Genesis 16

1
Sarai, Hagar and Abram

• Genesis 16

2
"Defective Faith"

• "The faith of both of them was defective not
  indeed with regard to the substance of the
  promise, but with regard to the method in which
  they proceeded since they hastened to acquire
  the offspring which was to be expected from God,
  without observing the legitimate ordinance of
  God."

3
Introductions Gen 16.1

• Now Sarai, wife of Abram, had not borne to him,
  but she had a handmaid, Egyptian and her name was
  Hagar.

4
Sarai

• Now Sarai, wife of Abram, had not borne to him,
  but she had a handmaid, Egyptian and her name was
  Hagar.

• Sarai
• Wife of Abram
• Childless

5
Hagar

• Handmaid
• Egyptian
• Hagar

• Now Sarai, wife of Abram, had not borne to him,
  but she had a handmaid, Egyptian and her name was
  Hagar.

6
The Proposal Gen 16.2

• Sarai said to Abram, "hinneh na Yahweh has
  restrained me from bearing. Go in na to my
  maidservant, perhaps I may be built up through
  her."
• So Abram heard the voice of Sarai.

7
Ancient Near Eastern Culture

• Code of Hammurabi "she gives a slave woman . . .
  bear children . . . ." 144, 148
• Adoptions?
• Fertility rite magical or retributive

8
Jacob's Families

• Rachel Bilhah
• Leah Zilpah

9
The Deal Gen 16.3

• At the end of ten years of Abram living in the
  land of Canaan, Sarai, wife of Abram took Hagar,
  the Egyptian, her maidservant and gave her to
  Abram her husband to him to be a
  wife/concubine.

10
Ten Years!

• "Faith is not easy. It calls for a persistence
  which is against common sense. It calls for
  believing in a gift from God which none of the
  present data can substantiate." Brueggemann

• At least 120 months
• Brother / Sister lie in Gen 12.10-14 20.1-2
• Since it was Sarai that took gave there was no
  marriage

11
The Deed Gen 16.4

• He cohabited with Hagar. She conceived, and when
  she saw that she was pregnant, her mistress
  diminished in her eyes.

12
The Real Problem Gen 16.5

• And Sarai said to Abram, "The outrage/violence/the
  ft is on you (m)! I put my maidservant in your
  bosom and she conceived, but I am diminished in
  her eyes."
• "Yahweh judge between me and you (m or f)!"

13
The Aftermath Gen 16.6

• Then Abram said to Sarai, "hinneh your
  maidservant is in your hands. Do to her what is
  good in your eyes." Then Sarai oppressed her so
  she fled from her face.

14
Afflicted/Oppressed

• The word is used in the prior chapter Gen 15.13
  "Know for certain that your seed will be
  strangers in a land that is not their own and
  shall be slaves there, and they shall be
  oppressed for 400 years."

15
Afflicted/Oppressed

• Num 12.3 The word humble/meek may be better
  translated as afflicted.
• Used as a term to identify worshippers in the
  book of Psalms.

16
Found by an Angel Gen 16.7-8

• An angel of Yahweh found her by a spring of water
  in the wilderness, by the spring in the way of
  Shur. And he said, "Hagar, Sarai's maidservant.
  Where have you come from? Where are you going?"
• And she said, "I am fleeing from my mistress
  Sarai."

17
An Angel

• This is the first time in the Bible that an angel
  appears in a theophany.
• Hagar can only answer one of the Angel's
  questions.

18
First Statement Gen 16.9

• Then the angel of Yahweh said to her, "Return to
  your mistress and submit to affliction under her
  hands."

• Hagar does not answer!

19
Second Statement Gen 16.10

• And the angel of Yahweh said to her, "I will
  greatly multiply your seed, too numerous to
  count."

• Hagar does not answer!

20
Third Statement Gen 16.11-12

• The angel of Yahweh said to her, "hinnak pregnant
  and you will give birth to a son. You shall call
  his name Ishmael, for Yahweh has heard your
  affliction. He will be a wild ass of a man, his
  hand against all, the hand of all will be against
  him and in the face of all his brothers he will
  dwell."

21
Hagar Answers Gen 16.13-14

• Then she called the name of Yahweh that spoke to
  her, "You are a god of seeing." For she said, "I
  also here seen after-me seeing?"
• Therefore the well was called Beer-Lahai-Roi
  (Well of Living-Seeing). hinneh between Kadesh
  and Bered.

22
Lahai - El Roi

• The "Living" or the "Living One" as a divine
  title that is used in the context of God helping
  someone in real time.

23
Lahai - El Roi

• "Seeing" the metaphor of eyes and seeing has
  been played on throughout the chapter.
• Seeing the future
• Seeing to the needs of the present

24
SUMMARY

• All faith is defective, because we are all flawed
  in one way or another
• As Christians mature there is a tendency to
  forget this fundamental fact.

25
SUMMARY

• Faith is what happens when God becomes the Living
  One.
• Faith is what happens when God becomes the One
  who Sees

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