Genesis 16-18
Day 19: Genesis 16-18
Today we start in chapter 16 of Genesis and we see what what happens when we don’t wait on the Lord’s timing, and try to create something on our timing. It had been about 11 years from when the Lord had commanded him to leave Haraan and Abram still did not have a child that the Lord had promised. So Sarai came up with the plan to have Abram conceive a child with their Egyptian maidservant Hagar. According to custom, the child would be considered a child of Abram and Sarai, not that of Abram and Hagar.
This “was against God’s will for many reasons.
· It was a sin of unbelief in God and His promise: Sarai believed in God’s sovereignty over the womb, then acted against it.
· It was a sin against God’s plan for marriage: that one man and one woman come together in a one-flesh relationship.
· It was a sin against Abram and Sarai’s marriage: this surrogacy wasn’t done in a doctor’s office, but in a bedroom” (Enduring Word Commentary).
But, when Hagar got pregnant she thought herself superior to Sarai and treated her with contempt. This made Sarai upset and she went to Abram with it, but he told her to do what she thought was best (Job 16: 4-6). Sarai began to treat her badly, so bad indeed that Hagar fled, possibly back to Egypt, we don’t know. But, the Angel of the LORD found her in the desert.
This is the first time we see the appearance of The Angel of the LORD. We have a sense that it’s not just a spiritual appearance but that a physical manifestation appeared to her. In Job 16:13 she says, “She gave this name to the LORD who spoke to her: “You are the God who sees me,” for she said, “I have now seen the One who sees me.”
“When God Himself is physically present, we understand that it is a pre-incarnate appearance of Jesus Christ. We understand this because of God the Father it says: No one has seen God at any time. The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him (John 1:18), and no man has ever seen God in the Person of the Father (1 Timothy 6:16). Therefore, if God physically appeared and spoke as one Person to another in the Old Testament, we understand this as an appearance of the eternal Son, the Second Person of the Trinity, before His incarnation in Bethlehem.
· The Angel of the LORD would later appear to Abraham (Genesis 22).
· The Angel of the LORD would later appear to Moses (Exodus 3).
· The Angel of the LORD would later appear to Balaam (Numbers 22).
· The Angel of the LORD would later appear to Israel collectively (Judges 2).
· The Angel of the LORD would later appear to Gideon (Judges 6).
· The Angel of the LORD would later appear to Samson’s parents (Judges 13).
· The Angel of the LORD would later appear to David (2 Samuel 24).
· The Angel of the LORD would later appear to Elijah (1 Kings 19).” (Enduring Word Commentary)
In the following chapter we see that God changes Abrams name from Abram to Abraham, for he would be the father of many nations. He also changes Sarai’s name to Sarah, and he tells Abram that she would have a son and become the mother of nations. Isaac laughs at this because they are both old of age, but he doesn’t laugh in a way that signifies unbelief, but as a way of rejoicing because he knew that the only way that could happen was by a miracle of God! His son later would be named Isaac, which means laughter.
We also read about the covenant of the circumcision. At this time Abram was 99. He left Haraan at 75 (Gen 12:1-4), had Ishmael at 86, and it had been 13 years since the last recorded word from God. The LORD appeared to him and told him to circumcise all of the males with him who were eight days old or older, and so he does.
We end the reading for today in chapter 18 with a visit from three men. We know that Sarah is not pregnant yet, so this had to be within 3 months of the last events in chapter 17. The LORD appeared to Abraham with two other men, who we find out to be angels in chapter 19, at the great trees of Mamre. This is a significant place. This is where Abraham had built an altar in Genesis 13:18, where Sarah would later be buried (Gen 23:17-19), where he will be buried (Gen 25:9), and also Isaac (Gen 49:30, 50:13).
God reconfirms his promise of a son born to him and Sarah and Sarah thinks to herself and laughs, “After I am worn out and my lord is old, will I now have this pleasure?” and the LORD heard her (Job 18:10-15). God hears everything, even our most inner thoughts. This should give us pause. That even the things we think, God observes. There is nothing that can be hidden from God.
As they leave the LORD tells Abraham his plans for Sodom and Gomorrah. Not because he wanted to satiate his curiosity, but because he wanted something to be revealed in Abrahams life through this. As a great leader that he was, Abraham became an intercessor for those in Sodom & Gomorrah. Abraham had compassion for all the people there. He could’ve just interceded for his nephew Lot and his family, but he interceded for them all. Unfortunately, Abraham must’ve thought that Lot would have brought more than a few people to God while living there, but he was wrong. Tomorrow we will see just how wrong he was.
Tomorrow we move on to chapters 19-21 in Genesis. I hope you’re learning a lot and enjoying it all at the same time. I know I am! Make sure to follow RF on Instagram, and join our FB Group to stay up to date for our upcoming weekly zoom sessions!
