QT 9/2/2025 Gen 16:7-16, Submitting to God versus being a god

Genesis 16:7–16 (ESV) —

7 The angel of the Lord found her by a spring of water in the wilderness, the spring on the way to Shur. 8 And he said, “Hagar, servant of Sarai, where have you come from and where are you going?” She said, “I am fleeing from my mistress Sarai.” 9 The angel of the Lord said to her, “Return to your mistress and submit to her.” 10 The angel of the Lord also said to her, “I will surely multiply your offspring so that they cannot be numbered for multitude.” 11 And the angel of the Lord said to her,

“Behold, you are pregnant

and shall bear a son.

You shall call his name Ishmael,

because the Lord has listened to your affliction.

12 He shall be a wild donkey of a man,

his hand against everyone

and everyone’s hand against him,

and he shall dwell over against all his kinsmen.”

13 So she called the name of the Lord who spoke to her, “You are a God of seeing,” for she said, “Truly here I have seen him who looks after me.” 14 Therefore the well was called Beer-lahai-roi; it lies between Kadesh and Bered.

15 And Hagar bore Abram a son, and Abram called the name of his son, whom Hagar bore, Ishmael. 16 Abram was eighty-six years old when Hagar bore Ishmael to Abram.

 

NOTE: There is much to say about this passage. The consequence of Abram's action cause deep pain and enduring conflict. But even though Abram sought to fulfill God's promise on his own human effort, God does not abandon this baby born outside of his will. God sees and hears Hagar's distress, and promises a blessing upon her child. We can argue if it was a blessing or not, but I believe it was. The message that I see is that God cares for each of us. He sees us in our distress and desires to rescue us, but few are willing to humble themselves, cry out for his help, and submit to his rescue plan. Pain does not prove God's non-existence, it proves we abandoned God to be our own gods. He uses pain to show us that our rebellion does not make life better or easier, only emptier. He calls us to repent and return to him.

 

PONDER:

1. Do I pretend to worship, and in reality I worship myself as god?
2. Do I demand to live life my way or am I willing to submit to God and live life as he commands?

 

PRAYER: Father, your way is much better than my way. I know it to be true, but so few believe it. They may pretend it, but they don't believe it. Protect me from that subtle deception.