Genesis 16:4b-6 - Do to her as you please

16:4b,5

The plan had seemed well thought out, it now even succeeded in its own terms, i.e. Hagar became pregnant, but then it all started to unravel. The reality of human relationships struck. Much of the world’s rebellion against God’s laws on sex and sexuality might seem sensible, even “loving”, but only God knows how we are made and what actually works. So Hagar now starts to despise her mistress. She became pregnant, her mistress could not become pregnant, so she was better than her mistress. Or maybe she didn’t want to become pregnant? However, in the society of the time the former seems to be the more likely. Sarai then makes a rather amazing statement, she blames Abram for all the trouble. Now, whose idea was this in the first place? Abram is not the first, not the last, husband to find himself blamed for his wife’s mistakes! Abram and Sarai made a plan based on ignorance, neglect of the reality of human relationships. We should stick with God’s ways even when an alternative plan seems so much better, for God knows everything, we do not. However, it is very hard for us to do this.

16:6

Abram, desperately trying to make amends, gives Hagar to Sarai to do whatever she wants with her. Abram does not come out of this as a strong man showing godly leadership, but as a weak man trying to have a quiet life! I am sure there are many of us who can sympathise with him. Sarai does not come out of it any better. As well as the idea being hers in the first place, she now ill treats Hagar, and so Hagar flees. In Abram and Sarai we have two sinful people.