[And He Walks With Me] Genesis 16
1-3 The notion of a woman giving her slave as a wife to her own husband is astonishing to modern sensibilities, but it was a fairly common practice among ancient people for whom the most important thing in life was producing an heir so that the family line would continue. For Sarai, this represented an opportunity to salvage her own feminine honor by giving Abram the child she could not provide but he desperately wanted and needed. For Hagar, it represented an opportunity to move up in the world, from slave to slave-wife. She would not be considered on the same level as Sarai, but this would give her greater consideration and permanence in the household.
3 Notice the timeline note here: Abram had lived in the land of Canaan ten years. Suddenly, the conversation of chapter 15 makes much more sense. Abram was now at least 85 years old and still waiting for the child that would enable him to start the nation God promised he would become. This was hard enough for Abram, living in a time and culture where much of life was spent waiting, but it is even more difficult for modern Westerners to accept. Our culture is obsessed with speed and instant gratification, but we are still expected to wait on the Lord. It would be wise, therefore, to practice waiting from time to time!
4 A barren woman such as Sarai was often considered contemptible in ancient cultures. In 12:3, the same Hebrew word is translated curse.[34] Hagar’s new position as wife and mother led her to forget where she came from and begin treating her mistress with undue disdain.
5 No doubt, Abram tried to stay out of the way and allow his wives to sort out their differences. He saw how Hagar was treating Sarai, and he could have intervened to protect Sarai and their marriage. In fact, he was the only one who could. By failing to do so, he had compromised the peace of his household and the sanctity of both marriages. Sarai was right to be angry with him, and modern men would do well to take heed of this situation. Men must not be passive observers in their families. They must work to build and preserve peace, to protect everyone in the household.
6 Abram’s response to Sarai was not exactly ideal. By giving her the power to do whatever you want to Hagar, he may have appeased one wife, but he fractured his entire family. Being a peacemaker does not mean appeasing one party over the other. Rather, it means identifying and protecting the best interests of everyone involved.
7-14 The angel of the Lord here is a curious figure. On the one hand, angel of would suggest that the figure is distinguished from God (7, 10, 11). On the other hand, this angel wielded the authority of the Lord in the first person: I will greatly multiply… (10). Additionally, Hagar equates the angel with God in verses 13-14. This suggests the angel is synonymous with God. Traditionally, Christians have reconciled these paradoxical things by holding that the angel was, in this case, the preincarnate Christ. Therefore, he was both distinct from the Father and synonymous with God.
8-10 The angel of the Lord asked Hagar a two-part question. The first part pertained to her origin, and the second part to her destination. However, Hagar knew only the answer to only the first part of the question: I’m running away from my mistress Sarai. Sometimes, we know only that we do not want to remain in our current situation, and it is tempting to flee from that situation even though we do not know where we will go. Fortunately, the angel provided Hagar with the answer to the second part of the question. Certainly, Go back to your mistress and submit to her authority was not the answer Hagar was expecting or desiring, but the angel pointed farther down the road to another destination: I will greatly multiply your offspring, and they will be too many to count. In verses 11-12, the angel would expand upon this, but the point is made. Often, going through a bad present situation is essential to arriving at God’s ultimate good situation. This is not to say that a person should remain in an abusive relationship, but it is to say that temporary suffering is sometimes part of God’s plan.
11-12 This blessing is something of a mixed bag for Hagar. On the one hand, she has conceived and will have a son. This was the highest honor for ancient women. The name Ishmael means “God hears,” which suggests that both she and her son would enjoy at least some degree of God’s blessing for their connection to Abram. On the other hand, Ishmael is compared to a wild donkey which was common in many areas of the Ancient Near East. These creatures restlessly roamed the desert from one place to another in search of their next meal, and their stubbornness made them profoundly difficult to tame. So also, his hand will be against everyone suggests he and his descendants will have a generally antagonistic disposition, and everyone’s hand will be against him indicates the animosity will be mutual. Perhaps the most significant part of this revelation, however, is that he will settle near all his relatives. This indicated Ishmael and his descendants would be close to their Hebrew cousins, but they would not be included together as one. Indeed, Ishmael’s descendants, the Arabs, have historically shared many commonalities with their Israelite cousins, but the two groups nevertheless seem diametrically opposed. Only in Christ will they be reconciled.
13 In this moment, Hagar must have felt utterly alone. The two relationships she had in life – her mistress and her husband – had fallen apart, and now she sat in the desert on her own, facing the prospect of having and raising her baby on her own. Surely, there was no one in the desert who saw, understood, or cared for her. Yet, the angel of the Lord found her (7), spoke to her (8, 9-13), and delivered a powerful promise to restore her hope (11-12). She felt seen and valued, and she named this God accordingly. He was the God who revealed himself to those who were completely revealed before him. It is often tempting to think of ourselves as utterly alone, with no one who sees, understands, or cares for us. In such moments, though, we must remember that God seeks us wherever we may be, reveals himself to us, and provides us with hope for the future.
14 Beer-lahai-roi means “Well of the Living One Who Sees Me.” Hagar named this landmark as a reminder of her experience with God. In fact, this would become a common trend in the Bible. Some people do not care about landmarks and memorials, etc., but it is important to set up tangible reminders for ourselves of things the Lord has done. Without these reminders, we will inevitably forget what he has done for us and, more importantly, what those actions reveal about who he is. Hagar’s name for this well reminded her that God is alive and well, and uniquely capable and resolved to see her for who she is in her situation.
15 It seems redundant to note both Hagar gave birth to Abram’s son and that Hagar bore Ishmael in the same verse, but there is a purpose. The author aimed to emphasize that Ishmael was both Abram’s son and not the fulfillment of God’s promise. This was an important reminder that there is often dissonance between God’s will and earthly reality. Instead of waiting for God’s timing and provision, Sarai and Abram in their impatience took it upon themselves to realize God’s will, and that decision would have lasting repercussions for their relationship, their household, and their descendants across all generations.
16 Again, the timeline is repeated for emphasis. Abram left Haran when he was 75 years old. He was now 86 years old. It is tempting to shake our heads and condescend him for going along with Sarai’s plan. Three thousand years after the fact, it seems obvious that this would result in a debacle. However, after ten years of waiting for God to realize the plan, and with age creeping up on them, we must remember how difficult it is to remain unswervingly faithful for so long and with so many apparent deadlines looming. Most of us have no room to criticize or condescend Abram. Instead, we must accept this account of Hagar and Ishmael as a reminder to patiently endure while we wait for the Lord.
[34] Sproul 2016, Genesis 16:4