ABRAHAM and SARAH

 

Genesis 17:15-16

King James Version

15 And God said unto Abraham, 

As for Sarai thy wife, 

thou shalt not call her name Sarai, 

but Sarah shall her name be.

16 And I will bless her, 

and give thee a son also of her: 

yea, I will bless her, 

and she shall be a mother of nations; 

kings of people shall be of her.

How has the LORD blessed Abram and Sarai?

In so many ways, as Scripture reveals:

Genesis 17:1-9

King James Version

17 And when Abram was ninety years old and nine, 

the Lord appeared to Abram, and said unto him, 

I am the Almighty God; 

walk before me, and be thou perfect.

2 And I will make my covenant between me and thee, 

and will multiply thee exceedingly.

3 And Abram fell on his face: 

and God talked with him, saying,

4 As for me, 

behold, my covenant is with thee, 

and thou shalt be a father of many nations.

5 Neither shall thy name any more be called Abram, 

but thy name shall be Abraham; 

for a father of many nations have I made thee.

6 And I will make thee exceeding fruitful, 

and I will make nations of thee, 

and kings shall come out of thee.

7 And I will establish my covenant 

between me and thee and thy seed after thee 

in their generations for an everlasting covenant, 

to be a God unto thee, and to thy seed after thee.

8 And I will give unto thee, and to thy seed after thee, 

the land wherein thou art a stranger, 

all the land of Canaan, 

for an everlasting possession; 

and I will be their God.

9 And God said unto Abraham, 

Thou shalt keep my covenant therefore, 

thou, and thy seed after thee in their generations.

Abram, now "Abraham", was to be a "father of many nations".

Where Sarai, now "Sarah", used to be barren, now she will bear a child.

Genesis 17:19

King James Version

19 And God said, 

Sarah thy wife shall bear thee a son indeed; 

and thou shalt call his name Isaac: 

and I will establish my covenant with him 

for an everlasting covenant, 

and with his seed after him.

Ishmael, Abraham's son with Hagar was to be blessed, too.

Genesis 17:20

King James Version

20 And as for Ishmael, I have heard thee: 

Behold, I have blessed him, 

and will make him fruitful, 

and will multiply him exceedingly; 

twelve princes shall he beget, 

and I will make him a great nation.

But GOD's covenant is with Isaac, Abraham's son with Sarah.

Genesis 17:21-22

King James Version

21 But my covenant will I establish with Isaac, 

which Sarah shall bear unto thee 

at this set time in the next year.

22 And he left off talking with him, 

and God went up from Abraham.

To seal the covenant, GOD asked Abraham to have all male children to be circumcised on their 8th day of birth.

For himself, Abraham and Ishmael were circumcised, too.

Now, we take a look into the generations of Noah.

Click here to know more.

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SARAI and HAGAR

 

Genesis 16:1

King James Version

16 Now Sarai Abram's wife bare him no children: 

and she had an handmaid, an Egyptian, 

whose name was Hagar.

What happens when a woman can't bear a child?

Sarai, Abram's wife, thought up a plan.

She must have been frustrated, and desperate.

Enough to think this:

Genesis 16:2-3

King James Version

2 And Sarai said unto Abram, 

Behold now, 

the Lord hath restrained me from bearing: 

I pray thee, go in unto my maid; 

it may be that I may obtain children by her. 

And Abram hearkened to the voice of Sarai.

3 And Sarai Abram's wife took Hagar her maid 

the Egyptian, after Abram 

had dwelt ten years in the land of Canaan, 

and gave her to her husband Abram 

to be his wife.

As destiny would have it, Hagar didn't share the same problem as Sarai.

But she turned haughty.

Genesis 16:4

King James Version

4 And he went in unto Hagar, and she conceived: 

and when she saw that she had conceived, 

her mistress was despised in her eyes.

Sarai sought Abram's advice.

Genesis 16:5-6

King James Version

5 And Sarai said unto Abram, 

My wrong be upon thee: 

I have given my maid into thy bosom; 

and when she saw that she had conceived, 

I was despised in her eyes: 

the Lord judge between me and thee.

6 But Abram said unto Sarai, 

Behold, thy maid is in thine hand; 

do to her as it pleaseth thee. 

And when Sarai dealt hardly with her, 

she fled from her face.

An angel of the Lord visits Hagar.

Genesis 16:7-9

King James Version

7 And the angel of the Lord found her 

by a fountain of water in the wilderness, 

by the fountain in the way to Shur.

8 And he said, 

Hagar, Sarai's maid, whence camest thou?

 and whither wilt thou go? 

And she said, 

I flee from the face of my mistress Sarai.

9 And the angel of the Lord said unto her, 

Return to thy mistress, 

and submit thyself under her hands.

The angel also promises her:

Genesis 16:10

King James Version

10 And the angel of the Lord said unto her, 

I will multiply thy seed exceedingly, 

that it shall not be numbered for multitude.

The angel informs Hagar,

Genesis 16:11

King James Version

11 And the angel of the Lord said unto her, 

Behold, thou art with child and shalt bear a son, 

and shalt call his name Ishmael; 

because the Lord hath heard thy affliction.

The angel prophesies:

Genesis 16:12

King James Version

12 And he will be a wild man; 

his hand will be against every man, 

and every man's hand against him; 

and he shall dwell in the presence 

of all his brethren.

Abram becomes a father at 86.

Genesis 16:15-16

King James Version

15 And Hagar bare Abram a son: 

and Abram called his son's name,

which Hagar bare, 

Ishmael.

16 And Abram was fourscore and six years old, 

when Hagar bare Ishmael to Abram.

But what of Sarai?

How did she fare?

Did GOD bless her, too?

We shall find out on the next post.

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