Abraham had eight children but most only remember or know of 2. Abraham had three wives: Sarah, his first wife, bore him Isaac (Genesis 21: 2-7); Hagar his second wife, bore Ishamel (Genesis 16:2-4); and Keturah his third wife after Sarah had passed away (Genesis 25:1) bore him 6 children. Abraham loved his first two children -- Ishmael and Isaac -- and asked God to bless them both (Genesis 21:11).
When Abraham passed away, both Ishmael and Abraham came to bury their father (Genesis 25:9) with Sarah. The other six children and their families were sent away by Abraham bearing gifts to an eastern land (Genesis 25:6).
Abram descended from Terah which descended from many generations after Noah from Shem. In Genesis 9:26-27, Noah blesses Shem in the name of Jehovah and Noah gives the prophesy that the other two sons of Noah, Japeth and Ham, shall either live in Shem's tents or be Shem's slaves. I mention this as it is doubtful that many generations later, Abram would have remembered this prophecy but God does.
Now when Jehovah told Abram to leave his father's household, Jehovah promises "I will make you a great nation. And I will bless you and make your name great; and you will be a blessing." Genesis 12(1-2). Abram was married to Sarai and it is mentioned in Genesis 11:30 "And Sarai was barren; she had no child." I'd like to point out here that Jehovah said this to Abram, not to Abram and Sarai.
Again when Abram passes through Canaan, Jehovah appears to him and again reiterates His promise "And Jehovah appeared to Abram and said I will give this land to your seed.” (Genesis 12:7, italics added).
In Genesis 15:4b-6, Jehovah shows Abram the stars and confirms to him not to worry as he shall have a direct heir from his own seed and his descendents shall be like the stars in the heavens. Abram believed in Jehovah and He counted it to him for righteousness for not having any children this belief required faith. Not the kind of faith that says “I guess so” but that says “I am confident”.
Now Sarai in Chapter 16 is still barren and knows and believes also that Abram will bear a child. I have always been taught that Sarai gave Abram Hagar because she wanted to fix this and force the prophecy to come true. In essence, she meddled.
God revealed to me this week the heart of this matter. Both Isaac and Ishmael were children of faith. Sarai had faith that Abraham would have children, but being barren she believed that God did not bless her and felt unworthy to be blessed. She watched her husband grow in his faith and age and she loved him. She felt God did not find her worthy to fulfill the prophecies given to Abram and felt in her heart that they must not apply to her. Unworthiness ate at her being and filled her heart. In her love for Abram, she spoke to him and said “See, now, Jehovah has kept me from bearing; go in now to my slave-girl; perhaps I may be built up from her. And Abram listened to the voice of Sarai (Genesis 16:2). Abram hearing her grief took Sarai’s words to heart and married Hagar and bore Ishmael. Unfortunately, feelings of unworthiness only brings insecurity and discord and so it was.
This time Elohim visits Abram alone and tells him that he will have a son by Sarah (Genesis 17:15-22). This visit Elohim also changes one letter in each of Abram and Sarai’s name giving them the new name of Abraham and Sarah. The new letter represents completion for Elohim was going to complete His will through them. Notice the promise was not through Sarai but Sarah. Still, Sarah was not present and was likely brought to her hears with hope and skeptism for isn’t this what feelings of unworthiness does to us?
Jehovah visits Abraham once more and this time in ear shot of Sarah tells Abraham that Sarah will bear him a son (Genesis 18:9-15). Sarah laughs at hearing this news – I suspect the kind of laughter which mocks as I’m positive in my heart she didn’t find this news funny or irony. For hearing this laughter, Jehovah asks why she laughs and she immediately denies it and is filled with fear. Jehovah came for Sarah’s benefit to heal her insecurities – to convince her that the promise did indeed include her and remove her feelings of unworthiness. Sarah did indeed bear Isaac and this time she proudly proclaimed “God has made laughter for me; all who hear will laugh with me” (Genesis 21:6). Her laughter was joy for she could look back on the years of insecurity and realized that God was there with her the whole time but she did not see nor understand. She understood that God fulfilled the promise in His way and in His time the way each child of God comes to understand our ways are not His ways.
Hagar bore the child of faith which represents the law. The law was created to find our unworthiness, our inadequacies so we would seek something more. We will always fall short of the law. Sarah bore the child of faith which represents grace. Isaac fulfilled the promise and prophesies. When we become complete in Jesus Christ, we become children of grace also. But when we begin to fell inadequate and unworthy to be used by God or for His sacrifice and do not go to Him about these feelings but instead act out these feelings, we leave grace and start living the law trying to make ourselves worthy by doing a certain task or acting a certain way in order to cover up or compensate which will in turn make us feel more insecure. Without going to Him that makes our lives complete, there is no hope only temporary, fleeting moments. When feeling insecure or inadequate, stop and ask why and root out that unworthy feeling and lay it at His cross. If your cup keeps coming up empty, search out with Him why for He promises He will make our cup runneth over.
Our worthiness is a mystery for it cannot be earned as it just is – this is grace. He fills us with security in and through Him. Your job, your family, your friends, your stuff will never find you the security that He can provide. It wasn’t the child that made Sarah feel secure, it was the knowledge that God did indeed love her and found her worthy and this child was a daily reminder to her.
