Abraham, Part 20 - Then God Opened Her Eyes
Genesis 21v14-21
28th January 2011
Last time, we read about how Sarah insisted that Abraham divorce his slave-wife, Hagar, and send her and her son, Ishmael, away. Abraham was greatly distressed by this but God promised that He would protect Ishmael and make him great. We read on:
Genesis 21v14a
Early the next morning Abraham took some food and a skin of water and gave them to Hagar. He set them on her
shoulders and then sent her off with the boy.
Sometimes we have to let go of the things, and even the people, we most cherish. Abraham loved Ishmael, and he may well have loved Hagar - she was his wife. But Abraham gave them food and water and sent them off. Letting go can be so very hard. We worry about what will happen to those we care about when they're no longer under our protection but:
Ecclesiastes 3v1
There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven
And there is a time to say goodbye.
Genesis 21v14b
She went on her way and wandered in the desert of Beersheba.
When we've known a life for a long time (Hagar had been Abraham's wife for about 18 years, and his slave for considerably longer) and then we have to start again, we tend to wander for a while, not knowing where we should be or how we should live. And such an experience can often feel like a desert, spiritually, and emotionally, and sometimes financially. What would become of her and her teenage son? For a time, things seemed desperate:
Genesis 21v15-16
When the water in the skin was gone, she put the boy under one of the bushes.
Then she went off and sat down nearby, about a bow-shot away, for she thought, "I cannot watch the boy
die." And as she sat there nearby, she began to sob.
But, as God had already told Abraham (verse 13) He was determined to give Ishmael a good future. The story often seems over when God's purposes for us are far from complete. He intervenes to preserve us and lead us on:
Genesis 21v17-18
God heard the boy crying, and the angel of God called to Hagar from heaven and said to her, "What is the matter,
Hagar? Do not be afraid; God has heard the boy crying as he lies there.
Lift the boy up and take him by the hand, for I will make him into a great nation."
God came to Hagar at a time when her faith seems to have run out. Thank God that His love for us and His ability to meet our needs depends not on our faith but on His goodness and power!
Genesis 21v19
Then God opened her eyes and she saw a well of water. So she went and filled the skin with water and gave
the boy a drink.
So often when things are difficult, we can't see God's provision for us until he opens our eyes. But God always provides.
Genesis 21v17-20
God was with the boy as he grew up. He lived in the desert and became an archer.
God is always with us, not just at the times of crisis, although it's then that we can be most aware of Him, or least aware of Him. God's commitment to us is permanent, not temporary.
Genesis 21v17-21
While he was living in the Desert of Paran, his mother got a wife for him from Egypt.
And Ishmael's mum was still with him, too. God sometimes allows us to go through desert experiences, and we can know the pain of parting, but God also allows us to survive, and to love.