Genesis Chapter 16 Hagar Hagar was the Egyptian handmaid to Sarai. It was customary to give a handmaid to the husband if there were no children. This handmaid became the surrogate mother of a child.

The tradition was that the child would be born. The wife and the husband of the house parented the child. Hagar did not have parental right to this child.

Hagar remained close to the child apparently, but Ishmael was the heir and he was treated like the heir all of his life until age 17. It would be normal for Ishmael to make fun of the new baby. He was hurt and misplaced.

Sarai, a 90 year old woman, was threatened by Ishmael. After 17 years, Hagar is put in charge of her son.

As soon as Hagar became pregnant trouble started between Sarai and her maidservant. “When Hagar learned she was pregnant, she looked down on her mistress. Sarai went to Abram who just said,

“She’s your servant; you handle her.” Sarai was abusive and Hagar ran away. God sent an angel after her. Read Gen. 16 starting at verse 9. God promised her son would be a great nation.

Hagar ran from Hebron towards Shur ( meaning wall). The angel caught up with her at a spring. “Hagar, maid of Sarai,” the angel knew exactly who she was and the circumstances that had brought her to the spring.

Just a thought… When we run from our persecution or trouble, don’t we usually run to a “Shur” a wall? Hagar was going back to her tradition and what was familiar. She was leaving the true God in Abraham’s house.

7 The angel of the LORD found Hagar near a spring in the desert; it was the spring that is beside the road to Shur. 8 And he said, "Hagar, servant of Sarai, where have you come from, and where are you going?" "I'm running away from my mistress Sarai," she answered.

When we want to run, we should always force ourselves to answer these questions: Where have I come from and where am I going? Am I running from my calling? Where will I go if I choose a path away from God?

Jeremiah 42:14-16 Saying, No; but we will go into the land of Egypt, where we shall see no war, nor hear the sound of the trumpet, nor have hunger of bread; and there will we dwell:

Then it shall come to pass, [that] the sword, which ye feared, shall overtake you there in the land of Egypt, and the famine, whereof ye were afraid, shall follow close after you there in Egypt; and there ye shall die.

So shall it be with all the men that set their faces to go into Egypt to sojourn there; they shall die by the sword, by the famine, and by the pestilence: and none of them shall remain or escape from the evil that I will bring upon them.

OH COURSE - God said this in Jeremiah instead of to Hagar, but his opinion is his opinion and it is true to us today. We CAN NOT GO BACK!!

He promised blessing for putting up with her abuse. He told her to call her son Ishmael meaning, whom God hears.

Abram was close to this only son. Ishmael was born when Abram was 86 years old. In Genesis 17: 18 Abram said, “Oh that Ishmael might live before thee.” God blesses Ishmael in verse 20.

Abraham and Ishmael were circumcised together. Abraham was 99, and Ishmael was 13 years old. Genesis 25: tells of Ishmael’s twelve prince sons.

Vs 18 of Chapter 25 says, “and he died in the presence of his brethren. Matthew Henry commentary says that he died with his friends about him.

Other research says that Ishmael died with his brothers close to him. His brothers would have been Isaac and the sons of Katura,Abraham’s wife after Sarai. They were Zamran, Hokshan, Medan, Midian, Ishbak, and Shuah.