Genesis Chapter 16

Shalom and welcome to via hafte yes Ryan a Hebrew phrase which means you shall love Israel we hope you'll stay with us for the next 30 minutes as our teacher dr. Baruch shares his expose Ettore teaching from the Bible dr. Baruch is the senior lecturer at the Zahra Avraham Institute based in Israel although all courses are taught in Hebrew at the Institute dr. Baruch is pleased to share this weekly address in English to find out more about our work in Israel please visit us on the web at love Israel you are G that's one word love Israel dot o RG now here's Baruch with today's lesson have you ever looked back at your life and thought about something that you did or didn't do a decision that you made and now looking back with hindsight perhaps after many months or years you realize how significant that was that you should have done this or you shouldn't have done that you should have made a different decision but the problem was simply this you did not know at that time the significant implications that would come from that action that decision and oftentimes we don't know these things and that is why it's so important that everything be done with prayer that we consult God's Word that we seek godly counsel from others you see no decision is so urgent that we can't step back and pray for a moment to seek God's counsel to seek His illumination so often the things that we just rush in and make a decision those things and see Satan knows oftentimes what's going on how he can use that and when we fail to give God the proper role in our life consulting him waiting up on him making our prayers and supplications before him reading finding counsel and his word when we neglect those things let me tell you Satan is aware of that and that is when he's going to come in and take what might seem as something that's routine a insignificant decision and he is going to get a foothold in that and use that in order to bring about great hardship suffering despair not just on you and me not just on our families but but given the opportunity he will try to take that and bring much sorrow much conflict much despair upon as many people as he can and that certainly what we learn tonight when we look at the next chapter in the book of Genesis chapter 16 so with that said take out your Bible open it up and look there to Genesis chapter 16 now here there is going to be two women that are highlighted and one man and we don't have to go any further to know that that is a formula for disaster from the beginning and you sure taught this that God created them male and female one man one woman in a covenant or relationship called a marriage and that should not be altered and what it is by and large we see very unfortunate outcomes we need to trust God in the formula and the structure that he gave to us any type of of alteration variation any type of change well the results will indeed be disastrous and such is going to be the case two seating in this sixteenth chapter now we won't see all the disastrous results but they began in this chapter they continued on not just for the lives of these people but also their descendants from one generation to another generation to another even to this very moment what took place 4000 years ago is still producing hardship sorrow despair and disaster even today why because a decision was made without prayerfully consulting God and my hope is this that this message that we're going to be dealing with tonight Mike slow us down might cause us to ponder things and not just asking one another not just pausing and thinking in our own irrational minds should I do this should I not what is the right decision but but getting on our knees placing our face before God seeking his illumination his counsel through prayer and also the study of his word well as I said look with me to this sixteenth chapter the book of Genesis chapter 16 and verse 1 we read here and Sarai that is Sara but her name has yet to be changed and Sarai the wife of Avram did not bear to him a child so she had not given birth to any children not even one to him verse one second half and to her was an Egyptian maidservant now this is important because of the term Egyptian we need to realize that things repeat themselves in the scripture for a purpose Egypt is mentioned frequently in the Bible and without exception even though Egypt was a very prosperous place a very fertile place a place that had great fleshly earthly carnal we could say natural resources and and production that does not mean that God has to use it in fact what we find is God bringing the people out of Egypt and placing them in a barren place why well in the midst of prosperity oftentimes we tend to forget God we tend not to consult him we tend not to pray to him as we should we rely upon the physical provision rather than his voice his spiritual counsel unto us and that's exactly what's going to happen to CD so look again we're told first and foremost that this woman Sarai that she had not given birth to any children and the emphasis is to him and what we can glean from that is that Sarai she's feeling insecure she doesn't feel like she has produced the things for her husband that she should and she also don't forget that there's that that that promise that covenant Allah promised that the offspring and it uses a word the seed meaning in a literal physical sense that Avram was going to have a child not just a child but children and because of that Sarah perhaps she's feeling the the pressure of time she's taking the fact that she's bare and personal and therefore what does she do we'll look again at this second half of verse one we read and to her was an Egyptian maidservant and her name Hegar so we're dealing with Sarai or Sarah as she will become Hegar this Egyptian maidservant and obviously the husband that we're speaking about the husband of Sarai Avram who would become Abraham and this triangle between these three individuals one man and two women well obviously it's not going to end well it's not going to represent God's perfection his plans his will his structure that he set up for a man and a woman once more she had this Egyptian maidservant by the name of Hegar verse 2 and Sarai she said to avril behold now again this is to say something important pay attention and what we are to glean from that is she says this to Avram behold meaning this is important when he heard this he should have understood that this was something that was going to require much insight how to handle it and we're going to find that he did not see the significance why do I say that because he did not pray about it he did not seek counsel he did not delay he immediately responded and when we immediately respond to something it's going to be a fleshly response it's when we wait patiently and listen to the Lord consulting him prayerfully making this situation known to him for the purpose of receiving counsel with the desire to obey that counsel that's how we're going to be secured in making wise decisions doing those things that are pleasing to him those things that are going to further his will not just in our own life but how he can use our life to impact others and his will for their life so she says behold the Lord has restrained me from giving birth so again this is the second time now I'm hoping as we go through the text that we learn not just what the text says but the methodology to study the scripture individually and pay attention to repetition in the Word of God the first thing that we're told she did not give birth to any child to him or for him let's we find that she says the Lord he has restrained me from giving birth so this idea of giving birth for Avraham or perhaps in me in behalf of this covenant that was established several chapters earlier in chapter 12 she's feeling a sense of urgency she sense an inadequacy she's wanting to carry out something but she's doing it according to the flesh and God's purpose his will what he wants to do through you and through me is never ever furthered by fleshly things now does that mean that God doesn't use earthly things didn't say that but the objective is not the flesh the objective is always that which is spiritual meaning that which relates to the things of God and she's going about it in a wrong way she didn't ask God about this and we're going to see that Ahram he as well did not ask God in regard to what she's presenting him once more behold the Lord has restrained me so come now to my maidservant perhaps I will be built up from her meaning I will be use I will fulfill what God desires from me through her now here's the problem there is a very important word in the texts that you might just go over you may read it but not really understand why it's there and the word is who lie who lie means perhaps maybe see we ought not do things based upon well perhaps this is God's will maybe he'll receive this maybe he'll use this perhaps this is what he had in mind let me tell you when you're unsure when there is doubt it is a summon to pray when you're unsure don't respond wait upon the Lord he wants us to have assurance confidence he wants us to be bold knowing that this is what God has for us let me give an example earlier today I was in Bear shaiva and we were studying from the book of Galatians and Paul says this he says if an angel from heaven or anyone else should preach a different gospel let him be a curse and he says it not just once but twice you know what that means this repetition and the boldness of what he says means this he was assured he was confident that the message of salvation that he was proclaiming his gospel because he got it not by man but got it through divine revelation from you Shu himself he was confident of its authority it's truth it being from God there was nothing unsure he didn't say perhaps what I'm sharing is a good news no he knew 100% therefore because of this word who lie Avraham he should have understood what listen you you're not doing this by revelation of God you're not suggesting this because God has told you you're just you know thinking well maybe this way maybe that way that is not how one follows God God what does it say his his ways are like a a path that is illuminated so she doesn't see this and Avram being the leader he should have understood this was not of God because of that word houl I move on notice the next phrase very Sh'ma Avram and and this is an important conjunction he heard who lie perhaps maybe but nevertheless and it's united with this never less he heard and this word Shema has an idea of a response that's why many times it's translating the Bible not to hear but rather to obey and that's what we see here he heard and he obeyed and notice what the scripture says that he obeyed the voice of Sarah now here's the problem can you think of any other place in the scripture where a woman she is unsure of something she is not responding in obedience to God's Word rather there's an issue of doubt that's the time he says did God really say and what happens and of course I'm talking about Adama hava Adam and Eve when when she took from that tree and she presented to 'adam that fruit and he respond that he obeyed the problem is he's not supposed to obey he is supposed to lead and when men even godly men men that know the Lord men that walk with the Lord men that trust in his word but when we begin to obey rather than submit to the truth of God when we obey others well the order is out it is not according to God's structure so twice we see a violation of the structure the order of God once more and Avram he obeyed the voice of Sarai verse three and Sarai the life of Avram now notice this she's the wife not one of the wife but she's the wife the only wife that is God's plan that is the structure that is what God has revealed going all the way back to God aid in the Garden of Eden so Sarah the wife of Avram she took Hegar and once more we know her from the end of verse one we know that she's a maidservant a Egyptian maidservant so why does it repeat because it wants to emphasize this word Egypt Egypt bibley speaking relates to the world relates to exile relates to bondage relates to the things of the natural rather than the spiritual so Hagar she represents all that a worldly way of thinking a fleshly way of thinking a earthly provision rather than a heavenly provision so we are told here Sarai the wife of Avram she took Pagar the Egyptian her maidservant and she did so at the end of ten years that Avram dwelt in the land of Canaan and she gave her to Avram her husband to him for a wife and that's important this is not as most people think sarah st. well this this one time you can have relations with her for the purpose of producing an heir so that God's purposes and plans can be further I can't do it I have been restrained from from bearing children so take her one time just a unique relationship that's not what's being referred to in the scripture it clearly says that sir I gave her Egyptian maidservant to her husband for him to be her husband meaning hug I hug or excuse me and the emphasis here is for a wife now that is very problematic it is a violation of God's methodology has structure what he has established and when we violate God's order his structure be assured that bad things disastrous things are going to happen and we know in America and other places in the world the world is embracing not a unity between a man and a woman but now it's acceptable it's lawful according to the thoughts of man certainly not what we see in the scripture for a woman and a woman a man and a man and unfortunately I fear that it's just a matter of time that we see all other types of perversions being accepted by by society and all of that speaks to is the decline the moral decline of a country and a moral decline will bring about an economic and a political decline unto the destruction of that that nation and that's where America and many other places are heading look again at verse three and Sarai the wife of Abram she took Hagar the Egyptian her maidservant she did so at the end of ten years of dwelling of Abraham's dwelling in the land of Canaan she gave her to avril hung her husband for him for a wife now notice that it is redundant many of the English translations don't do this but it says she gave to her husband for him for a wife she did it why for him now that that phrase even though it's the Hebrew word lo meaning to him or for him notice what the Scriptures trying to say I believe from that structure we can conclude that deep down Sarai she didn't want to do this see suggested that because she felt inadequate because she felt that she was hindering the things of God and I believe and now we're just getting into a personal interpretation so I warn you but but I truly believe that she wanted Avram to say no to this we trust in God this is not his way God didn't tell us to do it that way that this is his methodology his structure for fulfilling his purposes no we're just going to wait upon the Lord and say I don't want another wife because it's you that complete me you are the one that am in a covenant elationship with and we don't see a covenant or relationship violating violating this principle that's not a covenant now I know and we'll get into when we come to Yaakov that is Jacob and Leia and Rael and the two other maid servants will talk about this and why that came about but we're looking at the norm and three is not what God has established as a marital relationship it's one couple in a covenant or relationship with him look down to verse 4 and Avram immediately no thought no prayer no nothing he agreed and now he's acting he came to hug our and she conceived and here's what's important and when she the one who conceived so the subject is undeniably Hegar we read when she saw that she had conceived it changed everything now the end of verse verse forces vitae cow give rata Bay in a hunt which means this work this first word of I'd take cow it's the word cow means light or insignificant something that is less so because she conceived that is Hagar now she's impregnated she has a child and because of that she looks upon her her madam that is the the woman of the household who was her authority and she many English Bibles will say despised I don't believe that that's probably the right way to translate it it's where she thought lesson she saw herself as more important and Sarai who had authority over her well no longer because she had a change and structure what was that no longer was she simply a maidservant but rather she was a wife and now because she was with child she saw herself having favor with Abraham more than Sarah and because of that what happens well she thought little and here again that is a formula for disasters we read that she was less that is Sarah this this woman leader that says here give Arta that is the the woman master of a home the female mistress of the household who rules she was less in Hagar's eyes verse five and sarah said to Ofra now verse five makes it very clear Sarah is angry I mean you can almost hear the tone of her voice in what she says now she knew something she deep down knew what she was offering was wrong and that's why I said I believe strongly that she wanted Avram to reject it why do I say that well look at the construction verse five and Sarai said to Avram Hamas see Hamas see this is a word we encounter it earlier in the book of Genesis and chapter six and there we see Hamas the word , see that is my Hamas what's Hamas well it's a word for violence but literally we can summarize it as an action an action which is done in the flesh and is always an affront to God that which is not according to his will show she's acknowledging her air she's saying it was I wrong to suggest this it was wrong but what's very important is this word for wrong or err it is a very significant word and in the same way and it's vital that we don't neglect this in the same way that Hamas that filled the earth in the days of Noah brought about God's judgment so too is this action going to bring about judgment into the world and what does she say well she says my heir be upon you and she's speaking to offer ultimately he's responsible for this because he agreed he's the leader of the household she's over Hagar that's true but he's over both of them and he allowed his wife to alter the structure to change the situation and now there's going to be a disastrous relationship we see just a foretaste and a prophetic statement in regard to this but as we go through the rest of the Bible we're going to see how disastrous this decision is and it's teach us a simple principle when we violate God's order the outcome is going to be disastrous verse verse five once more sir I says to offer my heir be upon you I have given my maidservant into your could say bosom into your chest into your very being I placed her there and she when she saw that she had conceived I was small I was little I was significant or insignificant in her eyes and then look at the end of verse five this foreshadows and here again my hope is that were seen how the scripture unfolds in order to be able to interpret it and use the principles that we're learning tonight throughout the scripture what happens she says at the end of verse five may the Lord judge between me in between you now what's the key word that comes into play here the word judgment why is that so important well it's to teach us when we violate God's order there's going to be judgment she says let God judge between me and you now why is that there what is that verse Ain well she's admitted wrongdoing but she's also saying to offer you acted wrongly and what God's judgment between my wrong action and your wrong action and the motivations of both of them why is that so important the motivation well what was going on in Sarah what led her to do this that she was not a mother that she had given no children to offer him she was feeling inadequate insignificant she was feeling as though she was a failure and therefore she was moved out of a sense of perhaps obligation to say this and notice what he did he agreed immediately and he went into this other woman and produced immediately a heir at least she was pregnant at this time and this devastated Sarah and it also change Hagar and putting herself over the one who was she was supposed to submit to so the home is in disasters there's no peace there's no happiness there's no joy because God's order is violated look now at verse six and Abram said to Sarah behold she's she's your maidservant she's in your hand do to her what is good in your eyes now what is he doing he says well let's just we'll just put her back as she was we'll just make her again your maid service what's it trying to show us how in sufficient men are in understanding women he just thinks you know what we're gonna put her back it you can't put this situation back as it was once something is violated well it's very very hard to bring about restoration now let's pause for a moment and that is because I began by saying two women are at the forefront of this story we see Avram kind of in the background now he's a key player but it's the women that have a more a higher profile let's say in this passage Sarai she's the one who's initiating everything and Hagar we're going to see that the angel the Lord is going to speak to her so when women take the forefront of a passage it gives us the context of redemption not that redemption is being made here but redemption is needed here see the only solution for the situations that we find ourselves in because of poor decisions because of lack of prayer the only solution is redemption because biblically speaking there is a connection between redemption and restoration redemption involves the blood of Messiah and the blood of Messiah is powerful in order to put things back to make what was lost to put it back in order that what should now can be and that's what this passage is going to allude to as we move on once more look at adverse six Avram says to Sarai behold another important word right this is is the main thing that he's going to say for the solution behold your servant is in your hand do to her what's good in your eyes meaning I you gave her to I I didn't I don't see her this way but in actuality he treated her that way and Sarah what does she do she afflicted her that is Sarah afflicted Hegar she utilized that in order to place what we could call suffering upon her now many people say well is that is that fair is that right well don't underestimate what began the problem and that is Hegar setting herself over Sarah her because she was now pregnant she used that as a way of self exaltation and that is in the scripture when the problem that was always there began to be manifested so Hegar she's also accountable and what we're gonna find is there's a lot of suffering and it's a lot to go around to each of these individuals so Sarai afflicted her and what did she do well it says and she fled from before her look now to verse 7 now if the context is Redemption Redemption only comes about through God's involvement there is no redemption without God's presence his actions and his counsel now verse 7 notice how quickly and available God's counsel is verse 7 and the angel of the Lord not just any angel but malach Hashem the angel of the Lord found her now what does it say it says the gods intimately involved in this situation this family is important and had Sarah prayed about it had Avraham prayed about it had Hegar prayed about this if they saw God's counsel his influence in that situation he would have been there in a mighty way not just any angel but as I said the angel of the Lord and usually that angel Lord comes into a scriptural situation for the purpose of redemption restoration salvation to do a mighty mighty act once more and the angel Lord found her that is found Hagar upon and the word is in her mind it would be better translated as a spring now later on we're going to find the word bear which is a well but here it's a different word and it means it's related to the Hebrew word Mayan for spring although this is a shorter version of it so there she was by the spring of water in the wilderness she was at the spring on the way to shore don't know much about this place short but she was going there now some will say that this has to do with an enclosure and that she was trying to find trying to find safety trying to find a place to go to shelter her from the consequences of her actions because a woman who is pregnant and here again there in a location she has to leave their camp leave this city and it's very dangerous she has no provisions and therefore she goes this well and well is also a place a prayer it is a place where people meet God we see that for example the woman on the well or the woman at the well in John chapter 4 so look again he meets her there at this spring of water verse 8 and Hegar the the maidservant of Sara it says that he spoke and he said to her you know where are you going and where or really where have you come from and now where are you going and she says from before Sara and notice she says my lady my mistress my ma'am however you want to translate that it speaks of a woman of authority from before Sara for I am flee now she recognized why well Sara had the ability to afflict her she had Avram support and now she's fleeing from the situation and notice what happens verse 9 and the angel of the Lord he says to her return to your mistress your your lady ruler we might say and it says here submit under her hand now that word that I translates submit is the same word in Hebrew different form words as affliction so even though we cleaned up and say the danger submit he's saying be afflicted what he's saying is this you cannot avoid in the short term the consequences of your actions your decisions when you operate in Pride when you look down at Sarah it is gonna have consequences and you need to submit to that now who's speaking the angel of the Lord many times we're in a situation we don't like your situation we want to change our situation we pray and here's the problem we're only willing to listen to something that is a quick fix a hurried solution what takes us out of this and put us into what we hope is a different and better situation know oftentimes God wants us to overcome the consequences of our poor decisions to have victory restoration is not avoiding restoration is overcoming and that's one of the important principles of this passage look now to verse 10 and the angel Lord over and over that phrase appears the angel Lord said to her I will multiply your seed much word multiply or much is repeated twice I will greatly increase your seed and it says here such that he will not be able to be counted because of the abundance of them so she has a blessing she if she submits to this is going to mean that she's going to have a great nation come from her literally nations come from her verse 11 and he said to her that is the angel lord said to her behold you have conceived now some say that this is understood in the future because let me give you a scripture the same construction identical construction appears in in the book of Judges chapter 13 where we're speaking about the birth of Shem shown or Samson so the rabbinical commentary said that she lost a child because of this affliction that Sarah put upon her but if she goes back she will conceive again now I reject that interpretation of this I don't believe that she went back and had any more relations with Avram that goes totally against the context but but that's what the rabbinical commentary says and I simply reject it so he says there behold I believe it should be understood in the past you have conceived and you will bear a son and you shall call his name Ishmael which means God heard see even in the midst even in the midst of this situation where there's three people and all of them had violated God's structure his order his plans his purposes they've all made wrong decisions and acted wrongly because of those decisions but never less God is willing to hear what does that mean God is willing to respond to that situation even though it is a violation God delights in putting things back into order but many times it takes a long time and don't think the consequences of those poor decisions those wrong actions are just going to escape us they're not God will help us overcome them but there's something to overcome those consequences are real and oftentimes God does not stop them from manifesting themselves so once more God says you shall call his name you smile because the Lord heard says here your suffering your affliction if you go back there and suffer this you submit to this affliction God's going to respond in a mighty way you're gonna have a son but notice something more verse 12 now before I read verse 12 let me share with you that this scripture is written and constructed in order to teach biblical principles when we miss that and neglect that oftentimes it finds it finds a a way of thinking is derive that's not correct that's not the the will of God how is the scripture infolding look adverse verse 12 for he's speaking about you smell this child that's going to be born he is going to be a wild man now this phrase pourrait this this this wild man it is someone who does what is best in his eyes he does what what he wants to do and that is the heritage at this time of the family Hegar did that Avram did that and Sara well she did what she felt obligated to do and because within this house there is that knee-jerk reaction the son that's going to be born is going to be like that and his hand is going to be against all meaning every man and the hand of all meaning everyone is going to be against him what is this a reference to conflict there's gonna be a child he's gonna be mighty but there's gonna be great conflict as a source of that child why he was conceived in a house of conflict a house of disobedience and look at the end of verse 12 and we could say before all of his brothers he will dwell and that means that he and his brothers most scholars understand are going to dwell with who well part of his brothers is going to be get Scott with Israel so he is going to be against all that's before him it's foreshadowing the conflict between the Jew and the Arab this conflict which has cost so many lives has been so destructive to humanity and and it's alive and present and mighty today this conflict unfortunately and it all came out of this decision Sarah's decision I'll give my might servant to my husband for a wife and Avraham who acted in the flesh not consulting God no prayer acted in agreement with it and Sarah and Hagar because she was pregnant she used that as a way of exalting self and not exalting God not saying Who am I that I should bear a child to my my master well she didn't say that but rather she was was prideful so all of this is a formula for disaster verse 13 and she called the name of the Lord the one who had spoken unto her and she says you are the God that sees me for she says also here I have seen the one who looks after me so she's responding saying God in the midst of my disobedience in the midst of doing what I did you are looking after me see God wants a relationship with all people and you say well she's in the midst of disobedience yes she is but God wants to bring us out of disobedience and given enough time if we submit if we endure that affliction those consequences in the end and let me emphasize in the end there's going to be full restoration therefore she called the name of that that that place literally says therefore she called the well and this is word bear that err Lahaie Roey which means the well for it might be the living one meaning God who sees me or who appears to me it's not sure how we can translate that either one or are adequate but it goes back to the fact that God pays attention and if we will respond to him he will respond to us in fact usually he responds first and then we need to respond to what he's doing if we do it begins a relationship of God moving in our lives well behold it tells us that this place was between kadesh and between bar ed look now to verse 15 and Hagar she bore a son to from and Avram called the name of a son which was born to him by Hagar called him yesh male so this is prophetic and it's a show what God says will be verse 16 or last verse and Avraham was 86 years old when Hagar bore you smell to africa now 86 what is that number the significance of that literally eighty and six well eighty is the number of eight or eight times excuse me ten times eight it's a simple way of speaking about redemption new beginnings it's a kingdom number and the number six relates to grace so we see a king number whether it's eight or 80 or 800 or eight thousand it relates to a new beginning and why six because grace is what gives us a new beginning and notice that this is all in regard to the outcome of this this wrong decisions Ishmael is born and the only solution for this is what Redemption so redemption plays a key role throughout the book of Genesis it lays the foundation for us understanding principles where we can experience restoration where we can experience God's activity in our life him moving so that what we have done wrong in the past God can begin the process of putting it back you might say well why doesn't God do that immediately and the answer is this because this process because we're still in like Hegar was this affliction for a season it's in the midst of that affliction that were listening to God we're paying attention we will be more submissive we understand our need for him to work in the consequences of our life someone who does not realize that God needs to be intimately evolved in the consequences of our decisions our actions that is a person who is very foolish and one who's not going to experience restoration who is not going to be seeking redemption one who is not going to know that God truly does listen to the prayers of his people well we'll close with that until next week when we move on into Genesis and chapter 17 well we hope you will benefit from today's message and share it with others please plan to join us each week at this time and on this channel for our broadcast of love Israel org again to find out more about us please visit our website love Israel not bow RG there you will find articles in numerous other lectures by Beru these teachings are in video form may download them or watch them in streaming video until next week may the Lord bless you in our Messiah Yeshua that is Jesus as you walk with Him Shalom from Israel [Music]

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Length: 55min 29sec (3329 seconds)

Published: Mon Mar 05 2018