Hagar
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In his letter to the congregation in Galatia, Paul urges them to grasp the freedom Christ has provided, reminding them that they are no longer bound by the slavery of sin or the burdens of the law. He illustrates this by comparing an heir to a vast inheritance with a slave: as long as the heir is underage and not yet of legal standing, he remains under guardians and trustees, no different from a servant, until the time appointed by his father. In the same way, before Christ, God’s people lived under the guardianship of the law, the prophets, priests,…
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While in Gerar, God used Abraham to restore fertility to all the women in Abimelek’s household, yet Sarah remained barren. But not long after, the LORD was gracious to Sarah as He had promised. She conceived and bore a son to Abraham in his old age, at the appointed time God had foretold. Abraham named him Isaac, meaning “he laughs”—a sign of how their initial sceptical laughter had turned into one of joy. Each time they called his name, they would be reminded of how God’s promise, once met with doubt, had been faithfully fulfilled. The child grew and was…
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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…
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A rhetorical question is asked merely for effect where no answer is expected. The statement contains our preconceived notions, posed in the form of a question. Likewise, most of our prayers are rhetorical. Once a preacher called the believers to pray for rain in their territory as the land was battling a severe famine. Many people gathered to pray for the rain, and the preacher walked back and forth among the crowds. Then he went up onto the stage and announced to the gatherings that they were not praying for the rain today but would pray to God to help…
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We saw in the last chapter that God had enabled everyone in Abimelek’s household to conceive again but Sarah was still kept barren. Abraham had laughed at the very thought of Isaac being born to Sarah, Sarah now has joyous laughter that God came through for her despite her disbelief and then there is Ishmael who is mocking his new younger brother. The Hebrew texts quite aptly say that Ishmael was laughing at Isaac. That captures the sentiment of everyone involved in this saga.
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I like the NIV heading as it doesn’t mention Abram or Sarai and just reads ‘Hagar and Ishmael’. Not surprising, given that this chapter reveals more details about the chosen family that we generally would not associate with the father of faith.
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Almost 2000 years have passed since Jesus Christ had shed His precious Holy blood on the Cross for cleansing the sins of mankind. Although the existence of God is even before the creation of the universe but still mankind is not able to recognise the presence of God. Why is it so?
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In the book of Genesis, the serpent played the role of tantalizing Eve to eat the forbidden fruit.I Chronicles 21:1 ” ….Satan stood against Israel and incited David to number Israel.” Isaiah (14:12) gives a glimpse of Satan’s origin. In I Samuel (28:7), Saul, a King anointed by God, felt helpless while seeing his enemies and asked help from a witch to know the will of God. In the Old Testament we find Satan operating as a mediator between man and God. People find Satan as a convenient means to understand the will of God in spite of a prophetic…
The Jordan Valley 