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Genesis 16 – The Covenant Tested by Impatience

(Part 16 in the “God Keeping Covenant” Series)

Introduction

In Genesis 15, Abram believed God’s promise — but time passed, and no child came. In Genesis 16, faith is tested by delay. Sarai, tired of waiting, urged Abram to have a child through her Egyptian maid, Hagar. Abram agreed, and Ishmael was born.

Though this decision created lasting tension, it teaches a timeless lesson: When we try to fulfill God’s covenant by human effort, we produce conflict instead of peace. Yet even then, God remains merciful and faithful.

Theme: God’s covenant promises must be fulfilled by faith, not by flesh.

Genesis 16:1–2 – The Temptation of Impatience

• Sarai said to Abram: “Behold now, the Lord has restrained me from bearing children. Go in to my maid; perhaps I shall obtain children by her.”
• Instead of waiting on God, Sarai tried to “help” Him.
• Covenant Lesson: Impatience often leads to compromise. Covenant faith waits for God’s timing.
• Illustration: Like a baker opening the oven too soon, impatience spoils what God was preparing perfectly.

Genesis 16:3–4 – Fleshly Solutions Bring Strife

• Abram took Hagar, and she conceived. When Hagar saw she was pregnant, she despised Sarai.
• What began as a plan of the flesh created division.
• Covenant Lesson: What we start in the flesh cannot produce covenant peace.
• Illustration: Like planting weeds among wheat, disobedience grows faster than faith — but brings thorns, not fruit.

Genesis 16:5–6 – The Blame Game

• Sarai said to Abram, “My wrong be upon you!” Abram told her to do what she thought best. Sarai dealt harshly with Hagar, and Hagar fled.
• Covenant Lesson: When we step outside God’s will, we often end up hurting others and ourselves.
• Illustration: Like steering off course and blaming the GPS, Sarai’s frustration was misdirected — the issue was unbelief, not direction.

Genesis 16:7–9 – God Finds Hagar in the Wilderness

• The Angel of the Lord found Hagar by a spring and said, “Return to your mistress and submit to her.”
• Even though Hagar was a servant and victim of circumstance, God saw her.
• Covenant Lesson: God’s mercy reaches even those on the margins of the covenant.
• Illustration: Like a shepherd finding a lost sheep, God pursued the one who felt forgotten.

Genesis 16:10–12 – The Prophecy of Ishmael

• God promised Hagar a son named Ishmael (“God hears”). He would be strong, independent, and live in conflict with others.
• Covenant Lesson: God blesses even the consequences of our mistakes, but blessing is not the same as covenant promise.
• Illustration: A teacher may show mercy to a student who disobeyed, but that mercy doesn’t change the lesson plan — it only shows grace.

Genesis 16:13–14 – “You Are the God Who Sees Me”

• Hagar called the Lord El Roi — “The God who sees me.”
• Even in pain and exile, she realized God’s care and compassion.
• Covenant Lesson: God’s covenant grace reaches where human understanding fails.
• Illustration: Like a lighthouse shining through fog, God’s eyes never lose sight of us, even when we lose sight of Him.

Genesis 16:15–16 – Ishmael’s Birth and Aftermath

• Hagar bore Ishmael when Abram was 86 years old.
• The promise still hadn’t arrived, but God’s plan was still in motion.
• Covenant

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