting in God?
- Sarai blamed God for her condition, and Abram did not correct her. How do we tend to react when faced with unmet expectations or struggles?
- Why do you think Abram remained silent in the face of Sarai’s plan and the subsequent conflict with Hagar?
- How does God’s grace shine through even in human mistakes and disobedience, as seen in Abram and Sarai’s actions?
- What is the significance of Hagar naming God “the One who sees me”? How does this reflect the personal nature of God’s relationship with her, and how can we apply this understanding to our own relationship with God?
The Jordan Valley 
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