HAGAR & ISHMAEL (GEN 16)
After living in Canaan for 10 years, Sarai (Abram’s wife) was still unable to have children, and in a hurry to kick-start YAHUAH’S promises, she brought her exotic egyptian servant Hagar to Abram, saying “Yahuah clearly doesn’t want me to have children, so if this blessing is going to work for us, you’d better have a child with her, then at least I can be encouraged and blessed through my servant”.
Abram agreed and Sarai gave her handmaid to him (NOT AS A WIFE WITH RIGHTS, BUT A CONCUBINE, A BABY-MAKER) and after Abraham slept with her, she fell pregnant. Hagar then began ‘hating on’ Sarai straight away, having it all over her that she was more fruitful, a better wife and was ‘more loved’ because she was able to give Abram a child. Sarai took all this behaviour from her servant very personally and was furious at Hagar.
... and instructed her to return home, put up with Sarai’s abuse and behave humbly and correctly to her, saying, “You’re going to have lots of children, and look, you're about to have a son, and you shall call him Ishmael, because YAHUAH has heard your suffering. Your son will be a very wild man, savage and stirring up conflict and violence with his brothers and everyone”.
And Hagar rejoiced greatly because she had been comforted by YAHUAH and she named the well that she rested at ‘Beer Lakai Ro’i’. (WELL OF THE ONE WHO LIVES AND SEES ME).
And when Abram was 86 years old Hagar gave birth to Ishmael his firstborn son.
Then she went to dump her emotions on Abram, saying “THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT ABRAM, I ONLY GAVE HER TO YOU SO WE COULD FINALLY HAVE A CHILD AND NOW LOOK HOW SHE TREATS ME, JUST BECAUSE SHE’S ‘EATING FOR TWO’. I CAN’T STAND THIS, DO SOMETHING ABOUT HER!”
SARAI DIDN'T NEED HER HUSBAND'S PERMISSION TO FIRE A SERVANT, SHE WAS JUST VENTING AT HIM.
But Abram said “Forget it! This ain't my fault, she’s your servant darling, you have the power over her, so you do what you feel is right”.
And Sarai said, “FINE, YAHUAH WILL JUDGE WHICH OF US IS RIGHT!” And Sarai treated her servant so horribly that Hagar ran away from her, into the wilderness, where a messenger of YAHUAH (ANGEL) comforted her ...
WHILE ISHMAEL BECAME THE FATHER OF SEVERAL RACES AND LINES, PRIMARILY HE IS REMEMBERED FOR CREATING THE ARABS. AND, NOTICE WHERE THE LAND OF THE ARABS (ARABIA) EVENTUALLY CAME TO BE - EAST OF YISHARAL. IT’S IMPORTANT TO REMEMBER TODAY, IN OUR TIME, THAT ABRAHAM IS THE TRUE FATHER OF BOTH THE ARABS AND THE YISHARALITES - THEY'RE ALL FROM THE LINE OF SHEM (SHEMITES). BUT, EVEN SO, ANOTHER OF YAHUAH'S DIVISIONS IS ABOUT TO TAKE PLACE, AND WE'RE GOING TO SEE THAT OCCUR IN THE NEXT CHAPTER.
LET'S ALSO REMEMBER, THAT TODAY, WHAT THE TV NEWS ANCHORS CALL `ARABS' RARELY ACTUALLY ARE! MOST OF THESE SUPPOSED `ARABS' ARE ACTUALLY PERSIANS, EGYPTIANS, AND OTHERS FROM THE LINE OF HAM….. TOTALLY DIFFERENT FROM TRUE ARABS WHO ARE FROM THE LINE OF SHEM (THROUGH ISHMAEL). WHAT THE NEWS TENDS TO DO IS IDENTIFY EVERY MUSLIM (A RELIGION) AS AN ARAB (WHICH IS A FAMILY LINE), WHICH IS COMPLETELY INCORRECT.
The translation has altered somewhat since this (1st EDITION) recording, but still easy-to-grasp :-)
