RHEMA BIBLE COLLEGE

NJECK RACHEAL No. ****

ABRAHAM RESPONSE TO THE CONFLICT OF SARAH AND HAGAR

GENESIS 16: 1 – 6

1. WAS THE RESPONSE WISE, FOOLISH OR SINFUL?

DEFINITION OF CONFLICT: Conflict is the difference in opinion to frustrate someone’s goal.

2. WHAT CAUSES THE CONFLICT BETWEEN SARAH AND HAGAR? 3. HOW WAS ABRAHAM RESPONSE TO THE CONFLICT?

CAUSES

MISUNDERSTANDING: Abraham and Sarah had lived for so many years without a child. So Sarah, according to her thought it would better for them to have a child by given her servant Hagar to her husband to sleep with so that, they could have a child through her, since she was old and could not conceive. Because of the love Abraham had for Sarah he yielded to the advice of Sarah and did what she told him. Abraham slept with Hagar, he got her pregnant. This brought about the misunderstanding between Sarah and Hagar. Hagar on her own part thought she can now own the house and has the full right over Abraham. For this reason, she started despising Sarah as her mother in the house and her master’s wife.

At this juncture, there was tension and serious misunderstanding between Sarah and Hagar. Sarah started maltreating Hagar in such a way that, Hagar has to run away from the house. But Sarah had to blame her husband for such an action forgetting to know that she was the cause of everything that has happened. Why, because, had it been she never forced her husband to sleep, with her servant, this couldn’t have happened.

Furthermore, I can say that the type of misunderstanding is the home front because it is a family issue.

Hagar on her way going, the angel of the Lord appeared to her near a spring in the desert, the angel told her to go back and submit to Sarah. The angel promised her that her descendants will increase through the child she is carrying and she is going to name him Ishmael. Hagar obeyed the angel and went back submit herself under Sarah.

Here comes another misunderstanding, Hagar gave birth to Ishmael and the Lord visited Sarah who got pregnant as promised by God and she gave birth to Isaac.

Now, Isaac and Ishmael are the center of the conflict. When the two children were growing and playing together, Sarah was not pleased seeing Isaac playing with Ishmael. Reason being that she did not Isaac to share his father’s inheritance. The day the child Isaac was weaned there was feasting in the house but Hagar continues to mocked at Sarah. This provoked Sarah and she asked her husband Abraham to get rid of Hagar and Ishmael.

Now Abraham was so destressed when Sarah asked him to do so. God saw Abraham in his distress and ask him to obey Sarah. He obeyed the voice of God and send Hagar and Ishmael way.

With the causes mentioned above, this how Abraham responded in the following points;

a) HE OVERLOOKED: He behave as if nothing was going on. This because when Sarah told him to get rid of Hagar and Ishmael he said nothing and also when Sarah blamed him for impregnating the servant he said nothing and to Sarah to do whatever pleases her with Hagar.

b) DENIAL: In this area, Abraham denied to solve the problem between them by refusing to say anything. This was a wrong response to conflict. He allows them to keep on fighting and quarrelling.

c) FLIGHT: Hagar ran away from the conflict because Abraham could not do anything or see in the problem.

d) SUICIDE: Abraham never saw suicide as a means to respond to the problem. He simply stays quiet and allow God to take control over it. e) RECONCILIATION: Abraham never thought of reconciling both, instead, he obeyed the decision of his wife Sarah against Hagar. f) NEGOCIATION: No negotiation was made by Abraham between them. g) MEDIATION: Abraham was seen as the mediator to bring solution to the problem but he did nothing. Instead the mediator here was God. h) ACCOUNTABILITY: Abraham gave no accountability to anyone not to Sarah nor Hagar.

i) LITIGATION: He took no legal action.

j) ASSULT: He did not raise his hand on any of them. k) MURDER: He never saw murder as a solution to the problem. No one was murdered.

In conclusion Abraham response to the conflict was a wise one. As a man who fears God, he simply allowed everything in God’s control. And at the end of every drama that took place, there was a peaceful separation of Sarah and Hagar under God’s intervention. None was missing.