“And the angel of the LORD found her by a fountain of water in the wilderness, by the fountain in the way to Shur.” (Ge 16:7 AV)
The
above verse regards Hagar. Hagar was
Sarah’s handmaid. Sarah gave Hagar to
her husband, Abraham, for the purpose of raising an heir. Sarah was well past childbearing years and knew
of the promise God made to her husband.
Figuring she was too old to be the other half of that promise, she had
the idea of assigning Hagar to be a surrogate.
The result was Abraham’s first and only child at the time, Ishmael. One can imagine this caused problems. Hagar, being an Egyptian handmaid would still
be under the authority of Sarah and would never reach the position of being a
co-equal. However, one can also empathize
with what was going on in Hagar’s mind.
She was able to provide a male heir to Abraham. Something Sarah could not do. Therefore, one would expect her to be
elevated in her status. When she was
not, Sarah and Hagar strove. The
contention got so heated, Hagar felt she had to run away. Sarah did not dismiss her. Abraham did not ask her to leave. The decision to run away was all hers. It was the wrong choice. Ishmael was Abraham’s son and Hagar had no
right to remove him. Hagar was clearly
in the wrong as far as her relationship with Sarah and Abraham goes. She fled and left the blessings of God. Yet, the Angel of the LORD found her. What is even more of note is the Bible tells
us the Angel of the LORD found her even though she was not looking.
Every
boy either had or wants, a treehouse. We
had one when I was a young boy. I cannot
remember which of my brothers built it.
I think it was Chris. Treehouses
were special places. These treehouses
were places a young boy could go for a little privacy. He could go there to figure out life. Alone and separated from the world, he could
contemplate how unfair life was but when supper time came around, he remembered
how good he had it. A treehouse is a
place where plans are made between inseparable friends. Treehouses are places a young man could get
away from authority and do things he should not be doing. Treehouses were also a place one could escape
to when he was at odds with his parents but didn’t really feel the need to
rebel. He could go there and escape into
his own little world of self-pity. Dad always
knew where his son was. He knew what his
son was up to. Dad knew what his young
man was brooding about something he felt unfair in life. But Dad usually left him alone to figure it
all out. However, every once in a while,
Dad would let this episode go only so far.
Then after what seemed to be an eternity, Dad ascended the rope ladder
or into the fort, squeezed himself in, and sat in silence as his son worked it
out. Dad showed up when his son wasn’t
expecting him and even though his son was at odds with him, he sat there as loving
support to his son’s emotional anguish.
God
found Hagar when Hagar wasn’t looking.
We cannot say Hagar’s situation was completely and all her fault. Sarah had no business loaning out Hagar. Sarah’s lack of faith put Hagar in this position. Abraham’s lack of strong leadership led to
Hagar being used as a surrogate. Had Abraham
put his foot of faith down when Sarah suggested Hagar as a surrogate, then Ishmael
would not have been born and there would have been no strife between Hagar and Sarah. However, all these things do not excuse Hagar
from acting out as she did. Sarah was
her head whether she liked it or not.
And, there was no offer on the table for Hagar if she was willing to
serve as a surrogate. She was just as culpable. The point is simple and encouraging. When we are in the wrong and not particularly
close to God, more times than not, He seeks us out when we are not seeking Him. Even though we are somewhat in the wrong, He
sees beyond fault and knows it is more important to reconcile than to place
blame. God is a good God. He is the one that reaches out even though we
are not aware of Him doing so. This is
the God whom we serve!
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