LESSONS IN LEADERSHIP – PART TWO
NO SUCCESS IN SHORTCUTS
GENESIS 16:1-4
©Larry L. Thompson (2003)
INTRODUCTION:
One of the strengths of studying leadership principles in the life of biblical leaders is in the assurance that there will be no whitewashing, no glossing over sin or failure—just the plain, unadulterated truth. We can take great comfort that God’s word is preserved and delivered to us in that way. If the men and women of Scriptures were not true to life, they would lose their value to us. They would be of no help to us in understanding how to live the victorious Christian life, no help to us in building leadership. We learn from both their success and their sin.
THE DARKEST BLOT in Abraham’s life is recorded in the passage of Scripture we will examine today. It is centered on the proposition of an unholy sinful shortcut in order to obtain the long desired promise from God…a promised son to Abraham and Sarah. It is hard to believe that the man who performed so well prior to this one action in his life, and who will perform with such excellence following this incident in his life, could be guilty of such faithless conduct as is recorded of him in our text. But the Bible does not lie. It paints the picture of man with accurate detail, even a man of God, even a spiritual leader. In our study of developing true biblical leadership we need not only see the success of leaders, but also be able to show the sin of leaders so that we can learn from their mistakes and avoid the same pitfalls.
• Today’s Leadership Professor: Abraham, the “father of faith”
• Today’s Leadership Principle: There Can Be No SPIRITUAL SUCCESS IN SHORTCUTS
• The Leaders Call: “The Lord had said to Abram, "Leave your country, your people and your father’s household and go to the land I will show you.” (Genesis 12:1)
• The Leaders Strength: His faith pleased God and was honored as THE FATHER OF THE JEWISH NATION; he was well respected and courageous in defending his family at any cost; he practiced hospitality to others; a successful and wealthy rancher; and he avoided conflicts by allowing his opponent favor in settling the dispute
• The Leaders Sin: LOOKING FOR SPIRITUAL SUCCESS USING SINFUL SHORTCUTS!
• The Leaders Story: God desires dependence, trust, and faith in Him—not faith in our ability to please him!
• The Leaders Scripture: “Abram believed the Lord, and He credited it to him as righteousness.” (Genesis 15:6)
This week’s lesson in leadership will focus on this principle: THERE CAN BE NO SPIRITUAL SUCCESS IN SINFUL SHORTCUTS! As we examine this sinful shortcut in the life of today’s leader we will look closely at two areas: The Proposition of the Shortcut, (vv. l–4), and, The Problems from the Shortcut (vv. 4–6).
I. THE PROPOSITION OF A SINFUL SHORTCUT (16:1-4)
Genesis 16:1-4 (NIV)
“Now Sarai, Abram’s wife, had borne him no children. But she had an Egyptian maidservant named Hagar; [2] so she said to Abram, "The Lord has kept me from having children. Go, sleep with my maidservant; perhaps I can build a family through her." Abram agreed to what Sarai said. [3] So after Abram had been living in Canaan ten years, Sarai his wife took her Egyptian maidservant Hagar and gave her to her husband to be his wife. [4] He slept with Hagar, and she conceived. When she knew she was pregnant, she began to despise her mistress.”
Sarah’s shortcut to obtain the promised heir constituted the sin of sexual immorality. In making the proposal of taking this shortcut, Sarah was urging Abraham to commit sexual immorality. THE KEY ELEMENT OF EVERY SINFUL SHORTCUT IN OUR LIFE IS TEMPATATION. As we examine the proposition of a sinful shortcut we will receive valuable biblical insight on the subject of temptation. We will see clearly the clever tools of Satan that are used to get godly leaders lured into the trap of taking a sinful shortcut in their walk with God. There are five basic elements in every temptation that encourages God’s leaders to take shortcuts.
1. THE AUTHOR OF THE TEMPTATION
In coming from Sarah, the suggestion given Abraham to accept the sinful shortcut came from a source which made the temptation very strong. No one else could have made such a proposal to Abraham and succeeded in getting Abraham to pay any attention to it. So when she made the proposition of the sinful shortcut, the temptation to act on the proposition became very strong.
The SOURCE of temptation has much to do with the STRENGTH of temptation. It is an old trick of the devil to have temptation come from the places of honor, trust, esteem, position, and popularity. A temptation to act on a sinful shortcut does not have the impact on your life as it does when it comes from some trusted and respected friend or from some highly respected educator or public official or popular person. Therefore, do note be blinded to spiritual truth just because someone you love or someone with impressive credentials suggests a sinful shortcut. We must reject sinful shortcuts no matter who the Author is that encourage us to act. Paul said in Galatians 1:8:
“But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let him be eternally condemned!”
2. THE ACCOMMODATION FOR THE TEMPTATION (16:1-2)
“Now Sarai, Abram’s wife, had borne him no children. But she had an Egyptian maidservant named Hagar; [2] so she said to Abram, "The Lord has kept me from having children. Go, sleep with my maidservant; perhaps I can build a family through her." Abram agreed to what Sarai said.”
There was already in Abraham’s household that which would accommodate the sinful shortcut. When in disobedience Abraham and Sarah traveled into Egypt, they picked up an Egyptian maid named Hagar. God worked marvelously to get Abraham and Sarah out of Egypt and back to Canaan. But Hagar, by becoming part of the household of Abraham, provided a ready accommodation for yielding to this temptation. She met all the requirements, physical and otherwise, that encouraged and gave substance to Sarah’s proposition. However, had they not gone to Egypt, the opportunity to accommodate the temptation would not be in their home.
This situation reminds us that one sin can make it easier to do another sin. Even though God forgives us and delivers us from our sinful ways, we still may have in our lives, as a result of our sin, some ‘Hagars,’ habits, friends and thoughts that someday can become the accommodation for a sinful shortcut. As an example, if you have developed some ungodly relationships by your past days of sinning, you need to know that someday they may show up and visit you and provide the opportunity to accommodate you back to the sin you forsook. All of this is a great warning to never look at any sin lightly.
3. THE APPEARANCE OF THE TEMPTATION (16:2)
“So she said to Abram, "The Lord has kept me from having children. Go, sleep with my maidservant; perhaps I can build a family through her." Abram agreed to what Sarai said.” This temptation was dressed in SINCERITY AND SELF-DENIAL. The disappointment of Sarah’s barrenness is presented as an excuse and justification for the sinful shortcut and is said to be of God. Sarah giving Hagar the chance to have the Promised Child looks like self-denial on Sarah’s part; for she is willing to give up the privilege, to which she had first claim. It has an ‘appearance of godliness’ but is nothing but a sinful, selfish justification.
This appearance instructs us about the deceptiveness of temptation. A sinful shortcut tempting us to go against God’s perfect will is nothing but a wolf appearing in sheep’s clothing; it is the devil dressed in righteous robes. The devil is a master at dressing up sin in what appears to be acceptable apparel. Therefore, keep your vision sharp and keen by studying the Word of God faithfully. Spiritual MATURITY and DISCERNMENT is a must if we are to see through the deceptive appearances of temptation that invites us to take a sinful shortcut in our spiritual life.
4. THE APPROVAL FOR THE TEMPTATION
“So she said to Abram, "The Lord has kept me from having children. Go, sleep with my maidservant; perhaps I can build a family through her." Abram agreed to what Sarai said.” (16:2).
The sinful shortcut that Sarah suggested for obtaining the promised seed for Abraham now had the approval of both society and Sarah. Such approval also strengthened the temptation to take a shortcut. Look the approval rating for this shortcut…
• SOCIETY Approved. This arrangement was common and encouraged among the people of that day. If Abraham is given Hagar as a wife and has a child by her, society would not criticize, despise or reject the results. Instead they would applaud. What society of that time did condemn and despise was not having an heir.
• SARAH Approved. Sarah plainly accepted the norms of society. He must have her unqualified approval, or he would hardly consider such a plan. With Sarah making the proposition of the shortcut to God’s perfect will, it made it clear that she approved of the plan.
• GOD Rejected. Abraham had much approval for accepting Sarah’s shortcut. Society around him approved and his own spouse approved. What more could he ask for? I’ll tell you what more he could have asked for…He could have and should have asked for God’s approval! What a warning we have here in this lesson in leadership of not making sure we have God’s approval before we act! There is one thing worse than waiting on God…that is WISHING YOU HAD WAITED ON GOD. Today we have the Word of God in our hands and can discover quickly what God approves or disapproves. Yet, how little do we seek out the Word to see if our intentions are approved by God. Rather we look around to see what society thinks and what our close friends and relatives think. If they approve, we go ahead and do it. But it is far better that we find out what God thinks and let His Word be final no matter what others say or think. Otherwise we find ourselves suffering from accepting the sinful shortcut.
5. THE APPEAL IN THE TEMPTATION
“So she said to Abram, "The Lord has kept me from having children. Go, sleep with my maidservant; perhaps I can build a family through her." Abram agreed to what Sarai said.” (16:2). Remember this…All sinful shortcuts must have temptation and the temptation MUST appeal to the tempted, or the sinful shortcut will never be acted upon. Here in Abraham’s case there were indeed some appealing features in this temptation. The two obvious temptations were SEX and a SON.
Sex. In Sarah’s proposal, Abraham was being urged to have sex with another woman. Most of society would understand the appeal of this temptation because of what it provided to the sinful appetite of the flesh. And what made this temptation to have sex with another woman so appealing to Abraham was that the temptation was sanctioned by his spouse. Abraham was not being tempted to have an affair with a woman but to have extracurricular sex in the name of marriage and under the pretense of doing the will of God in securing the promised son from God. Men have enough trouble with this temptation without it being seemingly divinely sanctioned by your spouse. But even though “Sarai . . . gave Hagar to her husband Abram,” God never approved of the relationship. It was, therefore, a sinful shortcut which can only be labeled sexual immorality, not marriage.
Son. Abraham and Sarah were frustrated because of the lack of results. They wanted a son, and God had promised them a son. But they had no son. Frustrated of waiting on God, this shortcut offered a way to get results in a hurry, to get the promises of God quickly. No more waiting; no more embarrassment and no more pain of having no children. The temptation appeared so appealing because it promised fast results. And Abraham and Sarah attempted to tie the shortcut to their faith, which would help suppress the conviction of taking this shortcut regarding God’s will.
It is hard to find a temptation more appealing than one that pampers the appetite of the flesh yet seems also to obtain the goals of faith. And that is exactly the appeal this temptation to take a shortcut had to Abraham! This is also exactly what is going on in so many of our churches. Churches and ministries that are barren of results (and not always because they are not doing God’s will, but because the world is not interested in the Gospel message) many churches often resort to flesh-appealing promotional schemes to increase their attendance. Instead of emphasizing the preaching and teaching of the Word, these churches emphasize their fleshly entertainments. There is a constant temptation to take the shortcut and take the easy way out to get a crowd because we are tired of waiting on God’s promise! The results are devastating.
Don’t get me wrong; many shortcuts are very appealing, and the Hagar-type programs do get results. Many churches have garnered thousands in attendance and built large buildings; and their pastors have become famous as a result of these programs. If you take a sinful shortcut you birth an ISHMAEL, not an ISAAC. Because spiritual discernment and leadership in our churches is so poor, few discern that the results are Ishmaels and not Isaacs. Even Abraham had trouble seeing it for many years.
The methods we use matter in the work of God. The end does not justify the means. Leaders know and understand that we do not advance the cause of the Gospel by taking unholy shortcuts in our churches or in our personal lives. The shortcut leads to the birth of Ishmael and Ishmael is never a substitute for Isaac. Ishmaels will be a continual thorn and cause trouble in most every area of your life. If the work of God’s Spirit is to go forward, we will have to remove the Ishmaels out of our personal lives, our family and out the church.
6. The ACCEPTANCE of the Temptation
“…Abram agreed to what Sarai said. [3] So after Abram had been living in Canaan ten years, Sarai his wife took her Egyptian maidservant Hagar and gave her to her husband to be his wife. [4] He slept with Hagar, and she conceived. When she knew she was pregnant, she began to despise her mistress.”
Abraham quickly went along with Sarah’s proposal. He offered no argument or protest, and neither did he seek the counsel of God to see if this was acceptable with Him.
Abraham’s agreeing with Sarah’s plan is a great warning to all of us to be ever watchful. It makes no difference how long you have been a Christian or walked in spiritual intimacy or how great your spiritual achievements, you still can fail miserably if you allow yourself to take a sinful shortcut and take your eyes off of Jesus Christ. We find it hard to believe that could happen to Abraham. But Abraham’s failure reminds us that no person is immune to sinful shortcuts and failure if they let down their spiritual guard.
Paul said this about the spiritual shortcut in 1 Cor. 10:12:
“If you think you are standing strong, be careful, for you, too, may fall into the same sin.”
II. THE PROBLEMS OF A SINFUL SHORTCUT
The shortcut this leader took was cleverly made to appear to be that which would solve some problems existing in Abraham’s life. But it did not solve any problems. All it did was create problems. Such is the peril of the spiritual leaders who ignore God’s Word.
The scheming shortcut devised by Sarah and accepted by Abraham, produced three obvious perils that will ruin the life of any individual who desires to be a spiritual leader.
1. The Problems are CHARACTERIZED
When you take sinful shortcuts your problems are…
a. SWIFT [4] “He slept with Hagar, and she conceived. When she knew she was pregnant, she began to despise her mistress.” It was amazing how swiftly the problems began following their attempted shortcut to success. In just a matter of weeks, the troubles of immorality began. No sooner had Hagar perceived that she was pregnant than her attitude towards Sarah became disrespectful and the first obvious problem to their shortcut.
Illustration:
Problems from sexual immorality do not even require pregnancy before they show up, however. The problem of guilt from this sin only requires minutes before it sets in; and then you have the possibility of sexually transmitted diseases that often appear in a few days. One of the consistent factors about troubles from immoral conduct is that problems are extremely swift in coming.
b. SIGNIFICANT. Though the problems of this sinful shortcut were swift in coming, they were significant in that were slow to leave; in fact, they are still with us. Unlike many other problems, the problems of immorality will span ages. They continue on indefinitely. Abraham’s immoral shortcut with Hagar not only caused immediate problems in his household, but it also is still causing many problems for the world today. Much of the constant war and battles we see in the Middle East today over Israel’s land is rooted and grounded in Abraham’s shortcut to success. Arabs lay claim to the land of Palestine because they lay claim to Ishmael as their father. Since Ishmael was Abraham’s first born according to the flesh, they believe he should be the one who inherits the land. However, God makes it clear in His Word that Isaac, not Ishmael, was the son who obtained that inheritance. Abraham’s disobedience opened a door so significant that his sinful shortcut continues to cost the lives of men and women every day and peace in the region is nothing but a dream of a distant day. Yes, the problems of any sinful shortcut and especially those of sexual immorality are SIGNIFICANT and not short lived. They will plague the person for a lifetime and, even after they have died, leave a legacy of pain and problems for years to come.
c. SERIOUS. Noting all these problems associated with this sinful shortcut and their duration, no one can possibly say the problems are trivial. They are big, big problems which no person in his right mind should want to ever experience. Yet the world continually minimizes the problems, frequently offers even more sinful shortcuts to attempt to correct previous tragedies. Take this one sinful shortcut of sexual immorality; we decide today that we will correct this shortcut by taking another shortcut and simply provide accessible birth control or abortion on demand. We may never take a lightly the seriousness of the sinful shortcut and the problems associated with such rebellious action. The problems associated with such shortcuts are SWIFT, SIGNIFICANT AND SERIOUS. The devastation is far too great to ignore.
2. The Problems are CATEGORIZED
Here we look more in detail at some of the problems that came into the lives of Abraham, Sarah, and Hagar because of their participation in a sinful shortcut to success. Many other problems come from every act of immorality; but I will limit the category of problems that are seen in the text. Think for just a moment as we go through just this category of problems associated with taking a sinful shortcut and you will understand why leaders must be aware of the danger of departing from God’s revealed will for our lives. The category of problems within our text includes:
• PREGNANCY. “She conceived” (v. 4). While pregnancy was at first the desired outcome of this shortcut, it was almost immediately no longer desired, especially by Sarah. Unwanted pregnancies are always a problem with people who want to take a sinful shortcut to God’s revealed will for our lives and marriage.
• PRIDE. “When she knew she was pregnant, she began to despise her mistress.” (v. 4). Pride manifested itself very quickly after the act of the sinful shortcut. Hagar’s pregnancy, in view of Sarah’s failure to become pregnant over the years, caused Hagar to become proud. She had achieved something Sarah had not, and she used her pregnancy as a source of PRIDE to torment Sarah. A sexual shortcut does not have to produce pregnancy in order for the evil of pride to show up from this sin. This pride will manifest itself in a number of situations. It especially evidences itself in the headstrong attitude of the immoral person when others deal with them about this sin. They may say such things as “Who do you think you are to discipline me?” or “My private life is none of your business.”
• DISRESPECT. “she began to despise her mistress.” (v. 4). Where ever you find the sin of pride you will also find the sin of disrespect. Sarah was Hagar’s boss, and one should respect authority. But the immoral shortcut eroded that respect in Hagar. Much disrespect in our land today is likewise a result of leaders taking shortcuts.
• MARRIAGE PROBLEMS: Genesis 16:5-6 “Then Sarai said to Abram, "It’s all your fault! Now this servant of mine is pregnant, and she despises me, though I myself gave her the privilege of sleeping with you. The Lord will make you pay for doing this to me!” No marriage can experience sinful shortcut regarding morally and not have problems! It just does not happen. Immorality will at the minimum always bring decay to the general condition of the marriage.
• HYPOCRISY. “Then Sarai said to Abram, "It’s all your fault! Now this servant of mine is pregnant and she despises me, though I myself gave her the privilege of sleeping with you. The Lord will make you pay for doing this to me!” A trademark of the hypocrite is to blame others for the sin the hypocrite committed. People habitually seek to blame anyone else but themselves when they sin.
• BETRAYAL. “Your servant is in your hands," Abram said. "Do with her whatever you think best." Then Sarai mistreated Hagar; so she fled from her.” (16:6). Hagar found out, as many other men and women have discovered over the ages, that those who encouraged the sinful shortcuts will not stand with you when problems come as a result of her immoral conduct.
• INJUSTICE. “Do with her whatever you think best." Then Sarai mistreated Hagar;” (16:6). This was Abraham’s response to Sarah when she complained of Hagar’s conduct after Hagar had gotten pregnant. There is no justice in this remark. Hagar is the only one considered guilty by this remark. Sarah is not condemned. She had encouraged the sin, yet she is given a free hand to do whatever she wants to do to Hagar to counter Hagar’s misconduct of despising Sarah. Abraham takes no blame either. He had gotten Hagar pregnant; but he assumes no responsibility. It is the ugly picture of injustice which is one of the products of a sinful shortcut.
• CRUELTY. “Then Sarai mistreated Hagar” (16:6). Wherever a sinful shortcut is taken you will also find a spirit of cruelty. Before the shortcut occurred in Abraham’s household, things went along fine. Sarah treated Hagar kindly. But the immoral shortcut changed all of that.
• UNEMPLOYMENT. “Your servant is in your hands," Abram said. "Do with her whatever you think best." Then Sarai mistreated Hagar; so she fled from her.” (16:6). Hagar is working for Sarah, but their shortcut to success resulted in Hagar being put out in the wilderness without a job. Obviously, we also have an unemployment problem.
• RESTLESSNESS. “So she fled from her.” (16:6). Hagar’s fleeing Sarah manifests the problem of restlessness. There was much unrest, uneasiness, and discontent in her life; in shortcuts there is always a lack of peace because of the conviction from the Spirit that we have failed to wait on the Lord. Isaiah said, “BUT THE WICKED ARE LIKE THE TOSSING SEA, WHICH CANNOT REST, WHOSE WAVES CAST UP MIRE AND MUD. [21] "THERE IS NO PEACE," SAYS MY GOD, "FOR THE WICKED.” (57:20-21) Sinful shortcuts do not help people to settle down. They do not bring tranquility. They do not make people cool, calm, and collected. Shortcuts create turmoil within as well as without.
• SORROW. Ultimately, a sinful shortcut that originally intended to bring success tragically brings sorrow. Our text makes that clear! Sarah is upset. Hagar is upset. Abraham is upset. Most importantly, God is not pleased. No happiness there at all, and it all started with the proposition of a sinful shortcut that would circumvent the will of God.
Conclusion:
As we talk about learning lessons in leadership we all know that there are consequences to any action we take. One sinful shortcut that actually believes will lead to success can set into motion a series of tragic events that may continue long after we’re gone. Unfortunately, when we are making a decision most of us think only of the immediate consequences. These are often misleading because they are short-lived.
Life is like that. Exactly like that. We become the product of our own integrity in following after God. Or lack of integrity. We become exiles from innocence when we try to take short cuts to being like God. Or, following our Savior, we use the promises and the commandments of God to resist the tempter’s power, and we begin to share in Christ’s righteousness.
As you consider this lesson in leadership conclude this study by taking…
Today’s Pop Quiz
“WHAT AREA OF YOUR LIFE ARE YOUR RISKING EVERYTHING ON A SINFUL SHORTCUT IN ANTICIPATION OF A QUICK SUCCESS?”
After studying from Professor Abraham today and knowing the tragic long-term effects of his decision to agree to a shortcut are you really willing to take that chance? A leader knows that there are no shortcuts to spiritual success. A leader knows there is one thing worse than waiting on God…and that is wishing you had waited on God!
THERE IS NO SUCCESS IN SHORTCUTS!
