Ge. 16: Love child

Even after the covenant promised in the last chapter, Sarai was still concerned that she and Abram had not yet conceived. In Chapter 16, she complains that God has not yet blessed them with a son. So she does what any centered, sane woman would do: She tells her husband to sleep with her maid. Hagar, an Egyptian maid servant was given as a wife to Abram by Sarai. I know the man should be joined with woman...but women? Of course, Hagar conceives. With the pregnancy hormones a-flying, and the resentful Sarai jealous, life becomes a living hell for both of them. And probably everyone else in camp.

Even though it was Sarai's idea, she blames Abram for going through with the deed. Women.

Abram, showing a masterful hand of leadership tells Sarai to deal with her maidservant herself. Sarai treats Hagar poorly, so she flees.

The Angel of the LORD finds her by a spring in the desert on the road to Shur. "What's the deal?" the Angel asks.

"Sarai was being a bi...a big jerk, so I left," Hagar replies.

The Angel tells Hagar to go back and take Sarai's abuse...to put up with it. God promised Hagar that her son's descendents would be too numerous to count, like Abram's would be. I don't know if I could go back to a scornful, barren woman if I were pregnant with her husband's heir. That would be pushing it for me.

I've learned that whenever the Bible recounts how someone is named, there's always an explanation to follow, describing what the name literally means. "Ishmael" probably means "God hears," because the Bible says God hears Hagar's suffering, and "El" is consistent with "God."

So, I guess that would make Hagar feel better...Ishmael's descendants will be too numerous to count (Genesis 15:5)...yet, Abram's descendants will be too numerous to count...God's going to run out of planet if everyone's descendants will be too numerous to count. He's already used up 2 "too numerous to counts" in the first 2000 years.

Apparently, Ishmael will turn out to be a wild man, a rowdy man, and will be notorious for picking fights easily, will not get along with his family. Hm.

At any rate, this made Hagar happy, and she named the spring after God seeing her.

She gives birth to Ishmael when Abram is 86 years old, making Ishmael born around 2024 at the earliest. Which is neat.

This whole saga is a little unsettling to me. Abram just had a bunch of amazing signs and wonders shown to him, yet still he goes about his business like he had seen nothing. Maybe he thought that God would bring him a son through his maidservant, and that was how his line would be preserved? I must admit, I am guilty of the same. God shows me how He works, and then I expect something else. Additionally, we learned way back during the creation that God typically works in a methodical, sometimes maddeningly so, process. But, come on, Abram...the maidservant?