unrighteous servant-mistreater. After years of infertility, Sarah, then called Sarai, gave her servant, Hagar, to her husband to have a child for her. After Hagar became pregnant, she began to treat Sarai disrespectfully. Then, Genesis 16:6 reads,“ Abram said to Sarai,‘ Since she’ s your servant, do whatever you wish to her.’ So Sarai treated her harshly, and she ran away from Sarai.”
As a mom, I know how facing arrogance, disrespect, and belligerence from those who are supposed to be most respectful can make you crazy. I know that feeling of helpless, and the anger that arises because you feel out of control. Maybe you do too.
Sarai was the one who was supposed to follow the God of Abram in a culture that worshiped other gods. She was the one who should have been more righteous, not less. But in her insecurity, her anger, her fear, her pain, her hatred, she failed. And she became an angry, bitter, hateful, hurtful follower of God.
Sometimes we’ re no different. And, like Sarah, we drive away those we most need near us. And there we are, with our hidden guilt, with our broken mess, with our shattered relationships and lives.
That’ s when we look for the quick fix, a list of to-do’ s to make things right. We say,“ I will do x, y, and z and it will all be okay again.” I wish I could offer such a list! But Sarai’ s story tells us there is no list, not really. There is no simple plan to make it all better. We know this because Sarai didn’ t go after Hagar when the servant girl ran away. Abram didn’ t either. Both seemed incapable of repairing what they had broken. They sat in their tents, with the shards of their hopes, with the weight of their shame, while a woman pregnant with Abram’ s child ran for Egypt.
Sarai couldn’ t bring Hagar back. But God did.
God’ s messenger found Hagar at a desert spring. Hagar had no intention of returning to Sarai. But God saw her, he cared, and he promised to bring blessing from her pain. All he asked was that she return to, and tolerate, the mistress who mistreated her( Gen. 16:9-11).
Hagar returned, not because Sarai had made promises, but because God did.
God restores what we destroy. God brings people back when we cannot. God gave Sarai, and he gives us, another chance to do right.
We sit in our tents with our ruined lives in our hands, and all the while God is going out to restore what we have broken.
He can bring new beauty out of what we’ ve destroyed.
He can bring blessing out of our belligerence.
He brings Hagar back. He gives us
Sometimes we’ re no different. Like Sarah, we drive away those we most need near us.
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