Lesson 47
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Bible Study 1 - Genesis 21
Series # 4: FOLLOWING IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF FAITH
Lesson 47: Genesis 21.9-21 GOD CAN TAKE CARE OF WHAT AILETH THEE
Genesis 21:9-21 (KJV) 9 And Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian, which she had born unto Abraham, mocking. 10 Wherefore she said unto Abraham, Cast out this bondwoman and her son: for the son of this bondwoman shall not be heir with my son, even with Isaac. 11 And the thing was very grievous in Abraham’s sight because of his son. 12 And God said unto Abraham, Let it not be grievous in thy sight because of the lad, and because of thy bondwoman; in all that Sarah hath said unto thee, hearken unto her voice; for in Isaac shall thy seed be called. 13 And also of the son of the bondwoman will I make a nation, because he is thy seed. 14 And Abraham rose up early in the morning, and took bread, and a bottle of water, and gave it unto Hagar, putting it on her shoulder, and the child, and sent her away: and she departed, and wandered in the wilderness of Beersheba. 15 And the water was spent in the bottle, and she cast the child under one of the shrubs. 16 And she went, and sat her down over against him a good way off, as it were a bowshot: for she said, Let me not see the death of the child. And she sat over against him, and lift up her voice, and wept. 17 And God heard the voice of the lad; and the angel of God called to Hagar out of heaven, and said unto her, WHAT AILETH THEE, HAGAR? fear not; for God hath heard the voice of the lad where he is. 18 Arise, lift up the lad, and hold him in thine hand; for I will make him a great nation. 19 And God opened her eyes, and she saw a well of water; and she went, and filled the bottle with water, and gave the lad drink. 20 And God was with the lad; and he grew, and dwelt in the wilderness, and became an archer. 21 And he dwelt in the wilderness of Paran: and his mother took him a wife out of the land of Egypt.
INTRODUCTION:
Abraham may have been the father of the faithful, but His family life was a shambles! The context of Abraham, Sarah, Hagar and Ishmael is as follows. According to Gen. 16, this arrangement did nothing but cause trouble for Abraham, Sarah and Hagar. Sarah was jealous of Hagar and her baby; Hagar was jealous of Sarah and her relationship with Abraham; poor Abraham is caught in the middle trying to please two women.
In our text, things have come to head. There is all out civil war in Abraham’s tent. As a result, Hagar finds herself in a desperate situation. In the midst of that terrible time, she has a powerful, personal encounter with Almighty God. Out of Hagar’s pain comes a ray of hope for all those who find themselves in the hard, harsh places of life.
As we are GROWING TOGETHER IN CHRIST’S LOVE, I want us to see that God can take our hopeless situation and turn it around for His glory. I want to focus in on the question the Lord asks Hagar in verse 17, “WHAT ALIETH THEE HAGAR?” If any of us has an ailment, regardless of what it may be, God has a word of hope for us in these verses.
INTERPRETATION:
IN HAGAR’S LIFE IT WAS A TIME OF HARSH REJECTION
Things had been tense in Abraham’s tent for many years. In this passage, Isaac is about three years old and Ishmael is about seventeen. They are celebrating as Isaac matures from a baby to a little boy. Things come to a head during this feast and Hagar faces a terrible time of rejection
THE REASONS FOR HAGAR’S REJECTION
Genesis 21:9-10(KJV) “ 9 And Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian, which she had born unto Abraham, mocking. 10 Wherefore she said unto Abraham, Cast out this bondwoman and her son: for the son of this bondwoman shall not be heir with my son, even with Isaac.
Ishmael was mocking and making fun of Isaac and the festivities. The word “mocking” is a strong form of the word “Isaac”, which means “laughter”. Ishmael saw all his hopes of inheritance dashed in Isaac. He knew that Isaac was the son of promise and that he was just the son of a slave. So he is jealous of Isaac and he acts out during the feast. Sarah sees this and blows her stack and demands that Hagar and Isaac be sent away!
THE REALITIES OF HAGAR’S REJECTION
Genesis 21:11-14(KJV) “11 And the thing was very grievous in Abraham’s sight because of his son. 12 And God said unto Abraham, Let it not be grievous in thy sight because of the lad, and because of thy bondwoman; in all that Sarah hath said unto thee, hearken unto her voice; for in Isaac shall thy seed be called. 13 And also of the son of the bondwoman will I make a nation, because he is thy seed. 14 And Abraham rose up early in the morning, and took bread, and a bottle of water, and gave it unto Hagar, putting it on her shoulder, and the child, and sent her away: and she departed, and wandered in the wilderness of Beersheba.
Abraham is reluctant, but God tells him that this is part of His plan for Isaac and for Ishmael. For Abraham, this is as real as it gets! He is forced to send away his oldest son and that son’s mother. It broke Abraham’s heart to have to send them away. It is a hard morning for Abraham, but a much worse coming! The word “Grievous” means “to tremble or quiver”
We all know that life can be just like that at times. We are enjoying ourselves one moment and the next thing we know, we are on the bottom, looking up, wondering how we got down here. There have been times when I have felt like I had to reach up to touch the bottom. Have you ever felt like you could sit on the curb of the street and swing your feet because you were so low? This life is filled with hard realities and heartbreaking moments. Sickness comes; people die; relationships fall apart; depression rears its ugly head; difficulties arise; troubles dog our steps, sometimes when we least expect it. That is the reality of life!
The Bible says in Job 14:1, “Man that is born of a woman is of few days, and full of trouble. .”
Also the Bible says in Job 5:7, “And the LORD visited Sarah as he had said, and the LORD did unto Sarah as he had spoken. ” Jesus says in John 16:33, “These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.” The Bible says in Gen. 3:17-19, “And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life; 18 Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field; 19 In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.”
Some of us have been there; some are there now and some are going there someday.
EXPLANATION: (Context)
IN HAGAR’S LIFE IT WAS A TIME OF HOPELESS REALITIES
FOR HAGAR THERE WERE PROBLEMS
Genesis 21:15(KJV) “And the water was spent in the bottle, and she cast the child under one of the shrubs.”
The water ran out, the sun beat down and Hagar gave up! That is the way life feels like to us at times.
SOMETIMES, THE BURDENS IN LIFE CAN SEEM TO BE MORE THAN WE CAN BEAR!
The Bible says in 2nd Corinthians 1:8, “For we would not, brethren, have you ignorant of our trouble which came to us in Asia, that we were pressed out of measure, above strength, insomuch that we despaired even of life: 9 But we had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves.”
HOWEVER, THOSE BURDENS ARE NEVER MORE THAN GOD CAN BEAR.
The Bible says in 1st Corinthians 1:9-10, “God is faithful, by whom ye were called unto the fellowship of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord. 10 Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.”
JESUS IS RIGHT THERE IN THE YOKE WITH YOU!
In the Bible Jesus says in Matthew 11:28-30, “Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”
FOR HAGAR THERE WAS PAIN
Genesis 21:16(KJV) “And she went, and sat her down over against him a good way off, as it were a bowshot: for she said, Let me not see the death of the child. And she sat over against him, and lift up her voice, and wept.”
Hagar’s heart is broken. She was so sure Ishmael was going to die she went a “bowshot” away from him, which was probably about 1000 feet. She did not want to witness the death of her son, so she left him alone under a bush to die and went off by herself to weep. However, she found herself in a situation she could not fix and from which she could not escape. Have you ever been there? I sure have and in the Old Testament David found himself there.
That is the reason the Bible tells us he prayed in Psa. 55:1-8, “Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness: according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions. 2 Wash me thoroughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. 3 For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me. 4 Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight: that thou mightest be justified when thou speakest, and be clear when thou judgest. 5 Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me. 6 Behold, thou desirest truth in the inward parts: and in the hidden part thou shalt make me to know wisdom. 7 Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. 8 Make me to hear joy and gladness; that the bones which thou hast broken may rejoice.”
Most of us like to be in control of our lives, and when we can’t control it or fix it, we hurt inside and we sometimes get desperate! Honestly, haven’t you ever been there? Where are you right now?
FOR HAGAR THERE WAS PRAYER
Genesis 21:16-17(KJV) “16 And she went, and sat her down over against him a good way off, as it were a bowshot: for she said, Let me not see the death of the child. And she sat over against him, and lift up her voice, and wept. 17 And God heard the voice of the lad; and the angel of God called to Hagar out of heaven, and said unto her, What aileth thee, Hagar? fear not; for God hath heard the voice of the lad where he is.”
It is clearly stated that Hagar prayed, but baby Ishmael certainly prayed also! Ishmael did not know God, but he was a part of God’s plan and he was crying, but in that crying was the voice of a prayer that only God could hear and understand. “God heard the voice of the lad” and moved to help him. The name “Ishmael” means “God Hears” Prayer is the most powerful weapon we have in our Christian arsenal. Prayer is an ever-present resource for the believer. We can run to God anytime, anywhere, for any purpose and God has promised to hear us and help us!
The Bible Jesus says in Matthew 7:7-8, “Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: 8 For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.”
The Bible says in Jeremiah 33:3, “Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and show thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not.”
The Bible says in Philippians 4:6-7, “Be careful for nothing; but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. 7 And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. ”
Prayer must always be our first priority, not the last option!
Here’s a truth with which we all need to come to terms if we have not already. It is not profound it is just proven. Problems are going to come in our lives. When they do come, they will always come unwanted and very often they will come unannounced. When they come, they will hurt us deeply at times. When they come, we must not delay, we must not deny, and we must not detour, but we must directly run to the Lord and tell Him all about our troubles. God will hear us and God will help us. God may not do everything the way we ask Him to do them, but He will always answer our prayer according to His will and our good. God may change the situation, however, more often God will change us in the situation.
The Bible says in 2nd Corinthians 12:7-11, “And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure. 8 For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me. 9 And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 10 Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ’s sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong. 11 I am become a fool in glorying; ye have compelled me: for I ought to have been commended of you: for in nothing am I behind the very chiefest apostles, though I be nothing.”
APPLICATION:
IN HAGAR’S LIFE IT WAS A TIME OF HIDDEN RESOURCES
While Hagar went through this time of terrible tragedy, she was enveloped by some very precious hidden resources. She didn’t realize it, but God was there with her and He had just what she and Ishmael needed to see her through. She was so overcome by her grief that she could not see the resources that were right before her eyes. Have you ever experienced that in your life? As the old proverb goes, have you ever been in a crisis in your life when “You could not see the forest because of the trees?” Sometimes we can become so encumbered with care that we fail to embrace the cure that God has placed at our heart’s door.
HAGAR EXPERIENCED GOD’S PROVIDENCE
Genesis 21:12-13(KJV) “12 And God said unto Abraham, Let it not be grievous in thy sight because of the lad, and because of thy bondwoman; in all that Sarah hath said unto thee, hearken unto her voice; for in Isaac shall thy seed be called. 13 And also of the son of the bondwoman will I make a nation, because he is thy seed.”
God had a plan in everything that took happened in all of this “For Adults Only” dramatic episode out there in the wilderness. Ishmael represented the efforts of the flesh and now he had to go, so the son of faith, Isaac, might obtain his rightful place. All of the pain and suffering of Hagar and Ishmael was part of God’s plan and it was for a reason. I do not understand where we get the idea that life is suppose to be smooth sailing and never any storms in life. It certainly wasn’t that way for the Lord Jesus Christ. His life was in danger even before He was born and remained that way until He was crucified at the age of 33. The same is true in your life and mine. God has a plan and sometimes it involves us walking through some hard places. God has never promised us all roses and no thorns. God has never promised us that life would be all honey with no bee’s. However, God knows what He is doing. Until we walk through the valley, we cannot appreciate the mountain top. If you will read your Bible you will find that Elijah, the widow of Zarephath, the three Hebrew boys, Daniel, the disciples of Jesus on boat in the stormy seas, the 5,000 plus hungry folks on the side of the mountain, Mary and Martha after the death of their brother, and many others are example of this.
The Bible says in Isaiah 55:8-9, “For we would not, brethren, have you ignorant of our trouble which came to us in Asia, that we were pressed out of measure, above strength, insomuch that we despaired even of life: 9 But we had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves, but in God which raiseth the dead: ”
The Bible says in Romans 8:28, “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.”
The Bible says in 2nd Corinthians 4:17, “For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory; ”
The Bible says in Psalm 37:23, “The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD: and he delighteth in his way.”
Thank God He is behind the scenes pulling all the strings of life.
HAGAR EXPERIENCED GOD’S PRESENCE
Verse 17 a “God heard the voice of the lad; and the angel of God called to Hagar out of heaven, and said unto her, What aileth thee, Hagar?...”
She didn’t know it, but there had not been one minute when God was not with her. God had been there the whole time. The wonderful Good News is God will not leave us – His children – either.
The Bible says in Hebrews 13:5, “Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for He hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. ”
The Bible says Jesus said in Matthew 28:20, “Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.”
The Bible says in Deuteronomy 31:8, “And the LORD, he it is that doth go before thee; he will be with thee, he will not fail thee, neither forsake thee: fear not, neither be dismayed.”
The Bible says in 1st Samuel 12:22, “For the LORD will not forsake his people for his great name’s sake: because it hath pleased the LORD to make you his people.”
The Bible says in Isaiah 41:10, “Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness. ”
The Bible says in Isaiah 43:2, “When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee. ”
HAGAR EXPERIENCED GOD’S PEACE
Verse 17.b “fear not; for God hath heard the voice of the lad where he is.”
God called Hagar by name. God was concerned about her problem. God spoke peace to her heart. It is wonderful to know that God did not create us as little partials scrambling around trying to find our way on this earth. God created us as people made in His image and each of us are important to him, He knows us by name, He is concerned about everything that goes on in every area of our lives, and God speaks to our hearts personally if we will listen to Him.
THE BIBLE CLEARLY TEACHES US THAT GOD KNOWS.
The Bible says in Job 23:10, “But he knoweth the way that I take: when he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold.”
THE BIBLE CLEARLY TEACHES US THAT GOD CARES.
The Bible says in Hebrews 4:15-16, “15 For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. 16 Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.”
THE BIBLE CLEARLY TEACHES US THAT GOD CAN SPEAK PEACE TO OUR HEART.
The Bible says Jesus said in John 14:27, “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.”
The Bible says in Philippians 4:7, “And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”
Do you remember the disciples on storm and the “I AM”?
The Bible says Jesus said in John 6:19-21, “So when they had rowed about five and twenty or thirty furlongs, they see Jesus walking on the sea, and drawing nigh unto the ship: and they were afraid. 20 But he saith unto them, It is I; be not afraid. 21 Then they willingly received him into the ship: and immediately the ship was at the land whither they went.”
HAGAR EXPERIENCED GOD’S PROMISE
Verse “18 Arise, lift up the lad, and hold him in thine hand; for I will make him a great nation.”
God may not make us a great nation, but I promise you God will take care of us! There has never been a moment when God has not taken care of us and there never will be such a moment. “God is so good. God is so good. God is so good. He’s so good to me. He answers prayer. He answers prayer. He answers prayer. He’s so good to me. He loves me so. He loves me so. He loves me so. He’s so good to me.”
The Bible says Jesus said in Matthew 6:25-34, “25 Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment? 26 Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they? 27 Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature? 28 And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: 29 And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 30 Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith? 31 Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? 32(For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. 33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. 34 Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.”
The Bible says in Philippians 4:19, “But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.”
The Bible says in Psalm 37:25, “I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread.”
HAGAR EXPERIENCED GOD’S PROVISION
Verse 19 “And God opened her eyes, and she saw a well of water; and she went, and filled the bottle with water, and gave the lad drink.”
He opened her eyes and showed her what had been right in front of her all along! Sometimes we allow our problems blind us from seeing God’s provisions that are immediately before us. However, regardless of what our problem may be or how serious we may feel it is God can open our eyes and show us that He has everything we could ever need. God always has what we need, if we will go to Him in faith and patiently wait upon Him. We can have that provision, the miracles and the power of our God for we are His beloved children for whom He sent His Son Jesus to shed His blood that we may become heirs and joint heirs together. God, our Heavenly Father has more and can do far more than we can ever imagine.
The Bible says in Ephesians 3:20, “Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, 21 Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen.”
CONCLUSION:
What aileth thee? If something is ailing you, take it to the Father right now!
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