The objective of this lesson: God can use us even when we have displayed horrible human weakness.
People are impatient. What we want, we want now. When we want a change that we regard to be an improvement, that change cannot happen fast enough.
Stress the impatience when humans want what they want, and they want it right now.
God had promised Abraham great promises (Genesis 12:3). (1) God would make him a great nation, a blessed man with a great name. (2) God would protect him. (3) God would make him a nation, and that nation would be the source of a world blessing.
Stress the huge promises God made to Abraham. Those were enormous promises if made to anyone. They were huge when you consider they were made to a childless man.
There was a problem! Abraham was 75, his wife (Sarah) was 10 years younger, and they had no children. If Abraham had no child (son), there could be no nation! For there to be a nation of descendants who were a source of world blessing, the couple must have a child.
The critical key to God keeping His promise to Abraham and Sarah was their having a child, preferably a son.
God continued to promise (Genesis 13:14-18). Abraham's descendants would own and live in the land through which he wandered. His descendants would be too many to count. Yet, Abraham still had no children.
God was definite, relentless, and determined when He promised (just as He is to you about the forgiveness of sins). His promise was not "just a passing statement easily forgotten." It was a repeated promise.
God specifically promised a concerned Abraham a son (Genesis 15:1-5). Abraham believed God's promise, and his faith in God's promise of a son was reckoned to Abraham as righteousness (Genesis 15:6) years before Sarah was pregnant.
This promise was believed by Abraham and by Sarah! Never was their doubt based on an "if," but on a "how." They each proposed a solution about the "how."
Too much time had passed! Neither Abraham nor Sarah were getting any younger! Sarah had no children, and there was neither prospect of nor anticipation of a child in her future. Sarah had grown accustomed to being barren--so accustomed to that condition she expected to be childless the rest of her life. To her it was obvious that God needed some help to keep His promise to make her husband the beginning of a nation. Before there could be many, there had to be one.
As time passed, it increasingly became an act that was 100% God and 0% them. They (as we) were not comfortable with (1) not knowing how and (2) being totally dependent on God's action, which exceeded their comprehension. The more it became humanly impossible, the more they wanted to provide a solution.
She was more than willing to provide God the help He obviously needed! Her solution was a known and practiced solution in her day. She was caring for the problem as many of her day cared for it. [Remember Rachel (Genesis 30:1-8) and Leah (Genesis 30:9-13).] A female servant could be the wife's surrogate. The child produced by the servant and the husband of the marriage would be considered the heir of the married couple, the legally recognized child of the married couple. Do not forget three things. (1) Human population was sparse then in comparison to now. (2) Heirs were extremely important for the continuation of the family. (3) The most common form of inheritance was in the form of land and livestock. Heirs were critical to every family's future!
Sarah believed God could provide the nation. She was sure God needed help in providing the son. Emphasize the solution she provided was an accepted solution in her time. Also emphasize her solution "made sense" to her (and likely Abraham since he agreed). She (like us) was helping God out with something that "had Him stuck" in "keeping His promise." Caution: do not forget that this was God's specific promise, not a human deduction.
Sarah had an Egyptian servant who was young enough to have a child. Sarah was 75 at this time--it had been 10 years since Abraham, Sarah, and Lot left Haran at God's directive, and Abraham and Sarah still had no child. Sarah asked Abraham to have a child by her Egyptian servant, Hagar. Abraham honored Sarah's request (perhaps thought it a good idea). As soon as Hagar conceived by Abraham, Hagar lost respect for Sarah. She had Abraham's child, not Sarah! Tension between the two developed and increased. Hagar had no respect for Sarah, Sarah held Abraham responsible for the situation, and Abraham is caught in the middle.
Explain Sarah's solution. Use Rachel and Leah to verify this type of approach was used.
Abraham finally gave Sarah permission to treat the mother of his child as Sarah wished. The tension must have been severe! Sarah was so harsh with Hagar that Hagar fled. The Lord's angel (1) instructed Hagar to return and submit to Sarah [indicating Hagar was rebellious?], (2) named the child to be born declaring the baby would be a son, and (3) and promised this son, too, would have too many descendants to count. Abraham was 86 when Ishmael was born.
When Sarah gave Hagar to Abraham, Hagar had rights. She became Abraham's charge rather than Sarah's slave. Sarah's power over Hagar was limited. Sarah likely could not physically abuse her, sell her, or insist that she leave. What occurred had to occur with Abraham's permission. Sarah probably made Abraham so miserable that he gave Sarah permission to do as she wished with Hagar. The issue between Ishmael and Isaac likely began with the tension between their mothers.
Over a decade later (Ishmael was in his early teens) [Genesis 17], God promised Abraham he would have a son from Sarah within a year. God gave Abraham circumcision as a symbol of the agreement between them. Abraham indicated his confidence in God's covenant by circumcising himself, Ishmael, and all his male servants immediately.
At the time of this promise Sarah was not pregnant and had no reason to think she would be pregnant. Circumcision was given to Abraham in anticipation of Isaac's birth and the coming nation.
In a year, Isaac was born to Abraham and Sarah (Genesis 21:1-5). Abraham was 100 and Sarah we 90. Isaac was weaned, Abraham had a feast to honor Isaac's growth event, and Sarah saw Ishmael acting inappropriately. Sarah insisted that Abraham not allow Ishmael to continue in the family. [Remember, Ishmael is Abraham's son and the first born--but not the promised child.] Reluctantly, with God's encouragement, Abraham sent Hagar and Ishmael away. Sarah's earlier "solution" resulted in heartbreak for Abraham. Though Sarah resented Hagar and Ishmael, Abraham loved Ishmael. Sending him away caused Abraham great grief (Genesis 21:11)!
Things to note. (1) Ishmael was Abraham's firstborn, and was recognized as such. There is more involved than Sarah not liking Hagar and Ishmael. Ishmael's departure would solve a complex situation. (2) Abraham's heartbreak over sending his son away was real. (3) God's assurance was critical to Abraham sending Ishmael away. (4) This is an excellent example of a human solution to a divine intent becoming a problem rather than a solution.
How often our "solutions" given in God's behalf result in tragedy! How often our "solutions" for God express our lack of confidence in God rather than our confidence in God! How often our "solutions" result in the needless hurt of others!
Never forget that God can take care of Himself! We do not have to take care of His interests or intents! We serve God; we do not direct God!
For Thought and Discussion
The discussion should include the desire of people to have improvements immediately.
The discussion should include an awareness of promising a coming nation to a childless man.
The problem: an old couple who had no child were promised descendants.
The child would come through him.
He was considered to be a righteous man when he believed God's promise.
She felt the need to help God provide a child. This would enable God to keep the promise to give Abraham a nation.
(Expand on this as your think appropriate.) She would have a child through Hagar, her Egyptian servant, and the child would be considered Sarah's.)
Tension developed and increased.
He gave Sarah permission to treat Hagar as she wished.
She was harsh with Hagar. (The form of Sarah's harshness is not given.)
Hagar fled.
When Isaac was weaned, Abraham gave a feast. At that feast Sarah thought Ishmael acted inappropriately.
Such actions often result in tragedy.
Link to Student Guide
Lesson 5