Understanding God: He is Not Moved by Sentiments And when Sarai dealt harshly with her, she fled from her presence. Now the Angel of the Lord found her by a…
Understanding God: He is Not Moved by Sentiments
And when Sarai dealt harshly with her, she fled from her presence. Now the Angel of the Lord found her by a spring of water in the wilderness, by the spring on the way to Shur. And He said, “Hagar, Sarai’s maid, where have you come from, and where are you going?” She said, “I am fleeing from the presence of my mistress Sarai.” The Angel of the Lord said to her, “Return to your mistress, and submit yourself under her hand.” – Genesis 16:6-9
Another lesson we can learn from the personality of God is that sentiments do not move Him. Therefore, He cannot be deceived into making a wrong judgment or call, as humans tend to do.
From the scenario that played out in our reference passage above, we see how Hagar painted a picture of her horrible mistress, Sarah, who was mean to her and treated her so badly even in her pregnant state until she had to flee the house in fear for her life. Considering that this was a period when the climate was harsh and there were not many of the comforts of life that we are used to today, Hagar must have cut a very pitiable sight indeed: a pregnant woman, in tears, looking tired, haggard, sitting alone by a spring and telling about her wicked and jealous madam who constantly terrorized her because she, Hagar, was pregnant something that Sarah had not been able to achieve.
Anyone who listened to her tale of woes would have immediately condemned Sarah and her husband for mistreating a helpless pregnant woman the way they did. Abraham and Sarah would undoubtedly have made the news headlines for being an abusive couple who mistreated their poor maid-turned-surrogate.
However, despite her very moving story, the angel of God was not impressed by the sheer pathos of it. Rather, his response to Hagar was short and direct: “Return to your mistress, and submit yourself under her hand.”
Who would have guessed that was how God would respond to such a matter? God that some have turned into a swooning, sentimental Being who gushes and croons at human dynamics.
However, the angel’s words offered us an insight into God’s mindset. He goes directly to the point and is not beclouded by sentimental shows and other charades that we put on to gain mileage for ourselves. He told Hagar, “Go back home and submit to your mistress.” Period. End of story.
Why? Because He had all the facts of the matter and knew what led to Hagar having to flee the house in the first place, and He was not going to allow her pathetic sight to taint His own judgment. We can all learn from that before jumping to conclusions and passing judgment over matters and people whose details we know little about.
Women in the Bible: A Paragon of Beauty - Exploring the Radiance, Influence, and Legacy of Abraham’s Wife
Now there was a famine in the land, and Abram went down to Egypt to dwell there, for the famine was severe in the land. And it came to pass, when he was close to entering Egypt, that he said to Sarai his wife, “Indeed I know that you are a woman of beautiful countenance. Therefore it will happen, when the Egyptians see you, that they will say, ‘This is his wife’; and they will kill me, but they will let you live. Please say you are my sister, that it may be well with me for your sake, and that I may live because of you.” – Genesis 12:10-13
The woman in the Bible whom we shall consider today is Sarah, the wife of Adam. Much has been said about Sarah’s virtues and qualities. She bested all other women before her in stature to be the first matriarch of note in the Bible. Of course, there were several women before her, but she was more prominent than they all. However, another side of Sarah that is often lost in the narratives about her is her comeliness. She was a paragon of beauty.
From the Bible passage we are considering today, we see how Abraham, in preparation to migrate to Egypt because of the famine ravaging the land of Canaan, prepped his wife as to how she would present herself to the Egyptians. The interesting thing about this is that Sarah was already in her mid-60s at this time. How did we know she was in her mid-60s? The Bible tells us in a later passage that she was 10 years younger than Abraham (Genesis 17:17). Also, Abraham left Haran for Canaan at age 75 (Genesis 12:4), stayed in Canaan for a while before the famine broke out, and he relocated to Egypt.
So, imagine how remarkably beautiful Sarah must have been that not only her husband, who was in his late 70s or early 80s, acknowledged her beauty at that advanced age, but even the courtiers of Egypt, the greatest nation of that time, also took notice of her charm and recommended her for Pharaoh, the undisputable leader of the world then, to marry. She must have been a stunner.
So it was, when Abram came into Egypt, that the Egyptians saw the woman, that she was very beautiful. The princes of Pharaoh also saw her and commended her to Pharaoh. And the woman was taken to Pharaoh’s house. He treated Abram well for her sake. He had sheep, oxen, male donkeys, male and female servants, female donkeys, and camels. – Genesis 12:14-16
It did not end there. Even when she was more advanced in age in her early 90s, Sarah was still an epitome of beauty, as the Egypt scenario played out again when she and her husband had to relocate to Gerar, and they had to lie again about her relationship to Abraham so that they could enjoy friendly reception, not to mention the fact that Abimelech, the king of Gerar also came for the hand of Sarah. Men could not resist the woman, and these were not men of small means. They were men with quality options.
And Abraham journeyed from there to the South, and dwelt between Kadesh and Shur, and stayed in Gerar. Now Abraham said of Sarah his wife, “She is my sister.” And Abimelech king of Gerar sent and took Sarah. – Genesis 20:1-2
Now, we do not know what kind of beauty treatments Sarah used to make her look so radiant, with a face and skin that were rare for anyone to miss. But from all indications, she was a paragon of beauty, and her beauty was not just in outward appearance alone; she was also beautiful inside. Moreover, her beauty was a leeway that paved the way for her family to be accepted in Egypt and a lifeline that helped them recoup some of the losses they might have incurred due to the famine in Canaan, as Pharaoh lavished Abraham with plenty gifts as a potential in-law.
Women in the Bible: An Innovative Wife Now Sarai, Abram’s wife, had borne him no children. And she had an Egyptian maidservant whose name was Hagar. So Sarai said to…
Women in the Bible: An Innovative Wife – What Sarah’s unconventional solution teaches about initiative, sacrifice, and follow-through
Now Sarai, Abram’s wife, had borne him no children. And she had an Egyptian maidservant whose name was Hagar. So Sarai said to Abram, “See now, the Lord has restrained me from bearing children. Please, go in to my maid; perhaps I shall obtain children by her.” And Abram heeded the voice of Sarai. Then Sarai, Abram’s wife, took Hagar her maid, the Egyptian, and gave her to her husband Abram to be his wife.. So he went in to Hagar, and she conceived. – Genesis 16:1-4
Our second learning point from Sarah, Abraham’s wife, shall dwell mostly on her innovative mindset. She was a selfless woman and an innovative wife who sought inventive ways to solve her family’s problems, even when such solutions might not work out in her favor.
Our reference passage today starts with the problem of barrenness in Abraham’s household. After decades of marriage, the union produced no child despite God’s firm promise otherwise. Meanwhile, as the couple continued to age and advance in years, Sarah could no longer bear it, and what she did next taught us three important lessons.
Firstly, Sarah demonstrated an unusual selflessness in the idea she brought forward. Seeing that her own childlessness might harm her husband by depriving him of the privilege of having an heir(ess) to inherit his vast estate, Sarah thought it best that Abraham take up another woman and have a child by her.
This is not an easy proposal for anyone to make, let alone to execute. But Sarah was looking beyond herself and focusing more on her husband’s needs when she broached it. She was also genuine enough to make the move good and was not just saying it to look good. She was sincere and earnest. She brought the maidservant to Abraham to have a child by her.
The second lesson we can learn from Sarah is her innovative mindset and approach to tackling a problem. Seeing that she was past her prime, she felt it best to propose that her husband marry someone younger and have a child through her. By so doing, she initiated the idea of surrogacy to the world, as the child to be born would be in her and her husband’s name, even though born by another. In an era not renowned for its innovations, Sarah proved that genius was not restricted to gender, age or place. She practically bequeathed the idea of surrogacy to us.
Another lesson we can learn from Sarah is the ability to follow through and back her words with action. She did not just say it to look good or sound politically correct; she meant it and went ahead and handed over her maid to her husband to father a child through her. Even though this later backfired on her, it was a move worth it in the daring she demonstrated by pushing it, and the result that it fetched them.
The world needs more doers than talkers, more proactive people than reactive ones, and more innovative thinkers-cum-performers than manufacturers of excuses. Sarah, through her actions, proved to us that she was all of these and more. Many of us can learn a lot from her.
Entities in the Bible: The First Surrogate Parent Now Sarai, Abram’s wife, had borne him no children. And she had an Egyptian maidservant whose name was Hagar. So Sarai said…
Entities in the Bible: The First Surrogate Parent – Understanding surrogate parenting through Hagar’s role in the Abrahamic narrative
Now Sarai, Abram’s wife, had borne him no children. And she had an Egyptian maidservant whose name was Hagar. So Sarai said to Abram, “See now, the Lord has restrained me from bearing children. Please, go in to my maid; perhaps I shall obtain children by her.” And Abram heeded the voice of Sarai. Then Sarai, Abram’s wife, took Hagar her maid, the Egyptian, and gave her to her husband Abram to be his wife, after Abram had dwelt ten years in the land of Canaan. So he went in to Hagar, and she conceived. – Genesis 16:1-4
As we continue to explore personalities and characters in the Bible, our searchlight today will focus on the first surrogate parent in the Bible: Hagar, Sarah’s Egyptian maidservant.
The Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary defines surrogate as “a substitute, especially a person deputizing for another in a specific role or office.” No doubt, the term and practice of surrogate parenting are commonplace today. However, it is interesting to note that this practice did not just start in our modern milieu. Rather, it was as ancient as the society itself, dating back to the BC era, as we can see in the scenario that played out in the bible passage above.
Sarah, the wife of Abraham, had become impatient at her inability to conceive and bear a child for her husband. So, she proposed that her husband sleep with her maidservant so that they could have a child through the process that would bear their name. Being a slave, Hagar, the lady involved, had no say in the matter as her master and mistress had the power of life and death over her. So, even if she did not mind, she could not decline their proposition.
However, by carrying a pregnancy for the couple, she therefore enters the book of record as the first person to be a surrogate parent.
Understanding God: He Sees Beyond the Surface Then she called the name of the Lord who spoke to her, You-Are-the-God-Who-Sees; for she said, “Have I also here seen Him who…
Understanding God: He Sees Beyond the Surface
Then she called the name of the Lord who spoke to her, You-Are-the-God-Who-Sees; for she said, “Have I also here seen Him who sees me?” Therefore, the well was called Beer Lahai Roi… – Genesis 16:13-14
Our meditation on the nature of God today shall be on His penetrative vision. He looks far deeper than we can imagine and sees beyond the surface of any matter. His visions are far-fetched and they see through whatever coating may be covering whatever is beneath.
From our reference passage today, we see how God exemplified this through His interaction with Hagar, Sarah’s maidservant. To an average eye, Hagar obviously looked a pitiable sight with a pathetic story to match too, and she was eager to capitalize on these to whip up sentiments in her favor as well as against her “wicked principals”, Abraham and Sarah.
Anyone with a sense of justice who visits the spring of water where she sat and sees a pregnant woman, looking haggard, in tattered clothing, panting and with tears in her eyes, would be interested in hearing her story. And, after hearing what Hagar has to say, the person would loathe Sarah for the wicked way she treated Hagar and may even take matters into their hands by reporting Sarah and her husband to the authorities for domestic abuse. But there lies the inanity of human judgment. Even with the best of intentions, our judgment and assessment can be ill-informed, not to mention the opinions we form from what is only evident to us alone.
However, in the case of God, because He knows more than we do about any matter, He is more measured and balanced in His own judgment as we can see in the case of Hagar. Even after hearing her pitiable narration, the angel did not join her pity party. On the contrary, he only ordered her to return to her mistress and submit to her authority—end of discussion.
As harsh as this verdict may seem, it is interesting to note that Hagar herself, the aggrieved party and the person to whom the verdict was delivered, did not seem to contend it. Rather, by her own acknowledgement, she only validated the appropriateness of the judgment by saying God had seen her, meaning that God truly knew what was going on and He saw what she had done that led her to where she was. So there was no hiding the truth of the matter from Him. She was the one in the wrong due to her rude attitude towards her boss, so she deserved the treatment she got.
With this her admission, she acknowledged her fault, validated God’s judgment and proved that He truly sees beyond the surface.
Another lesson we can learn from God is His disposition to a balancing act. He is not a God of extremes. Even though some who profess to follow Him go to extremes in His name or make extreme claims on His behalf, extreme is not a label that one can pin on God. He balances the acts.
Understanding God: He is Not Moved by Sentiments
Another lesson we can learn from the personality of God is that sentiments do not move Him. Therefore, He cannot be deceived into making a wrong judgment or call, as humans tend to do.
Understanding God: He is A Creator
He is a Creator. This is not to be interpreted loosely, particularly in the light of our contemporary use of the word. God is the ultimate Creator, as He created all things, even the ends of the earth (Isaiah 40:28).
Understanding God: God of the Beginning
There is no better way to begin this journey of exploring the people and entities in the Bible than to start with God. He is not just the beginning but is the origin of all things.
Women in the Bible: A Paragon of Beauty
What made Sarah’s beauty so compelling that kings and nations took notice? Explore the deeper layers of grace, favour, and mystery surrounding one of Scripture’s most unforgettable women — and discover why her story still provokes wonder today.
Men in the Bible: A Man of Ambition and Adventure
Terah may not have reached Canaan, but his courage to start a life-changing journey laid the foundation for Abraham’s destiny. Discover how ambition and bold steps mark a life of significance.
Men in the Bible: An Impetuous and Impudent Man
A revealing glimpse into a man whose choices exposed deeper issues of character, showing how hastiness and entitlement can quietly shape a destiny, and why his story still speaks to us today.
Men in the Bible: A Man with Little Foresight
Sometimes what looks like a smart choice can hide the seed of a mistake. This reflection from Scripture invites us to think again about how foresight — or the lack of it — shapes a man’s story.
Men in the Bible: The First Man to Tithe
Before laws, temples, or traditions, one man honoured God with his substance. Abraham’s tithe was not commanded, demanded, or enforced. It flowed from reverence.
Fathers in the Bible: A Destiny-Shaping Father
What makes a man a truly aware father? Discover how one man’s prophetic foresight shaped his son’s destiny and changed generations forever.
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