Scripture: Genesis 16, 21
Title: Does God Hear Me? Does God See Me?
Heavy credit: See below for bibliography
“In Genesis, God sees, hears, knows and understands.” -JW
Bottom Line: When I take matters in my own hands and make a mess of things, God hears my cry, sees my misery and meets me there with revealing hope.
Discussion questions for group and personal study:
We encourage you to use our sermons and discussion questions to gather with some friends and talk about the passage together. Pray and ask God to guide you. He is faithful. Questions? Email us at info@GraceToday.net
Find our sermons, podcasts, discussion questions and notes at https://www.gracetoday.net/podcast
Goal: The goal isn’t to ask every question. The goal is to encourage people to engage the scriptures together.
CHAPTER 16 Questions, CSB Life Connections Bible (LCB):
OPEN: Growing up, who was the main decision maker in your family?
CONSIDER (vv. 1-2): What do you find most surprising about Sarai’s words? What do you think drove Sarai to this course of action? CONSIDER (vv. 3-6): In your opinion, who is to blame for this situation? What problems are evident in Abram’s family? What could have been done to resolve this conflict?
CONSIDER (vv. 7-16): Where did Hagar find comfort or confidence in the angel’s words? APPLY: What have you been praying about for a long time? Where can you find encouragement and support to stay on the right path until your prayers are answered?
FOR GROUPS (vv. 13-14): Pass a mirror around the group as an object lesson. Encourage group members to hold the mirror and contemplate the God Who Sees.
Opening:
Bottom Line: God hears my cries and sees my misery. When I realize this, he will open my eyes leading me to see my hopeful future in Christ.
Even as the constraints of the pandemic era have begun to lift, the current pressures felt by working moms have yet to alleviate.
In a recent Barna survey, working mothers shared with Barna that they are feeling overwhelmed, navigating workplace shifts and desiring time to prioritize self-care, findings we’ll take a closer look at in this article.
Working mothers are twice as likely to feel overwhelmed as working fathers coming out of the pandemic.
1. Working Mothers Are More Likely Than Working Fathers to Feel Overwhelmed
With moms historically having shouldered the burden of domestic responsibilities and care of children and loved ones—a pattern that COVID exasperated—it comes as no surprise that employed mothers are feeling overwhelmed, even forgotten.
2. Mothers’ Shift to Work-from-Home Dynamic Was More Drastic than Fathers’
While many mothers left the workforce during the COVID-19 crisis, the ones who are currently employed—whether they stayed through the pandemic or are among the percentage of women reentering the workforce—continue to navigate changes in their work environments and work expectations. Barna's data surrounding these shifts hint at a lower level of satisfaction in working mothers’ relationships both within and outside work, as well as lower satisfaction with their job in general, when compared to working fathers.
3. Working Mothers Desire Time to Prioritize Reflection & Self-Care
Working mothers, more than working women without children in the home, tell Barna they could achieve better work-life balance if they “had more quiet time to regain perspective” (30% vs. 19%) They are also more likely than all other women to say better work-life balance could be achieved if they had “more opportunities to exercise” (30% vs. 18% working women without children in the home, 15% all other women).
…Amid a season of transition, overwhelm and a struggle to balance personal and professional responsibilities, working mothers could benefit from the support of their community, including local church congregations. Yet pastors and congregants may not know how to best rally around working mothers in this time—or even be aware that they need to. Indeed, one in five Christian working moms (22% vs. 11% of working dads) says they are not attending church right now.
Story: https://www.barna.com/research/challenges-working-moms/
He is the God who sees/hears.
Trusting yourself vs. Trusting God, the Promise Keeper
Trusting the Flesh vs. Trusting the Spirit of God
Flesh vs. Faith
Egypt (Land of Self-reliance) vs. Promise Land (Land of Resting Faith)
God is our rescuer/promise-keeper/Hero—God / Angel of the Lord
He hears/sees
He shows up aware because he cares
He brings hope, despite consequences
**Salvation isn’t fixing the flesh. Salvation is crucifying the flesh. We are called to come and die to self-reliance. Leave Egypt and enter the Promise Land.
Outline based largely on Kent Hughes
I. Human Chaos (1-6)
A. Scheming (1-2)
B. Fall! (3-4)
Sarai’s action parallel to Eve’s
Abram listened to his wife (2)
Sarai took Hagar (3a) just as Eve took the fruit (3:6a)
Sarai gave Hagar to her husband (3b) just as Eve gave the fruit to hers (3:6b)
And in both cases the man willingly and knowingly partook
Free-fall! “God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap. For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption” Galatians 6:7-8
C. Chaos (5-6)
Logically Sarai was wrong to place all the blame on Abram…it was her idea
But actually she was right. He was the patriarch. He was the head of the house. God had spoken to him, not to her. He should never have allowed the situation. Abram was truly responsible for the “wrong” (lit. violence) she was suffering.
Abram should have taken responsibility here.
Abram should have affirmed his love for her here.
Abram should have sought the wisdom of God in prayer.
Instead, he capitulated to familiar Mesopotamian ways.
He allowed Sarai to demote Hagar from wife/concubine back to slave.
Sarai mistreated Hagar causing her to flee. Hagar = run away
None of these three were honorable in how they handled things.
Abram was the worst. He didn’t really care for either of these women.
Neither woman had compassion for the other. Sarai was the worst.
Both women were victims. Hagar the greatest.
This all started when people failed to trust God’s word. (Trust in God)
Instead they tried to take matters into their own hands. (Self-reliance/trust in self)
II. Divine Intervention (7-16)
A. Divine Discovery (7-9)
Hagar fled scared.
The Angel of the Lord found her—a stranger; God himself.
This Angel knew everything. Saw, heard, knew…
…understood
…authoritative “Return to your mistress and submit to her”
Why? Because of the future…
B. Divine Revelation (10-12) - God initiated this.
Out of 6 promises in the OT for descendants, Hagar is the only woman to receive such a promise.
God honored Hagar with many descendants. Fruit of the Abrahamic covenant.
Ishmael
You will have a son
You will name him Ishmael because the Lord has heard (Ishmael - God has heard)
He will be nomadic Bedouin
He will be in perpetual conflict with others around him (Sound like Arabs?)
Ishmael’s promise is part of the Abrahamic covenant—not it’s own
Abram’s and Sarai’s shortcut would impact our world for millennia causing oceans of blood. Sin has consequences. When we take matters into our own hands and get out in front of God, this is what tends to happen:
We mess things up; trouble
We sin and sin has consequences
We blame each other
We divide or move away from each other
We hurt and hurt each other (and ourselves)
We damage the future and miss out on some of the blessings
We grieve God and quench his Spirit
C. Hagar’s Response (13-16) - As a result of God seeing her, she sees God and…
She named God and that place
“the God who sees me.”
“the well of the living one who sees me”
She worshiped God. Instead of reveling in the good news God gave, she revels in God himself.
She believed and trusted God. This led to her submission and obedience.
She obeyed God. She returned and submitted to Sarai.
She came to understand that
God hears
God sees
God knows my situation
God understands what I’m going through
Therefore, she trusts, obeys and worships God in the midst of her difficult circumstances.
Conclusion
The consequences of taking matters into our own hands can be tragic and devastating. We cannot change the past.
However, God’s mercy and grace leads to forgiveness when we confess our sins and move forward by grace through faith in Him.
Perhaps you find yourself in the wilderness right now. Perhaps you feel abandoned, alone, and abused.
God hears.
God sees.
God knows.
God understands.
God reveals, guides and provides if you’ll look to him and rest in his protection and provision. He is faithful.
Jen Wilkins shared these thoughts as she wrapped up her thoughts on this chapter:
Paul calls us to, “Do everything without grumbling or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, “children of God without fault in a warped and crooked generation.” Then you will shine among them like stars in the sky as you hold firmly to the word of life. And then I will be able to boast on the day of Christ that I did not run or labor in vain.”
(Philippians 2:14-16 NIV https://bible.com/bible/111/php.2.14-16.NIV)
The Lord reminds us in the Psalms, “He determines the number of the stars and calls them each by name.” (Psalms 147:4 NIV https://psalm.bible/psalm-147-4)
“And each of you—we—are one of those stars as we shine like stars in the sky of this dark world as we hold firmly to the word of life. And then we will be able to boast on the day of Christ that we did not run or labor in vain.” —JW
Pray
Other notes:
Outline Bible - Genesis 16:
VIII. THE COMPROMISE BY ABRAM (16:1-16)
A. The rationale for his compromise (16:1-3)
1. The problem (16:1): Sarai is still unable to bear a son.
2. The plan (16:1-3): Sarai convinces Abram to marry Hagar, her servant, in order to have a son through her.
B. The results of his compromise (16:4-16)
1. Hagar's marriage to Abram (16:4): After Hagar conceives, she begins to look down upon Sarai.
2. Hagar's mistreatment by Sarai (16:5-6): After suffering harsh treatment from the frustrated Sarai, Hagar flees into the desert.
3. Hagar's meeting with the Lord (16:7-14)
a. The Lord advises her (16:7-9): The angel of the Lord comes to her by a well and tells her, "Return to [Sarai] and submit to her authority.
b. The Lord assures her (16:10-14): The angel of the Lord tells Hagar that she will have innumerable descendants through her unborn son, who will be called Ishmael ("God hears").
4. Hagar's mothering of Ishmael (16:15-16): She gives birth to Ishmael when Abram is eighty-six years old.
Notes from Jen Wilkin’s message on Gen 12-16
We should ask ourselves two questions every time we study scripture:
What is true about God here? (Knowledge of God), and
What is true about me in light of what is true about God? (Knowledge of self).
Gen 16
Hagar was a female, Egyptian slave!
Remember, Egypt is the archetype of self-reliance.
Sarai— taking matters into her own hands.
This was a legal way to produce a legal heir using your maidservant to bear a child. But it’s illegal in God’s legal system.
Abraham listens to Sarai instead of God. (Reminds me of Eden)
How much say did Hagar really have in this plan? She’s a victim, though not blameless.
There’s a lot of blame shifting going on here by Sarai and others. (Like in Eden)
Sarai was physically (not just verbally) harsh with Hagar. “Mistreats” (NIV) in v. 6
*Why this extreme reaction?
Because up to this point, Sarai knew that her barrenness could have been because of Abram instead of her. But now that Hagar is pregnant, she realizes it’s because of her.
So she bears the full reproach/shame/scorn of a culture that said that the only thing a woman is good for is bearing children. Her world crashes.
16:8 God is gently drawing Hagar in…
Hagar is extremely vulnerable now.
She’s safer with Abram and Sarai even.
Plus God gives her assurances about her and Ishmael’s future.
“There are no minor characters in the Story of God” -JW
Apparently, Abram (and maybe Sarai) believed Hagar’s story as seen in that Abram names her son Ishmael instead of coming up with his own as was his right and role.
“And God said…” “and it was so” (pattern)
—Story of self-reliance vs. Sovereignty of God
—Trust in me vs. Trust in Thee
My other notes
In previous chapters, Abram listened to God and exercised faith. But here he listened to his wife instead of God and revealed his unbelief.
Both Abram and Sarai tried to help God’s promise happen instead of resting in that promise and waiting on God to work in his perfect timing. For Isaac came 13 years later when Ishmael could live on his own. (No father going forward was devestating)
Sarai blames God for her barren condition. This is actually true as God is sovereign. (Rom 8:28 applies here) But she hints he’s not good in doing so which is not true.
Hagar is quite the victim here. And yet when empowered does harm back.
God does not acknowledge Hagar as Abram’s wife even though this was a legal path to getting a legal heir. She is still a slave in God’s eyes.
First mention of the Angel of the Lord. Theophany? Christophany?
“When God spoke to Abram, he was identified the second time as the angel of the Lord (22:1,15).”
Ishmael — God will hear. (11)
Hagar — flight, run away (LCB study notes)
“GO TO MY SLAVE. Sarai knew of the Sumerian custom of using a concubine to obtain a male heir in the case of a wife’s barrenness. A concubine did not have the same rights as the wife.” (LCB study notes)
“Childlessness was a great burden to women, for it was seen as a lack of blessing from the Lord. Hagar’s pregnancy placed her in a more favored position.” Ibid
“16:12 WILD DONKEY. A promise of Ishmael’s eventual nomadic lifestyle. EVERYONE’S HAND WILL BE AGAINST HIM. Points to the hostility between the de-scendants of Isaac (the Israelites) and Ishmael (the Ishmaelites).”
Practical lesson: “Whenever we run ahead of God, there is trouble. The flesh loves to ‘help’ God, but true faith is shown in patience (Is 28:16). We cannot mix faith and flesh, law and grace, promise and self-effort.” BKC
References/Bibliography:
“Preaching the Word” Genesis Commentary, Kent Hughes
“The Bible Knowledge Commentary” by Walvoord, Zuck (BKC)
“the Bible Exposition Commentary” by Warren Wiersbe (BEC)
Genesis 12-16 Message by Jen Wilkin from her Genesis study
Outline Bible, D Willmington
Life Connection Bible, Lyman Coleman, study notes
NIV Study Bible (NIVSB)
ESV Study Bible
Read More