| “ And he went in unto Hagar and she conceived: and when she saw that she had conceived, her mistress was despised in her eyes. (Genesis 16: 4) |
Hagar an Egyptian woman was Sarah’s (wife of Abram) servant. After years of life in the wilderness, Sarah no longer believed she would conceive the child God promised her. She offered Hagar to Abram as his concubine so the child born of their union would be Abram’s. Once Hagar conceived, she became prideful and her relationship with Sarah deteriorated. An angel spoke to Hagar telling her she was pregnant and would have a son named Ishmael who would be the patriarch of many people. Sarah treated Hagar harshly, so Hagar fled from Sarah and Abram.
Hagar returned to Sarah and Ishmael was born. After Ishmael’s birth, Sarah had a son whom Abram named Isaac. Now there were two sons. God told Abram Isaac’s descendants would bear Abram’s name and Ishmael would be the father of a great nation. Eventually, Sarah’s jealousy of the relationship between Ishmael and Isaac led her to beg Abram to send Hagar and Ishmael away. Even though Ishmael was his son, Abram sent him and his mother into the wilderness with only bread and water. Near starvation Hagar put Ishmael under a bush and left him because she could not bear to see him die. God heard Ishmael’s cry. He reminded Hagar of his promise that Ishmael would father a great nation then He showed her a well where they could drink. God blessed Ishmael as he grew into manhood in the wilderness.
As Sarah’s servant Hagar had no choice in the matter of sleeping with Abram. She had to do whatever her mistress required of her. The scriptures do not speak to the ease or the peril of her life with Sarah and Abram, but she suffered greatly in the wilderness. Her return to Sarah and Abram’s home allowed for the fulfillment of God’s promise for Ishmael to be born as Abram’s first child. He was to be circumcised and enjoyed the inheritance rights of Abram’s first-born son.
Despite the harshness of Sarah’s treatment of Hagar and her plight in the wilderness, Hagar was also blessed. She was the first person in the Bible to receive direction from an angel. She was the first woman in the Bible to be promised descendants by God (Genesis 16:10).
Biblical Principles
• Instead of turning to God for direction, Sarah gave Hagar to Abram so she could conceive. (Genesis 16:2)
• In the absence of God’s blessing, Hagar’s relationship with Sara suffered when Hagar became pregnant with Abraham’s son. (Genesis 16: 4)
• Hagar acknowledged God and obeyed Him when the angel told her to return to Sarah and Abram. (Genesis 16:13)
• God showed Hagar favor by delivering her and Ishmael from the wilderness. (Genesis 21:18-19)
For Women Today
Hagar’s story resonates with women who are oppressed as well as those who have the power to oppress women. Despite the harshness of her life when Hagar called out for God, He answered. She had her moments of hell under Sarah’s mean spirit and in the wilderness, but her reward was her son, God’s deliverance of her from the wilderness, and her son’s rise to father a nation. When we are in the midst of peril, God is our salvation. Calling out to Him in prayer for rescue and refuge is our way out of our trials and tribulations imposed by others. God is there for us when all else fails.
…and whatever we ask we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments and do the things that are pleasing in His sight. (1 John 3:22)