God Hears

Ishmael was the son of Sarah’s slave, Hagar.

We meet Hagar in Genesis 16. After long years of not being able to have a baby, Sarah decides to try to have a child by proxy.  Apparently this was the practice of the day.  Hagar was Sarah’s choice for the proxy.

We do not know where Sarah got Hagar, nor how long she had her.  We do know that Abraham traveled to Egypt to avoid a drought a few years before this.  When he was in Egypt, he and Sarah lied about their relationship saying that Sarah was his sister. As a result of the lie, Pharaoh took Sarah to be his wife. God intervened and stopped Pharaoh.  Because of Sarah, Pharaoh gave Abraham many gifts including male and female servants. My guess would be that Hagar was one of these servants. We do know that Hagar was Egyptian.

When Abraham was 85 years old Sarah gave Hagar to Abraham in order to produce a child.  Genesis 16:4 tells us, “When Hagar knew she was pregnant, she began to treat her mistress, Sarai, with contempt.”[i] (NLT) Hagar felt that Sarah was beneath consideration, worthless, or deserving scorn. Sarah could not get pregnant so this was, according to the logic of the day, obvious evidence that Sarah was cursed. All this is implied in the Hebrew word translated “contempt.”

Sarah was not about to put up with this; so, she humbled Hagar.  She treated Hagar so harshly that Hagar finally ran away.

On the way to Egypt we find Hagar sitting by a spring of water.

 

⁷The angel of the LORD found Hagar beside a spring of water in the wilderness, along the road to Shur. ⁸The angel said to her, “Hagar, Sarai’s servant, where have you come from, and where are you going?”

“I’m running away from my mistress, Sarai,” she replied.

⁹The angel of the LORD said to her, “Return to your mistress, and submit to her authority.” ¹⁰Then he added, “I will give you more descendants than you can count.”

¹¹And the angel also said, “You are now pregnant and will give birth to a son. You are to name him Ishmael (which means ‘God hears’), for the LORD has heard your cry of distress. ¹²This son of yours will be a wild man, as untamed as a wild donkey! He will raise his fist against everyone, and everyone will be against him. Yes, he will live in open hostility against all his relatives.” (NLT)

Hagar cried out to the Lord in distress and he heard her.

Hagar was in distress. The cry of distress expressed the misery of Hagar's circumstances. Life treated Hagar bad.  She was a slave. She was used to produce a male heir for her mistress. Slavery and polygamy represent two huge issues of social injustice.

God’s answer to Hagar’s distress is: “Return to your mistress, and submit to her authority.”

We jump ahead 16 years and find Hagar still living in her mistress’s household.  Her son Ishmael was Abraham’s only son until just 3 years ago. We join the family as they celebrate Abraham’s son Isaac.  On the day Isaac was weaned, Abraham threw a big party. “But Sarah saw Ishmael—the son of Abraham and her Egyptian servant Hagar—making fun of her son, Isaac.” (Genesis 21:9, NLT)

The Hebrew word used for “making fun” is an intensive form of the word “Isaac,” which means “laugh.” Galatians 4:29 gives more information on this when it says that Ishmael “persecuted” Isaac. Isaac was 3. Ishmael was 16. This apparently was no laughing matter.

What was life like in Hagar’s tent? We do not know, but could Ishmael’s attitude have been influenced by Hagar’s? Hagar treated Sarah with contempt. 16 years later Ishmael treated Isaac with contempt.

Hagar again ends up in the wilderness a second time. This time she is not heading to Egypt, she is wandering aimlessly. She has been kicked out along with her young son. Ishmael wears out before his mother.  It seems he is close to death; so, his mother lays him down and goes off a distance because she cannot bear to watch him die.

I will go ahead and ask a question that I do not like. How much of Hagar’s suffering did she bring upon herself? I do not like the question because slavery is wrong and polygamy is wrong.  Suffering and abuse are inherent in these two systems. I do not want to imply that the victim of an evil system is somehow responsible for the evils of that system.

However, I was convicted by the realization that Hagar thought she was better than Sarah because she could have a baby and Sarah could not. Having been wronged by slavery and polygamy, the revenge for Hagar was sweet.  Whenever she walked in front of Sarah her protruding belly would remind Sarah that Hagar was blessed where Sarah was cursed. The Bible tells us that she despised Sarah because of this.

Compare Hagar’s response to the New Testament.  Jesus taught us: “I say, love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you!” (Matthew 5:44, NLT)

The Bible does not endorse slavery, but it does recognize it as a fact.  In the same way the Bible does not endorse divorce, but it does recognize it as a fact.  Jesus taught us that divorce was not God’s intention, but allowed only because of the hardness of men’s heart.

The passage is Matthew 19:3-8:

³Some Pharisees came and tried to trap him with this question: “Should a man be allowed to divorce his wife for just any reason?”

⁴“Haven’t you read the Scriptures?” Jesus replied. “They record that from the beginning ‘God made them male and female.’ ⁵And he said, ‘This explains why a man leaves his father and mother and is joined to his wife, and the two are united into one.’ ⁶Since they are no longer two but one, let no one split apart what God has joined together.”

⁷“Then why did Moses say in the law that a man could give his wife a written notice of divorce and send her away?” they asked.

⁸Jesus replied, “Moses permitted divorce only as a concession to your hard hearts, but it was not what God had originally intended. (NLT)

Slavery is treated the same way.  Slavery exists because of the hardness of men’s hearts. The Bible provides concessions to our hard hearts, but it was not what God originally intended. When the Apostle Paul wrote to the Colossians he said: “Slaves, obey your earthly masters in everything you do. Try to please them all the time, not just when they are watching you. Serve them sincerely because of your reverent fear of the Lord.” (Colossians 3:22, NLT)  

The book of Philemon is a letter written by Paul as he was sending the slave Onesimus back to his owner, Philemon. The law protected the slave owner’s rights. It was a legal institution in that day.

I enjoy reading Fredrick Douglas’s writings.  His wrote two autobiographies, the first being written before the civil war was titled, “Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave.” One of the things that Douglas points out is that anytime there is absolute power given to one human being over another abuses are bound to happen.

I would go as far as to say that when we think we are better than another, abuse is going to happen. The gospel says, “Love your neighbor as yourself,” and “Consider others as more important than yourself.” Abuses of position happen in government, business, Churches and families. Whenever one person lords it over another and forgets the Lord’s command to love your neighbor as yourself, abuses are likely to happen.

What though are we to do when we suffer unjustly? 1 Peter 3:13-17 addresses this issue when it talks to us about our attitude:

¹³Now, who will want to harm you if you are eager to do good? ¹⁴But even if you suffer for doing what is right, God will reward you for it. So don’t worry or be afraid of their threats. ¹⁵Instead, you must worship Christ as Lord of your life. And if someone asks about your Christian hope, always be ready to explain it. ¹⁶But do this in a gentle and respectful way. Keep your conscience clear. Then if people speak against you, they will be ashamed when they see what a good life you live because you belong to Christ.  ¹⁷Remember, it is better to suffer for doing good, if that is what God wants, than to suffer for doing wrong! (NLT)

Hagar was not suffering for doing good.  She also was not fighting against slavery and oppression. In her attitude she showed that she thought she was better than Sarah.  This attitude set her against Sarah and Sarah against her. She was suffering in part because of a bad attitude.

Later on Ishmael adopted the same sort of attitude.  Even before he was born God said of Ishmael: “¹²This son of yours will be a wild man, as untamed as a wild donkey! He will raise his fist against everyone, and everyone will be against him. Yes, he will live in open hostility against all his relatives.” (Genesis 16:12, NLT)

Ishmael raised his fist against everyone and as a result everyone was also against him.  He lived out the results of the attitude he adopted.  His descendants learned the attitude and became a nation living in open hostility with its neighbors.

There is a theme that runs through this story that is important for us as believers.

When Hagar had given up and sat down to wait for the end, God heard the boy crying, and spoke from heaven to encourage her. There was a spring of water nearby.  God opened her eyes so that she could see it.

Previously, when Hagar had run away, God heard her cry of distress and answered her.  He spoke to her directly and promised to make Ishmael into a great nation.

The important point in all of this is the name God gives Ishmael. The name means God hears.

I believe that Ishmael and Hagar ended up living in the desert isolated from their relatives because they did not get this message.  God hears.  The two times they called on the Lord He answered, directly.

The attitude they displayed showed they were focused on things other than God. Hagar and then Ishmael tried to fight their way out without calling on the Lord.  When they did call on Him, He answered. The first time it was, “Go back and submit.”  The second time God gave water and saved their lives.

1 Peter 4:19 says, “So if you are suffering in a manner that pleases God, keep on doing what is right, and trust your lives to the God who created you, for he will never fail you.” (NLT)

The two keys in this passage are to keep doing what is right and to trust our lives to God.  If we believe God hears us when we call, we can do this without hesitation.

Onesimus did. Converted under Paul’s ministry, he went submissively back to Philemon, trusting God for the outcome.  He was doing what was right in the sight of men because this was what the law required. He was doing right in the sight of God because he was entrusting himself to God. Philemon later set Onesimus free and, according to tradition, Onesimus became the bishop of the church at Colossae.

I want to make something clear.  I am not saying we should not stand up for what is right.  We are to defend and protect those who are weaker than we are.  Caring for the orphan and widow is given in the book of James as representing true religion. Paul, himself, appealed to what at the time was the Supreme Court when his case was not getting a proper hearing. Paul, however, did not pretend to be better than those that imprisoned him.  He did not curse or treat them as any less than himself.  He prayed for them, told them about Christ and ultimately many lives were saved.

If you are being abused by a family member, you can in all humility put up boundaries and even seek protection from the law. More importantly you can call on the name of the Lord and receive strength and courage to do what is necessary to protect yourself.

Our attitude shapes everything we do. It is one of the most important things about us.  Our attitude needs to be informed by the message: God hears. God knows.  God cares.

The best way to inform our attitude was demonstrated by Paul when he was wrongly beaten and imprisoned.  He worshiped. He sang praises. He did this not because of how he felt, but in spite of how he felt. We can have attitudes based on the weather, the stock market, our neighbor’s cat, the flat tire or the latest drama in our lives. Or we can have attitudes based on the fact that God hears us when we call.  God cares.

The only two times that Hagar and Ishmael are recorded as calling on the Lord, He answered. How often do we really humble ourselves and call on the Lord? How often do we let our bad attitude speak before we call on the Lord?

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[i] Scripture quotations marked NLT are taken from the Holy Bible: New Living Translation. Copyright 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188.  All rights reserved.

God Takes Note of Sarah

¹The LORD visited Sarah as he had said, and the LORD did to Sarah as he had promised.[i] (Genesis 21:1, ESV)

Have you ever been passed over or overlooked?

Were you one of those enviable few who were picked first for teams on the playground? Or, were you left standing until the very last?

These playground dramas continue even in our adult years as we are passed over for promotions or others are recognized over us.

This week I read about a court case from 2004 were a Wisconsin employee won a gender discrimination case because she was passed over for promotion despite excellent performance. Key in the jury’s verdict was evidence of the manager’s history of gender based “humorous” comments such as “Just like a woman to say that;” “You’re being a blonde again;” and “It’s a blonde thing.” The manager also implied that the female employee did not need a promotion because she had a husband to “take care of her” and the manager did not think she would move to another city for a promotion because she had a family (but never asked her about her willingness to transfer). [ii]

God never overlooks or passes over those who love Him.

We all are overlooked or passed over at some point in our lives. A mother or father might overlook a child, but God never will.

Isaiah 49:15 says, “Can a mother forget her nursing child? Can she feel no love for the child she has borne? But even if that were possible, I would not forget you!”[iii] (NLT)

We are going to look at the life of Abraham and Sarah and see how God never overlooked Sarah even when others did.

The story of Genesis 12 through 20 focuses on Abraham.  God appeared to Abraham and made a covenant with Abraham. It can seem like Sarah is just along for the ride as the focus is on Abraham. Chapter 21 changes focus.  Sarah is the central figure. Verse 1 says, “The LORD visited Sarah as he had said, and the LORD did to Sarah as he had promised.” (ESV) The Lord visited Sarah, and did to Sarah.

This word “visited” used here is a translation of a Hebrew word that means to turn one’s attention to with an intention to provide for.  It is used to express the tallying up of a debt when it is time to pay.  God turns His attention on Sarah.

Abraham has discounted Sarah up to this point. It may have been the culture of the time.  It may have been Abraham’s character. Whatever the cause, Sarah was treated almost like property.

When they traveled in Egypt, Abraham let Pharaoh have Sarah.  When he traveled in the territory of the Philistines, he let Abimelech have her.  On both occasions, it was God who intervened and saved the honor and dignity of Sarah.

When Sarah could not produce an heir, Abraham was willing to replace her with Hagar and Ishmael.  The fact that Sarah suggested it herself only serves to point out the place and position a woman had in that society and in Abraham’s household.  Hagar, as both a slave and a woman, had no say, and Sarah was in a position where she was willing to share her husband with a younger woman. Even taking culture into account the impact on Sarah and Hagar’s psyches had to be devastating.

God tells it like it is. Recording history does not make an endorsement by God of what is happening. We see God’s position in the way He responds.  It was God that rescued Sarah from Pharaoh and Abimelech. It was God who insisted that the blessing would come through Sarah. 

Look at chapter 17 of Genesis.  God tells Abraham that Sarai’s name is now Sarah.  In verse 16 God says, “I will bless her, and indeed I will give you a son by her. Then I will bless her and she shall be a mother of nations.”[iv] (NASB) This sounds a lot like the promise God made to Abraham. 

However, Abraham pleads for Ishmael to receive the blessings. In verse 19, God is firm.  He says, “No, it will be Sarah.” Abraham is looking out for the blessing for himself and his descendants, and God is looking out for Abraham and Sarah as well.

When society, the culture and even your own family overlook and discount you, put your trust in God. He does not forget those who love Him, who are the called according to His purposes. (Romans 8:28)

This truth applies to all of life.  People may overlook or discount you on the job, in school, at home and even at church, but God never will.

Jesus told the story of a shepherd with 100 sheep. One was lost.  The shepherd left the 99 to go and look for the one lost sheep.

The fact that God never overlooks or discounts a single person can be either tremendously encouraging or horribly frightening.

Wednesday morning I pulled up my daily Bible reading email from Biblegateway.com and began to read. The day’s reading started in Jeremiah chapter 51.

Verse 1 of Jeremiah 51 says, “Thus says the LORD: “Behold, I will stir up the spirit of a destroyer against Babylon, against the inhabitants of Leb-kamai.” (ESV) Here is a “not so friendly” picture of God.  He is stirring up a destroyer against a people.  You have probably heard of Babylon, but not “Leb-kamai.” This is because “Leb-kamai” is an ancient Hebrew code, similar to our English pig-Latin.  It was used by those in captivity to communicate so that the Babylonians captors would not understand. This “Leb-kamai” points to the land of the Chaldeans.  By using code Jeremiah is referencing the offences against God’s people and the idolatry and violence of the Babylonian people.

As I thought about this reference, I began to look for other code words that Jeremiah was using in his prophecy of judgment.  In Jeremiah 50:21 I found this:

"Go up, my warriors, against the land of Merathaim and against the people of Pekod. Pursue, kill, and completely destroy them, as I have commanded you," says the LORD. (NLT)

This is a “very unfriendly” picture of God. Of special interest are the names: “Merathaim” and “Pekod.”  They are very similar to location names in the area of Babylon, but not exact.  However, the meaning of the Hebrew words is clear. “Merathaim” in Hebrew means “Double rebellion”. God has spoken to and reached out to the people of Babylon for many years. This is the people to which He sent the prophet Jonah years before this.  They repented at the time of Jonah, but the reform did not last.  This is a double rebellious people and God has had enough.  The scary name is the second name.  It is “Pekod.” It is the reason for this long detour.  It is the exact same word we are looking at in Genesis chapter 21.  In Genesis 21 it says that God visited Sarah.  The visit to Sarah was a good thing, a great blessing.  The visit to Babylon was not to be so pleasant. Pekod is the Hebrew word “visit.”

When we set our hearts up in rebellion against God, a visit from Him is a frightening event.

Even God’s servants experience this. Jonah thought he would not go where God told Him, and experienced a very unpleasant visit.  Moses did not circumcise his boys, and God met him on the road and was going to kill him. Ananias and Sapphira thought they would lie to God, and died instantly.

God does not discount any one, not a single person – not Sarah, not Hagar, not anyone.

I like the New Living Translation’s rendering of Genesis 21:1. “The LORD kept his word and did for Sarah exactly what he had promised.” He did for Sarah exactly what he had promised.

The story of Genesis 21:1-7 is a story of victory, of laughter and rejoicing.  I love what Sarah says in verses 6 and 7:

 “God has brought me laughter. All who hear about this will laugh with me. Who would have said to Abraham that Sarah would nurse a baby? Yet I have given Abraham a son in his old age!”

God does exactly what He says.  Not a single word He has spoken will fall to the ground. (Matthew 5:18)

As believers this gives us great hope.  We have the assurance of eternal life and a home in heaven because God has said, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved.” (Acts 16:31) We have the hope of God’s help, protection and presence with us wherever we go. He has said, “I will never leave you or forsake you.” (Hebrews 13:5) We know our sins are forgiven because He says, “…if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness.” (1 John 1:9)

In Abraham and Sarah’s life God visited and kept His word.  This had a purifying effect.  When God first visited, it led to Abraham leaving his home and family. In following visits Abraham and Sarah were progressively purified. 

When God visited Sarah and did exactly as He promised, it caused another purifying moment.  I am referring to the story of Abraham and Sarah’s separation from Ishmael and Hagar.

This is a sad story.  Verse 11 tells us that Abraham was very upset because Ishmael was his son.  But, Abraham had to let go of what was an idol in his heart.  God’s standard is, “You must not have any other god but me.” (Exodus 20:3, NLT)

Whenever we encounter God, we confront the issue of the idols in our lives. An encounter with God is a purifying event. As we walk with God, He patiently purifies us. The Abraham we meet in Genesis 12 is not the same Abraham that we read about in chapter 21.  The theological term for this process is sanctification.

Some confuse sanctification with salvation.  Such confusion causes unnecessary distress and trouble. When a person asks Jesus to be his or her Savior, he or she may only know that the Bible says, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved.”

This is perhaps their first encounter with God.  In this encounter they have understood that they need a Savior.  They may not know anything else, but let me ask a question. Is their salvation dependent on what they do or on what God has promised? If they die not knowing any more, but relying only on the promise of God, will God not keep His promise?

Let us suppose this person does not die and we meet him or her 30 years later. Let us also pretend that nothing has changed.  The person’s life has not changed at all. In other words, there has been no process of sanctification.  This would be a clear indication that there was no encounter with God in the first place.  God is very clear that He disciplines His children. (Hebrews 12:6)

I am far from perfect.  The Lord confronts idols in my life. But, I know that I am saved and am going to heaven. First, I have the Holy Spirit who testifies with my spirit that I am God’s child. (Romans 8:16) Second, I have experienced and know that God disciplines me. (Hebrews 12:6) Third, and most important, I have the promise of God that “all who call on the name of the Lord will be saved.” (Romans 10:13)

Do not worry about whether or not you have been overlooked.  You have not been overlooked. Call on the name of the Lord and you will be saved.  “Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.” (Matthew 6:33, NLT) Do not worry that you can lose your salvation.  God’s promises never fail. Jude verse 24 tells us, “God…is able to keep you from falling away and will bring you with great joy into his glorious presence without a single fault.” (NLT)

The point is: Put your confidence in God – not in what you can do, not in the church, not in your pastor, not in your job, not in your family – put you confidence in God, God alone.

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[i] Scripture quotations marked ESV are from The ESV Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version) copyright 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

[ii] http://www.boardmanclark.com/reading-room/it-was-just-a-joke/

[iii] Scripture quotations marked NLT are taken from the Holy Bible: New Living Translation. Copyright 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188.  All rights reserved.

[iv]Scripture quotations marked NASB are taken from the New American Standard Bible. Copyright 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977 by The Lockman Foundation, La Habra, California.