Verse for the Day, 12 March 2014.

Genesis 16:1-6  Now Sarai, Abram's wife, had borne him no children. She had a female Egyptian servant whose name was Hagar.  (2)  And Sarai said to Abram, "Behold now, the LORD has prevented me from bearing children. Go in to my servant; it may be that I shall obtain children by her." And Abram listened to the voice of Sarai.  (3)  So, after Abram had lived ten years in the land of Canaan, Sarai, Abram's wife, took Hagar the Egyptian, her servant, and gave her to Abram her husband as a wife.  (4)  And he went in to Hagar, and she conceived. And when she saw that she had conceived, she looked with contempt on her mistress.  (5)  And Sarai said to Abram, "May the wrong done to me be on you! I gave my servant to your embrace, and when she saw that she had conceived, she looked on me with contempt. May the LORD judge between you and me!"  (6)  But Abram said to Sarai, "Behold, your servant is in your power; do to her as you please." Then Sarai dealt harshly with her, and she fled from her.

 

On Monday we were reminded of God’s covenant with Abram, we noted that it was one which required faith and trust, as well as perseverance from Abram and Sarai. This promise would not come to fulfilment overnight, it would take numerous generations to come into being. Abram and Sarai become impatient with God’s timing, wisdom and sovereign will. This impatience, doubt and lack of trust leads them both to make very foolish decisions. Sarai effectively encourages Abram to commit adultery with Hagar, in the hope that Hagar will then conceive a child. Sarai fails to think about the consequences this decision will have upon their marriage, and upon any potential child born as a result of this. Foolishly, Abram listens to Sarai, Abram like Adam, fails to stand against the sinful actions and requests of his wife. Abram takes Hagar and in the course of time she becomes pregnant. Sarai becomes filled with bitterness, anger and jealousy, and she turns against both Abram and Hagar. She seeks even to absolve herself of her responsibility in this whole matter. In another act of foolishness, Abram then permits Sarai to treat Hagar harshly, to the point that Hagar had to flee for her life, and for the life of the child growing within her.

 

To us as we read through this passage, their sin, folly and failure to trust God as well as the consequences of all this is clearly evident. We shake our heads in disbelief, possibly even shock at the choices they made. It all seems so clear to us as outside observers.

The question is, how many people when they look at our lives would say and react in precisely the same way?

Sin has a power to blind our eyes and dull our minds, so that what might be crystal clear to others is blurry to us. “It sounds good, it looks good, it will achieve the same end result, I have their permission, therefore how can it be wrong?” We need to be diligent in our watch against sin, and we need to be equally quick to flee from it, rather than indulge it in thought, thinking that we call walk away at any time. As Psalm 1 teaches us, walking, lingering in sin, leads to standing, which leads to sitting, a quick look, becomes an action, which then becomes a pattern and course of life. God has given us the aid of His Word, His Spirit, His Church and prayer, let us employ all these means in our battle against sin.

 

Holy Father, help us by Your grace to see sin when it first appears, gives us the strengthen to turn away from it and recognise the danger it presents. Help us to diligently and daily take hold of all the means that You have given us to aid us in our battle against sin. Most of all, help us to trust in You and not in our own foolishness. Amen.