Grace in the Face of Mistakes
July 22nd, 2010 by blog
By Kyle Hackmann
Genesis 16 presents us with a story of the complications that come about when God’s people do not trust his promises. Instead of waiting for God to intervene into human history, Sarai grows impatient with her infertility. She takes her Egyptian servant Hagar and gives her to her husband (Much like Eve took the forbidden fruit and gave it to her husband in Gen. 3:6). Following this decision, strife infects Abram’s house. Sarai is harsh with her now pregnant servant Hagar. This complication from sin becomes a crisis and Hagar is forced to flee to her homeland of Egypt.
While on the road to Egypt an Angel of the Lord finds Hagar by a spring of water and asks her “Where are you going?” This question reminds the reader of God’s previous questions to people like Adam (Where are you?) and Cain (Where is your brother?). Unlike Adam and Cain, Hagar responds honestly. The angel tells her to return and submit to her master. Hagar responds with obedience.
In the midst of God’s people’s unfaithfulness and disobedience, Hagar is presented as the righteous servant who is obedient to the voice of God and to her earthly master. Though Hagar is not a descendent of Abram and the promised descendents will not come through her, the God of Abram communicates with her and blesses her. She is the only woman in the Old Testament that God addresses by name, and she is also the only woman in the Old Testament to confer a name upon God (“The God of Seeing”).
Later, Sarai’s children will suffer at the hands of Hagar’s people. Hagar will be an example to the people of God as they suffer. In the same way that God rescues Hagar as she fled oppressive slavery, God will rescue his people from their slavery in Egypt. In the same way that the Angel of the Lord finds Hagar wandering in the wilderness outside of Egypt (Gen. 16:7), an Angel of the Lord will direct God’s people in the wilderness after they leave Egypt (Ex. 14:19).Just as the God of seeing (Gen. 16:13) sees Hagar in her suffering, God will see Sarai’s children suffering (Ex. 3:7). God’s actions toward Hagar become blueprints of his actions toward his creation.
God’s grace is bigger than mankind’s mistakes. No matter how far in rebellion or disobedience one may be, the God of the Scriptures is relentlessly faithful to bring grace to a graceless situation. God sees his people oppressed by their own poor decisions, and he sees his people rebelling and wandering from his way, and yet he graciously intervenes. Before we even cry out to him, he is the God who sees us in need and provides a way. As God was gracious to Hagar, so also he continues to be gracious to those who least expect it.
2 Responses to “Grace in the Face of Mistakes”
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Is it the grace of God then to predict emnity between Ishmael and Isaac’s offspring? or does God have too much of it to be indifferent to the plight of his worshippers being mocked, killed and/or marginalized by the overwhelming godless masses? it seems that its only in the Bible’s ancient pass you can see God directly changing the course of history, but you can’t find that now in the 21st century. e.g. the Roman Catholic Church went against divine teaching, attached itself to fascist powers and when those powers were universally condemned and toppled by the forces of secular democracy; it is now joked, cussed at and cursed upon along with the true christians as an insignificant relic of modernism…God didn’t intervene at all to prevent this from happening. The same way He could have reconciled Isaac and Ishael’s descendants’ relations with one another, but He choose not to. As if he allows the secular powers and personalities to play around with His believers, whether they would grant believer’s mercy or wrath.
Thanks for the comment xaositect. I believe you have two major questions:
1)Is it the grace of God that predicts enmity between Ishmael’s offspring and Isaac’s offspring?
I don’t think that God’s prediction of enmity is part of his gracious actions. It is just God pointing out the consequences of Abram’s and Sarai’s unbelieving plan (in the same way he pointed out the consequences of eating the forbidden fruit in Genesis 3:14-19).
2)Does God still interact within human history in the 21st century?
The Bible is an authoritative testimony of the way in which God has worked within history. I think it would be naive to believe that God is not currently working in history. However, it is accurate to say that we do not have an authoritative “testimony” of the way in which God has worked in 21st century as we do of God’s workings in ancient times. Because of that, we do not know exactly why or exactly how God has worked within the 21st century.
I have no idea why God choices to intervene and to not intervene in certain situations. While I am confident that mankind continually fails to trust God’s plans, I am also confident that God is good (Ps. 145:9), and will work all things out for the good of those who love Him (Romans 8:28).