A couple of thoughts this morning. First, I've always found the Angel of the Lord's command to Hagar intriguing, "You must go back to your mistress and submit to her mistreatment." (16:9) Are you kidding me? Is that a mistake. Shouldn't it have either read that she was free to leave because of her mistreatment or that she was free to go back and make a public spectacle of Sarai because she deserved to be exposed for her inhumane behavior or that she was to return and God was going to change Sarai's heart toward her...yet none of this was to be. Hagar was to return and then it comes, the dreaded "s" word, submit, and not to one worthy of respect but to mistreatment. We must never forget the old cliche, that God is not so concerned for our comfort as much as He is our character. If we ever find ourselves being mistreated, we would do well to read this story and pray vigilantly before we assign assumptions to God's intention.
I also realized something this morning that I had not seen before in the history of Abram/Abraham. His son was not conceived until after the rite of circumcision had been established. May it be a reminder to us that God has promises for us to possess that we can not behold until we have submitted areas of our lives to Him that we have formerly withheld. And in thinking of those promises, how wondrous they will be, think of the meaning of Isaac's name, laughter. The Apologetics Study Bible I am reading points out the "play on words" here. Both Abraham and Sarah laughed at the Angel's news that they would give birth to a child naturally, even though they were 100 and 90 respectively (17:17 & 18:12).
God's promises for us are so grand, they cause the unbelieving mind to laugh at the impossibility...they inspire the heart of faith to look expectantly!
Pastor Fred
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