History and Story (4)

But Abram said to Sarai, “Behold, your maid is in your power; do to her what is good in your sight.” So Sarai treated her harshly, and she fled from her presence.Genesis 16:6  NASB

In your power – Abram is a man caught in the middle.  Not standing up for God’s promise in the first place has now landed him on ground filled with rage on one side and affiliation on the other.  But Abram knows the power of a woman’s wrath.  So, he takes the easy way out.  “Do what you want with her,” he tells Sarai.  In essence, Abram concedes to another demand from his wife.  If it didn’t turn out right the first time, there is no sense trying to make it right now. Just let the chips fall where they may. Sarai can abuse Hagar with his blessing.

Imagine any contemporary history that wished to portray the lives of the founding family of one of the world’s greatest religions.  Do you suppose that the lack of moral character, the indiscretions, the sexual barter and abuse of others would be included?  Do you think such actions would be the highlights of the story?  Yet, here it is.  The Bible glosses over nothing.  Abram shows the weakest moral fiber, swayed by the ranting of an angry wife.  Sarai displays a woman of fluctuating emotions, a pendulum swinging between manipulation and revenge.  Sarai’s abuse at the hands of her passive husband is now turned toward vengeance.  She knows that the passive Abram will not resist her demands.

So Sarai inflicts her anger on Hagar.  Hagar flees, determined to run as far as possible from a mistress who is as unpredictable as an evil wind.  But God intervenes, sending Hagar back into the storm.  In fact, Hagar is the only person who shows obedience to God in this entire debacle.  The Angel of the Lord says to Hagar, “Return to your mistress and accept ill treatment from her hand.”  And Hagar complies.  What a testimony to obedience she is.  Unlike the mother and father of the faith, Hagar shows what undeserved suffering at the command of the Lord really means.

Ishmael is born.  And for thirteen years, God does not visit Abram.  There is a lot said in this silence.  For thirteen years Abram and Sarai must face the consequences of their lack of trust in the promise of God.  For thirteen years they watch a child grow who is a constant reminder of their failure.  And for thirteen years, Hagar serves God by committing herself to submission under a hateful mistress.

Sarai’s next encounter with God reveals another character flaw.  God visits Abram and renews His covenant promise. To mark the occasion, God changes the names of both Abram and Sarai.  Abraham and Sarah now carry God’s name in their new names.  They are known by a new identity—an identity that comes directly from God Himself.  God leaves another permanent mark of His covenant—circumcision.  This mark is private and intimate.  It consecrates the male of the tribe to God’s promise.  It cannot be mistaken or reversed.  Abraham obediently follows God’s command.

Sarah re-enters the story during God’s next encounter with Abraham.  Accompanied by two angels who will soon rescue Lot from the destruction of Sodom, God accepts the hospitality of Abraham and eats a meal near Abraham’s tent.  God tells Abraham that He will return in one year and at that time Sarah will have already had a son.  Sarah has been listening to the conversation, hidden within the tent.  The account (Genesis 18) tells us that when Sarah heard this, she said to herself, “Now that I am worn out, shall I experience pleasure even though my husband is old?”[1]  The sense of this statement revolves around sexual pleasure.  It is not only her disbelief that she will have a child. This disbelief is contained in the word bala (“worn out”) – a reference to her inability to conceive due to age.  Sarah also says that she doubts she will experience “pleasure.”  Here the word is ʿednâ. This word is directly linked to Eden, the garden of delight, and has strong overtones of sexual pleasure. Sarah reasons that she is too old to conceive and no longer able to have sexual enjoyment with Abraham. Interestingly, she associates the word ʿednâ with the fact that Abraham is old.  Perhaps Abraham is not so virile either.  Her life has once more failed her.  She sees nothing wonderful in her future.

As Sarah contemplates this in her mind, she laughs about her impossible situation.  God (for who else can hear someone laugh silently) questions her about this disbelief. Sarah responds with a lie, “I did not laugh.”  Consider how ludicrous her attempt to cover her disbelief really is.  If this stranger can actually hear her thoughts, then it is fairly obvious that he will know when she is not telling the truth. The lie that she utters is not only disobedient, it is impossibly disrespectful.  In the middle of this dialogue is one of the most powerful verses in Scripture, uttered as a direct result of Sarah’s disbelief.  The visitor says, “Is anything too difficult for Yahweh?” Given the circumstances surrounding this rhetorical question, we could conclude that a change in perspective about life might be evident in both Abraham and Sarah.  But old patterns die hard.[2]

Topical Index:  bala, ʿednâ, Sarah, Mary, worn out, pleasure, Genesis 16:6

[1]Translated by Victor P. Hamilton, The Book of Genesis: Chapters 18-50, Eerdmans, 1995, p. 4.

[2]Contrast this reaction with the response of Mary when she is told that something impossible will happen to her body. Sarah’s response produces a future of anxiety and humiliation.  Mary’s response produces obedience and blessing.  Both women stand at a crossroads in their lives when they confront El Shaddai but the difference in their reactions demonstrates the results of two opposite choices.