Genesis 16:1-17:14

Genesis 16:1-17:14

The dangers in not trusting God are great. When we decide that we are tired of waiting on God and choose to do things our way, the consequences will come. That is what Abram and Sarai experienced when they decided that they were tired of waiting on God to give them a child. Abram had shown great faith in God up to this point, except for his detour in Egypt. It appeared as if he had turned around and placed all his trust in God, especially in his trip to rescue Lot. But after God prolonged the coming of his son, Abram and Sarai decided it was best to take matters into their own hands.

Now one might want to place the blame all on Sarai who came up with the idea and was the one who grew angry over the decision they had made. But really both are at fault equally, much like Adam and Eve. Sarai may have come up with the idea for Abram to take Hagar as a wife and eventually have a child with her, but Abram went through with it. Just as Lot should have fled Sodom when he saw what an evil place it was, Abram should not have put himself in that situation with Hagar. It expressed distrust between him and the Lord. As a result, Hagar and Sarai began to hate each other, just one of the many consequences for their actions. Then, Hagar had to flee because of the conflict that had arisen.

But the most striking consequence of all is what would happen to the child, Ishmael. As a result of Abram’s bad decision, Ishmael would one day be up against everyone. His descendants would be great, as promised through God’s covenant with Abram, but they would also be cursed. They would have enmity with all around them, and everyone would be against them. The real strife would come between the descendants of Ishmael and the descendants of Abram’s future son Isaac. Once more it becomes clear that our actions do not only affect our lives but the lives of others as well, sometimes our own children.

Thirteen years after this incident, God once again reestablishes His covenant with Abram, assuring Abram that He will keep His promise. Abram is 99 at this point, well past the age of bearing children. His own father was 70 when Abram was born. But God continues to assure Abram that he will have a son, by Sarai, that will be the father of many nations. At the same time, God changes his name to Abraham, declaring that he will be the father of many nations. Also, God promises that this covenant will be everlasting. This means that there will never be a point where God will break the covenant and Abram’s descendants will be no longer. God promises that His descendants will last forever, and to this day they are physically on this earth. But even more than that, we are those descendants. Many “nations” includes the Gentile world as well. Read through Paul’s writings, such as the letter to the Romans. Abraham may have been the father of Israel (and Ishmael for that matter). But through Christ, he is our father as well.

Finally, God sets up one of the first pieces of the “Law” that would one day come about. For the first time in Scripture, circumcision is mentioned. Now while circumcision, or any law, for that matter is necessary for salvation (for salvation does not come through works), at this point in time it was a sign that sealed the covenant between God and Abraham. All men who were born into the covenant were to be circumcised, and those who were not would be cut off from that covenant. This was to be a form of obedience. For us, works do not bring about salvation, but obedience is still important. Although breaking a command does not eternally separate us from Christ, disobedience does hinder our relationship with Him. Therefore, we must desire to live a lifestyle of obedience, showing God where our true devotion lies.

Matt