Title: Seeds of Unhappiness
Contents
I. Sarai's humanistic proposal (Phase 2) Ⅱ. Abram succumbed to his wife's temptation (2b) Ⅲ. Result of ignoring God's covenant (4)
Ⅴ.Sarai abuses Hagar (6) Ⅵ.God meets the fugitives (7)
①Content of the question (8)
“Hagar, Sarai’s maid, where have you come from and where are you going?” She said, “I am fleeing from my mistress Sarai.”
②The command of the angel of the Lord (9)
“The angel of the Lord said to her, “Go back to your mistress and submit yourself to her.”
③ God’s promise of obedience (10)
“Then the angel of the Lord said to him, “I will multiply your descendants greatly, and I will make them too numerous to be counted.”
④ Revelation to Hagar's children (11-12)
A. Name: Ishmael (11)
In Hebrew society, the act of one giving a name to another is an act of special grace. So, when Hagar gave birth to a child, naming him Ishmael was an act of God's grace. Although God is a child born according to the flesh, he is gracious to him. This shows God's love for giving the same sunlight and rain to the wicked and the righteous (Matthew 5:45). The meaning of the name is “God has heard”. God hears prayers, especially in pain, but does not discriminate between people (Colossians 3:11).
B. will become like a wild donkey (12)
The descendants of Ishmael are said to be “like a wild donkey,” which is a wild, daring, fearless person a wild, untamed, self-righteous, militant person. Even today, war continues in the Middle East. Thousands of years have passed since the prophecy of Genesis, but it still continues. The conflicts in the Middle East today started with the Abram family. Abram's actions are the seeds of unhappiness and threaten the world's peace.
Don't be impatient with God's promises, but wait patiently. Do not try to follow your own thoughts and will, but wait by praying to God. If we do not stand firm on God's promises and push ourselves according to our own will, great results will come.
C. Hagar's reaction to meeting God (13)
God came to Hagar as she repented and cried out while fleeing. No matter how great a sin a person may be and suffer, if they seek and cry out to God, God will not turn away from them and will take care of them. Saints! My God sees all things. you know everything about me He knows all of my thoughts and subconscious minds. You know all the pain I'm going through He is the omnipotent and omnipotent God who knows everything without saying anything.
Psalm 139:1-4 “You have searched and knew me, O LORD; 2 You know when I sit down and when I rise, You satisfy my thoughts from afar; 3 You see my way and my lying down; You are familiar with all my actions. W, there is not a single thing that does not understand the words of my tongue.” God, who heard Hagar's suffering, also hears our suffering. Tell him all about me. Then you will taste the comfort and peace of God.
VII. Hagar's obedience and Ishmael's birth (15, 16)
Faith belongs to those who know how to wait. The fulfillment of the promise belongs to those who persevere and wait. It is no exaggeration to say that our Christianity is a religion of perseverance. (Luke 8:15, Luke 21:19, 2 Thessalonians 3:5, Hebrews 10:36, James 1:4)
Saints! It is useful when we persevere in all things. When you persevere, you receive promises, bear fruit, and win souls. In the text, we realize that not rushing about God's promises in particular, but waiting patiently is the shortcut to being blessed. Abram did not wait for God's covenant, but by using human methods. Abram's peaceful home