Desperate Housewife, Passive Husband, and the Poor Egyptian Servant
- In chapter 15, the Lord said to Abraham, “Your very own son shall be your heir.” I don’t think Sarai was there, but knowing that they would have a son, Sarai made a desperate attempt to get a son through her Egyptian servant, Hagar.
- What happened to Abraham’s faith? The one who started the journey to an unknown mountain. The one who trusted God with everything. What happened to that faith when it came to his son? Why would Abraham take a shortcut?
- I see this passivity even stronger when Abraham said to Sarai, “Hagar is your servant. Do whatever you please,” letting that poor Egyptian servant Hagar run away from her mistress, mistreated her.
- We see the sovereign Lord who looks at all these things. The Lord who will correct the course but still be gracious. Just like Abraham and Sarah, we still make a mess today. We have the promise, but we don’t have the patience. We want things done our way and in our time. But God’s grace, God’s sovereign grace, is above our mistakes, above our shortcomings, above our thoughts, and way above our timeline.
- And He meets Hagar and promises a future. And this is the God who sees us today. And just like Hagar, we can say, “You are the Lord who sees me.”
El Shaddai
- We see this dramatic scene. God visits 99-year-old Abraham and introduces Himself: “I am God Almighty.”
- This God says He’s going to make a covenant. There are many blessings here. Abraham will multiply greatly. Abram is changed into Abraham. Abram means “exalted father,” Abraham means “father of a multitude.”
- The blessings continue. In verse 6, Abraham will become exceedingly fruitful. Nations and kings shall come from Abraham.
- There are so many blessings, but the everlasting covenant is that this El Shaddai will be the God of Abraham and his generations.
Radical Obedience
- God asks Abraham to obey and circumcise as a sign of this covenant, Abraham and every male.
- In chapter 17, verse 22, after God finished talking with Abraham, the very next thing Abraham did was take every male in the house and have them circumcised. Abraham was 99 years old, and Ishmael was 13 years old.
- It didn’t matter if it was a teenager. It didn’t matter if he was 99. He did what God asked him to do. That’s radical obedience.
Is Anything Too Hard for the Lord?
- Every possible chance for Sarah to get conceived was gone. Abraham was 99, and Sarah was 90. The way of women had ceased to be with Sarah. She was worn out, and Abraham was too old.
- But the Lord said, “Is anything too hard for the Lord?”
Application:
- How well do I wait for God’s promise to be fulfilled in my life, or am I rushing his timeline?
- How radical is my obedience to this El Shaddai, everything is possible God?
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