Hagar
Disobedience:
- Abraham and Sarah went to Egypt
- Deception about Sarah being Abraham’s sister
- Pharaoh gave the gift of Hagar a female servant
- Sarah takes matter into her own hands, and gives Abraham Hagar to have a child
- Abraham goes along with the plan
- Now we have a fractured family plunging into conflicting loyalties and resentments.
Hagar: A Sketch Portrait
Question- How would you describe Hagar’s emotional self-portrait?
- Pharaoh gave her away- Went from a position in the royal place of Egypt now living in a tent-
- Sarah gave her away- Abraham (Culturally it was done, but not the way for God’s people)
- Hagar was put in a position of torn loyalties from Abraham- loving Sarah, but wanting a son
- Hagar resents Sarah, looks at her with contempt
- Abraham does not stick up for Hagar, but instead washes his hands, abandoning her and the baby.
- Tossed to and fro without having control over her life like a pawn
- Feelings of no one cares
- Hagar had to live with Sarah dealing harshly with her, blame, hurt, jealousy, resentment
- Hagar must have felt no one will ever deeply love me
- Hagar must have felt she had no one to count on
Question- How would you describe Hagar’s spiritual self-portrait before the Angel appeared to her?
- Previously worshipped idols (as did Abraham until God appeared to him and changed his life)
- Everything Hagar knew about God she would have learned through Abraham and Sarah.
- God brings Hagar from a Godless culture to a family chosen by God to bless.
- Everything she learned about God from Sarah and Abraham, now turns upside down living with desperately flawed believers.
- Why would I want to follow this God, when Abraham and Sarah act like this?
- She was angry, resentful, felt a sense of injustice, and turmoil all around her.
- Hagar couldn’t hear the voice of God.
Question- How does Hagar an emotionally abandoned and spiritually wounded woman feel deeply loved?
- God finds lost people (Gen 16:7) through the form of a visible angel.
- Hagar was not looking for God- He found her
- God heard her suffering and listened to her affliction (no recording of her praying)
- God heard Hagar’s tears (Ps 56:8)
- Hagar knew God saw her (Gen 16:13)
- Hagar knew God knew her and her future (Gen 16:12)
In loving kindness, he told her to go back
- God’s grace was sufficient for Hagar to return to her mistress and submit to Sarah and the difficulties of her living situation and raising a son who would have the temperament of a wild donkey
Question- What are you running from?
- Anything but that?
- Anywhere but there?
- Anyone but her?
- Are you disappointed with the church, and on your way out of the body of Christ?
- Who have you looked up to as a spiritual leader and are disappointed and have allowed it to affect your walk with God or your congregational worship?
Question- Where are you going?
- Salvation
- Are you running from the place God has set you down?
- Has your spiritual temperature changed?
- Are you serving?
- Are you aligning yourself with spiritual people?
Question- How does your spiritual walk influence your children?
- Do your children view you as spiritually flawed person?
- How do you respond to your children when they observe sin in your life?
- Do your children observe you as consistent across all walks of life?
- Do you talk of faith with your children, but they see you fraught with worry?
- Do you talk of God’s blessings, but yet you don’t live a thankful and joy filled life?
