10.23.26 – Sarah, Part 2

Life is filled with ups, downs, ins, outs, trust, love, failure, and rinse-and-repeat lessons. With that in mind, it is easy for us to get trapped in the "I thought it was a good idea at the time" mentality.

Sarai says to Abram, "Look, the Lord (Yahweh) has restrained me from bearing children" (Gen. 16:2). Ahh, the Garden of Eden blame game continues. For the woman, it is not a serpent but God who is at fault this time. Her unhappiness and fruitless marriage are all God's doing. So... if He is going to prevent me from having children, I will conceive my own child by circumventing His limited perspective.

Now the self-preservation mindset has infiltrated Sarai's mind. Is she just reflecting on what her husband did to her with Pharaoh? Her self-interest will be fulfilled by offering her maidservant as sexual barter. Hmmm. She tells Abram what to do, and Abram willingly listens to Sarai (Gen. 16:2)... memory lane to the Garden of Eden, when the woman listens to the voice of the serpent and the man readily takes from her hand (Gen. 3:6). Why would Sarai do that? Did she rationalize that Abram's willingness to offer her to Pharaoh was a clear indicator that his "fidelity meter" was not working very well... and so, surely he would not object to sleeping with another woman for the glory of God's promised covenant?

Regardless of the psychological reasons for this behavior, Abram did not hesitate to taste this forbidden fruit that was pleasing to the eye and good for his taste buds. Gladly (reluctantly?) he gets Hagar pregnant? A one-night stand or multiple tries? What is going through their minds? The domino effect of poor decisions is setting a Guinness record. The woman who was abused now becomes the abuser. The man who perpetrated the abuse is now used to foster another abuse. Rinse and repeat. Sex is used to accomplish selfish ends. Yiker doodles. And the trend continues today, where women use sex to get love, and men use love to get sex.

At this stage of Abram's lekh lekha, he does not insist that his obedience outweigh desire and common sense. They both want a child. It only makes sense to follow this common-sense logic. "Great idea, Sarai... I will sacrifice for you."

The best-laid plans of mice and men go awry! Sarai's selfish, unselfish plan brought more heartache, not happiness. Hagar's pregnancy brings humiliation, envy, and anger. Now she must live with a servant whose body shows everyone her husband's lack of moral integrity (Gen. 16:4–5). Ugh!

She is not a happy camper! "Look at the violence (hamas) you have done to me! It is your fault" (Gen. 16:6). "Can't you see what you have done to me?" With Hagar's newly acquired mindset, Sarai's plan has backfired. Instead of joy, she has acquired shame. And she is still barren. We now know it is not Abram's fertility that is in question. Not the ideal position for a woman who will be the mother of a great nation and kings (Gen. 17:6, 16). The Jerusalem Enquirer has some juicy morsels to spread through the gossip community.

Ironically, Sarai admits her wrong (hamas) in this (Gen. 16:5), but her sowing and reaping does not stop her discontent. Hagar's pregnancy conceived Sarai's shame. Sarai then turns it over into God's hands... we will let Him judge to see who is right (Gen. 16:5). She is not a happy camper!!! Where is my zakar when I need him to take a stand? Abram should have said NO! He failed to safeguard her once again. Now, with the emotional attachment to Hagar and the birth of a baby, humiliation runs even deeper for Sarai.

Can you feel the stress and emotional conflict? Emotional retaliation seldom, if ever, works. What started as hope has now turned into the Days of Our Lives soap opera. The child fades into oblivion, and Sarai's self-identity takes center stage. Oh yes, her plan was successful, but at what cost? She has been disgraced. However, with a helicopter view, the humiliation is not about the child; it is about the change in two relationships... now Abram is not hers alone, and her status as the mother of a great nation and kings is in jeopardy. The present and future appear to be without hope.

Is there a solution? More to come...

Shalom!
Alan

www.lightintorah.org

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

12 21 25 – At the End

Then it came to pass, at the end   (miketz)   of two full years, that Pharaoh had a dream (Gen. 41:1) I have often said that before you begin a project, you have to finish it. That is exactly how the Lord our God is. Before He begins a project, He already has the blueprint completed, the funding necessary, and everything is prepared before He sets the timetable in motion. We see here at the beginning of the Torah portion,  Miketz  ("at the end"), after thirteen years of stagnation, the Lord brings about an end to Joseph's wait. And we should all have hope in the extremity ( ketz ) of something. We should all have hope that the Lord will finish what His preparation works and proceed with it with a blessing. This is the Hebrew understanding that when God brings an end to something, when He cuts something off, He actually has something in store for us—often a blessing, the paradise of our inheritance. And whatever that time of awaiting has been, it always proceeds with ...
Read more

7.16.25 ~ New Heights and Depths

Good morning! I am back in Michigan and have access to the internet again. Good morning! Though you haven't received studies over the past week, you have been prayed for and I hope your passion for the Lord is daily rising to new heights. The first generation of the wilderness journey were passive; recipients of God's goodness around every bend. Since their passing, the second generation has been called to action! The final temptation before entering into the Land has come and gone. Some passed the test and 24,000 failed. Prior to Phineas heroic gesture, in stopping the plague, the sexual and idolatrous debacle had already been active through the encounter at Baal-Peor, the Moabite women, and Balaam's suggestion initiated, where God commanded Moses to take the heads of the leaders and hang  the heads of all the participants towards the sun so that God's wrath will be turned away (Num. 25:1-5). The average person would think that adverse response to Israel's rebellio...
Read more

4.4.26 ~ Can You Count to Three?

Image
Today, Saturday 4/4/26, many will celebrate the day that Yeshua was visibly seen risen from the grave (John 20:1; Matt. 28:1–10; Luke 24:1–10)! The day after His resurrection, Yeshua would be out ministering to the doubts of His disciples, helping them realize that He is alive and that the purpose of His resurrection would be catalyzed by their lives. For the disciples closest to Yeshua and those who stood at a safe distance away, it was a time of doubt. The enemy was in hot pursuit. They were fearful for their lives, but just at the God-appointed time, their salvation appeared.  Does that sound vaguely familiar? It should. Earlier this week, on the day after Passover—the 15th of the first month—the natural-born Israelites and those who joined them through the blood of the Lamb exited Egypt and headed toward the sea. In just a few days, during the Feast of Unleavened Bread, Pharaoh would not be happy that he let the Israelites go; he felt betrayed, and he was hot (Ex. 14:5–9). Mose...
Read more