Meditations

Open line program on 25th November 2023 @Hour 1, 16:42

Tricia Mcmillan:

Janet is looking at Genesis 16:11-14, The Lord appears to Hagar and seemed to comfort her and emphasized to her that He cares about her and her son. However, what He tells her seemed anything but comforting. Her son will become a great nation and will be at odds with everyone, including God. This is supposed to be a blessing? What am I not understanding?

Answer from Dr Michael Rydelnik:

https://www.moodyradio.org/radioplayer.aspx?episode=557914&hour=1

Summary of answer:

When taken in context, Hagar was most sad at this point of time because she was kicked out of the house by Sarai in Genesis 16 . She is fleeing from Sarai and she is very frightened. The angel of the Lord comforted her with a blessing at this point of time, telling her that she will be with a child named Ishmael and that he will have many descendants. Ishmael sounds like the word “Shama”, which means God hears. Ishmael has 12 tribes come from him. Dr Michael Rydelnik thinks that the 12 tribes are not Arabian tribes and he is not the father of the Arabs, as the Quran said. Both Hagar and Ishmael later settled in Egypt.

Scripture:

Genesis 16

⁹ The Angel of the Lord said to her, “Return to your mistress, and submit yourself under her hand.” ¹⁰ Then the Angel of the Lord said to her, “I will multiply your descendants exceedingly, so that they shall not be counted for multitude.” ¹¹ And the Angel of the Lord said to her:

“Behold, you are with child,
And you shall bear a son.
You shall call his name Ishmael,
Because the Lord has heard your affliction.
¹² He shall be a wild man;
His hand shall be against every man,
And every man’s hand against him.
And he shall dwell in the presence of all his brethren.”

¹³ Then she called the name of the Lord who spoke to her, You-Are-the-God-Who-Sees; for she said, “Have I also here seen Him who sees me?” ¹⁴ Therefore the well was called Beer Lahai Roi; observe, it is between Kadesh and Bered. -nkjv

Genesis 21

⁸ So the child grew and was weaned. And Abraham made a great feast on the same day that Isaac was weaned.

⁹ And Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian, whom she had borne to Abraham, scoffing. ¹⁰ Therefore she said to Abraham, “Cast out this bondwoman and her son; for the son of this bondwoman shall not be heir with my son, namely with Isaac.” ¹¹ And the matter was very displeasing in Abraham’s sight because of his son.

¹² But God said to Abraham, “Do not let it be displeasing in your sight because of the lad or because of your bondwoman. Whatever Sarah has said to you, listen to her voice; for in Isaac your seed shall be called. ¹³ Yet I will also make a nation of the son of the bondwoman, because he is your seed.”

¹⁴ So Abraham rose early in the morning, and took bread and a skin of water; and putting it on her shoulder, he gave it and the boy to Hagar, and sent her away. Then she departed and wandered in the Wilderness of Beersheba. ¹⁵ And the water in the skin was used up, and she placed the boy under one of the shrubs. ¹⁶ Then she went and sat down across from him at a distance of about a bowshot; for she said to herself, “Let me not see the death of the boy.” So she sat opposite him, and lifted her voice and wept.

¹⁷ And God heard the voice of the lad. Then the angel of God called to Hagar out of heaven, and said to her, “What ails you, Hagar? Fear not, for God has heard the voice of the lad where he is. ¹⁸ Arise, lift up the lad and hold him with your hand, for I will make him a great nation.”

¹⁹ Then God opened her eyes, and she saw a well of water. And she went and filled the skin with water, and gave the lad a drink. ²⁰ So God was with the lad; and he grew and dwelt in the wilderness, and became an archer. ²¹ He dwelt in the Wilderness of Paran; and his mother took a wife for him from the land of Egypt. -nkjv