The book of Genesis is the book of beginnings.

We've seen

Keep in mind what God has been promising to Abram.

But we have a problem.

Now, where did Sarai get an Egyptian handmaid?

It's almost as if this problem they're going to have with Hagar is a bit of a leftover problem from going to Egypt in the first place.

Hagar = "flight" (we think)

According to the practice of the day, as seen in ancient writings, if Sarai's servant has a child, it could be raised as Sarai's child.

It doesn't seem that Abram put up much of a fight on this one.

Abram is 85 years old, Sarai is 75.

When Hagar became pregnant, she began to get an attitude against Sarai, after all, she became pregnant when Sarai was unable to.

Is Sarai blaming Abram for the problem that she created?

Sarai began to treat Hagar harshly, being mean to her.

This seems to be a specific person unique to the Old Testament.

He is found speaking with people like:

He is actually referred to as the "LORD" (Yahweh) in Ex. 3, and allows Moses to worship Him.

We believe this is a "theophany" - an appearance of Jesus Christ in a physical form, as a messenger, "The" angel of the LORD.

This is the first appearance of "the angel of the LORD", here with Hagar as she's running from her troubles.

the way to Shur - Somewhere on the road from Beer-sheba to Egypt, Egypt being Hagar's homeland.

God doesn't want us running from our problems.

Ishmael = "God hears."

Lit., a wild ass.

The "angel" is possibly giving out a compliment, since the almost untameable onager (wild ass) was an admired and valuable animal.

He is going to be a lot of trouble, especially to the nation of Israel.

God does see.

We may think that at times He's lost track of us

He sees. He knows.

Beer-lahai-roi means "a well of the Living One who sees me." The exact location is unknown, though possibly it was SW of Beer-sheba.

Apparently, Hagar obeyed the Lord, and returned to Sarai and Abram.

86 years old when Ishmael is born.

Abram = high father

Abraham = father of a multitude

As far as God is concerned, the nation of Israel shouldn't be cut up and given to the Palestinians. It belongs to the descendants of Abraham, not Ishmael.

The sign of God's contract with Abraham was to be circumcision.

Circumcision is a picture of a cutting off of the fleshly nature.

Kind of ironic that God gives this to Abraham after the incident with Hagar.

I think God wants Abraham to learn to live after the spirit, not the flesh.

It's interesting that at eight days, a baby's body is able to produce the ingredient that clots their blood.

This is the best day to circumcise a baby (at least without modern medical methods), interesting!

Sarai means "my princess" and Sarah means "princess." Perhaps the significance lay only in marking the occasion.

Abraham is not totally unreceptive to the idea of another son, but to tell you the truth, he's kind of fond of this child of the flesh!

Isaac = he laughs

God specifically says that His contract will be with Isaac, not with Ishmael.

God is still going to bless Ishmael for Abraham's sake.

Watch to see which person the "LORD" is.

Near modern Hebron, a place of current controversy.

Note the number here, no it's not the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.

But it's the Lord and two other individuals.

Even back in Abraham's day, feet washing was an important sign of hospitality.

This isn't going to be fast food.

It's going to take a while to prepare this meal.

This seems to be a little different from Abraham's laugh.

Abraham seems to have laughed out of surprise and joy.

Sarah appears to laugh out of disbelief.

We need to ask ourselves this every once in a while.

Some people have troubles with stories like Jonah in the fish, and Shadrach & co. in the fire.

But should we be surprised, with a God like ours?

A sign of her unbelief.

If you're tracking the story, you'll find that two of the men have left to go down to Sodom (next chapter), while one is left talking to Abraham.

One of the men was the LORD, Yahweh, a theophany, probably our Lord Jesus Christ.

Jesus said:

We often think of the sin of Sodom as being only homosexuality, but it was more than that.

It starts with these kinds of sins, and goes from bad to worse.

This is one of the principles of God's justice, that Abraham is counting on.

It's one of the reasons why we believe that we will be raptured out of this world before God brings His judgment upon it during the tribulation.

The answer is "yes".

God will always judge absolutely correctly.

We will never, ever be able to say that we got a raw deal from the Lord, not once we've arrived in eternity, and seen everything from God's perspective.

It sounds as if Abraham's pushing it a little with the Lord.

But Abraham has a reason.

He's trying to intercede for the sake of his nephew, Lot.

He knows that Lot has a wife, a couple of daughters, and some sons-in-laws.

But what he doesn't know is that that's all there is, not even with the sons-in-law.

Here's the other two guys that left Abraham's place in Hebron.

They're now identified as simple angels.

Remember the progression of Lot:

I have this feeling that Lot knows what the city is like, and what the people are capable of.

This is a city-wide sin.

Homosexuality.

Carnal knowledge.

I find this disgusting.

It says to me that too much of Sodom has gotten into Lot.

The angels decide to take charge and end up rescuing Lot.

This shows what state Lot's witness had been.

His sons-in-law just thought he was kidding around with them.

Lot is dragging his feet.

I'm not sure he wants to leave Sodom.

The angels have to drag him out of the city.

Sometimes we get angry because God ruins our plans.

But it could be that God is just being merciful, and removing us from the judgment we might have fallen under if we'd been a part of it.

God wants Lot and his family to clearly cut themselves off from worldly, wicked Sodom.

Looking back carries the idea of longingly wishing you were there.

A contradiction of terms.

If He's your Lord, you don't say "no" to Him.

Zoar = "little"

She couldn't let go of the worldly life.

Abraham gets up to see what's been going on, and sees the smoke rising in the distance.

It was because of Abraham's prayer, his "bartering" for Lot, that God pulled Lot out of the city before the destruction.

Another consequence to Lot's compromise.

Look at the morals of his daughters.

Moab = from (her [the mother's]) father;

Benammi = son of my people;

I wonder if Abraham kind of wanted to get away from the whole Sodom place.

Oh no, not again ...

Keep in mind, this foxy lady is close to ninety years old.

God steps in to straighten things out.

It's kind of important, since Sarah is going to be getting pregnant soon.

God doesn't want Sarah to get pregnant by anybody other than Abraham.

I think that there are times when we almost blow it, and didn't realize what we were doing, that God steps in and helps us out.

Ryrie: he (better, it) is to thee a covering of the eyes. I.e., a vindication. Abimelech's large gift of a thousand pieces (shekels) of silver (20 shekels was the price of a slave; see 37:28), proof of his high esteem for Abraham and Sarah, would serve to stop any scoffing on the part of her household.

He's saying with his large gift, that he didn't do anything.

God had brought a judgment on Abimelech by stopping all the women from getting pregnant.

And so part of the restoration process is for Abraham to pray for healing.