God who FINDS, SEES, LOOKS AFTER s1e83 Gen 16:4
Story of HAGAR
we have the privilege to hear about the most important thing that ever happened to this person. Highlight of their life. Changes everything for her, and for the most important family in the world: by faith, you me
little people; least of people;
female, servant, Egyptian
probably servant against will
being mistreated by Sarai, who will become Sarah
not protected by Abram, who will become Abraham
taken as wife against will? Wasn’t allowed a will
sinful: Hagar is not model of perfection. (neither am I)
She had looked acted with contempt on Sarai
flees first; does NOT submit. WATCH what she/God does
God is going to FIND HER
God is going to SEE HER NOTICES. YOU are a GOD OF SEEING*******
God is going to act on her behalf
Truly I have seen Him who LOOKS AFTER ME*********
Seen AND looked after
God who FINDS, SEES, LOOKS AFTER*****
God who tells her to do something Very very very hard
God asked exactly the same of CAIN!!!!!!!
THIS STORY DIDN”T HAVE TO GO LIKE THIS. HAPPY ENDING***
Asked, listening, Found, seen, act challeng
Thou God always acts faithfully, often people do not
Return, eat crow, SUBMIT to someone who is not doing their job as matriarch of the family very well. Am I to submit to those who are leading over me with imperfection? Sarai isn’t submitting either!
How is she going to learn? How is Abram going to learn? Does God turn His back on the most important family in the world? How does God not turn His back on the most important “family” in the world. Thru hagar!
We interrupt this epic story of ABRAM for an intervention by the littlest of the little people. Lesson goes on for 14 years.
Abram doing wrong, Sarai doing wrong, Hagar doing wrong
Who does the right thing first. The little person
Gen 16: 3 So, after Abram had lived ten years in the land of Canaan, Sarai, Abram’s wife, took Hagar the Egyptian, her servant, and gave her to Abram her husband as a wife. 4 And he went in to Hagar, and she conceived. And when she saw that she had conceived, she looked with contempt on her mistress. 5 And Sarai said to Abram, “May the wrong done to me be on you! I gave my servant to your embrace, and when she saw that she had conceived, she looked on me with contempt. May the Lord judge between you and me!” 6 But Abram said to Sarai, “Behold, your servant is in your power; do to her as you please.” Then Sarai dealt harshly with her, and she fled from her.
7 The angel of the Lord found her by a spring of water in the wilderness, the spring on the way to Shur. 8 And he said, “Hagar, servant of Sarai, where have you come from and where are you going?” She said, “I am fleeing from my mistress Sarai.” 9 The angel of the Lord said to her, “Return to your mistress and submit to her.” 10 The angel of the Lord also said to her, “I will surely multiply your offspring so that they cannot be numbered for multitude.” 11 And the angel of the Lord said to her,
“Behold, you are pregnant
and shall bear a son.
You shall call his name Ishmael,
because the Lord has listened to your affliction.
She Calls the name of the Lord who spoke to her********
First she ASKS GOD TO LISTEN TO HER; then GOD ASKS HER TO LISTEN TO HIM***********
She identifies NEW, wonderful characteristics and proclaims them
To HERSELF. Hey I’ve seen God. I experienced this about God
She calls this out. Says it. Rehearses it a bit.
She responds YES to this challenge: DOES IT
1. Repent—hardest thing in the world Go BACK
2. Submit—2nd hardest thing in the world
Go back and be a witness of ME by submission to the most important family in the world. Of THAT time, and of ALL TIME.
3. TEACH Sarai how to be a believer
4. TEACH Abram how to be a believer 14 YEARS
1 Peter 3: 3 Likewise, wives, be subject to your own husbands, so that even if some do not obey the word, they may be won without a word by the conduct of their wives,
Ask the big question: what role does this servant/Egyptian/wife/female have in the spiritual history of the whole world? NOT INSIGNIFICANT
Let’s give God a chance to LISTEN to us: pray
Tell Him the truth: this is hard
Let Him FIND us
Let Him SEE Us.—You are a God of SEEING
Let Him care for us—You are a God who LOOKS AFTER
Let’s listen when He tells us to do something hard.
