Contributor: Peter Folikwe

INTRODUCTION

Genesis Chapter 15 highlighted the unwavering faith demonstrated by Abram as confirmed in Genesis 15:6 “And he believed in the Lord, and He accounted it to him for righteousness.” This was after God made an everlasting covenant with Abram and his seeds. Chapters 16 introduces us to the emotional/impatient choice of Hagar as a surrogate mother for the promised seed, and in Chapter 17 God sealed His covenant with Abraham through the circumcision of the promised seed to be born through the womb of Sarah.

CHAPTER 16

Recall the covenant made by God to Abram that his descendants will inherit the land. Up until this time Abram and Sarah were yet to have an offspring. In Genesis 16:1-4, we see Sarai’s expectation of God’s promise of her having a child becoming belated. She actually gave up on having children in V2 and said to the husband, “See now, the Lord has restrained me from bearing children”. She therefore proposed an unconventional method for the fulfilment of God’s covenant through Abram’s seed. This simply showcases one of the greatest weaknesses of men: Impatience! She proposed that Abram try having a child through Hagar, her maidservant from Egypt which Abram consented.

It is unbelievable how the same Abram that believed God and it was counted to him for righteousness, turns around to agree to an alternative option presented to him by his wife. Note that it was Sarai that gave Hagar to Abram as a wife which was not part of God’s original plan for him as we will see towards the end of the chapter. And when Sarai saw that Hagar had conceived, she became despised. One would ask, what was on Sarai’s mind when she made the proposal?

What happened in Gen 16:5 was such a hypocritical situation where Sarai was blaming the husband for a decision that was clearly her idea. The maid having been elevated to the position of 2nd wife Yoruba adage that says “Bami na Omo mi, Ko de inu olomo” - interpreted to mean, “help discipline my child is not a passport for you to do as instructed”, particularly from the child’s mother. This is a classical case where people try to fix things our own way which often go wrong and then turn around pass blames, instead of taking responsibility. In V6, Abram was not asking Sarai to caution Hagar for treating her mistress with contempt, just because she had become pregnant. Abram’s request is that Hagar be demoted from the position of a wife they collectively gave to her on a platter of gold. Hagar in return considered her mistress’ decision as unkind and cruel. She’s quite justified, because she never displayed any disloyalty towards them to the point the she humbly acceped to marry her mattress’ hubby at her instruction. For her, the only way out of the quagmire/predicament is to take her leave of absence from the house.

Review of V7-14:

In V7 our compassionate God as He has always been found Hagar in her pain and solitude, pregnant with a child in by a well in the wilderness. The Angel sent by God addressed Hagar as Sarai’s maid, and not Abram’s wife, because the unconventional union was not recognized by God. As if God does not know what led Hagar into the wilderness, he asked to know where she is coming from and where she is going and she narrated her side of the story. The Angel of the Lord instructed Hagar to return to her mistress, and submit herself under her hand. Considering the world, we live in today, not many will heed the Angels call. Many will play the victim, reeling out how they have been mistreated and disdained, without any mention of their own attitude. Most often when we go to the Lord in prayer to change our circumstances, the focus of God is always in changing us first. The moment we change our attitude to do God’s bidding, our prayers become automatically answered based on His will for us. Prov 16:7 says “When a man's ways please the LORD, he maketh even his enemies to be at peace with him.”. Not only will his prayers be answered, even his enemies hindering his prayers will begin to cooperate with him.

In V10, we see a similarity with the covenant God made with Abram, declared by the Angel of God to Hagar “Then the Angel of the Lord said to her, “I will multiply your descendants exceedingly, so that they shall not be counted for multitude.” The Angel went further to declare to her that the outcome of her pregnancy will be a male child that will be name Ishmael - meaning ‘God hears’. Similarly, when we go through unpleasant circumstances and distresses, God sees our secret tears and hears our cry.

In V12 NLT, the Angel described Ishmael, the unborn child as “a wild man, as untamed as a wild donkey!.” He was further described as follows “He will raise his fist against everyone, and everyone will be against him. Yes, he will live in open hostility against all his relatives” - meaning his life will be marked by hostility and conflict. I believe we can see that play out in the middle East of today. Hagar responded to the Angel with appreciation God’s compassion towards her by naming the place “God sees” her affliction. Meanwhile, the name of Ishmael means “God hears”

In Genesis 16:15-16

Ishmael turned out to be Abram’s first son, but not based on God’s original plan. Brethren, we see Sarai counsel her hubby to help God fulfil His covenant to Abram. Majority today, trying to help God, have created their Ishmaels. This is what is called “the permissible will of God”. The concept of God's permissive will can be understood as the allowance of God for human choices and actions, even when they may not align with His perfect will. Apostle Paul in Gal 4:22-23 described this scenario “For it is written that Abraham had two sons: the one by a bondwoman, the other by a freewoman. But he who was of the bondwoman was born according to the flesh, and he of the freewoman through promise,” s help at all times.’Brethren, God does not need our help, but instead we need God It’s my prayer that those who have been enduring and waiting on God, the Lord will show up for them at the appointed time.

Chapter 17

The covenant of circumcision: In Gen 17:1-3, we see a remarkable turning point in the life of Abram. God appeared Abram at the stricken age of 99 years old. In Chapter 12, God asked him to leave his father’s house to a land He will show him and promised to bless Abram there. Abram left Haram at the age of 75 in Gen 12:4. He had Ishmael at the age of 86 years in Gen 16:15-16 we had just studied. God did not send an angel. The details of how God appeared was not clear, but recall when Moses request to see God in person in Ex 33:20, God responded saying “But He said, “You cannot see My face; for no man shall see Me, and live.” In the same passage we read that God spoke to the hearing of Abram asking him to walk before Him and be blameless. Here we see God revealing Himself as God Almighty (the All-sufficient God - El Shaddai) and afterwards God presented His expectation of Abram.

God had promised having a covenant with Abram 25 years earlier in Gen 12:1-3. By this He simply affirmed His covenant as earlier promised to Abram. In V3 Abram fell on his face showing submission and total reverence to God Almighty.In order reaffirm His commitment to His covenant, God changed God is the God that ‘Father of many nations’. -‘Father of many’ to Abraham -from Abram his name deliver. In Gen 12:2 He promised Abram to make him a great nation, but in Gen -promises and over17:6 Gid promised to make nations of Abraham.

In V7-8 God reaffirms His covenant with Abraham to his yet-to-born seed - an everlasting covenant (trans-generational). In V8, God’s covenant to give the of Canaan to Abraham and his descendants as an everlasting possession holds till date. No amount of opposition have been able to make Israel relinquish the land God gave them as a covenant. God in V10-11 instituted the covenant of the cutting off the foreskin of every male child born into Abraham’s lineage and also by association into Abraham's lineage. The circumcision will mark them as descendants operating within the covenant.

Since circumcision deals with the male organ aprocreation, it was a reminder of the special seed of Abraham that will bring the Messiah, promised to Abraham to bless every nation on earth. Spiritually, the significance of cutting off the foreskin signifies the efficacy of the covenant of cutting off fleshly desires. God also stated that a male child must be circumcised when 8 days old. Scientists have proven that the 8th day in the life of an infant is when the body is at its optimal level of immunity/blood clotting antibodies. In V14, God put a penalty clause in place for any male child born into the Abrahamic covenant without circumcision as prescribed by God. Rejection of the circumcision was regarded as a rejection of the covenant. God again changed the name of Sarai to Sarah connected to the array blessings reeled out by God in V16 and that the blessings will be trans generational through Sarah’s own son and not through a surrogate. Abraham laughed, but spoke to himself in the heart wondering how God would make a 100 and 90 year of have a child. He was not in any way doubting God’s ability to do the impossible/unthinkable.

Apostle Paul reiterated this in Rom 4:17-21 “(as it is written, “I have made you a father of many nations”) in the presence of Him whom he believed—God, who gives life to the dead and calls those things which do not exist as though they did; who, contrary to hope, in hope believed, so that he became the father of many nations, according to what was spoken, “So shall your descendants be.” And not being weak in faith, he did not consider his own body, already dead (since he was about a hundred years old), and the deadness of Sarah’s womb. He did not waver at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strengthened in faith, giving glory to God, and being fully convinced that what He had promised He was also able to perform.”

Ironically in V18 Abraham presented Ishmael as the son of the covenant.

In V19-21 Abraham as a good father beckoned on God to fulfil the covenant through Ishmael, but God said no emphasizing that the covenant will be through Isaac, Sarah’s son. The name Isaac meant laughter, a name that will remind Abraham that he laughed in amazement of God’s promise. The covenant and the promises were to be passed only through Isaac, though He has pronounced blessings upon Ishmael. V23-27 Abraham just obeyed God without hesitation by offering himself for circumcision together with .; all born in his houseservantsand blood relations, all his household male

CONCLUSION

The two chapters clearly demonstrated God’s unwavering commitments to His covenant, even when men fail on their part. He also gives us the permissible will to do our bidding without changing the course of His original plans for our lives. As a faithful God delights in giving us a new/better name that will enable the fulfilment of His covenant. All He demands of us is our faith in Him and total obedience to His commands.