At this point, if you haven't read parts 1 and 2, this post will make absolutely no sense to you. Thus, I encourage you to read them before proceeding here. (Link to Part 1 and Link to Part 2)
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I hope you took the time to read Genesis 16. If we keep in mind that in Ancient Eastern cultures, when a woman could not bear sons...or any children for that matter...she was considered cursed, judged unworthy or guilty of some hidden sin and for all practical purposes, could be disposed of in favor of a woman that would produce sons...is it any wonder that Sarai gave her servant, Hagar, to Abram to conceive a son for him?
I once saw a rather good movie portrayal of this story of Abraham and Sarah. In it, Hagar sat upon Sarai's knees as she birthed her child. I have heard of this in other places and found this commentary that describes the ancient practice. As it points out, we do not know this practice was carried out, but neither do we know that it wasn't. How it was done really is not the point...why is huge though.
Abram and Sarai had lived in Canaan for 10 years by now and no children also meant no one to inherit Abram's massive wealth. Sarai's biological clock was ticking...loudly. If you've ever known someone that struggles with infertility or perhaps you yourself have...you know of what I speak. It becomes all-consuming. Everything is filtered through the ongoing process of how to conceive. What trick, what remedy, what calendar, what doctor, what donor...will finally work.
Abram and Sarai were not only well beyond the normal years for conceiving a child, they did not have access to all the information and possibilities we have today. I think if I were there and she had asked my advice, I probably would have approved of her course of action. And that is not to say I do not have faith. God, up to this point, promised Abram, the child would come from his body. Unless there was information not recorded for us to be privy to, Sarai still had no such promise.
Yet, every Bible study, commentary, sermon and conversation I've ever come across essentially utters this common "If only".
If only Sarai hadn't taken matters into her own hands.
I hope you're beginning to sense that just within the last week, I've stopped viewing Sarai this way. I think she did the best she knew how to do with the information and circumstances she had at her disposal. We also are never told in any part of Scripture that Sarai had a change of heart and repented for her presumed unbelief. So why does God point to her as a pillar of faith in Hebrews 11? Is it possible that God did not view her actions as evidence of unbelief?
We find out in Genesis 16 that Sarai's regret over her actions and Hagar's haughtiness combine for a volatile cocktail that almost destroys Hagar. Yet God still has a plan for His purposes when we miss the mark of His perfect path for us. In Genesis 17, God institutes the ceremony of circumcision as an outward sign that Abram (now to be called Abraham) and his entire household are to be set apart. Did you just pick up on the beautiful nugget that only Abraham and Ishmael would have been among those we would now consider "the Chosen people of God"? Only those two had Abraham's blood flowing through them and Jews and Christians alike do not consider Ishmael as part of the promise. Yet from the beginning, God's covenant was inclusive for all who would follow Him...be they foreigner acquired into the family, servant or slave. Make no mistake, Abraham had a very eclectic mix of Middle Eastern ethnicities in his household...and every man was circumcised.
This same chapter is when Sarai becomes Sarah...'"princess". Also, for the first time, God states, "I will bless her and surely give you a son by her. I will bless her so that she will be the mother of many nations; kings of peoples will come from her." (verses 15-16) And there it is in verse 17, Abraham laughs and says to himself, 'How can a 100 year old man and a 90 year old woman have a child?' He goes on to ask God to bless Ishmael. I don't know why. Obviously, over the 13 years since his birth, he had educated and cultivated his son to be his heir. It only seems natural since God never intervened and chastised Abram and Sarai for the Hagar incident. Up until this time, they could honestly assume Ishmael was the one.
In Chapter 18, we have the infamous interaction between God, Abraham and the two angels on their way to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah. But tucked in this passage is the just-as-famous laughter of Sarah. Keep in mind, we still have no recorded interaction that Abraham told Sarah what God had previously said. Wouldn't most husbands protect their wives from such building up of her hopes? I don't know if he had told her or not. We only know that when she heard it from the very lips of God...after the 13 year daily reminder, living and growing before her that her ovaries and uterus were defective and Hagar's were not...she laughed!
I think this laugh, in and of itself, is not the evidence of Sarah's lack of faith. No...I believe this laugh is proof that there was still an ember of hope. How many people do you know that after 23 years of infertility could still laugh at such a comment? (And actually, Sarah's had lasted for several more decades than this!) Most people I know, myself included, if it were me, would find the bitterness palpable, the rage constantly just under the surface and the angst ready to be rung from your soul at any moment. I'm afraid that to place myself in her sandals means I probably would have exploded and let the Creator of the universe "have it". Don't piously deny that you wouldn't have done the same. Remember, to this point, Sarah has never heard about any of the promises directly from God and we have no recorded proof that Abraham had ever told her.
Certainly...God calls her out on the laughter and asks Abraham, 'Why did she laugh?' And at this point Sarah, 'is afraid, lies and says she didn't laugh.' Trusting that the God who said He is the same, "yesterday, today and forever" (Hebrews 13:8) is just as loving, gracious and merciful then as He is now...without a hint of disappointment or condemnation in His Voice, but with a beautiful gleam in His eye says, 'Oh yes you will, young lady...this time next year, you'll have a son. If I can speak a whole world into existence, this is a piece of cake.'
Okay, that's how I imagine Him saying it, but the theme is the same: No chastising...just loving affirmation.
So three posts later, what's the big deal and why should it matter to me so much?
Come back for the conclusion soon.
***************************************************************************
I hope you took the time to read Genesis 16. If we keep in mind that in Ancient Eastern cultures, when a woman could not bear sons...or any children for that matter...she was considered cursed, judged unworthy or guilty of some hidden sin and for all practical purposes, could be disposed of in favor of a woman that would produce sons...is it any wonder that Sarai gave her servant, Hagar, to Abram to conceive a son for him?
I once saw a rather good movie portrayal of this story of Abraham and Sarah. In it, Hagar sat upon Sarai's knees as she birthed her child. I have heard of this in other places and found this commentary that describes the ancient practice. As it points out, we do not know this practice was carried out, but neither do we know that it wasn't. How it was done really is not the point...why is huge though.
Abram and Sarai had lived in Canaan for 10 years by now and no children also meant no one to inherit Abram's massive wealth. Sarai's biological clock was ticking...loudly. If you've ever known someone that struggles with infertility or perhaps you yourself have...you know of what I speak. It becomes all-consuming. Everything is filtered through the ongoing process of how to conceive. What trick, what remedy, what calendar, what doctor, what donor...will finally work.
Abram and Sarai were not only well beyond the normal years for conceiving a child, they did not have access to all the information and possibilities we have today. I think if I were there and she had asked my advice, I probably would have approved of her course of action. And that is not to say I do not have faith. God, up to this point, promised Abram, the child would come from his body. Unless there was information not recorded for us to be privy to, Sarai still had no such promise.
Yet, every Bible study, commentary, sermon and conversation I've ever come across essentially utters this common "If only".
If only Sarai hadn't taken matters into her own hands.
I hope you're beginning to sense that just within the last week, I've stopped viewing Sarai this way. I think she did the best she knew how to do with the information and circumstances she had at her disposal. We also are never told in any part of Scripture that Sarai had a change of heart and repented for her presumed unbelief. So why does God point to her as a pillar of faith in Hebrews 11? Is it possible that God did not view her actions as evidence of unbelief?
We find out in Genesis 16 that Sarai's regret over her actions and Hagar's haughtiness combine for a volatile cocktail that almost destroys Hagar. Yet God still has a plan for His purposes when we miss the mark of His perfect path for us. In Genesis 17, God institutes the ceremony of circumcision as an outward sign that Abram (now to be called Abraham) and his entire household are to be set apart. Did you just pick up on the beautiful nugget that only Abraham and Ishmael would have been among those we would now consider "the Chosen people of God"? Only those two had Abraham's blood flowing through them and Jews and Christians alike do not consider Ishmael as part of the promise. Yet from the beginning, God's covenant was inclusive for all who would follow Him...be they foreigner acquired into the family, servant or slave. Make no mistake, Abraham had a very eclectic mix of Middle Eastern ethnicities in his household...and every man was circumcised.
This same chapter is when Sarai becomes Sarah...'"princess". Also, for the first time, God states, "I will bless her and surely give you a son by her. I will bless her so that she will be the mother of many nations; kings of peoples will come from her." (verses 15-16) And there it is in verse 17, Abraham laughs and says to himself, 'How can a 100 year old man and a 90 year old woman have a child?' He goes on to ask God to bless Ishmael. I don't know why. Obviously, over the 13 years since his birth, he had educated and cultivated his son to be his heir. It only seems natural since God never intervened and chastised Abram and Sarai for the Hagar incident. Up until this time, they could honestly assume Ishmael was the one.
In Chapter 18, we have the infamous interaction between God, Abraham and the two angels on their way to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah. But tucked in this passage is the just-as-famous laughter of Sarah. Keep in mind, we still have no recorded interaction that Abraham told Sarah what God had previously said. Wouldn't most husbands protect their wives from such building up of her hopes? I don't know if he had told her or not. We only know that when she heard it from the very lips of God...after the 13 year daily reminder, living and growing before her that her ovaries and uterus were defective and Hagar's were not...she laughed!
I think this laugh, in and of itself, is not the evidence of Sarah's lack of faith. No...I believe this laugh is proof that there was still an ember of hope. How many people do you know that after 23 years of infertility could still laugh at such a comment? (And actually, Sarah's had lasted for several more decades than this!) Most people I know, myself included, if it were me, would find the bitterness palpable, the rage constantly just under the surface and the angst ready to be rung from your soul at any moment. I'm afraid that to place myself in her sandals means I probably would have exploded and let the Creator of the universe "have it". Don't piously deny that you wouldn't have done the same. Remember, to this point, Sarah has never heard about any of the promises directly from God and we have no recorded proof that Abraham had ever told her.
Certainly...God calls her out on the laughter and asks Abraham, 'Why did she laugh?' And at this point Sarah, 'is afraid, lies and says she didn't laugh.' Trusting that the God who said He is the same, "yesterday, today and forever" (Hebrews 13:8) is just as loving, gracious and merciful then as He is now...without a hint of disappointment or condemnation in His Voice, but with a beautiful gleam in His eye says, 'Oh yes you will, young lady...this time next year, you'll have a son. If I can speak a whole world into existence, this is a piece of cake.'
Okay, that's how I imagine Him saying it, but the theme is the same: No chastising...just loving affirmation.
So three posts later, what's the big deal and why should it matter to me so much?
Come back for the conclusion soon.
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