Genesis 16
1 "Now Sarai Abram's
wife bare him no children: and she had an handmaid, an
Egyptian, whose name was Hagar." Now Sarai Abram's wife bare him no children
(literally, bare not to him, notwithstanding the promise; the barrenness of Sarai being
introduced as the point of departure for the ensuing narrative, and emphasized as the
cause or occasion of the subsequent transaction): and she had - literally, to her
(there was) - an handmaid, an Egyptian (obtained probably while in the house
of Pharaoh (ch. 12:16) - whose name was Hagar - "flight," from hagar, to flee.
compare Hegirah, the flight of Mahomet. Not her original designation, but given
to her afterwards, either because
of her flight from
or because of her escape from her mistress (Michaelis, Bush, 'Speaker's Commentary').
Though not the imaginary or mythical (Bohlen), it is doubtful if she was the real
(Ainsworth, Bush), ancestor of the Hagarenes (I Chronicles 5:10, 19-20; 27:31;
Psalm 83:6, 8).
2 "And Sarai said
unto Abram, Behold now, the LORD hath restrained me
from bearing: I pray thee, go in unto my maid;
it may be that I may obtain
children by her. And Abram hearkened to the voice
of Sarai."
And Sarai
said
unto Abram, Behold now, the Lord hath restrained us from bearing. Literally,
hath shut me up (i.e. my womb, ch. 20:18; συνέκλεισέ με - sunekleise me - restrained
me - Septugint) from bearing. Her advancing age was rendering this every day more
and more apparent. I pray thee go in unto my maid (ch. 30:3, 9). It is so far satisfactory
that the proposal to make a secondary wife of Hagar did not originate with Abram;
though, as Sarai's guilt in making it cannot altogether. be excused, so neither can
Abram be entirely freed from fault in yielding to her
solicitations. It may be that
I may obtain children by her. Literally, be built up by her; from banah, to build,
whence ben, a son (Deuteronomy 25:9; Ruth 4:11). Calvin notes that Sarai's desire
of offspring was not prompted by natural impulse, but by the zeal of faith which
made her wish to secure the promised benediction. As yet it had not been clearly
intimated that Sarai was to be the mother of Abram's child; and hence her recourse
to what was a prevalent practice of the times, while unjustifiable in itself, was a
signal proof of her humility, of her devotion to her husband, and perhaps also of
her faith in God. And Abram hearkened to the voice of Sarai. "The faith of both
was defective; not indeed with regard to the substance of the premise, but with
regard to the method in which they
proceeded" (Calvin).
3 "And Sarai Abram's
wife took Hagar her maid the Egyptian, after Abram
had dwelt ten years in the
to be his wife." And Sarai Abram's wife took Hagar her maid the Egyptian, after
Abram had dwelt ten years in the land of Canaan (i.e. in his eighty-fifth, and her
seventy-fifth year; a note of time introduced, probably, to account for their impatience
in waiting for the promised seed), and gave her to her husband Abram to be his wife.
Afterwards styled a pilgash or concubine (ch. 25:6), she is here improperly called a
wife quae praeter Dei legem is alienum thorum inducitur (Calvin), from whom the
pilgash or concubine differed:
(1) in power over the family, which belonged solely to the true wife, not to the
secondary;
(2) in the manner of espousal, which in the case of the former was accompanied
with solemn rites of espousal and liberal gifts of dowry; and
(3) in privilege of issue, the offspring of the secondary wife having no title to inherit.
The act of Sarai (compare the similar behavior of Stratonice, the wife of King
Deiotarus, who, according to Plutarch, gave her maid Electra to her husband,
and so obtained an heir to the crown) is as little to be imitated as the conduct
of Abram.
The apparent repetitions in vs. 1-3 do not require the hypothesis of different authorship
(Tuch, Colenso, Bleek, Davidson) for their explanation, but are characteristic of the
genius of Hebrew composition (compare ch. 7:1-10), and may even be considerably
removed by connecting vs. 1-2 with the last chapter, and commencing the new
sub-section with v. 3 here (Quarry, p. 331).
Crooked Ways, or
Marrying with Hagar (v. 3)
Ø The
author of it; Sarai, the wife of Abram, a daughter of the faith, the
mistress
of a household. To the first, the suggestion referred to in the
narrative
should have been impossible; in the second, it was inconsistent;
while,
proceeding from the third, it was calculated to be harmful.
Ø The
wickedness of it.
It was:
o
a clear violation of the law of God (compare ch.
2:24; Matthew 19:5;
I Corinthians
6:16; Ephesians 5:28, 31);
o
a direct offence against the soul of
Abram, being in reality
the
placing
of a dangerous temptation in his way (Deuteronomy 13:6;
Romans
14:13); and,
o
an
unjustifiable invasion of the liberties of Hagar. Though
permitted
in the providence of God to be a bondmaid in the
house of Sarai, she was not in the power of her mistress to
be
disposed of in the way proposed, without consent either
asked or
obtained.
Ø The
extenuations of it.
o
The practice was common. Secondary wives being then in vogue, the
scheme
recommended by Sarai may not have been regarded by
her as
sinful.
o
The motive was good. It had its origin undoubtedly in a firm
belief in
the
promise, and a strong desire that her husband should no longer be
debarred
from its realization through her apparently permanent sterility.
o
The self-denial was great. The entire conduct of Sarai,
in giving Hagar
to her
husband, evinced certain truly engaging features in her personal
and
wifely character, which must not be overlooked in forming an
estimate
of her peculiar action; such as genuine humility in yielding to
another
the honor of being the mother of Abram’s seed, and intense
devotion
to her husband in submitting for his sake to a displacement
which
must have carried anguish to her breast.
Sarai.”
Ø Deliberately. He was not surprised into this secondary marriage with the
Egyptian maiden. The scheme of Sarai appears to have
been talked over
between
them; and if at first he had scruples in complying with her
proposition,
they were eventually overcome.
Ø Inconsiderately. That is, the ulterior consequences were not taken into
account
in assenting to this device for the anticipation of the promised
seed;
only its immediate feasibility and superficial recommendations. So
men
are morally
shortsighted, and
cannot see afar off when confronted by
some
sweet temptation. Had Abram only dimly discerned the outcome of
Sarai’s
counsel, he would have seen
that the
thing was not of God. A
perception
of the coming whirlwind would often hinder the sowing of the
wind. (Much less the problems of the 21st
Century – CY – 2019)
Ø Inexcusably. Though not dictated by carnal desire, Abram’s
acquiescence in Sarai’s scheme was far from being
faultless. It evinced a
want of faith, and, indeed, a want of true spiritual
discernment in
supposing
that what God had promised as a gift of grace could be
surreptitiously snatched from His Divine hand in the way proposed,
or even
by any purely human stratagem; and a
want of patience in
not
calmly
waiting for the accomplishment of God’s word in God’s own
time
and way.
Ø Humiliation to Sarai. Elated by the prospect of maternity, the
young
Egyptian
slave-girl despised her mistress; by haughtiness of carriage,
perhaps
silently discovering contempt for Sarai s sterility,
and possibly
assuming
airs of superiority, as if, in consequence of approaching
motherhood,
anticipating her displacement from the throne of Abram’s
love
(Proverbs 30:23).
Ø Misery to Abram. The womanly nature of Sarai, stung to
jealousy by the
success
of her own plan, and incapable of longer enduring the scornful
triumph of
a maiden whom her own hands had transformed into a favored
rival,
with something like vindictive heat turned upon her meek,
submissive,
and in this matter wholly innocent lord, reproaching him as, if
not the
cause of her barrenness, at least the patient and half-satisfied
witness
of her humiliation; she almost called down upon him the judgment
of
Heaven. To a noble spirit like that of Abram the anguish of Sarai must
have
been distressing to behold; and the pain which it occasioned must
have
been intensified when he came to realize the painful dilemma in which
he
stood between her and Hagar.
Ø Oppression to Hagar. Reminding Sarai
that Hagar, though a wife to
him, was
still a maid to her, the patriarch unwisely extended sanction to
whatever remedy
the heated breast of Sarai might devise. The result
was
that the
favored maiden was at once thrust back into her original condition
of
servitude, deprived of whatever tokens of honor and affection she had
received
as Abram’s wife, and subjected to injurious treatment at the hands
of her
incensed mistress and rival, from which she ultimately sought refuge
in
flight.
1. That eminent saints may lapse into grievous sins.
2. That a child of God is specially
liable to temptation after seasons of high
religious
privilege.
3. That the strongest temptations sometimes proceed from the
least
expected
quarters.
4. That trying to anticipate the Divine promise is not an
uncommon form of
temptation.
5. That when God’s people take to crooked ways, nothing but evil can
come of it.
4 "And he went in unto Hagar, and she
conceived: and when she saw that she had
conceived, her mistress was despised in her eyes." And he went in unto Hagar.
בּוא אֶלאּ, a linguistic peculiarity of the Jehovist, occurring in ch. 29:21,30; 30:3-4;
38:2, 9, 16 (Vaihinger, Davidson); but by some partitionists Genesis 29. and 30. are
assigned to the Elohist
(Tuch, Bleek, De Wette). And she conceived: and when she
saw that she had conceived, her mistress was despised in her eyes. As Hannah by
Peninnah (I Samuel 1:6); barrenness among the Hebrews having been regarded as a
dishonor and reproach (ch. 19:31; 30:1, 23; Leviticus 20:20), and fertility as a
special mark of the Divine favor (ch. 21:6; 24:60; Exodus 23:26; Deuteronomy 7:14).
Whether Hagar imagined Sarai to be
through her barrenness "tanquam a Divino
promisso repudiatam" (Lyra), or anticipated Sarai's displacement from her position
as Abram s wife (Inglis), she, immediately on
perceiving her condition, became
insolent
(compare Proverbs 30:23).
5 "And Sarai said
unto Abram, My wrong be upon thee: I have given my maid
into thy bosom; and when she saw that she had
conceived, I was despised in her
eyes: the LORD judge between me and thee." And Sarai said unto Abram,
My wrong be
upon thee. Ἀδικοῦμαι ἐκ σοῦ
- adikoumai - this wrong is your fault
(Septuagint); indue agis contra me (Vulgate); My injury is upon thee, i.e. thou art
the cause of it (Jonathan, Rosenmüller, Ainsworth, Clarke, 'Speaker s Commentary');
or, it belongs to thee as well as to me (Clericus, Bush, Alford); or, perhaps better,
May the injury done to me return upon thee! compare ch. 27:13 (Keil, Kalisch, Lange,
Wordsworth) - the language of passionate irritation, indicating repentance of her
previous action and a desire to both impute its guilt to, and lay its bitter consequences
on,
her husband, who in the entire transaction was more innocent than she. I
have
given my maid into thy bosom (very imprudent, even had it not been sinful; the
result
was only what might have been expected); - and when she saw that she
had conceived, I was despised in her eyes: the Lord judge between me and thee
(compare
I Samuel 24:15; Judges 11:27). An irreverent use of the Divine name
on the part of Sarai (Calvin), and a speech arguing great
passion (Ainsworth).
6 "But Abram said unto Sarai,
Behold, thy maid is in thy hand; do to her as it
pleaseth thee.
And when Sarai dealt hardly with her, she fled from
her face."
But Abram said unto Sarai, Behold, thy maid is in thy hand (regarding her still
as one of Sarai's servants, though elevated to the rank of secondary wife to himself);
do to her as it pleaseth thee. Literally, the good in thine eyes; in which conduct of
the patriarch may be seen perhaps
(1) an evidence of his peaceful disposition in doing violence to his feelings as a
husband in order to restore harmony to his disquieted household (Calvin), and
(2) a proof that he had already found out his mistake in expecting the promised seed
through Hagar (Calvin); but also
(3) an indication of weakness in yielding to Sarai's passionate invective (Willet, Bush),
and
(4) an unjustifiable wrong inflicted on the future mother of his child (Candlish).
And when Sarai dealt hardly with her - (literally, afflicted) her by thrusting her
back into the condition of a slave (Lange, Candlish); though probably by stripes
or maltreatment of some sort in addition (Ainsworth, Bush) - she fled from her face.
The Maid, the Mistress, and the Master (vs.
1-6)
Ø
Pride.
Ø
Contempt.
Ø
Insubordination.
Ø
Flight.
Ø
Tempting her husband.
Ø
Excusing herself.
Ø
Appealing to God.
Ø
Afflicting her
servant.
Ø
Yielding to
temptation.
Ø
Perpetrating
injustice.
Ø
Acquiescing in
oppression.
7 "And the angel of the LORD found her by a
fountain of water in the wilderness,
by the fountain in the way to Shur." And the angel of the Lord. Maleach Jehovah,
elsewhere styled Maleach Elohim (ch. 21:17; 31:11); supposed but wrongly to be a
creature angel (Augustine, Origen, Jerome, Hofmann, Bamngarten, Tholuck,
Delitzsch, Kurtz), for the reasons
chiefly
(1) that the term angel commonly designates a class of spiritual beings (ch. 19:1; 32:1;
Job 4:18; Psalm 91:11; Matthew 13:41; John 20:12, et passim - scattered references);
(2) that the ἄγγελος κυρίου - anggelos kuriou - angel of the Lord - of the New Testament
(Matthew 1:20; Luke 2:9; Acts 12:7) is always a created angel;
(3) that the meaning of the term מַלְאָך, one sent, from לָאַך, to depute (Gesenius),
one through whom work is executed, from לָאַך, to work (Keil), implies a
certain degree of subordination, which is afterwards more distinctly recognized
(I Chronicles 21:27; Zechariah 1:12);
(4) that the distinction between the unrevealed and the revealed God was not then
developed as in later times, and particularly since the advent of Christ -
to every one of which arguments, however, it is comparatively easy to reply (compare
Keil and Lange in love). With more force of reason believed to have been
the Divine Being Himself, who already as Jehovah had appeared to Abram
(the Fathers, the Reformers, Hengstenberg, Keil, Lange, Havernick, Nitzsch,
Ebrard, Steir, Kalisch, Ainsworth, Bush, Wordsworth, Candlish), since:
Elohim (ch. 22:12).
(ch. 16:13; 18:23-33; 28:16-22; Exodus 3:6; Judges 6:15, 20-23; 13:22).
without the least reserve (v.13; ch. 18:1; 22:16; Exodus 3:2; Judges 6:12).
complete accordance with earlier fore-shadowings (ch. 1:26; 11:7) and
later revelations of the same truth.
the central point in the Old Testament revelation was a creature angel,
while that of the New is the incarnation of the God-Man.
Found her by a fountain of water in the wilderness. Properly an uninhabited
district suitable for pasturing flocks, from a root signifying to lead to pasture;
hence a sterile, sandy country, like that here referred to, Arabia Deserta, bordering
on
and well-known spring. In the way to Shur. "Before Egypt, as thou goest toward
Assyria"
(Genesis 25:18); hence not Pelusium on the Nile (Jos., '
but probably the modern Dschifar in the north-west of Arabia Deserta (Michaelis,
Rosenmüller, Keil,
Lange). Hagar was clearly directing her flight to
The Capture of the Runaway, or Hagar and the Angel of the Lord
(v. 7)
Ø The agent of her capture. The angel of Jehovah (see Exposition),
whose
appearance to Hagar at this particular juncture was doubtless:
o
Unexpected. Those who flee from duty seldom
anticipate the
encountering of God in
their career (Jonah 1:3).
o
Instantaneous. The Invisible Supreme, who ever compasses our paths,
only
requires to either open His creatures’ eyes, or veil His uncreated
glory in
a finite form, to make His presence known (Psalm 139:7; Luke
24:15).
o
Familiar. Though here mentioned, angelic visitation need not now
have occurred for the first time. Hagar probably had
learned something
in the patriarch’s household of the character,
existence, and form of
this celestial visitant.
o
Opportune. Whether regarded in this light or not, the present
Divine
manifestation to Hagar was highly seasonable, as God s visits to men
ever are,
in both the world and the Church.
Ø
The place of her capture.
o
In the
wilderness, a very different locality from Abram’s tent. But all
regions are equally accessible to God’s providence and grace; and
God’s
angel of mercy and salvation can find his way to disconsolate
wanderers
across the wilderness of a barren world as easily as to
eminent
saints within the sacred precincts of the Church.
o
On the way to Shur, i.e. going back to Egyptian worldliness
and
idolatry. Her chances of reaching the
considering
her bodily condition; but thither was her destination, and
hence her
arrest by the angel of the Lord was a special mercy. So
Divine
grace interposes to prevent those who have been once
enlightened
from relapsing to their old natural condition of worldliness
and sin.
o
By a fountain of
water, beside which it may be imagined she had cast
herself in
sheer exhaustion; an emblem of those springs of refreshment,
or wells
of Baca, which God has prevailed for the spiritually
disconsolate,
and one of which was being opened by Jehovah’s visit
for the
comfort of the unhappy bondmaid.
Ø
The
question of the angel.
o
The designations
used, Hagar, Sarai’s maid, reveal the minuteness of
the Divine knowledge. God is acquainted with the
names and the
homes, the conditions in life, and the
constituent elements in the
history of all men (Psalm
139:1-5).
o
The reference to
Hagar’s original condition of servitude implies
disapprobation of her union with Abram. No transaction can be safely
passed as
blameless until it has been reviewed and judged by God.
o
The inquiries addressed
to Hagar were designed to convict her of sin.
Whence
had she come? From Abram’s house, where the name of God
was worshipped;
from the presence of Sarai, who had a lawful claim
upon her service;
from the
seed, of which,
as she fondly hoped, she was about to become the
mother —
in all which she was clearly committing wrong. Then
whither
was she going? Back again to
of her
flight, while in the mean time she was exposing herself and
her
unborn child to serious peril. Doubtless
these and other
considerations of a similar sort arose within the breast of Hagar
as she
listened to Jehovah’s questionings. When God examines
souls they are truly, minutely, and
completely searched.
Ø
The answer
of Hagar.
o Promptly given. There was no sign of hesitancy or reluctance.
The utmost frankness and cordiality should characterize a
sinner’s dealings with God.
o Briefly
expressed. “She was fleeing from the
face of Sarai her
mistress.” Comprehensive brevity should signalize our responses
to God’s interrogations.
o Honestly declared. She had run away. If it was wrong, she made
no attempt at concealment. Guileless acknowledgment of sin is
a true mark of contrition.
Ø
To return to
Abram’s house. The tent of Sarai, though to Hagar’s quick
Southron
blood a place of humiliation, was nevertheless for her the true
place of
safety, both physically and spiritually. The first counsel that God’s
word and
spirit give to those who flee from duty, forsake the company of
saints,
and venture out upon perilous and sinful courses is “to stand in the
ways,
and ask for the old paths” (Jeremiah
6:16).
Ø
To submit to
Sarah’s yoke. Her alliance with
the patriarch could not in
God’s
sight alter her original position as a slave. Though
soon to be the
mother of
Abram’s seed, she was still a bondwoman, whose duty was
submission,
however galling to her hot blood, and however unreasonable it
might
seem in the case of one whose child might yet inherit
people
are required to abide in those stations in life in which they have
been
called, until they can be honorably released from them (I Corinthians
7:20-22),
and to endure those afflictions which God in His providence
may
impose, rather than impetuously and sinfully endeavor to escape
from them
(Matthew 16:24).
Ø
The
richness of the offered consolation.
o
A
gracious assurance — that she was
an object of:
§
the Divine regard,
as this very visit proved;
§
the Divine
observation, since the Lord knew her condition; and
§
the Divine
compassion,
for already He had heard her affliction and no sweeter
consolation can
be offered to either penitent backslider or dejected sufferer.
o
A
comfortable promise — that she
should live to be the mother of
Abram’s
seed, that her unborn babe should be a son, and that her son
should
develop into a bold, courageous, and prosperous man, and that
through
him she herself, an Egyptian slave-girl, should become the
ancestress
of a numerous and mighty people. God is able,
even in
respect of
material and temporal benefits, to compensate for
life’s
sorrows and tribulations, and to make up in one
direction for what
He takes away in another.
o
An important
instruction — to name her child “Ishmael”
when it
should be born; partly as a memorial to herself of the
Divine mercy,
and partly as a reminder to her child of the sure Source
of prosperity,
both personal and national, temporal and spiritual. God’s
people
should remember the right hand of
the Most High (Psalm 77:10),
and seek advancement from HIM
ALONE (ibid. 75:6-7).
Ø
The efficacy of
the offered consolation.
o
Adoring
gratitude. Hagar was amazed at
the Divine condescension in
permitting
her to see God and yet live — a mercy denied to Moses on
the mount
(Exodus 33:20); and the Divine grace which had imparted life
and hope
to her soul through this celestial visitation.
o
Mercy
remembered, Hagar called the well
Beer-lahai-roi, i.e. the well
of seeing
and living. The
Divine loving-kindness is worthy of
memorials, which
also should be written on the tablets of the heart
when they
cannot be expressed in words or enshrined in
deeds.
o
Cheerful
submission. Hagar returned to
Abram’s house, submitted to
Sarai’s
hand, and in due time gave birth to Ishmael. The best evidence
that grace
has comforted the human heart is prompt
compliance’ with
the will of God.
1. An adumbration of the incarnation
of our Lord Jesus Christ.
2. An illustration of God’s care of those who are within His Church.
3. An indication of the kind of people that most attract the Divine notice
and compassion.
4. A revelation of the tenderness with which He deals with sinners.
5. A proclamation of God’s gracious readiness to forgive the
erring.
Wells in the Wilderness. (v. 7)
1. God provides them for the rest and refreshment of pilgrims.
2. God visits them to meet with weary, and afflicted pilgrims.
3. God dispenses from them life and hope to all repenting and believing
pilgrims. Compare with the angel of Jehovah and Hagar at the fountain of
Shur,
Christ and the woman of
8 "And he said, Hagar, Sarai's
maid, whence camest thou? and
whither wilt
thou go? And she said,
I flee from the face of my mistress Sarai."
And he said, Hagar, Sarai's maid. Declining to recognize her marriage with the
patriarch, the angel reminds her of her original position as a bondwoman, from
which liberty was not to be obtained by flight, but by manumission. Whence camest
thou? and
whither wilt thou go! And she maid, I flee from the face of my mistress
Sarai. "Her answer testifies to the oppression she had experienced, but also to the
voice of her own conscience" (Lange).
God Pleading with Wanderers (v. 8)
“Hagar, Sarai’s maid, whence camest thou? and whither wilt thou go?” She
knew not, cared not. Undisciplined, smarting under effects of her own
willfulness
(v. 4), she thought only of escaping pain
— a type of those
weary, yet unconverted (compare Jeremiah 2:13; 5:3). But God saw her.
The Shepherd sought her (compare ch. 3:9; Luke 15:9). Though not
of the chosen race, and having no
claim upon His care, of His own mercy He
calls her (compare Psalm 145:9; Ephesians 2:4; Titus 3:5). The angel
of the Lord; in v. 13 called the Lord; the messenger of the covenant
(Malachi 3:1) — sent to carry out the Father’s purpose (compare John 3:17;
Luke 4:18). The same who speaks in the voice of awakened
conscience, that he may give peace
(compare Matthew 11:28). “Hagar,
Sarai’s maid,” expresses God’s full knowledge of her (compare Exodus
33:12; John 10:3). The name distinguishes the individual. She a
stranger, a slave, a fugitive; yet God’s eye upon her; all her life before Him
(compare Psalm 139:1-4). A word for those following their own ways,
feeling as if hidden in the multitude. Nothing glaring in their lives; men see
nothing to find fault with; will
God? (compare Psalm 94:7). He knows thee
altogether; THY WHOLE LIFE:
Ø the selfishness underlying a fair profession,
Ø thE unconfessed motives,
Ø the little duplicities,
Ø the love of worldly things; or
it may be thy spiritual pride and self-trusting. He sees thee through. But wilt
thou seek to escape the thought of Him? For what does He search thee out?
Is it not to bring thee to peace? A word of comfort to him who is cast
down because of weakness in faith,
little progress, want of spirituality.
HE SEES ALL (compare Luke 19:5). Not as man — men see the failures;
God sees the battle, the longing desire for better things, the prayers (Psalm 28:1;
130:1), the searching of heart, the sorrow because of failure. Even in the
wilderness He is present to help (Galatians 6:9).
thou hast
left? (compare Isaiah 5:4). Thou hast
left safety and plenty
(Numbers 21:5), impatient of God’s discipline. A goodly possession was
thine — the place of a child (I John 3:1), the right always to pray
(Luke 18:1; John 15:7; Hebrews 4:16; James 4:2), the promise of
guidance (Psalm 32:8; Isaiah 30:21). For what hast thou given up all this?
Is thy present lot better? In deepest love these questions are asked.
God pleads by providence (Psalm 119:67), by the entering of the word
(ibid. v. 130; Hebrews 4:12), by the “still small voice” of the
Holy Spirit. (I Kings
considered. Hast thou renounced thy heavenly portion? God forbid.
Then:
Ø
Is thy life
heavenward?
Ø
Are thy sins blotted
out?
Ø Hast thou accepted the free gift of salvation?
I am not sure of that. And why not? Is it not that thou hast not cared enough
to entertain the question as a practical one? (compare Ezekiel 20:49; 33:32).
Meanwhile thou art not standing still. The day of grace is passing away
(compare Jeremiah 8:20). Still Christ pleads (Revelation 3:20). But day
by day the ear becomes more dull, and the aims and habits of life more
hard to change. “Return,” was the Lord’s word to Hagar. Take again thy
place in God’s family (compare Luke 15:20). Fear not to bear thy cross.
There is
a welcome and joy in heaven over every returning
wanderer.
(ibid. v. 10)
9 “And the angel of the LORD said unto her, Return to
thy mistress, and submit
thyself under her hands.’ And the angel of the Lord said unto her - as Paul
afterwards practically said to Onesimus, the runaway slave of Philemon (see
Philippians 1:12) - return to thy mistress, and submit thyself - the verb here
employed is the same as that, which the historian uses to describe Sarah s
conduct towards her (v. 6); its meaning obviously is that she should meekly
resign herself to the ungracious
and oppressive treatment of her mistress - under
her hands.
10 “And the angel of the LORD said unto her, I will
multiply thy seed exceedingly,
that it shall not be numbered for multitude.” And the
angel of the Lord said unto
her (after duty, promise), I will multiply thy seed exceedingly (literally, multiplying
I will multiply thy seed; language altogether inappropriate in the lips of a creature),
that (literally, and) it
shall not be numbered for multitude.
11 “And the angel of the LORD said unto her, Behold,
thou art with child, and
shalt bear a
son, and shalt call his name Ishmael; because the
LORD hath heard
thy affliction.” Ishmael. "God shall hear," or, "Whom God hears," the first instance
of the naming of a child before its birth (compare afterwards ch. 17:19; I Kings 13:2;
I Chronicles 22:9; Matthew 1:21; Luke 1:13). Because
the Lord hath heard thy
affliction. Τῇ ταπεινώσει – tae tapeinosei – baseness; humiliation (Septuagint),
"thy prayer" (Chaldee), of which there is no mention, though men's miseries are
said to cry when men themselves are
mute (Calvin; compare Exodus 3:7).
12 “And he will be a wild man; his hand will be
against every man, and every
man's hand against him; and he shall dwell in
the presence of all his brethren.”
And he will be a wild man. Literally, a wild ass (of a) man; the פֶּרֶא, onager, being
so called from its swiftness of foot (compare Job 39:5-8), and aptly depicting
"the Bedouin’s boundless love of freedom as he rides about in the desert, spear
in hand, upon his camel or his horse, hardy, frugal, reveling in the varied beauty
of nature, and despising town life in every form" (Keil). As Ishmael and his
offspring are here called
"wild ass men," so
"sheep men" (Ezekiel
36:37-38). His hand will be against every man, and every
man's hand against him. Exemplified in the turbulent and lawless character of
the Bedouin Arabs and Saracens for upwards of thirty centuries. (continued on
a world scale in the 20th and 21st centuries – CY – 2019) "The Bedouins are the
outlaws among the nations. Plunder is legitimate gain, and daring robbery is
praised as valor (Kalisch). And he shall dwell in the presence of - literally,
before the face of, i.e. to the east of (Rosenmüller, Gesenius, Tuch, Knobel,
Delitzsch); or, "everywhere before the eyes of" (Kalisch, Wordsworth); or,
independently of (Calvin, Keil, Lunge, Murphy) - all his brethren. The Arabs
of today are "just as they were described by the spirit of prophecy nearly 4000
years ago" (Porter's 'Giant Cities of Bashan,' pp. 28, 31, 324).
13 “And she called the name of the LORD that spake unto her, Thou God
seest me: for she
said, Have I also here looked after Him that seeth
me?”
And she called the name - not invoked the name (Chaldee, Lapide), though
occasionally קָרָא שֵׁם has the same import as קָרָא בִשֵׁס (see Deuteronomy 32:3) –
of the Lord - Jehovah, thus identifying the Ma-leach Jehovah with Jehovah Himself –
that spake unto her, Thou God seeth me. Literally, Thou (art) El-Roi, a God of
seeing, meaning either the God of my vision, i.e. the God who revealest thyself in
vision (Gesenius, Furst, Le Clerc, Dathe, Rosenmüller, Keil, Kalisch, Murphy),
or, though less correctly, the God who sees all things, and therefore me (Septuagint,
Vulgate, Calvin, Ainsworth; Candlish, Hofmann, Baumgarten, Delitzsch, Wordsworth).
For she said, Have I also here looked after Him that seeth me? Literally, Have I also
hitherto seen? i.e. Do I also still live after the vision? (Onkelos,. Gesenius, Furst, Keil,
Kalisch, Rosenmüller, Murphy).
Glimpses of the Godhead (vs. 7-13)
1. Divine condescension. God visits men as the angel visited Hagar.
2. Divine omniscience. God knows men as the
angel knew Hagar.
3. Divine compassion. God pities and
comforts men as the angel did Hagar.
4. Divine wisdom. God instructs men as the
angel directed Hagar.
5. Divine grace. God pardons and accepts
men as the angel did Hagar.
14 “Wherefore the well was called Beerlahairoi; behold, it is between Kadesh
and Bered.” Wherefore the well was called - in all likelihood first by Hagar –
Beer-lahai-roi, or the well of Him that liveth and seeth me (Authorized Version);
but either:
(1) the well of the living one of vision, i.e. of God, who appeared there (Onkeles,
Rosenmüller, Lange) or,
(2) the well of the life of vision, i.e. where after seeing God life was preserved
(Gesenius, Keil, Kalisch, Murphy), or where in consequence of seeing God
a new life was imparted (Inglis). Behold, it is between Kadesh (see ch. 14:7)
and Bered. Of uncertain situation; but the well has probably been discovered
in Ain Kades
(called by the Arabs Moilahi Hagar), to the south of
and about twelve miles from Kadesh (compare Keil in loco).
15 “And Hagar bare Abram a son: and Abram called his
son's name, which
Hagar bare,
Ishmael.” And Hagar bare Abram a son: and Abram called his
son's name - a peculiarity of the Elohist to assign the naming of a child to the
father (Knobel); but the present chapter is usually ascribed to the Jehovist,
while the instances in which the name is given by the mother do not always
occur in Jehovistic sections (compare ch. 30:6, which Tuch imputes to the Elohist) –
which Hagar bare, Ishmael -
thus acknowledging the truth of Hagar's vision.
16 “And Abram was fourscore and six years old, when
Hagar bare Ishmael
to Abram.”
Hagar (vs. 1-16)
The history of Hagar has its two sides: that which is
turned towards God
and illustrates Divine
grace, that which is turned towards man and
illustrates human infirmity and sinfulness. Jehovah brought forth
compassionate bestowments of revelation and promise out of His people’s
errors. Abram and Sarah both sinned. Hagar sinned. The angel of
the Lord,
representative of the continuous gracious revelation of Jehovah as a
covenant God, appeared in the cloud of family sorrow, drawing once
more
upon it the rainbow of promise. Until the HEIR came there was a call for
patience. Unbelief appeared
at work — in the patriarch’s weakness,
in
Sarah’s harshness, in Hagar’s pride and rebellion, for she
was, as a member
of
the household, partaker of the covenant. In the wilderness appeared the
messenger of grace.
seest me; or, Thou God of vision.
The idea is that the sight of God was
deliverance. Hagar’s seeing God was God seeing her. The vision was
both
objective and subjective. So the world has wearied itself in the
wilderness
of its own ignorance and moral helplessness
(see Galatians 4:22-31).
The unspiritual, carnal mind is the bond slave, which must give way to the
true heir. ALL TRUE
RELIGIOUS LIFE is a
response to REVELATION!
IN HIS LIGHT WE SEE LIGHT! (Psalm 36:9)
HER PERSONAL HISTORY. She turned back with a new light in her
heart. Submission and obedience are commanded, but abundant reward is
promised. Our life is
under the eye of Jehovah and in His hand. “Thou God
seest me” is the cry of
a grateful memory, the note of a bright future. The
nearness of God, His knowledge, may be not terror, but blessing,
angels
round about us, gracious sunshine of love in which we are
invited to walk
as children of light. (Ephesians 5:8)
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