Genesis 16: Hagar and Ishmael

At this point, Abram's wife Sarai still hasn't given him a child yet. She knows how much Abram wants children and how important it is to him, so she tells Abram in verse 2 "Since the LORD has prevented me from bearing children, go to my slave; perhaps I can have children by her". The slave Sarai was talking about was her Egyptian slave, Hagar. Verse 3 says that "[This happened] after Abram had lived in the land of Canaan 10 years". That means this was 10 years after the Lord had called Abram to this land and promised him numerous offspring. Having waited 10 years, Abram agreed to make Hagar the surrogate mother, and succeeded in impregnating the slave. 


Sarai, seeing that Hagar was able to become pregnant but she was not, became jealous and angry, telling Abram in verse 5 "You are responsible for my suffering! I put my slave in your arms, and ever since she saw that she was pregnant, she has looked down on me. May the LORD judge between me and you". When the slave Hagar saw that she was able to become pregnant with Abram but Sarai was not, she began to look down upon Sarai. Sarai blames Abram from all of that happened because he should have rejected her offer and leave it all up to God. Instead, they decided to take matters into their own hands and of course, they now have a problem on their hands. Abram tries to make it up to Sarai by telling her in verse 6 "Here, your slave is in your hands; do whatever you want with her." Instead of taking care of Hagar, who was with the son he would father, he puts his relationship with his wife, Sarai, first. But, Sarai mistreated the slave so badly that she ran away.


Verse 7 says "The Angel of the LORD found her by a spring of water in the wilderness, the spring on the way to Shur". The Angel asks her who she is and where she is going, and Hagar tells the Anger that she has run away from Sarai. But, the Angel tells her she must return to Sarai and submit to her, even though she mistreats her. In verse 10, the Angel promises Hagar "I will greatly multiply your offspring, and they will be too many to count". Not only that, but the Angel tells her she will have a son and she is to name him Ishmael. But, Ishmael's life won't be easy, as seen in verse 12. he will be a wild man, he will be against everyone and everyone will be against him, and he will live at odds with his brothers.


In verse 13, we learn that not only did the Angel speak to her, He appeared before her, and so she names him 'The God who Sees', and then names the well 'The Well of the Living One Who Sees Me'.


Hagar returns as the Angel commanded, and gave birth to Abram's son, and the son was named Ishmael. In verse 16, we learn that Abram was 86 years old when Hagar bore Ishmael to him, Abram's first son.