Before There Was Trouble

At this point you have whether domestic slavery is possible and also the taking of servants.

Now Sarai Abram's wife bare him no children: and she had an handmaid, an Egyptian, whose name was Hagar.

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.

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.

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.

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.

10 And the angel of the LORD said unto her, I will multiply thy seed exceedingly, that it shall not be numbered for multitude.

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.

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.

13 And she called the name of the LORD that spake unto her, Thou God seest me: for she said, Have I also here looked after him that seeth me?

14 Wherefore the well was called Beerlahairoi; behold, it is between Kadesh and Bered.

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.

Genesis 16

That is all just to say that Sarah's handmaiden was also Egyptian. Unfortunately in this day handmaiden only means one or two possible things. In short or in sum either you have Sarah over here splitting herself and taking on house duties almost to see if she can outsmart Abram her lord who was looking. This for sure would have explained how it had happened that Sarah wa so cruel to this girl that she had run away first from her home. Certainly I cannot imagine a sharper wound in the heart that a husband like this who has split up the house and given the housework a child. She might have not seen a difference between the woman that sat in the house and the one who had waited about. Regardless though of the rightness or wrongness of this, Abram should have known first for a start. It is hard not to have an heir to the house and a handmaiden that had been picked up among many travels and watchings. Pharoah if you had remembered, had wanted a wife from the start. What is to say he had not seen Abram as some sort of strange father-like figure though confused there at first and perhaps knowing better. The Word though would have said if any such thing would have happened. Just that when Hagar finally went running, she took off in a direction that nobody was looking. In fact, she ran off in the direction of the long wilderness wanderings. Perhaps had Abram insisted on there being a family and not so that an heir there was watching, Sarah might have come to peace with herself and also whoever was helping. After all, he is the best cure for a broken heart that there is when you have not much left in store for yourself and then even there is the Lord. Anyhow, given all that Sarai had finally made peace with the thoughts of her mind. Regardless of that, what a testament to the God who changes all things whether a desolate family situation or a long desert wandering with only some water to find. Then again he is the One who makes all peace there with himself in the end Being made our peace when we knew not yet who was watching. After all he is the best setting things right between the servant and the Master you ever could find. In fact, when it comes to setting things right even with Abraham God himself will settle that score and let him do the talking. He can even bring yourself home of a sorts even when the situation is too hard and not even dealt with. Speaking of which, a desert wilderness wandering travel guide of a sorts was just what was needed of course. Even so he rights all the tears and frees all the years. Some of us just cannot tell it for what all we have been through and then again some of us just might have wanted a good wandering too.