For I know him, that he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the LORD to do justice and judgment; that the LORD may bring upon Abraham that which He hath spoken of him. Genesis 18: 19.
Gracious LORD, we beg you to remain with us as we enter the study of Your Word; for Christ’s sake; Amen.
It is at least ten years since Abram left Ur of the Chaldees; and still no sign of a son! Sarai suggests that Abram take Hagar, her maidservant, and have a child through her. There is no sign of protest, on Abram’s part recorded in the Bible. Obviously, Abram thought it was not a bad idea, so he married a second wife, Hagar the Egyptian, and Ishmael was born.
The fact that God did not keep Abram from marrying Hagar is no proof that God was in agreement with the marriage. In the beginning God gave one Eve to one Adam. My friends, God made us; and God knows us. He knows that having more than one partner, at a time, will create problems. Because there are religions, and cultures, that advocate having more than one spouse; that does not make polygamy right before God.
Here is a rule of thumb: any time a new trend pops up in society, and we are not sure what side of the argument to be on; go and search the Scriptures. See what God has to say on the subject; not just by taking one text, which is usually, taken out of context; but study as much as you can on the subject, by comparing scripture with scripture; until you have a clear understanding of the matter under consideration. Then, after praying to God for heavenly wisdom and guidance, make your decision.
Just as was to be expected, there were problems in the home. Hagar and Sarai were at each others’ throats. Sarai is treated so harshly by her mistress, that she runs away. The angel of the Lord encourages her to return to her mistress. Soon Ishmael was born. But even though Sarai and Abram temporarily interferes with God’s plans (Genesis 16); they cannot annul them. God will bring His plans to pass!
God changes Abram’s name to Abraham, and Sarai’s name to Sarah. They are about to become a “Father of many, or multitudes; and a “Princess.” Jesus himself descends from heaven accompanied by two angels. He visits Abram, and tells him that within a year he will have a son by Sarah. Both Abraham and Sarah laugh. Abraham asks God to permit Ishmael to become his heir (17: 18). When Abraham was *one hundred years old, and Sarah ninety, Isaac, the son that God had promised to Abram, was born, just as God had promised!
Our memory verse holds the secret to the title of this series: I know him, and he is o.k. In spite of all of Abram’s mistakes; when Abram was weak in faith, and depended on Sarai to save his life (12: 11-13). When he and Sarai were trying to help God, because they did not believe that God could bring to pass what He had promised (16: 2-4). Even when they both laughed because they did not believe that God could make old bodies become procreative again (17: 17); God said, “For I know him, that he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the LORD to do justice and judgment; that the LORD may bring upon Abraham that which He hath spoken of him. [He’s o.k!]”
Tomorrow we will see just how right God was, and always is!
*NOTE: A correction was made to Abraham’s age!