Things Written Aforetime For Our Learning - Gleanings From Genesis

by N. D. W. MILLER | Category: For Young Believers | Feb 1936

Genesis 16. Faith in God means relying solely upon God. Abram's life, as we have been noting, exemplifies, generally speaking, the life of faith. "By faith Abraham "-thrice repeated, is part of the Spirit's commendation; and stands upon the page of Inspiration to Abraham's credit. Faith should prevent us from trying our own strength, then failure and defeat-and all that these things bring in their train- would be unknown by the Christian, old or young.

This chapter reveals Sarai's impatience, and also Abram's yielding to her impatience in the matter of becoming fruitful by Hagar, Sarai's Egyptian handmaid. Hagar speaks broadly of law: Sarai of grace (see Galatians 4. 22-25).

Sarai, in looking to Hagar, hoped, by the energy of the flesh, to at least aid, if not to accomplish, God's promise. But that could not be. God's verdict is, that "the flesh profiteth nothing"; and, that only out of death itself does He, by His own power, bring forth the heavenly, or promised life. Only by the son of the long-barren free woman is the God-appointed way of obtaining the fulfilment of the promise.

At this 'time Abram was 85 years old, and had dwelt in the land of Canaan ten years, with as yet no fulfilment of God's promise, "So shall thy seed be." Hence it was that Sarai gave Hagar "'to Abram her husband to be his wife." Nature finds it hard to wait. The flesh is ever inclined and ready to act without God-either to run before the LORD, or to lag behind. It is well that the LORD has said, "I am God, and not a man." "Ye have need of patience" is a word applicable to every believer. One would think that to "Rest in the LORD," and "to wait patiently for Him" would be an easy matter; but do we find it so?

When Hagar conceived, then her mistress was despised in her eyes, with the result that " Sarai dealt hardly with her, and she fled from her face." It is not always wise to flee. "If the spirit of the ruler rise up against thee, leave not thy place, for yielding allayeth great offences" (Ecclesiastes 10. 4: but contrast Matthew 10. 23, 24. 16).

How kind God is! Truly "His compassions fail not," as Hagar discovered. "The Angel of the LORD found her by a fountain of water in the wilderness ... and he said, Hagar, Sarai's handmaid, whence camest thou? and whither goest thou?" Poor Hagar! She knew well whence she had come -" I flee from the face of my mistress Sarai." But like many another, she had no idea where she was going. To get out of the trial was all she had thought about, or cared for. Sometimes, you know, even Assembly life becomes so irksome for one and another that they rise up and "flee." Out from "the Fellowship of God's Son "--but where to? "Return to thy mistress," saith the Angel of the LORD, "and submit thyself under her hands." But with the command to return, Hagar received words of Divine instruction and comfort. She was about to become the mother of a boy who was destined to become "a great Nation." "And the Angel of the LORD said unto her, Behold, thou ... shalt bear a son; and thou shalt call his name Ishmael (that is, God heareth), because the LORD hath heard thy affliction. And he shall be as a wild-ass among men; his hand shall be against every man, and every man s hand against him; and he shall dwell in the presence of all his brethren." This is precious, for in Ishmael we may learn truly that God heareth. And, as Hagar discovered, God seeth as well; for "she called the Name of the LORD that spake unto her, Thou God seest me "(Hebrew El roi, that is, God of seeing). Abram was 86 years old when Hagar bare Ishmael.

It might not be inappropriate, in passing, to glean a little about Ishmael, for sometimes, I fear, the greatness of this son of such an illustrious father, is not understood. We sometimes hear the taunt-" Oh, he's an Ishmaelite!" But, let us be careful how we treat Ishmael, who, though the son of the bondwoman, was nevertheless the son of great Abram. Ishmael

has a future: and a glorious future too. In verse 12 we have the natural characteristics of Ishmael and his posterity. The verse, as it appears to me, suggests both nature and grace. The first part portraying what he and his descendants are by nature-just precisely what they have always been-and then "he shall dwell in the presence of all his brethren," suggesting a day yet to come when that will be blessedly true. It is anticipating, but when Abraham said unto God, "Oh that Ishmael might live before Thee! "-for Abraham loved his boy, God not only referred to His higher purpose in Isaac- "In Isaac shall thy seed be called" (Romans 9. 7), but He also said, "As for Ishmael, I have heard thee : behold, I have blessed him, and will make him fruitful, and will multiply him exceedingly; twelve princes shall he beget, and I will make him a great nation." This is no small blessing.

"Of all three conditions of Oriental life," says a well known writer, "that of the Bedawin is at once the simplest and most picturesque." They proudly call themselves Arab el Arab- "the Arab of Arabs," a superlative, meaning "the chief Arab," and have their home in the desert, whence their name Bedawin, that is, "desert dwellers." Descended from Ishmael, Abram's son, they have never been conquered and subjugated by another nation, and so speak the purest Arabic. How true the announcement to Hagar-" a wild-ass among men "-the wildest, freest, and most untameable of animals.

"Ishmael" has a future. In Genesis 25. 12, we read:

"Now these are the generations of Ishmael, Abraham's son, whom Hagar the Egyptian, Sarah's handmaid bare unto Abraham: and these are the names of the sons of Ishmael the firstborn of Ishmael, Nebaioth; and Kedar," etc. And what of Nebaioth and Kedar? In Isaiah 60., one of the Bible chapters which reveals something of great Israel's future glory, we find in verse 7, that "All the flocks of Kedar shall be gathered together unto thee, the rams of Nebaloth shall minister unto thee : they shall come up with acceptance on Mine altar, and I will glorify the house of My glory."

N. D. W. MILLER | Feb 1936
For Young Believers