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that the Lord had closed her womb, (16:2) said to Abraham, “Go<br />
in to my slave-girl; it may be that I shall obtain children by her…<br />
He went in to Hagar and she conceived,“ (16:2-3). Hagar bore a<br />
son called Ishmael. After the birth of Ishmael, Hagar is said to<br />
have “looked with contempt on her mistress.” (16: 4). Sarah<br />
logged a complaint to Abraham, who said, “Your slave girl is in<br />
your power; do to her as you please. Then Sarah dealt harshly with<br />
her and she ran away,” (v.6). But as she ran away, the angel of the<br />
Lord met and talked to her saying, “return to your mistress and<br />
submit to her… I will so greatly multiply your offspring that they<br />
cannot be counted for multitude” (vv.7-10). Hagar returned and<br />
most probably submitted, for we hear of no more quarrels between<br />
the two women.<br />
Some years later, the Lord opened the womb of Sarah, and she<br />
bore a son to Abraham by the name, Isaac. The story tells us that<br />
Sarah’s “child grew…. Sarah saw the son of Hagar, the Egyptian,<br />
whom she had borne to Abraham, playing with her son Isaac. So<br />
she said to Abraham:<br />
34<br />
Cast out this slave woman with her son; for the son of this slave<br />
woman shall not inherit along with my son, Isaac. The matter was<br />
very distressing to Abraham on account of his son. But God said<br />
to Abraham, “Do not be distressed because of the boy and because<br />
of your slave woman; whatever Sarah says to you, do as she<br />
tells you, for it is through Isaac that offspring shall be named for<br />
you. As for the slave woman, I will make a nation of him also,<br />
because he is your offspring. So Abraham rose early in the morning,<br />
and took bread and a skin of water, and gave it to Hagar,<br />
putting on her shoulder, along with the child and sent her away.<br />
And she departed and wondered about in the wilderness or<br />
Beersheba…God was with the boy, and grew up; he lived in the<br />
wilderness, and became an expert with bow. He lived in the wilderness<br />
of Paran, and his mother got a wife for him from the land of<br />
Egypt. (21:10-21).<br />
What is this story about? Why does the Lord close the womb of<br />
Sarah, cause her to give Hagar to Abraham, then open her womb
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