Genesis16_7-11

Genesis 16:7-11

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 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 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, I will multiply thy seed exceedingly, that it shall not be numbered for multitude.

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.

It is a blessing to be related to a person who follows God Elohim. Because God not only protects and blesses His people, but also extends those blessings to those who are connected with His people. Even though Hagar was a maid and of lower standing in the family of Abram, she conceived for Abram and God cared for her. The LORD found her by the fountain in the way to Shur. She could not bear what her mistress had done to her and ran away. However, God stopped her from leaving in the wilderness. What happened to Hagar was not arranged by God; it came from the fleshly idea of Sarai and Abram. God simply remedied the problem that His people had made.

God directly identified Hagar as Sarai’s maid. This led Hagar to feel less anxious, because the questioner already knew her identity, which meant that the questioner was probably a friend of her master. Then two questions confronted Hagar with her situation: Where have you come from, and where are you going? These questions compelled Hagar to face the real issue before her. She had to tell the truth: that she had fled from the face of her mistress Sarai.

After that, God gave her direction — that she should return to her mistress and submit herself under Sarai’s hands. This is an important lesson for a person in learning submission. Because submission runs contrary to human nature, Hagar needed to learn this lesson. If you want to be a master, you must first learn how to be a servant.

Meanwhile, God is the one true God. He gave a promise to Hagar that He would multiply her seed exceedingly — so numerous that her descendants could not be counted, just as God had promised Abram. In some sense, this was an extended expression of the covenant between Abram and God.

Finally, God comforted Hagar by telling her that He had heard her affliction, and that she would bear a son and call his name Ishmael. God is caring and merciful.