Taking Control: Genesis 16:1 - 4

In my last post, we saw the lengths God took to assure Abram that He would fulfill His promises to him. Specifically, the promises of an heir and of land.  Abram, for his part, believed that God would fulfill the promises.  However, in this chapter, we see him waver under the pressures of time and family.

Verses 1 through 4 of chapter 16 set the stage.  Sarai tells Abram that God has kept her from having children.  She suggests he get children through her maidservant.  Apparently this was not an uncommon practice in that culture (we'll see this sort of thing again about a dozen chapters or so from now).  Abram agrees with Sarai, does as she suggests, and her maidservant becomes pregnant with Abram's first child.

But consider what else is happening here.  In Genesis 15:3, Abram acknowledged that having a child is under God's control.  God reassures Abram that He will fulfill the promise and Abram believes Him.   Now, at the beginning of chapter 16, Abram stops listening to what God said (he listens to and agrees with his wife instead) and decides to take matters into his own hand.  It's as if the author wanted to curtail any notions we might have about Abram as a larger-than-life man of faith.  This portrayal of Abram's story hasn't been photo-shopped to remove the blemishes.  He is presented with all his flaws, human, and easy to identify with.

I say easy to identify with because we all struggle with exactly the same things.  It's easy to believe God when He says we are loved, rescued, and made pure only by Him.  It's easy to believe with our minds and our mouths and then wake up the next morning and try to DO those things for ourselves.  We want to make ourselves worthy of love, rescue ourselves, and make ourselves pure.  We want to do the work He says only He can do...  Because then, not only can we control the how, and when, and if, but we can also claim the credit.  Sidenote:  I'm not advocating laziness here.  But we do need to be careful of our motives.

Let's remember back to the covenant God made with Abram in chapter 15 for a moment.  This was a unique covenant since God was the only contractually obligated party.  There is a not-so-subtle point God makes by not giving Abram a part to play in the promise making.  God was the one to fully bring about the promises.  Abram would have no part in supplying the promised child or bringing forth a nation to claim the land of Canaan.

So, what happens when we try for ourselves to do the things God has promised us?  What happens when we (just like Eve) choose our own wisdom over God's?  Abram soon found out when Sarai and her maidservant began fighting.

I'd love to find fault with Abram and point an accusatory finger at him.  But, truthfully, I've done no less.  I imagine most of us have.  In his position, I probably would have listened to the practical advice of Sarai and done the same thing.  Today, we aren't concerned with trying to produce an heir to inherit God's promise.  But we still consider the promises of God and try to accomplish them on our own.  We desire happiness and become slaves to hedonism.  We try to earn God's favor and become prideful through our good works.  We listen to the advice of those around us instead of God and fall well short of what He has promised us.