The Story of Abraham and Hagar

Transcript:

Several generations after Cain and Abel, God appeared to a man called Abraham and said to him, “Leave your homeland and your father’s house and go to the land I will show you. And I will make from you a great nation and bless you and make your name great and you will become a blessing to many people. I will bless those who bless you and curse those who curse you and all the nations of the earth will be blessed through you.” At that time Abraham was 75 years old.

Abraham took his wife Sarah, his servants, and all his belongings and they traveled to the land that God showed them. When they arrived God said to Abraham, “I will give this land to you and your descendants.” When he heard this, he offered a sacrifice to God, and bowed to him and worshipped him.

Then Abraham said to God, “What is the benefit of the abundance that you give me when I don’t have an heir?” So God said to Abraham, “Look to the sky and count the stars if you can. That’s how your offspring will be, as many as the stars of the sky.” Abraham believed God and God considered his faith as righteousness.

After 10 years, a long time passed and Sarah still didn’t conceive, so she suggested to Abraham to take her servant, Hagar, and have a baby with her and therefore get himself descendants. When Hagar became pregnant, she started looking down on Sarah, so Sarah became very jealous of her, and started mistreating and humiliating her. That’s why Hagar fled to the desert.

There, an angel appeared to her and said to her, “You have to go back to Sarah. You will give birth to a boy and name him Ishmael.” Then Hagar said, “Now I am certain God sees me and knows my situation.” Hagar returned to Sarah, as the angel told her. Abraham was 86 years old when Hagar gave birth to Ishmael.

What is the promise God gave to Abraham? What was the problem in that promise for Abraham? Abraham believed God’s promise, in spite of his age and God considered this righteousness. What do you understand from that? How did Sarah act on her own initiative when a long time passed and God didn’t fulfill his promise? What does this tell us about her trust in God and his promise? What is the problem that we fall in when we want to fulfill God’s will in our own way and time?