A Runaway Is Found, A Poor Decision Is Exposed, And Faithful People are Tested.
Text: Genesis 16: 1-16
16 Sarai, Abram’s wife, hadn’t yet produced a child. She had an Egyptian maid named Hagar. Sarai said to Abram, “God has not seen fit to let me have a child. Sleep with my maid. Maybe I can get a family from her.” Abram agreed to do what Sarai said.
3–4 So Sarai, Abram’s wife, took her Egyptian maid Hagar and gave her to her husband Abram as a wife. Abram had been living ten years in Canaan when this took place. He slept with Hagar and she got pregnant. When Hagar learned she was pregnant, she looked down on her mistress.
5 Sarai told Abram, “It’s all your fault that I’m suffering this abuse. I put my maid in bed with you and the minute she knows she’s pregnant, she treats me like I’m nothing. May God decide which of us is right.”
6 “You decide,” said Abram. “Your maid is your business.”
Sarai was abusive to Hagar and Hagar ran away.
7–8 An angel of God found her beside a spring in the desert; it was the spring on the road to Shur. He said, “Hagar, maid of Sarai, what are you doing here?”
She said, “I’m running away from Sarai my mistress.”
–12 The angel of God said, “Go back to your mistress. Put up with her abuse.” He continued, “I’m going to give you a big family, children past counting.
From this pregnancy, you’ll get a son: Name him Ishmael;
for God heard you, God answered you.
He’ll be a bucking bronco of a man,
a real fighter, fighting and being fought,
Always stirring up trouble,
always at odds with his family.”
13 She answered God by name, praying to the God who spoke to her, “You’re the God who sees me!
“Yes! He saw me; and then I saw him!”
14 That’s how that desert spring got named “God-Alive-Sees-Me Spring.” That spring is still there, between Kadesh and Bered.
15–16 Hagar gave Abram a son. Abram named him Ishmael. Abram was eighty-six years old when Hagar gave him his son, Ishmael.
Peterson, Eugene H. The Message: The Bible in Contemporary Language. Colorado Springs, CO: NavPress, 2005. Print.
Introduction:
We live in an interesting time.
Silicone Valley’s Frearsome Five (Apple, Microsoft, Amazon, Google, and Facebook) have a greater place in our lives than God, or His Word! When was the last time you had to tell your teenagers, "Put down that Bible! I want your attention right now!" ?
It is a time when knowledge of popular culture overshadows critical thinking about the important issues in life.
A time when many of our young people retreat from reality to live lives of fantasy in role playing computer games…but, are unable to accomplish very much in real life. They may save the universe in Warcraft, but are unable to be productive in day-to-day life.
A time when people’s deepest secrets, most astonishing desires, most embarrassing life problems, and most intimate details of their lives are the fodder for afternoon television.
Our text this morning has it all…deceit, accusations, a pregnant house-maid, an angry wife, and a runaway who finds God.
Reading text you almost expect to hear a T.V. presenter’s voice: ABRAHAM, YOU ARE THE FATHER. -OR- The lie detector determined, THAT WAS A LIE…
Put Abram and Sarai in designer clothes…give them a cellphone…a huge house on the hillside…a net worth in the billions of dollars…and, we can see they were the Bill and Melinda Gates of their world.
Modernity isn’t everything its cracked up to be…in fact, human nature hasn’t changed all that much from ancient times…
What lessons can we learn from the experience of Abram, Sarai, and Hagar? Are there warnings about the issues of life we should heed? Are there any unexpected blessings?
There are five things I want for us to take away from this text.
When you fail to trust the Lord, your troubles multiply.
At age 75—when the promises of Genesis 15 were made to Abram—Abram had hope. Sarai, his wife had lost hope of having a child long ago…but, Abram had hope.
At age 85—when the drama of chapter 16 begins to unfold—Abram had lost hope as well.
Let’s be clear: Abram and Sarai were not bad people. They were desperate people. Desperate people in desperate situations do desperate things. They were desperate for an heir. They were willing to do almost anything to have a child in their family…who would inherit their name and riches…and, continue to build a nation.
Desperate people in desperate situations do desperate things.
We can relate to this.
Most parents can relate to the feeling of desperation; is there anything you wouldn’t do to keep your children from starving? Or from being the victim of violence?
Millions of refugees risk everything to crowd onto unseaworthy boats for a 50/50 chance of making it to Europe. Why? Because the odds are even worse if they stay home.
Desperate people in desperate situations do desperate things.
You may feel trapped in a untenable work situation this morning…Chained to a failing project or a the failure of leadership at work…and, you may find yourself doing things out of desperation … simple, innocent, things at first:
Calling in sick when you aren’t sick.
Doing sloppy work.
Ducking out of meetings.
Later, it may escalate:
Desperate employees — people who feel they have no options — might lie, steal, sabotage a co-worker’s project or even resort to workplace violence.
Is that where you are this morning? In an untenable situation? Looking desperately for a way out?
Has your marriage and family crumbled around you and given you no place to go away from the stress?
Did you use deceit to get an advantage in your job…and, now constantly run scared that someone will find out and expose you?
Have you consulted every prophet, heard every sermon, tried every faith strategy, quoted every Bible verse….claimed every promise in the book…listened to every life coach? AND, STILL THERE IS NO SOLUTION?
BE VERY CAREFUL!
Avoid rush decisions. Consider all the options, measure the value, and consider consequences of your decision and then choose the best action.
You might consider not taking action. Sometimes not taking action is the best move you can make during desperate times. Do not put yourself in a worse place than you are today. This is what happened to Abram and Sarai...they made a desperate move....and wound up worse situation than they were before.
Avoid the doomsday mentality. Things may feel desperate now but the world is likely not crashing down. Remember we have a Lord who has promised in Matthew 28:20, “And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age." and the admonition of St. Peter in 1 Peter 5:7, “Cast all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you.”
—Story of Margaret and I taken by deceit and held against our will for three days—if there was one ounce of fear in my heart and mind I knew we were dead. God gave me a boldness that I didn’t have…and…a faith that fear couldn’t extinguish.
Paul gives us a powerful insight into this event in Galatians 4, “But the son of the slave was born according to the flesh, while the son of the free woman was born through promise.”
The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. Wheaton: Standard Bible Society, 2016. Print.
2. The Lord Seeks for Us When We Stray.
Look at Genesis 16:7-8 “An angel of God found her beside a spring in the desert; it was the spring on the road to Shur. He said, “Hagar, maid of Sarai, what are you doing here?”She said, “I’m running away from Sarai my mistress.”
Hagar was running away…but, like most runaways she didn’t have a plan for where to run. She knew she needed to “get out” but, didn’t have a “where to go” in sight.
Walk about on Hollywood Blvd any summer night. There are hundreds of young people who fled their homes and towns to runaway to Hollywood. No place to go. No real plan. Just a hope that they will make it big in Hollywood.
With no plan…no resources…no hope…her get away ended alone in the desert with no-one to help.
Then, the Lord God found her.
When God has a call on your life…it is very difficult to out-run that call.
Story of Greg Romine planting an urban church in San Francisco…the GAY COMMUNITY…HIV-AIDS and the Marlborough Man…
The Gay Lifestyle…HIV-AIDS…and, a backslidden former Roman Catholic priest…YOU COULD NOT HAVE CONCOCTED A MORE UNLIKELY SCENARIO IN AN EVANGELICAL CHURCH! YET GOD RESTORED THAT MAN, HEALED THAT MAN, USED THAT MAN IN HIS KINGDOM.
I love the words of Francis Thompson’s famous poem The Hound of Heaven:
I fled Him, down the nights and down the days;
I fled Him, down the arches of the years;
I fled Him, down the labyrinthine ways
Of my own mind; and in the mist of tears
I hid from Him, and under running laughter.
Up vistaed hopes I sped;
And shot, precipitated,
Adown Titanic glooms of chasmèd fears,
From those strong Feet that followed, followed after.
But with unhurrying chase,
And unperturbèd pace,
Deliberate speed, majestic instancy,
They beat-and a Voice beat
More instant than the Feet-
'All things betray thee, who betrayest Me.'
It is a picture of God…who is following…searching and seeking for those who are lost from His kingdom.
This is the God that appears in the Prophet Ezekiel saying, ““Behold, I, I myself will search for my sheep and will seek them out. 12 As a shepherd seeks out his flock when he is among his sheep that have been scattered, so will I seek out my sheep, and I will rescue them from all places where they have been scattered…”
The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. Wheaton: Standard Bible Society, 2016. Print.
I — WILL — RESCUE — THEM!
He sees us with all our warts and all our blemishes…our fears and our anxieties…and He is saying:
I — WILL — RESCUE — THEM!
He knows us intimately… He knows the dangers we face … He knows our disappointments … and, he knows our deceits…and He is saying:
I — WILL — RESCUE — THEM!
If you are sitting here today thinking…feeling…separated from God and from His people…thinking you may have been lost in the shuffle…that all hope is gone…that life has dealt you a bad hand…that your mistakes and unbelief…your doubts and your fears…your sicknesses and diseases are beyond all hope…HE IS SAYING TO YOU THIS MORNING:
I — WILL — RESCUE — YOU!
And, there in the desert God was searching and seeking for Hagar. He was not finished with her! He did not treat her badly—as she had been treated by Sarai. He listened…He knew…He loved…and, He Rescued a pregnant African girl in the desert running away…
You may be saying, “But Pastor Greg…you don’t realize how complicated my case may be…”
3. There is something else quite important here: HE LISTENS!
Vrs. 8 “Hagar, maid of Sarai, what are you doing here?” God took time to LISTEN to Hagar and to acknowledge Hagar’s complaint!
Peter reminds us, “
For the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and his ears are open unto their prayers….
— I Peter 3:12
Psalm 34 sums it up well:
I sought the LORD, and he heard me, and delivered me from all my fears.
This poor man cried, and the LORD heard him, and saved him out of all his troubles.
The eyes of the LORD are upon the righteous, and his ears are open unto their cry.
The righteous cry, and the LORD heareth, and delivereth them out of all their troubles.
— Psalm 34:4, 6, 15, 17
Are you tormented by the results of poor decisions in life? The LORD WANTS TO HEAR what you have to say!
Have your loved ones treated you poorly? The LORD WANTS TO HEAR from you!
Discouraged by failing promises, lack of opportunity? The LORD WANTS TO HEAR from you!
4. He helps us put first things first.
Take a look again at verse 12:
The angel of God said, “Go back to your mistress. Put up with her abuse.” He continued, “I’m going to give you a big family, children past counting.
Notice something very important here: God does not suspend the consequences of our actions!
He did not give Hagar a free pass on to Egypt!
His RESCUE involved Hagar doing something she could hardly want to do: Go back to Sarai! AND PUT UP WITH HER ABUSE!
God’s RESCUE does not suspend God’s law of sowing and reaping.
—BUT— As with Hagar…God is walking through the abuse WITH US…and, at His behest…and, with HIS promise for a future and a hope!
Your Facebook news feed may be like mine. Every morning without fail some one will post something like, "God is unlocking the way for you to have a brand new house. Type AMEN." Yeah. Right. You know what I'm waiting for? I'm waiting for the time someone posts, "God want you to return to an abusive relationship and work it out...with His blessings. Type AMEN." :)
As you respond this morning to the message of RESCUE, you may find God pointing you back to FIRST THINGS FIRST.
DO NOT RUN AWAY FROM THAT! DO NOT TRY TO IGNORE THAT PROMPTING! DO NOT TRY TO INVEST SOME OTHER MEANING INTO GOD’S DIRECTION.
This is where faith kicks in. We choose to believe God…and, discover that when we return it is the beginning of a healing.
Many of us are stymied … we don’t know what to do first … But, we know what we DON’T want to do first … LISTEN …. HE WILL TELL YOU HOW TO GET ON TRACK WITH YOUR LIFE AGAIN…HE WILL HELP YOU TO GET FIRST THINGS FIRST!
5. Finally, God is not ashamed of us…our shortcomings and faults do not cancel out the promises of God…
How do I know? When I read Hebrews chapter 11 I hear God’s position on Abram and Sarai…on Greg and Margaret…on Wambugu and Faith…and, you….
Listen to these words…
Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. For by it received their good report…
Abel
Enoch
Noah
Abraham
Sarah
These all died in faith,
having acknowledged that they were strangers and exiles on the earth…
For people who speak thus make it clear that they are seeking a homeland. If they had been thinking of that land from which they had gone out, they would have had opportunity to return. But, as it is, they desire a better country that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared for them a city…whose builder and maker is God….
Call to action: In the midst of the chaos, the confusion, the cacophony of messages assaulting our ears…God is calling for regular people…to hear his call…to move above the noise…to have a vision greater than the American Dream…in spite of weakness…in spite of doubt…to realize they—like Abraham and Sarah of our text—are pilgrims on this earth.
