Get the appBeginnings: A Study In GenesisSample
What does it say?
Sarai urged Abram to have a child by her handmaiden, Hagar. The resulting conflict caused Hagar to flee to the desert where God comforted her before sending her back.
What does it mean?
Sarai’s grief at remaining barren caused her to take matters into her own hands. Fathering a child by a wife’s handmaiden was a common practice, but it was not how God intended to fulfill His promise to Abram. Sarai’s desire to control the situation, as well as Abram’s conceding, resulted in strife and discord in their home. But God didn’t simply remove Hagar and continue with His plan. The Lord’s care for her in the wilderness demonstrated that He saw her, knew her situation, and loved her. Abram and Sarai would have to live with the consequences of their choice.
How should I respond?
We love to be in control, trusting our own logic and common sense to solve issues in which we can’t see God at work. In what situation are you about to take matters into your own hands, like Sarai? But taking control also means taking the consequences of your actions. Being impatient can cause even more difficulties than you’re dealing with at the present time. Are you, like Hagar, going through a wilderness experience? Have you been driven to a place of hopelessness? As a believer, Christ has promised to never leave you. He sees you and wants to comfort you right now—where you are.
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About this Plan
As its name implies, Genesis is a book of beginnings. The beginning of the world, the beginning of the line of Abraham, and the beginning of God's covenantal relationship with his people are all recorded in Genesis. Although filled with the sin, rebellion, and the chronic unfaithfulness of His people, God consistently demonstrates his covenantal faithfulness to bring about salvation and redemption for all who have faith in Him.
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