#Sarai treats Hagar harshly

[mybeautifulchristianjourney]

The Story about Hagar and Ishmael

1-3 Abram and Sarai lived in that Canaan country, and after they were there for 10 years, they still had no kids. Sarai had a woman from Egypt working for her, called Hagar. She was Sarai’s slave. That means Sarai owned Hagar, and Hagar had to do everything that Sarai told her to do.

Sarai was sad because she had no kids, but she got an idea about how to get a baby for herself. So she said to Abram, “God has stopped me from having my own kids. But listen. I want you to sleep with Hagar, like she is your wife. You see, she belongs to me, so if she has a baby, that baby will really belong to me.” So Abram did that, just like Sarai said.

4 He slept with Hagar like she was his wife. Then Hagar found out that she was going to have a baby, so she started rubbishing Sarai all the time, because Sarai didn’t have any kids. 5 So Sarai said to Abram, “I blame you for this trouble. I gave Hagar to you, and now she is going to have a baby, and she is rubbishing me all the time. I reckon God knows that I am right, and you are wrong.”

6 But Abram said to Sarai, “Hagar belongs to you. You are her boss, so do whatever you want with her.” Then Sarai started to treat Hagar in a really bad way. So Hagar left Abram and Sarai’s camp and ran away.

7 Hagar started walking through the desert, along the road that went to a town called Shur, near Egypt. She sat down next to a water-hole there in the desert. God’s angel messenger went to her there. 8 He said, “Hagar, you belong to Sarai, so why are you sitting out here in the desert? Where are you going?”

Hagar said, “I’m running away from my boss, Sarai. She is too hard on me.”

9 God’s angel messenger said to her, “Don’t do that. Go back to your boss, and do what she says.” 10 And the angel also said, “God is going to give you a really big family. You will have a son, and later on lots of people will be born into his family, and they will be a real big family, so that nobody will be able to count all those people.” 11 The angel said, “You are going to have a baby boy, and you will name him Ishmael, because that name means God listens. You see, God listened to you. He heard about your trouble, and he will help you. 12 And Ishmael, your son, he will live like a wild donkey. He will go anywhere he wants to, and he will fight against everybody, and everybody will fight against him. He will not live close to his relatives.”

13 Then Hagar said to herself, “I have seen the God that sees me, and he looks after me.” So she gave God a name, she called him the God that sees me. 14 So that’s why people call that water-hole the water-hole that belongs to the one that is alive and sees me. That water-hole is between a place called Kadesh and a place called Bered.

15 Soon after that, Hagar had a baby boy, and Abram named him Ishmael. 16 Abram was 86 years old at the time when Ishmael was born. — Genesis 16 | Plain English Version (PEV) Plain English Version Bible © 2021 Wycliffe Bible Translators Australia. Cross References: Genesis 3:9; Genesis 11:30; Genesis 12:4; Genesis 12:16; Genesis 13:16; Genesis 14:7; Genesis 17:20; Genesis 17:25; Genesis 19:31; Genesis 20:1; Genesis 21:9; Genesis 21:17; Genesis 21:19; Genesis 25:12; Genesis 25:18; Genesis 29:32; Genesis 30:3-4; Genesis 31:53; Genesis 32:30; Genesis 37:25; Exodus 5:21; Exodus 24:11; Joshua 9:25; 1 Kings 19:9; Galatians 4:22

The LORD Has Listened

[jdgo51]

God’s Steadfast Love for the Single Parent and Their Child

Today's inspiration comes from:

God's Grace for Every Family

by Anna Meade Harris

"'Behold you are pregnant and shall bear a son. You Shall call his name Ishmael [meaning “God hears”], because the Lord has listened to your afflication.”'…

"You are a God of seeing… Truly here I have seen Him who looks after me." — Genesis 16:11, 13 ESV

"'Maggie squeezed her eyes shut, then opened them slowly, hoping to read a different result. Committed to celibacy until marriage, she gave in to temptation one time with a guy she didn’t even want to date. Now, at age twenty-four, she found herself staring at two pink lines on a pregnancy test.

To complicate matters further, Maggie was in seminary, having just started her first full-time job as a youth minister discipling teens at a church in California. Maggie not only had to tell her boss (her pastor!) she was pregnant, she also had to tell her impressionable students and their parents that she had slept with a man and the consequences included a child.

But Maggie already loved that child. Because she knew Jesus loved her so deeply that he secured her pardon for sin on the cross, she felt confident in bringing this child into the world and raising him, even as a single mother. What she did not know was how her church would respond.

God Sees Hagar

If we ever wondered how God feels about the lonely single parent, the story of Hagar is our answer. This single mother figures prominently in the life of the great patriarch Abraham. Brought from Egypt as a slave for Abraham’s wife Sarah, Hagar lives at the very heart of the establishment of God’s covenant with His own people.

When Sarah endures about ten years without holding the promised child in her arms, she conceives instead a plan to make God’s promise come true: let Abraham impregnate the young slave girl. According to custom, the child of the slave will belong to Sarah.

Consider Hagar’s predicament. She is forced to sleep with her boss, who is not only married but also old. Her mistress sees her as an incubator for God’s promised child, a child she plans to take from Hagar and raise as her own. To Abraham and Sarah, Hagar is not a person but an instrument to carry out their personal agenda. It’s no wonder Hagar treats Sarah with contempt when she does conceive. She finally has some clout in this lopsided triangle.

Sarah responds to Hagar’s insolence by complaining to Abraham, who abdicates responsibility for his unborn child, giving Sarah free rein to do whatever she likes with Hagar. Sarah “deals harshly” with her, to the point that Hagar flees to the wilderness.

The angel reveals to Hagar a God who knows, sees, and hears her and her unborn baby.

In this moment, Hagar is as vulnerable as a person could possibly be. She is a woman in a culture that does not value women. She is a slave, and a foreign one at that. She is penniless and pregnant, with no resources and no support. The people who were supposed to take care of her have made her life unbearable. She is not even part of the chosen race that God will establish through Abraham. No one is coming to help her; no one cares.

Were it not for Abraham’s God, Hagar and her unborn child would have died alone in the desert. No one would ever have known her name.

The angel of the Lord met Hagar at a spring in the desert on the road to Shur and said, ‘Hagar, slave of Sarai, where have you come from and where are you going?’ — Genesis 16:7-8 GNT

Hagar does not know Abraham’s God. She likely worshiped Egypt’s pagan idols if she had any faith at all. Incredibly, the angel of the Lord comes looking for her. Her insignificance in the eyes of the world does not render her insignificant in God’s sight. She is an outsider in every possible way, and yet he calls her by name and declares her situation, “Hagar, servant of Sarah…”

The angel invites her to talk with him. The question he asks her echoes God’s question to Adam in the garden: “Where are you?” He cares about her history (“Where have you come from?”) and her future (“Where are you going?”). When Hagar admits she is running away from Sarah, the angel instructs her to return to her mistress.

That must have been a hard word for Hagar to hear. Her situation with Abraham and Sarah won’t be easy. But the angel’s encounter with her meets a need much deeper than a desire for ease or comfort. The angel reveals to Hagar a God who knows, sees, and hears her and her unborn baby. This God is willing to be personally involved and provide for both of them, even naming her son Ishmael, meaning “God hears.” The angel tells her that the boy will be a “wild donkey of a man,” at odds with everyone around him, but Hagar’s boy will live (16:12).

Let’s not miss how astounding this encounter must have been for Hagar. Despised and alone, she is filled with despair so great that she has run away to near-certain death in the desert. There she is met with a heavenly being who knows the intimate details of her life yet treats her with dignity and compassion. This changes everything. She can go back to Sarah, harsh treatment and all, confident that Almighty God has His eye on her.

God’s provision will not mean an easy life, but as part of Abraham’s household, she will have protection for her boy. Every time she calls her son in to wash up for dinner, she will be reminded that “God hears!”'

Excerpted with permission from God’s Grace for Every Family by Anna Meade Harris, copyright Anna Meade Harris.

[christian-perspectives]

Abraham And Isaac On The Mountain

Abraham was 100 years old when Isaac was born. Genesis 21:5 100 years old! I could not imagine raising a newborn at that age. But a year earlier the Lord promised that Sarah would give birth to a son. The Lord kept his word and did for Sarah exactly what he had promised. She became pregnant, and she gave birth to a son for Abraham in his old age. This happened at just the time God had said it would. Genesis 21:1-2 When God says something we can depend on it, no matter how impossible it sounds to us. Sarah snickered when God said she would birth a son. But he was born and Abraham named him Isaac. Before Isaac was born, Abraham and Sarah made some mistakes. I bring this out because God uses anyone He chooses. Even though you have probably made your share He’ll still use you.

Sarah Decided to Help God

With this couple, we only want to focus on one mistake. Sarah decided they needed to help God by taking things into their own hands. So she came up with a plan that seemed sensible to her. So Sarai said to Abram, “The Lord has prevented me from having children. Go and sleep with my servant. Perhaps I can have children through her.” And Abram agreed with Sarai’s proposal. Genesis 16:2 Hagar, the servant girl did become pregnant which didn’t sit well with Sarah. In fact, Sarah treated her so harshly that she finally ran away. An angel of the Lord found her in the wilderness. The angel told her to go back and submit to her mistress, Sarah. He also told her that she would have a son. Being from Abraham’s seed, he too would have many decedents. But he also said; This son of yours will be a wild man, as untamed as a wild donkey! He will raise his fist against everyone, and everyone will be against him. Yes, he will live in open hostility against all his relatives.” Genesis 16:12 Fourteen years after the birth of Ishmael, Abraham and Sarah had Isaac. When Isaac was about to be weaned, Sarah demanded that Hagar and her son be sent away. Abraham obliged her.

God Tested Abraham's Faith

The scripture says, “Sometime later, God tested Abraham’s faith.” God called out to His servant Abraham and he replied, “Here I am Lord.” “Take your son, your only son—yes, Isaac, whom you love so much—and go to the land of Moriah. Go and sacrifice him as a burnt offering on one of the mountains, which I will show you.” Genesis 22:2 From the time Abraham left home with his wife and nephew, he trusted God. This, however, was the ultimate test of his faith. The Bible does not indicate that his faith wavered at all. The next morning Abraham got up early. He saddled his donkey and took two of his servants with him, along with his son, Isaac. Then he chopped wood for a fire for a burnt offering and set out for the place God had told him about. Genesis 22:3 For three days Abraham, Isaac, and his two servants traveled until he saw the designated place in the distance. “Stay here with the donkey,” Abraham told the servants. “The boy and I will travel a little farther. We will worship there, and then we will come right back.” Genesis 22:5 Abraham’s faith remained as strong as ever. He told the servants that he and Isaac would go and worship together. Then they would both return. They prepared to go and make the sacrifice.

Abraham and Isaac Prepared for the Sacrifice

So Abraham placed the wood for the burnt offering on Isaac’s shoulders, while he himself carried the fire and the knife. As the two of them walked on together. Genesis 22:6 At this point, Isaac had no idea what God had asked his father Abraham to do. We know that because of the question he asked his father. Isaac turned to Abraham and said, “Father?” “Yes, my son?” Abraham replied. “We have the fire and the wood,” the boy said, “but where is the sheep for the burnt offering?” Genesis 22:7 Abraham responded to the inquiry of Isaac with a classic answer. He said, “God will provide a sheep for the burnt offering, my son,” Then they continued to the designated place. When they arrived at the place where God had told him to go, he built an altar and arranged the wood on it. Then Abraham tied his son, Isaac, and laid him on the altar on top of the wood. Genesis 22:9 With his knife drawn back, Abraham was ready to sacrifice his son as the Lord instructed. But at that moment an angel stopped him! “Don’t lay a hand on the boy!” the angel said. “Do not hurt him in any way, for now I know that you truly fear God. You have not withheld from me even your son, your only son.” Genesis 22:12 Abraham Passed the Test I hope you understand that this had nothing to do with the sacrifice of Abraham’s son. It had everything to do with Abraham’s obedience and whether or not he feared the Lord. God knew how Abraham would respond to His request. Now Abraham also confirmed to himself how deep his commitment was to God. As Abraham told Isaac, God did supply the sacrifice. Then Abraham looked up and saw a ram caught by its horns in a thicket. So he took the ram and sacrificed it as a burnt offering in place of his son. Genesis 22:13

How the Abraham and Isaac Story Relates to Us

How does this story of Abraham and Isaac relate to us? As you read through the gospels, take note of how Jesus responded to those who exhibited faith in God. He marveled over them. Faith in the Lord is the foundation of our Christianity. The Apostle Paul referred to Abraham and his faith in the book of Galatians. “Abraham believed God, and God counted him as righteous because of his faith.” So all who put their faith in Christ share the same blessing Abraham received because of his faith. Galatians 3:6,9 Are you ready to share in the same blessing as Abraham? Then base your entire life, everything you have, and everything you are to God. Lord, thank you for sharing with us this story of the faith of Abraham with his son Isaac. May our faith never waver but continually stand firm on our Rock who is Jesus. Check out another related post about Abraham called Abraham Intercedes For Sodom. Read the full article

[nerdygaymormon]

First, thank you so much for the time and effort you put into your blog. Second, on queer issues I've tried to give the LDS Church the benefit of the doubt much as possible — e.g., I've pointed out that the Church was probably leaving Boy Scouts anyway, and that changes in BSA policy may have been instituted to help recoup the losses from LDS withdrawal. But so many times my attempted charity turns out to have been misplaced. It's tiring and hard to be hopeful. (1/2)

(2/2) And I’m not even hoping for solemnization of same-sex marriage here. I’m hoping for some recognition of the difficult position in which the LDS Church puts queer folks (I’m mostly asexual) and some legwork to make our life position more tenable. Any advice for when the journey seems long and there are genuine questions as to whether there’s a place which God for us prepared at the end of the trail, and for when one’s attempted kindness and nuance seem to be in vain?

———————————————————————

First, thank you for that nice compliment! 😊

Second, when it comes to the church and LGBTQ+ topics, it’s a struggle. 

It’s hard to maintain guarded optimism because they now speak better about us, only to have that optimism made to look foolish time and again.

When the apostles speak about queer people, they do so as if none are in the church. I suppose since most leave it’s easy to ignore those still here and assume we’ll soon follow the others who left. 

The few things I’ve heard about queer members, it’s basically just “thou shalt not” without any discussion of how to do so in a healthy way, how to have a meaningful life while being denied the highest blessings of church, what our purpose is, or acknowledging the difficulties of trying to make such a life inside the church work. 

I know they’re aware that these are things we need addressed, they receive and read many letters from LGBTQIA+ members, they just don’t have answers to those things. 

________

In chapter 16 of Genesis, we read about Abram & Sarai. They tried and tried but were unable to get pregnant, which was a problem because it thwarted the promise that Abram would be the father of many nations. 

Sarai had an Egyptian woman named Hagar as a slave/handmaid. She offered Hagar as a second wife to Abram. Hagar became pregnant and tension arose between the two women. Sarai treated Hagar so harshly that Hagar ran away.

An angel appeared to Hagar, heard her side of the story, instructed her to go back and bare her son into the family of Abram & Sarai, and pronounced a blessing “I will multiply thy seed exceedingly, that it shall not be numbered for multitude.”

Hagar called God El Roi, which means “the God who sees me.” This became one of the names or titles for God, along side others like “Lord” and “I Am That I Am.” 

God didn’t solve Hagar’s troubles or fix her master & mistress. But Hagar knew God was aware of her, knew her circumstances, and gave her a blessing equal to Abram’s.

________

I think Abram & Sarai thought of God as blessing them, that God was all about their family–husband & wife and children. They didn’t see this single woman as equal, as being seen & blessed by God. Yet Hagar had an angelic visitation and her own magnificent blessing.  

El Roi is our God, we are seen, we are known, we are loved. Hagar’s life was still hard. In fact, later in the story she & her son get left in the desert by Abram & Sarai but God rescues them. 

Being LGBTQIA+ and LDS is not easy. We’re like Hagar who is treated harshly by Sarai as Abram stands by. There’s not many options for Hagar. 

There were times when she was told to stay and deal with the abuse but try to get along and make things better. There was a time to run away into the wilderness and keep herself safe. There was a time when she is abandoned in the desert by her “family” but God didn’t abandon her and she goes on to settle elsewhere.

________

I don’t know what “the end of the trail” looks like, but I’m confident that El Roi sees us, knows us, and blesses us. 

[tdowning79]

Read: Genesis 16:7–15 SOAP: Genesis 16:13 So Hagar named the LORD who spoke to her, “You are the God who sees me,” for she said, “Here I have seen one who sees me!” When Abram and Sarai could not see another way for God’s promises to be fulfilled, they used Hagar as a means for Abram to have a son. When Hagar became pregnant, Sarai despised Hagar and treated her harshly.  Hagar was in great need of help and hope. She ran away and God met her in the wilderness. When Hagar fled from mistreatment, God saw her. Hagar believed God was who He said He was and would do what He said He would do. Hagar’s faith in her moment of desperation was the kind of faith God desires from His people.  Hagar displayed her faith in the way she spoke to God. Hagar named God El Roi, meaning, “You are the God who sees me.” She believed God saw her and would continue to see her in any circumstance, no matter what. Hagar is the first person recorded in Scripture to name God. Her name for God communicated her hope and trust in God’s character and provision for her, a foreigner. God’s care and provision for Hagar in the desert shows His care and love for the foreigner, a theme we will see continue to show up in Genesis.  God gave Abram a great promise, and the promise was to come through Sarai. She would be the mother of the promised heir. Here, when God met Hagar in the desert, God also gave Hagar a promise as another bearer of Abram’s seed. God promised to multiply Hagar’s descendants and to care for her in the midst of a difficult circumstance.  Hagar is an unlikely example of faith, especially in the same story as Abram and Sarai. While Sarai sought to do things by her own strength, Hagar cried out to God. We are reminded that God does see our distress and our affliction and He answers our cries. While Sarai and Abram, in this instance, were not good examples of crying out to God in distress, Hagar, a foreigner, and a servant, gives us an example of how to lay our needs before the Lord with an expectant heart.  Prayer You are the God who sees me. I believe You will care for me in my distress. Lord, today I lay my burdens before You. I cry out to You, as Hagar did in the... https://www.instagram.com/p/CgMeANyO5hJ/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[dailychapel]

Dear God, Some days feel too hard. We’re hurting. Struggling. Fighting fear and worry at every turn. Thank you in the midst of it all, you haven’t left us to fend for ourselves. Forgive us for doubting you are there. Forgive us for thinking you’ve forgotten. Forgive us for believing we somehow know the better way.

You are fully trustworthy. You are All-Powerful. You are Able. You are Lord over every situation no matter how difficult it may seem. You are Healer and will never waste the grief we carry today. You will use all things for good in some way. Anything is possible with you. Nothing is too difficult for you.

We pray for those who grieve today. We ask for your comfort to surround those who weep. We pray for the peace of your presence to cover our minds and thoughts, as you remind us, the enemy can never steal us out of your hands. He never has the final say over our lives. We are kept safe in your presence forever, whether in life or in death.

We thank you that your ways are higher than our ways and your thoughts are bigger than our thoughts.

We lay it all down at your feet, every burden, every care. Believing that is the safest place for it to be.

We love you, Lord, we need your fresh grace. In the Powerful Name of Jesus, Amen. (Debbie McDaniel)

[Psa 38:15-22 NLT] 15 For I am waiting for you, O LORD. You must answer for me, O Lord my God. 16 I prayed, "Don't let my enemies gloat over me or rejoice at my downfall." 17 I am on the verge of collapse, facing constant pain. 18 But I confess my sins; I am deeply sorry for what I have done. 19 I have many aggressive enemies; they hate me without reason. 20 They repay me evil for good and oppose me for pursuing good. 21 Do not abandon me, O LORD. Do not stand at a distance, my God. 22 Come quickly to help me, O Lord my savior.

[Gen 16:1-16 NLT] 1 Now Sarai, Abram's wife, had not been able to bear children for him. But she had an Egyptian servant named Hagar. 2 So Sarai said to Abram, "The LORD has prevented me from having children. Go and sleep with my servant. Perhaps I can have children through her." And Abram agreed with Sarai's proposal. 3 So Sarai, Abram's wife, took Hagar the Egyptian servant and gave her to Abram as a wife. (This happened ten years after Abram had settled in the land of Canaan.) 4 So Abram had sexual relations with Hagar, and she became pregnant. But when Hagar knew she was pregnant, she began to treat her mistress, Sarai, with contempt. 5 Then Sarai said to Abram, "This is all your fault! I put my servant into your arms, but now that she's pregnant she treats me with contempt. The LORD will show who's wrong--you or me!" 6 Abram replied, "Look, she is your servant, so deal with her as you see fit." Then Sarai treated Hagar so harshly that she finally ran away. 7 The angel of the LORD found Hagar beside a spring of water in the wilderness, along the road to Shur. 8 The angel said to her, "Hagar, Sarai's servant, where have you come from, and where are you going?" "I'm running away from my mistress, Sarai," she replied. 9 The angel of the LORD said to her, "Return to your mistress, and submit to her authority." 10 Then he added, "I will give you more descendants than you can count." 11 And the angel also said, "You are now pregnant and will give birth to a son. You are to name him Ishmael (which means 'God hears'), for the LORD has heard your cry of distress. 12 This son of yours will be a wild man, as untamed as a wild donkey! He will raise his fist against everyone, and everyone will be against him. Yes, he will live in open hostility against all his relatives." 13 Thereafter, Hagar used another name to refer to the LORD, who had spoken to her. She said, "You are the God who sees me." She also said, "Have I truly seen the One who sees me?" 14 So that well was named Beer-lahai-roi (which means "well of the Living One who sees me"). It can still be found between Kadesh and Bered. 15 So Hagar gave Abram a son, and Abram named him Ishmael. 16 Abram was eighty-six years old when Ishmael was born.

[Luk 9:23-26 NLT] 23 Then he said to the crowd, "If any of you wants to be my follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross daily, and follow me. 24 If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it. 25 And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but are yourself lost or destroyed? 26 If anyone is ashamed of me and my message, the Son of Man will be ashamed of that person when he returns in his glory and in the glory of the Father and the holy angels.

Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen.

Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.

[madewithonerib]

What should we do when there is a gap between our expectations and GOD’s timing? APRIL 27, 2020

The more quickly our society moves, the more we expect immediate results. Why should we have to wait when information is instantly available on our phones or computers, food is only a few clicks away, movies stream directly to our homes, &

we can purchase whatever we want now and pay later?

We love the convenience of a world geared toward our busy schedules & desires.

However, GOD doesn’t work this way.

When we bring our needs to the LORD in prayer or read a promise in HIS WORD, we often expect HIM to answer right away.

And if a situation remains unchanged or a promise unfulfilled, we become confused & wonder why GOD isn’t doing anything.

However, the real issue isn’t whether HE is active, but whether we’re willing to trust HIM when HE’s not responding as we anticipate.

We’ve all experienced this—when there is a gap between our expectation & GOD’s timing.

It may seem as if HE has left us to figure out life on our own, but that is not the case at all.

HE never abandons HIS children and is always working for our good—even if we can’t understand exactly what HE’s up to.

From our perspective, it seems HE’s doing nothing, but we misunderstand the LORD’s ultimate purpose & fail to see all HE’s accomplishing in the meantime.

How we respond is vitally important.

I’m sure we’ve all felt the temptation to help GOD out by manipulating the circumstances.

This was certainly the case with Abram & Sarai in Genesis 16. When Abram was 75, the LORD promised to make him into a great nation [Genesis 12:1-4].

Even though he & Sarai had been unable to have children, GOD promised him a son & descendants as innumerable as the stars of heaven [Genesis 15:1-6].

However, 10 years after the promise was given, the couple still had no child.

To make matters worse, they were getting older.

The situation looked dire, so Sarai stepped in with a solution. Her attempt to help GOD out sheds light on some common mistakes we ourselves make when our confidence in GOD’s promises begins to wane.

Sarai became impatient with GOD.

A sense of urgency grew with the passing of the years. “So Sarai sad to Abram,

‘Now behold, the LORD has prevented me from bearing children’” [Genesis 16:2]

She had probably expected GOD to remove her barren condition immediately after giving them the promise of a child, but HE didn’t.

And now it was too late for her to have a baby.

Surely, she assumed, GOD was expecting them to do something about the situation.

Isn’t that the way we often think?

But if we seriously consider who GOD is, we’ll see how ludicrous our assumption is.

The LORD who created time is the One who controls & uses it to achieve HIS purposes.

Our perfectly faithful GOD formed these plans long ago, & no one can frustrate them [Isaiah 25:1; Isaiah 14:27]

HE needed no help from Sarai, & HE needs no help from us.

What our FATHER desires of us is submission to HIS ways and patient perseverance as we wait for HIS perfect timing.

Sarai let the culture influence her thinking. As she thought about the dilemma, Sarai followed the cultural norms of her day instead of waiting for the Lord. Infertility was a shame and reproach in the ancient Middle East, and one of the ways a woman overcame this dishonor was by giving her husband a slave girl to bear his child. Once the baby was born, the wife became the legal mother, and the disgrace was removed.

Although our situations may be different, we too can be guilty of trying to achieve God’s will through worldly means. This often comes about when we let other people influence us with their opinions. However, we cannot walk in the ways of God and take our cues from what everyone else is doing—and that includes even well-meaning Christians who lack discernment and follow cultural norms. We must be careful not to let our desire for an immediate solution overpower our confidence in God’s faithfulness and His wisdom to move at the proper time.

That’s why it’s important to become knowledgeable about the BIBLE—then we can spot ideas contrary to GOD’s WORD.

Romans 12:2 puts it this way:

“Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of GOD is, that which is good & acceptable and perfect.”

Sarai suggested a logical, pragmatic solution.

Since she had an Egyptian maid named Hagar, Sarai told Abram, “Please go in to my maid; perhaps I shall obtain children through her” [Genesis 16:2].

It must have seemed like the most reasonable way to approach the problem of their childlessness.

Furthermore, it worked.

Abram did what Sarai suggested, and Hagar conceived [Genesis16:4]

However, not everything that works is necessarily right; success doesn’t guarantee that GOD is in it.

HE ordains not only the outcome but also the means by which HE achieves it.

The time for the birth of the promised son had not yet arrived, & the mother GOD had chosen for this baby was Sarai, not Hagar [Genesis 18:10].

So, though Abram & Sarai jumped ahead of the LORD & got the son they wanted, he wasn’t the son who was promised.

Too often this is exactly what happens to us when we try to help GOD answer our prayers or fulfill HIS promises.

We may come up with our desired outcome, but it’s not from the LORD. All we’ve done is settle for less than HIS best, & like Abram & Sarai,

we will eventually have to deal with the consequences of our choice.

      Whenever we fill the space       between our expectations       & GOD’s perfect timing,       trouble follows.

Abram & Sarai’s technique for building their family resulted in conflict. After Hagar conceived, she despised her mistress.

Sarai responded by blaming her husband & treating Hagar harshly [Genesis 16:4-6].

Eventually, more conflict arose between Hagar’s son Ishmael & the promised son Isaac, whom Sarah miraculously bore 14 years later [Genesis 21:1-10].

And, sadly, this animosity continues to the present day.

We must recognize the root problem.

Whenever we are impatient with the LORD, we are displaying a lack of trust.

Yet such doubts are unfounded when we consider HIS character.

The LORD is infinitely beyond us in knowledge, wisdom, & power. HE is also sovereign over every circumstance in our life & is never wrong in HIS dealings for us—neither in what HE chooses nor in how & when HE brings it to pass.

In other words, the LORD is worthy of our trust, patience, & obedience. So let’s wait for HIM when HE delays, knowing that HE always keeps HIS WORD & has promised to provide all our needs.

REFLECT

It’s easy to see the folly of Abram & Sarai’s action, but when you’re in the midst of an urgent situation, you may not recognize that you are doing the same thing—getting ahead of GOD.

Have you ever become impatient with the LORD when HE didn’t answer your prayer request as soon as you wanted?

If a need is pressing, it’s difficult to take your eyes off the situation & focus on what you know to be true about GOD, but this is the only way to have peace in the midst of trouble, pain, or hardship.

Let’s wait for GOD when HE delays, knowing that HE always keeps HIS WORD & has promised to provide all our needs.

Think about a situation in the past when GOD didn’t respond as quickly as you expected.

Did you try to help HIM out in some way?

This can be hard to determine because waiting on GOD doesn’t always mean doing nothing.

For instance, if you are praying for a job, GOD expects you to look for one instead of simply sitting back & waiting for it to fall into your lap.

In issues not addressed in SCRIPTURE, we must trust in the HOLY SPIRIT’s guidance as HE opens & closes doors.

However, we don’t want to move ahead without HIM.

Another problem you might face involves relying on guidance from sources other than GOD.

Are you more accepting of cultural expectations or people’s advice than you are of GOD’s will as revealed in HIS WORD?

Learning to think biblically takes time, it’s worth every sacrifice you may have to make.

PRAY

Heavenly FATHER, YOU alone are wise & faithful. Make me know YOUR ways, teach me YOUR paths, & lead me in YOUR truth. For YOU are the GOD of my salvation, & for YOU I wait all the day [Psalm 25:4-5].

Give me the grace to trust YOU more.

I thank & praise YOU for answering prayer and keeping YOUR promises. In JESUS Name, Amen.

MEDITATE

Psalm 33:18-22

Psalm 62:5-8

Proverbs 16:9

Isaiah 46:9-10

Isaiah 55:8-11

PRACTICE

Although you can’t go back and correct the consequences of not waiting upon the LORD, you can begin today to make changes that will protect you from making similar mistakes.

When you are tempted to become impatient with the LORD, try reading a book of Psalms to remind yourself who HE is. Focus on HIS attributes, then ask yourself, WHO is more capable of determining the right time & manner of handling my situation —me or GOD?

Ask the LORD to show you any ways that your thinking, instead of being shaped by GOD’s WORD, has begun to align more with the world’s logic. Remember, just because it works does not necessarily mean it’s from the LORD.

Photograph by Grant Legassick Devotion by Charles F. Stanley

intouchcanada.org/read/magazine/the-pulpit/when-god-doesnt-move?utm_content=1593029145&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook,linkedin,twitter

[kgriffin37]

Abram replied, “Look, she is your servant, so deal with her as you see fit.”

Then Sarai treated Hagar so harshly that she finally ran away.

Genesis 16:6 NLT

https://bible.com/bible/116/gen.16.6.NLT

[sylvia0138-blog]

「Abram replied, “Look, she is your servant, so deal with her as you see fit.” Then Sarai treated Hagar so harshly that she finally ran away.」 ‭‭Genesis‬ ‭16:6‬ ‭NLT‬‬ http://bible.com/116/gen.16.6.nlt https://www.instagram.com/p/BsHeUYzB9TQ/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=115c52y0q20fc

[kelcikrokks]

#dailydevotion #Joy #Love #Jesus #superstar Psalm 37:1-9 (NASB) Security of Those Who Trust in the Lord, and Insecurity of the Wicked. A Psalm of David. 37 Do not fret because of evildoers, Be not envious toward wrongdoers. 2 For they will wither quickly like the grass And fade like the green herb. 3 Trust in the Lord and do good; Dwell in the land and [a]cultivate faithfulness. 4 Delight yourself in the Lord; And He will give you the desires of your heart. 5 Commit your way to the Lord, Trust also in Him, and He will do it. 6 He will bring forth your righteousness as the lightAnd your judgment as the noonday. 7 Rest in the Lord and wait [c]patiently for Him;Do not fret because of him who prospers in his way,Because of the man who carries out wicked schemes. 8 Cease from anger and forsake wrath; Do not fret; it leads only to evildoing. 9 For evildoers will be cut off, But those who wait for the Lord, they will inherit the land.” Genesis 16:1-6 (NASB) Sarai and Hagar 16 Now Sarai, Abram’s wife had borne him no children, and she had an Egyptian maid whose name was Hagar. 2 So Sarai said to Abram, “Now behold, the Lord has prevented me from bearing children. Please go in to my maid; perhaps I will obtain children through her.” And Abram listened to the voice of Sarai. 3 After Abram had lived ten years in the land of Canaan, Abram’s wife Sarai took Hagar the Egyptian, her maid, and gave her to her husband Abram as his wife. 4 He went in to Hagar, and she conceived; and when she saw that she had conceived, her mistress was despised in her sight. 5 And Sarai said to Abram, “May the wrong done me be upon you. I gave my maid into your arms, but when she saw that she had conceived, I was despised in her sight. May the Lord judge between you and me.” 6 But Abram said to Sarai, “Behold, your maid is in your power; do to her what is good in your sight.” So Sarai treated her harshly, and she fled from her presence.” Genesis 27:1-43 New American Standard Bible (NASB) Jacob’s Deception 27 Now it came about, when Isaac was old and his eyes were too dim to see, that he called his older son Esau and said to him, “My son.” And he said to him, “Here I am.” 2 [a]Isaac said, “Be

[christiannetsa-blog]

The Illusion of Control

The Illusion of Control

After Abraham and Sarah use Hagar, Sarah’s maidservant, to conceive a son, it doesn’t take long before conflict arises. One day, it went too far. In response to Hagar’s disrespect, “Then Sarai treated Hagar so harshly that she finally ran away.” (Genesis 16:6 NLT) Poor Hagar. Taken into a man’s chamber, but never into his heart; released by her mistress, but never set free. When Hagar realized…

[christianitywithouttheinsanity]

Genesis 16-18; Mark 6

Discuss in the comments section.

The following text is from the New American Standard Bible. Occasionally we will rotate the translations just to have some variety.

Genesis 16-18

Now Sarai, Abram’s wife had borne him no children, and she had an Egyptian maid whose name was Hagar. 2 So Sarai said to Abram, “Now behold, the Lord has prevented me from bearing children. Please go in to my maid; perhaps I will [a]obtain children through her.” And Abram listened to the voice of Sarai. 3 After Abram had [b]lived ten years in the land of Canaan, Abram’s wife Sarai took Hagar the Egyptian, her maid, and gave her to her husband Abram as his wife. 4 He went in to Hagar, and she conceived; and when she saw that she had conceived, her mistress was despised in her sight. 5 And Sarai said to Abram, “May the wrong done me be upon you. I gave my maid into your [c]arms, but when she saw that she had conceived, I was despised in her [d]sight. May the Lord judge between [e]you and me.” 6 But Abram said to Sarai, “Behold, your maid is in your [f]power; do to her what is good in your [g]sight.” So Sarai treated her harshly, and she fled from her presence.

7 Now the angel of the Lord found her by a spring of water in the wilderness, by the spring on the way to Shur. 8 He said, “Hagar, Sarai’s maid, where have you come from and where are you going?” And she said, “I am fleeing from the presence of my mistress Sarai.” 9 Then the angel of the Lord said to her, “Return to your mistress, and submit yourself [h]to her authority.” 10 Moreover, the angel of the Lord said to her, “I will greatly multiply your [i]descendants so that [j]they will be too many to count.” 11 The angel of the Lord said to her further,

“Behold, you are with child, And you will bear a son; And you shall call his name [k]Ishmael, Because the Lord [l]has given heed to your affliction. 12 “He will be a wild donkey of a man, His hand will be against everyone, And everyone’s hand will be against him; And he will [m]live [n]to the east of all his brothers.”

13 Then she called the name of the Lord who spoke to her, “[o]You are [p]a God who sees”; for she said, “Have I even [q]remained alive here after seeing Him?” 14 Therefore the well was called [r]Beer-lahai-roi; behold, it is between Kadesh and Bered.

15 So Hagar bore Abram a son; and Abram called the name of his son, whom Hagar bore, Ishmael. 16 Abram was eighty-six years old when Hagar bore Ishmael to [s]him.

Abraham and the Covenant of Circumcision

17 Now when Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord appeared to Abram and said to him,

“I am [t]God Almighty; Walk before Me, and be [u]blameless. 2 “I will [v]establish My covenant between Me and you, And I will multiply you exceedingly.”

3 Abram fell on his face, and God talked with him, saying,

4 “As for Me, behold, My covenant is with you, And you will be the father of a multitude of nations. 5 “No longer shall your name be called [w]Abram, But your name shall be [x]Abraham; For I have made you the father of a multitude of nations.

6 I will make you exceedingly fruitful, and I will make nations of you, and kings will come forth from you. 7 I will establish My covenant between Me and you and your [y]descendants after you throughout their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and to your [z]descendants after you. 8 I will give to you and to your [aa]descendants after you, the land of your sojournings, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession; and I will be their God.”

9 God said further to Abraham, “Now as for you, you shall keep My covenant, you and your [ab]descendants after you throughout their generations. 10 This is My covenant, which you shall keep, between Me and you and your [ac]descendants after you: every male among you shall be circumcised. 11 And you shall be circumcised in the flesh of your foreskin, and it shall be the sign of the covenant between Me and you.12 And every male among you who is eight days old shall be circumcised throughout your generations, a servant who is born in the house or who is bought with money from any foreigner, who is not of your [ad]descendants. 13 A servant who is born in your house or who is bought with your money shall surely be circumcised; thus shall My covenant be in your flesh for an everlasting covenant. 14 But an uncircumcised male who is not circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin, that person shall be cut off from his people; he has broken My covenant.”

15 Then God said to Abraham, “As for Sarai your wife, you shall not call her name Sarai, but [ae]Sarah shall be her name. 16 I will bless her, and indeed I will give you a son by her. Then I will bless her, and she shall be a mother of nations; kings of peoples will [af]come from her.” 17 Then Abraham fell on his face and laughed, and said in his heart, “Will a child be born to a man one hundred years old? And will Sarah, who is ninety years old, bear a child?” 18 And Abraham said to God, “Oh that Ishmael might live before You!” 19 But God said, “No, but Sarah your wife will bear you a son, and you shall call his name [ag]Isaac; and I will establish My covenant with him for an everlasting covenant for his [ah]descendants after him. 20 As for Ishmael, I have heard you; behold, I will bless him, and will make him fruitful and will multiply him exceedingly. He shall [ai]become the father of twelve princes, and I will make him a great nation. 21 But My covenant I will establish with Isaac, whom Sarah will bear to you at this season next year.” 22 When He finished talking with him, God went up from Abraham.

23 Then Abraham took Ishmael his son, and all the servants who were born in his house and all who were bought with his money, every male among the men of Abraham’s household, and circumcised the flesh of their foreskin in the very same day, as God had said to him. 24 Now Abraham was ninety-nine years old when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin. 25 And Ishmael his son was thirteen years old when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin. 26 In the very same day Abraham was circumcised, and Ishmael his son. 27 All the men of his household, who were born in the house or bought with money from a foreigner, were circumcised with him.

Birth of Isaac Promised

18 Now the Lord appeared to him by the [aj]oaks of Mamre, while he was sitting at the tent door in the heat of the day. 2 When he lifted up his eyes and looked, behold, three men were standing opposite him; and when he saw them, he ran from the tent door to meet them and bowed himself to the earth, 3 and said, “[ak]My Lord, if now I have found favor in Your sight, please do not [al]pass Your servant by. 4 Please let a little water be brought and wash your feet, and [am]rest yourselves under the tree; 5 and I will [an]bring a piece of bread, that you may [ao]refresh yourselves; after that you may go on, since you have [ap]visited your servant.” And they said, “So do, as you have said.” 6 So Abraham hurried into the tent to Sarah, and said, “[aq]Quickly, prepare three [ar]measures of fine flour, knead it and make bread cakes.” 7 Abraham also ran to the herd, and took a tender and [as]choice calf and gave it to the servant, and he hurried to prepare it. 8 He took curds and milk and the calf which he had prepared, and placed it before them; and he was standing by them under the tree [at]as they ate.

9 Then they said to him, “Where is Sarah your wife?” And he said, “There, in the tent.” 10 He said, “I will surely return to you [au]at this time next year; and behold, Sarah your wife will have a son.” And Sarah was listening at the tent door, which was behind him. 11 Now Abraham and Sarah were old, advanced in age; Sarah was past [av]childbearing.12 Sarah laughed [aw]to herself, saying, “After I have become old, shall I have pleasure, my lord being old also?” 13 And the Lord said to Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh, saying, ‘Shall I indeed [ax]bear a child, when I am so old?’ 14 Is anything too [ay]difficult for the Lord? At the appointed time I will return to you, [az]at this time next year, and Sarah will have a son.” 15 Sarah denied it however, saying, “I did not laugh”; for she was afraid. And He said, “No, but you did laugh.”

16 Then the men rose up from there, and looked down toward Sodom; and Abraham was walking with them to send them off. 17 The Lord said, “Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do, 18 since Abraham will surely become a great and [ba]mighty nation, and in him all the nations of the earth will be blessed? 19 For I have [bb]chosen him, so that he may command his children and his household after him to keep the way of the Lord by doing righteousness and justice, so that the Lord may bring upon Abraham what He has spoken about him.” 20 And the Lord said, “The outcry of Sodom and Gomorrah is indeed great, and their sin is exceedingly grave. 21 I will go down now, and see if they have done entirely according to its outcry, which has come to Me; and if not, I will know.”

22 Then the men turned away from there and went toward Sodom, while Abraham was still standing before the Lord. 23 Abraham came near and said, “Will You indeed sweep away the righteous with the wicked?24 Suppose there are fifty righteous within the city; will You indeed sweep it away and not [bc]spare the place for the sake of the fifty righteous who are in it? 25 Far be it from You to do [bd]such a thing, to slay the righteous with the wicked, so that the righteous and the wicked are treated alike. Far be it from You! Shall not the Judge of all the earth [be]deal justly?”26 So the Lord said, “If I find in Sodom fifty righteous within the city, then I will [bf]spare the whole place on their account.” 27 And Abraham replied, “Now behold, I have [bg]ventured to speak to the Lord, although I am but dust and ashes. 28 Suppose the fifty righteous are lacking five, will You destroy the whole city because of five?” And He said, “I will not destroy it if I find forty-five there.” 29 He spoke to Him yet again and said, “Suppose forty are found there?” And He said, “I will not do it on account of the forty.” 30 Then he said, “Oh may the Lord not be angry, and I shall speak; suppose thirty are found there?” And He said, “I will not do it if I find thirty there.” 31 And he said, “Now behold, I have [bh]ventured to speak to the Lord; suppose twenty are found there?” And He said, “I will not destroy it on account of the twenty.” 32 Then he said, “Oh may the Lord not be angry, and I shall speak only this once; suppose ten are found there?” And He said, “I will not destroy it on account of the ten.” 33 As soon as He had finished speaking to Abraham the Lord departed, and Abraham returned to his place.

Mark 6

Jesus went out from there and *came into [a]His hometown; and His disciples *followed Him. 2 When the Sabbath came, He began to teach in the synagogue; and the many listeners were astonished, saying, “Where did this man get these things, and what is this wisdom given to Him, and such [b]miracles as these performed by His hands? 3 Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary, and brother of [c]James and Joses and Judas and Simon? Are not His sisters here with us?” And they took offense at Him. 4 Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in [d]his hometown and among his own relatives and in his own household.”5 And He could do no [e]miracle there except that He laid His hands on a few sick people and healed them. 6 And He wondered at their unbelief.

And He was going around the villages teaching.

The Twelve Sent Out

7 And He *summoned the twelve and began to send them out in pairs, and gave them authority over the unclean spirits; 8 and He instructed them that they should take nothing for their journey, except a mere staff—no bread, no [f]bag, no money in their belt— 9 but [g]to wear sandals; and He added, “Do not put on two [h]tunics.” 10 And He said to them, “Wherever you enter a house, stay there until you [i]leave town. 11 Any place that does not receive you or listen to you, as you go out from there, shake the dust [j]off the soles of your feet for a testimony against them.” 12 They went out and [k]preached that men should repent. 13 And they were casting out many demons and were anointing with oil many sick people and healing them.

John’s Fate Recalled

14 And King Herod heard of it, for His name had become well known; and people were saying, “John the Baptist has risen from the dead, and that is why these miraculous powers are at work in Him.” 15 But others were saying, “He is Elijah.” And others were saying, “He is a prophet, like one of the prophets of old.” 16 But when Herod heard of it, he kept saying, “John, whom I beheaded, has risen!”

17 For Herod himself had sent and had John arrested and bound in prison on account of Herodias, the wife of his brother Philip, because he had married her. 18 For John had been saying to Herod, “It is not lawful for you to have your brother’s wife.” 19 Herodias had a grudge against him and wanted to put him to death and could not do so; 20 for Herod was afraid of John, knowing that he was a righteous and holy man, and he kept him safe. And when he heard him, he was very perplexed; [l]but he [m]used to enjoy listening to him. 21 A strategic day came when Herod on his birthday gave a banquet for his lords and [n]military commanders and the leading men of Galilee; 22 and when the daughter of Herodias herself came in and danced, she pleased Herod and [o]his dinner guests; and the king said to the girl, “Ask me for whatever you want and I will give it to you.” 23 And he swore to her, “Whatever you ask of me, I will give it to you; up to half of my kingdom.” 24 And she went out and said to her mother, “What shall I ask for?” And she said, “The head of John the Baptist.” 25 Immediately she came in a hurry to the king and asked, saying, “I want you to give me at once the head of John the Baptist on a platter.” 26 And although the king was very sorry, yet because of his oaths and because of [p]his dinner guests, he was unwilling to refuse her.27 Immediately the king sent an executioner and commanded him to bring back his head. And he went and had him beheaded in the prison,28 and brought his head on a platter, and gave it to the girl; and the girl gave it to her mother. 29 When his disciples heard about this, they came and took away his body and laid it in a tomb.

30 The apostles *gathered together with Jesus; and they reported to Him all that they had done and taught. 31 And He *said to them, “Come away by yourselves to a secluded place and rest a while.” (For there were many people coming and going, and they did not even have time to eat.) 32 They went away in the boat to a secluded place by themselves.

Five Thousand Fed

33 The people saw them going, and many recognized them and ran there together on foot from all the cities, and got there ahead of them.34 When Jesus went [q]ashore, He saw a large crowd, and He felt compassion for them because they were like sheep without a shepherd; and He began to teach them many things. 35 When it was already quite late, His disciples came to Him and said, “[r]This place is desolate and it is already quite late; 36 send them away so that they may go into the surrounding countryside and villages and buy themselves [s]something to eat.” 37 But He answered them, “You give them something to eat!” And they *said to Him, “Shall we go and spend two hundred [t]denarii on bread and give them something to eat?” 38 And He *said to them, “How many loaves do you have? Go look!” And when they found out, they *said, “Five, and two fish.” 39 And He commanded them all to [u]sit down by groups on the green grass. 40 They [v]sat down in groups of hundreds and of fifties. 41 And He took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up toward heaven, He blessed the food and broke the loaves and He kept giving them to the disciples to set before them; and He divided up the two fish among them all. 42 They all ate and were satisfied, 43 and they picked up twelve full baskets of the broken pieces, and also of the fish. 44 There were five thousand men who ate the loaves.

Jesus Walks on the Water

45 Immediately Jesus made His disciples get into the boat and go ahead of Him to the other side to Bethsaida, while He Himself was sending the crowd away. 46 After bidding them farewell, He left for the mountain to pray.

47 When it was evening, the boat was in the middle of the sea, and He was alone on the land. 48 Seeing them [w]straining at the oars, for the wind was against them, at about the [x]fourth watch of the night He *came to them, walking on the sea; and He intended to pass by them.49 But when they saw Him walking on the sea, they supposed that it was a ghost, and cried out; 50 for they all saw Him and were [y]terrified. But immediately He spoke with them and *said to them, “Take courage; it is I, do not be afraid.” 51 Then He got into the boat with them, and the wind stopped; and they were utterly astonished, 52 for they [z]had not gained any insight from the incident of the loaves, but [aa]their heart was hardened.

Healing at Gennesaret

53 When they had crossed over they came to land at Gennesaret, and moored to the shore. 54 When they got out of the boat, immediately the people recognized Him, 55 and ran about that whole country and began to carry here and there on their pallets those who were sick, to [ab]the place they heard He was. 56 Wherever He entered villages, or cities, or countryside, they were laying the sick in the market places, and imploring Him that they might just touch the fringe of His cloak; and as many as touched it were being cured.

The reading plan I’ve chosen is from Bible Class Material and it’s a 5 day plan, with weekend days to catch up or get ahead or just take a break!

http://ift.tt/2hfNLzf

[dailybiblelessons]

Monday: Reflection on the Twelfth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Revised Common Lectionary Proper 7 Roman Catholic Proper 12

Complementary Hebrew Scripture: Micah 7:1-7

Woe is me!  For I have become like one who,   after the summer fruit has been gathered,   after the vintage has been gleaned,   finds no cluster to eat;  there is no first-ripe fig for which I hunger. The faithful have disappeared from the land,  and there is no one left who is upright;  they all lie in wait for blood,  and they hunt each other with nets. Their hands are skilled to do evil;  the official and the judge ask for a bribe,  and the powerful dictate what they desire;  thus they pervert justice. The best of them is like a brier,  the most upright of them a thorn hedge. The day of their sentinels,  of their punishment, has come;  now their confusion is at hand. Put no trust in a friend,  have no confidence in a loved one;  guard the doors of your mouth  from her who lies in your embrace; for the son treats the father with contempt,  the daughter rises up against her mother,  the daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law;  your enemies are members of your own household. But as for me,  I will look to the LORD,  I will wait for the God of my salvation;  my God will hear me.

Semi-continuous Hebrew Scripture: Genesis 16:1-15

Now Sarai, Abram's wife, bore him no children. She had an Egyptian slave-girl whose name was Hagar, and Sarai said to Abram, “You see that the LORD has prevented me from bearing children; go in to my slave-girl; it may be that I shall obtain children by her.” And Abram listened to the voice of Sarai. So, after Abram had lived ten years in the land of Canaan, Sarai, Abram's wife, took Hagar the Egyptian, her slave-girl, and gave her to her husband Abram as a wife. He went in to Hagar, and she conceived; and when she saw that she had conceived, she looked with contempt on her mistress. Then Sarai said to Abram, “May the wrong done to me be on you! I gave my slave-girl to your embrace, and when she saw that she had conceived, she looked on me with contempt. May the LORD judge between you and me!” But Abram said to Sarai, “Your slave-girl is in your power; do to her as you please.” Then Sarai dealt harshly with her, and she ran away from her.

The angel of the LORD found her by a spring of water in the wilderness, the spring on the way to Shur. And he said, “Hagar, slave-girl of Sarai, where have you come from and where are you going?” She said, “I am running away from my mistress Sarai.” The angel of the LORD said to her, “Return to your mistress, and submit to her.” The angel of the LORD also said to her, “I will so greatly multiply your offspring that they cannot be counted for multitude.” And the angel of the LORD said to her,

“Now you have conceived  and shall bear a son;  you shall call him Ishmael,  for the LORD has given heed  to your affliction. He shall be a wild ass of a man,  with his hand against everyone,  and everyone's hand against him;  and he shall live at odds with all his kin.”

So she named the LORD who spoke to her, “You are El-roi” ; for she said, “Have I really seen God and remained alive after seeing him?” Therefore the well was called Beer-lahai-roi; it lies between Kadesh and Bered. Hagar bore Abram a son; and Abram named his son, whom Hagar bore, Ishmael.

Complementary Psalm 6

O Lord, do not rebuke me in your anger,  or discipline me in your wrath. Be gracious to me, O Lord, for I am languishing;  O Lord, heal me,  for my bones are shaking with terror. My soul also is struck with terror,  while you, O Lord—how long?

Turn, O Lord, save my life;  deliver me for the sake of your steadfast love. For in death there is no remembrance of you;  in Sheol who can give you praise?

I am weary with my moaning;  every night I flood my bed with tears;  I drench my couch with my weeping. My eyes waste away because of grief;  they grow weak because of all my foes.

Depart from me, all you workers of evil,  for the Lord has heard the sound of my weeping. The Lord has heard my supplication;  the Lord accepts my prayer. All my enemies shall be ashamed  and struck with terror;  they shall turn back,  and in a moment be put to shame.

Semi-continuous Psalm 86:11-17

Teach me your way, O Lord,  that I may walk in your truth;  give me an undivided heart to revere your name. I give thanks to you, O Lord my God,  with my whole heart,  and I will glorify your name forever. For great is your steadfast love toward me;  you have delivered my soul  from the depths of Sheol.

O God, the insolent rise up against me;  a band of ruffians seeks my life,  and they do not set you before them. But you, O Lord, are a God merciful and gracious,  slow to anger  and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness. Turn to me and be gracious to me;  give your strength to your servant;  save the child of your serving girl. Show me a sign of your favor,  so that those who hate me may see it  and be put to shame,  because you, Lord, have helped me  and comforted me.

New Testament Lesson: Revelation 2:1-7

“To the angel of the church in Ephesus write: These are the words of him who holds the seven stars in his right hand, who walks among the seven golden lampstands:

“I know your works, your toil and your patient endurance. I know that you cannot tolerate evildoers; you have tested those who claim to be apostles but are not, and have found them to be false. I also know that you are enduring patiently and bearing up for the sake of my name, and that you have not grown weary. But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first. Remember then from what you have fallen; repent, and do the works you did at first. If not, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place, unless you repent. Yet this is to your credit: you hate the works of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate. Let anyone who has an ear listen to what the Spirit is saying to the churches. To everyone who conquers, I will give permission to eat from the tree of life that is in the paradise of God.”

Year A Ordinary 12, RCL Proper 7, Catholic Proper 12 Monday

Bible verses from The New Revised Standard Version, copyright 1989 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All right reserved. Selections from Revised Common Lectionary Daily Readings, copyright 1985 by Consultation on Common Texts. Image Credit: The Tree of Life, a public domain image, was downloaded from Pixabay.

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Genesis 16New Living Translation (NLT) The Birth of Ishmael 16 Now Sarai, Abram’s wife, had not been able to bear children for him. But she had an Egyptian servant named Hagar. 2 So Sarai said to Abram, “The Lord has prevented me from having children. Go and sleep with my servant. Perhaps I can have children through her.” And Abram agreed with Sarai’s proposal. 3 So Sarai, Abram’s wife, took Hagar the Egyptian servant and gave her to Abram as a wife. (This happened ten years after Abram had settled in the land of Canaan.) 4 So Abram had sexual relations with Hagar, and she became pregnant. But when Hagar knew she was pregnant, she began to treat her mistress, Sarai, with contempt. 5 Then Sarai said to Abram, “This is all your fault! I put my servant into your arms, but now that she’s pregnant she treats me with contempt. The Lord will show who’s wrong—you or me!” 6 Abram replied, “Look, she is your servant, so deal with her as you see fit.” Then Sarai treated Hagar so harshly that she finally ran away. 7 The angel of the Lord found Hagar beside a spring of water in the wilderness, along the road to Shur. 8 The angel said to her, “Hagar, Sarai’s servant, where have you come from, and where are you going?” “I’m running away from my mistress, Sarai,” she replied. 9 The angel of the Lord said to her, “Return to your mistress, and submit to her authority.”10 Then he added, “I will give you more descendants than you can count.” 11 And the angel also said, “You are now pregnant and will give birth to a son. You are to name him Ishmael (which means ‘God hears’), for theLord has heard your cry of distress. 12 This son of yours will be a wild man, as untamed as a wild donkey! He will raise his fist against everyone, and everyone will be against him. Yes, he will live in open hostility against all his relatives.” 13 Thereafter, Hagar used another name to refer to theLord, who had spoken to her. She said, “You are the God who sees me.”[a] She also said, “Have I truly seen the One who sees me?” 14 So that well was named Beer-lahai-roi (which means “well of the Living One who sees me”). It can still be found between Kadesh and Bered. 15 So Hagar gave Abram a son, an (at Montana)