Women Of Genesis 5

You are required to read the entire book of Genesis while completing this course.

Introduction: Hagar was the handmaid of Sarah that Sarah used and then rejected.

Definition:

Hagar means “flight.”

The first mention of Hagar in the Bible is in that context. (Gen 16:1)

She is mentioned by name 12 times in 10 different verses plus once as handmaid and once as bondwoman.

She was given by Sarah, her mistress, to her mistress' husband, Abraham, to bear children unto him for Sarah.

The argument used by Sarah was that God had restrained her from bearing. However, God had promised seed to Abraham. Therefore, the giving of Hagar to him by Sarah to accomplish that end and the seed of Abraham that could be accomplished through Hagar, the only way humanly possible to give seed to Abraham, seemed a logical step. In addition, it seemed that God must be for it because He had restrained Sarah from giving the promised seed to Abraham herself. This argument seemed to make this plan both logical and godly. At least that seems to be what Abraham and Sarah thought. This bearing of children through a house-slave was a common practice in childless households around the world at that time and was commonly accepted. However, although it was an accepted practice, that did not make it godly.⁽⁹⁾
If Sarah and Abraham had but waited they would have seen the coming forth of seed from Sarah for Abraham. But it would have been in God's timing, not theirs. By involving Hagar in this process that was contrary to God's will, which was always and is always one man and one woman as husband and wife, was subversive of His plan. Although God blessed Abraham's offspring, Ishmael, because of Abraham, the progeny that was brought forth from Ishmael became one of the greatest enemies of God's people, Israel, and God's adopted people, the Christians. Through many centuries the Arab nations and their racial religion, Islam, have tried to destroy both the Jews and the Christians. And this threat is still prevalent today at the beginning of the 21st century. In fact it is accelerating rapidly and has embraced the ungodly and inhumane tactics of terrorism to carry out their planned destruction of both Israel and its religion of Judaism as well as the destruction of the child of Judaism, Christianity, and all nations that follow those two religions. These terrorist methods deliberately espouse the targeting and killing of civilians. Including women and children.

Hagar bore Ishmael, her firstborn, and her firstborn grandson by him, Nebajoth, was the father of the Nabateans of northern Arabia.⁽¹⁰⁾

By the time of Isaiah "the two chief Arabian tribes are the descendents of Neboaith (Nebajoth) and Kedar."⁽¹⁰⁾

II. Hagar was the second wife of Abraham. (Gen 16:3)

She was not Abraham's concubine, as some suppose, but rather she was his wife.

III. Hagar fulfilled her duty as a wife and gave one child and, through that child, 12 grand-children to Abraham. (Gen 25:13-15)

A.

1.
2.

3.

God promised her, even in her affliction, that her seed would be without number and that from her son, Ishmael, God would make a great nation. (Gen 16:10-11)
This was an extension of the promise that God gave to Abraham (Gen 13:16; 15:5) and as his wife she was also heir to that promise.
Although through her would not come the chosen seed and the chosen nation, Israel, yet she was Abraham's wife. Although the seed through her would not be heirs to the promise of the land and the nation, yet the promise of seed as the stars of heaven included her also as the wife of Abraham.
The promise to Abraham that he would be the father of "many nations," as is mentioned in the New Testament in Ro 4:17-18, was not just a promise that would be fulfilled through Isaac but through all of his children, including Ishmael. This makes it plain that Hagar, in bearing a child by Abraham, was just as much heir to the promise of plentiful progeny as was Sarah, who also bore children by Abraham.

From Hagar, through Ishmael her firstborn, came 12 grand-children, in partial fulfillment of what God had promised Abraham.
(Gen 25:12-17)
A comparison of the names between the Bible and Islamic traditions is presented in the following chart which is adapted from a chart found in "The Comparative Index to Islam."⁽¹⁰⁾

order	Biblical Names	ibn Hisham's biography Arabic name
1	Nebajoth	Nabit
2	Kedar	Qaydhar
3	Adbeel	Adhbal
4	Mibsam	Mabsha
5	Mishma	Misma`
6	Dumah	Dimma
7	Massa	Mashi
8	Hadar	Adhr
9	Tema	Tayma
10	Jetur	Yatur
11	Naphish	Nabish
12	Kedemah	Qaydhuma

Today most Muslims, whether Sunnis or Shi`ites, believe that it was Ishmael whom Abraham took to the mountain to sacrifice, in contrast to the Biblical record stating that it was Isaac.⁽¹⁰⁾ Although their own writings show that this is not possible, still, they believe that Abraham's firstborn, through Hagar, was the heir to the whole promise given to Abraham. Thus, this would make them, believing they are the descendants of Ishmael, heirs also to all of the Abrahamic promises and covenant.

IV. Hagar was both used and rejected.

Hagar was used by Sarah to further Sarah’s own ends. (Gen 16:2-3)
1. Sarah gave Hagar to Abraham so he could father children by her. Hagar had no choice in the matter.
2. Used in this fashion she conceived Ishmael by Abraham. (16:4)

She was rejected.

1. Partially her own fault because the conception of Ishmael caused her to feel somehow elevated above her mistress.
The Bible does not tell us why, but it does tell us that it happened. (16:4-5)

2. The Jewish stories of her are of two different views.
(The following are taken from the Jewish Encylopedia.⁽¹¹⁾ See under "Hagar.")

a. The one view is that Hagar was a very godly, pious woman. According to the Midrash (Gen. R. xlv.) she was reputed to be the daughter of Pharaoh who, upon seeing the miracles of God in Egypt, converted to Judaism. She then remained true to God and to her marriage vows to Abraham even though banished. The story then goes that Isaac fetched her back to his father Abraham's house from Beer-lahai-roi, upon the death of his mother, Sarah. (Midrash Gen. xvi. 14, xxiv. 62; Gen. R. lx.; see commentaries ad loc.)

b. Other Jewish assessments of her character view her in a much less favorable light. Some Rabbis maintain that in her gossiping she said of Sarah, "She is certainly not as godly as she pretends to be, for in all the years of her married life she has had no children, while I conceived at once" (Gen. R. xlv.; Sefer ha-Yashar, Lek Leka). (Gen. R. xlv.; Sefer ha-Yashar, Lek Leka). This alternate view maintains that she was only a shallow convert to Judaism and that later she reverted to her idolatry and turned away from the God of Israel after her banishment. The fact that she chose an Egyptian wife for Ishmael is held up as further proof of her falling away from Judaism.
NOTE: "This Egyptian wife is explained in the Targum of pseudo-Jonathan to refer to Khadija and Fatima, the widow and the daughter of Mohammed (see Zunz, "G. V." 2d ed., p. 288, note a)."

3. The Arabian view is somewhat the same as the Judaic view in that it also presents Hagar as the daughter of Pharaoh. She was supposedly presented to Abraham by Pharaoh. However, in the Arabic view Abraham takes Hagar and Ishmael to the desert upon her banishment rather than sending the two of them off alone. "Conducted by the archangel Gabriel, Abraham took Hagar and Ishmael into the Arabian desert, and left them at the place where the Kaaba of Mecca was built later on."⁽¹¹⁾

4. These stories are, of course, purely speculative and purely mythical. The Bible story gives no hint of any of these.

Her mistress dealt harshly with her and she fled to the wilderness. (Gen 16:6)
1. After returning to her mistress, she gave birth to Ishmael and raised him to the age of 13.
2. And then, at that time, she was then banished. (Gen ch. 21)

3. The biblical story makes it plain the Hagar fled to the wilderness the first time and was banished the second time.
At no time does the Bible state, or even infer, that she was taken there by Abraham as is taught in the Arabian myths.

V. The shortcomings of Hagar.

She was ungrateful at times. (Gen 16:4-5)

She, like most people, did not want to face the consequences of her wrong actions. (Gen 16:6)

Only at the urging of an angel of God did she finally return to bear the consequences of her actions. (Gen 16:7-16)

Her bad habits were passed down to her son which eventually resulted in the banishment of both of them. (Gen 21:9-14)

VI. Because of her obedience to God and her willingness to depend on him, she received both protection and blessing. (21:14-19)

The main lesson from Hagar is that a woman should remain faithful to her husband and obedient to God in spite of adverse circumstances. If she does so, she will be blessed of God as Hagar was, even if everyone around her turns their back on her. God is in ultimate control and His will will be done in her life no matter what adversities or unfair treatments come from those around her. The two determining factors in her life for her to receive the blessings of God were faithfulness and obedience. And these are also determining factors for the blessings of God in our lives.