Genesis 16 LMAP Notes
Homework:
What problems are you going through?
What is God telling you to do, to handle them?
Today's Topics:
· LETTING GOD HAVE CONTROL
·
Important Points:
LITERAL (L)
MESSAGE (M)
PERSONAL APPLICATION (A)
PROPHETIC (P)
Lecture Topic:
· Taking matters into your own hands
" 1 Now Sarai, Abram's wife, had borne him no children. But she had an Egyptian maidservant named Hagar; 2 so she said to Abram, "The LORD has kept me from having children. Go, sleep with my maidservant; perhaps I can build a family through her."
Abram agreed to what Sarai said. 3 So after Abram had been living in Canaan ten years, Sarai his wife took her Egyptian maidservant Hagar and gave her to her husband to be his wife. 4 He slept with Hagar, and she conceived. "
L- Abram and Sarai left Ur around 2091BC (during the 3rd Dynasty of Ur, a wealthy time). We find in the Codes of Hammurabi (a King of Babylon three hundred years later) detailed descriptions of what laws exist to help the leader of family get a son. One of these was for a slave of the household to bear a child with the leader, with the child getting full rights to inheritance. Hagar was probably acquired (some traditions say she was a daughter of the Pharaoh, and so a servant rather than a slave; a gift of peace)
M- God had already promised Abram and Sarai a child (ch 15), but it appears Sarai decided to no longer wait for God's Providence and instead take matters into her own hands. She held to the wrong theory that 'God helps those who help themselves'.
A- What issue are you dealing with that God has told you to let Him provide? Are you impatient and taking matters into your own hands?
P- n/a
· Problems arise
"When she knew she was pregnant, she began to despise her mistress. 5 Then Sarai said to Abram, "You are responsible for the wrong I am suffering. I put my servant in your arms, and now that she knows she is pregnant, she despises me. May the LORD judge between you and me."
6 "Your servant is in your hands," Abram said. "Do with her whatever you think best." Then Sarai mistreated Hagar; "
L- The word 'despise' means 'to make light of' (to belittle, look down upon). It was a human enough reaction of Hagar (though not nice). This hurt Sarai's feelings, but rather than being honest with herself and admitting that she started it all, Sarai chooses to get mad, blame Abram and demand he do something about it. Abram tells her its her problem to deal with. Sarai then decides to mistreat (abuse) Hagar. She lashes out, takes revenge, forgetting her role that initiated it all.
M- When we make a mistake, how easy is it to blame others and expect others to fix it for us. Or when something good happens to us, how easy it is to hold that above another's head smugly.
A- Have you made a mistake and aren't confessing to it? Are you expecting someone else to fix it? Have you been wronged and are trying to take revenge? Have you been blessed and are being smug about it around others?
P- n/a
· Running from the problems
"so she fled from her.
7 The angel of the LORD found Hagar near a spring in the desert; it was the spring that is beside the road to Shur. 8 And he said, "Hagar, servant of Sarai, where have you come from, and where are you going?"
"I'm running away from my mistress Sarai," she answered. "
L- Hagar doesn't like being mistreated, and she can't fight back as a slave, so she runs away. The messenger reminds Hagar of her station (servant), trying to keep her humbled.
M- Oftentimes, when things don't go our way, we either Fight back or Flee the situation (rarely do we persevere). We see numerous examples in the Bible of God calling His children to Fight, to Flee and to Persevere. So all 3 are technically OK, but in any given situation, we must seek God's Expectations for us. And when God is trying to get your attention, He will often humble you to make you listen better.
A- Are you being mistreated? What are you doing about it? Fighting back, fleeing or persevering? Is God trying to get your attention?
P- n/a
· Trusting in God
"9 Then the angel of the LORD told her, "Go back to your mistress and submit to her." 10 The angel added, "I will so increase your descendants that they will be too numerous to count."
11 The angel of the LORD also said to her:
"You are now with child
and you will have a son.
You shall name him Ishmael, [a]
for the LORD has heard of your misery.
12 He will be a wild donkey of a man;
his hand will be against everyone
and everyone's hand against him,
and he will live in hostility
toward [b] all his brothers."
13 She gave this name to the LORD who spoke to her: "You are the God who sees me," for she said, "I have now seen [c] the One who sees me." 14 That is why the well was called Beer Lahai Roi [d] ; it is still there, between Kadesh and Bered.
15 So Hagar bore Abram a son, and Abram gave the name Ishmael to the son she had borne. 16 Abram was eighty-six years old when Hagar bore him Ishmael."
L- This is the first time an angel shows up in Scripture. And who is this 'messenger'? This is Christ Jesus Himself! We know this because in v13, Hagar says she's seen God, so it can't be an angel. The same thing happens in again at the end of Joshua 5. And Christ tells Hagar that He wants her to go back and Persevere through the trials. And that He will bless her with numerous descendants. He even gives the child a name. Hagar obeys fully. [In May, we are going to do a detailed study on all the Names of God!]
M- God will sometimes tell us to persevere in a bad situation, because He has some purpose for that trial (Job, Joseph, Christ, etc). Sometimes He'll tell us what that purpose is; other times we just have to trust He knows what He is doing.
A- So is God telling you to persevere during your tough time right now? Has He told you why? Are you obeying Him?
P- Ishmael goes on to have 12 sons, from which the Arabs can trace themselves. So it is interesting to see how prophecy has come true. The term 'a wild donkey of a man' is actually a compliment, saying one can handle himself well in the wilderness, which is very true of Arabs. It also goes on to say that Ishmael will live hand-to-hand and over his brothers (neighbors). Most translations take this to mean in violence and competition. And we see that true in the history of Arabs. (Please also keep in mind that many Arabs are Christians, and have been for hundreds of generations. So refrain from making all-inclusive assumptions about Arabs. The main point of this prophecy is that they will live off the desert and be major players on the world's stage.)
RESOURCES:
Pasted from
NKJV Chronological Study Bible
Nelson's New Illustrated Bible Manners & Customs
Eerdmans Dictionary of the Bible
Halley's Bible Handbook, Deluxe Edition
Summary
· When God tells you something, wait for Him!
· When you make a mistake, confess it and do your best to fix it.
· When persecuted, let God tell you whether to Fight, Flight or Persevere.
· Obey God and wait for His Promises to come true.
What problems are you going through?
What is God telling you to do, to handle them?
Today's Topics:
· LETTING GOD HAVE CONTROL
·
Important Points:
LITERAL (L)
MESSAGE (M)
PERSONAL APPLICATION (A)
PROPHETIC (P)
Lecture Topic:
· Taking matters into your own hands
" 1 Now Sarai, Abram's wife, had borne him no children. But she had an Egyptian maidservant named Hagar; 2 so she said to Abram, "The LORD has kept me from having children. Go, sleep with my maidservant; perhaps I can build a family through her."
Abram agreed to what Sarai said. 3 So after Abram had been living in Canaan ten years, Sarai his wife took her Egyptian maidservant Hagar and gave her to her husband to be his wife. 4 He slept with Hagar, and she conceived. "
L- Abram and Sarai left Ur around 2091BC (during the 3rd Dynasty of Ur, a wealthy time). We find in the Codes of Hammurabi (a King of Babylon three hundred years later) detailed descriptions of what laws exist to help the leader of family get a son. One of these was for a slave of the household to bear a child with the leader, with the child getting full rights to inheritance. Hagar was probably acquired (some traditions say she was a daughter of the Pharaoh, and so a servant rather than a slave; a gift of peace)
M- God had already promised Abram and Sarai a child (ch 15), but it appears Sarai decided to no longer wait for God's Providence and instead take matters into her own hands. She held to the wrong theory that 'God helps those who help themselves'.
A- What issue are you dealing with that God has told you to let Him provide? Are you impatient and taking matters into your own hands?
P- n/a
· Problems arise
"When she knew she was pregnant, she began to despise her mistress. 5 Then Sarai said to Abram, "You are responsible for the wrong I am suffering. I put my servant in your arms, and now that she knows she is pregnant, she despises me. May the LORD judge between you and me."
6 "Your servant is in your hands," Abram said. "Do with her whatever you think best." Then Sarai mistreated Hagar; "
L- The word 'despise' means 'to make light of' (to belittle, look down upon). It was a human enough reaction of Hagar (though not nice). This hurt Sarai's feelings, but rather than being honest with herself and admitting that she started it all, Sarai chooses to get mad, blame Abram and demand he do something about it. Abram tells her its her problem to deal with. Sarai then decides to mistreat (abuse) Hagar. She lashes out, takes revenge, forgetting her role that initiated it all.
M- When we make a mistake, how easy is it to blame others and expect others to fix it for us. Or when something good happens to us, how easy it is to hold that above another's head smugly.
A- Have you made a mistake and aren't confessing to it? Are you expecting someone else to fix it? Have you been wronged and are trying to take revenge? Have you been blessed and are being smug about it around others?
P- n/a
· Running from the problems
"so she fled from her.
7 The angel of the LORD found Hagar near a spring in the desert; it was the spring that is beside the road to Shur. 8 And he said, "Hagar, servant of Sarai, where have you come from, and where are you going?"
"I'm running away from my mistress Sarai," she answered. "
L- Hagar doesn't like being mistreated, and she can't fight back as a slave, so she runs away. The messenger reminds Hagar of her station (servant), trying to keep her humbled.
M- Oftentimes, when things don't go our way, we either Fight back or Flee the situation (rarely do we persevere). We see numerous examples in the Bible of God calling His children to Fight, to Flee and to Persevere. So all 3 are technically OK, but in any given situation, we must seek God's Expectations for us. And when God is trying to get your attention, He will often humble you to make you listen better.
A- Are you being mistreated? What are you doing about it? Fighting back, fleeing or persevering? Is God trying to get your attention?
P- n/a
· Trusting in God
"9 Then the angel of the LORD told her, "Go back to your mistress and submit to her." 10 The angel added, "I will so increase your descendants that they will be too numerous to count."
11 The angel of the LORD also said to her:
"You are now with child
and you will have a son.
You shall name him Ishmael, [a]
for the LORD has heard of your misery.
12 He will be a wild donkey of a man;
his hand will be against everyone
and everyone's hand against him,
and he will live in hostility
toward [b] all his brothers."
13 She gave this name to the LORD who spoke to her: "You are the God who sees me," for she said, "I have now seen [c] the One who sees me." 14 That is why the well was called Beer Lahai Roi [d] ; it is still there, between Kadesh and Bered.
15 So Hagar bore Abram a son, and Abram gave the name Ishmael to the son she had borne. 16 Abram was eighty-six years old when Hagar bore him Ishmael."
L- This is the first time an angel shows up in Scripture. And who is this 'messenger'? This is Christ Jesus Himself! We know this because in v13, Hagar says she's seen God, so it can't be an angel. The same thing happens in again at the end of Joshua 5. And Christ tells Hagar that He wants her to go back and Persevere through the trials. And that He will bless her with numerous descendants. He even gives the child a name. Hagar obeys fully. [In May, we are going to do a detailed study on all the Names of God!]
M- God will sometimes tell us to persevere in a bad situation, because He has some purpose for that trial (Job, Joseph, Christ, etc). Sometimes He'll tell us what that purpose is; other times we just have to trust He knows what He is doing.
A- So is God telling you to persevere during your tough time right now? Has He told you why? Are you obeying Him?
P- Ishmael goes on to have 12 sons, from which the Arabs can trace themselves. So it is interesting to see how prophecy has come true. The term 'a wild donkey of a man' is actually a compliment, saying one can handle himself well in the wilderness, which is very true of Arabs. It also goes on to say that Ishmael will live hand-to-hand and over his brothers (neighbors). Most translations take this to mean in violence and competition. And we see that true in the history of Arabs. (Please also keep in mind that many Arabs are Christians, and have been for hundreds of generations. So refrain from making all-inclusive assumptions about Arabs. The main point of this prophecy is that they will live off the desert and be major players on the world's stage.)
RESOURCES:
Pasted from
NKJV Chronological Study Bible
Nelson's New Illustrated Bible Manners & Customs
Eerdmans Dictionary of the Bible
Halley's Bible Handbook, Deluxe Edition
Summary
· When God tells you something, wait for Him!
· When you make a mistake, confess it and do your best to fix it.
· When persecuted, let God tell you whether to Fight, Flight or Persevere.
· Obey God and wait for His Promises to come true.
