I love the part in the Bible where the 'heroes of the faith' messed up big-time, go on admit it coz you do too! I think Abraham is one of my big favs...the times when he lied about Sarah being his sister to save his own neck are dodge enough but how about the little tangent taken with a certain lady called Hagar, that one is a real howler!
I hope its not some sad sadistic part of me that enjoys Ab's failure here, truth is its just plain sanity to know that these guys are human! The panic button got pressed with Hagar, big-style. This highlights a theme in Scripture in relation to sanctification for believers in Christ that is exemplified by this slave woman. Hagar symbolises the path of self-determination, Sinai and the Law, trying to realise destiny in our own strength, the 'flesh' and slavery. This comes into focus in light of the contrasting Covenant God had cut with Abraham. It was a Covenant of Promise. Abraham's heir and all His descendants would be 'Children of Promise' and paradoxically as if to emphasise the point God gave them a problem, a very big problem - infertility, causing them to hope 'against all hope' over many years that somehow God could turn Sarah's wrinkly old body into the incubator for destiny.
It seems like the scale of this problem was orchestrated to make the statement loud and clear for Abraham and his descendants - 'Trying to work out your 'walk' before God and man and negotiate obstacles self-deterministically and in your own strength in the 'ordinary way' is fruitless in comparison to living as and living for 'the child of promise' - symbolised in Isaac. Abraham believed and by his belief he was justified (it was credited to him as righteousness) Believing God's outrageous claims is a very big deal to God. He is not vain, its just that any dad wants His kids to trust them. Not only that - 'The things that He has called us to are bigger than us'. Children of Promise work beyond the limits and finite capacity of 'self-determination'.
Our 'HAGARISMS' as I refer to them here, may satisfy panic or impatience, but ultimately they leave us in bondage to our own incapacities when God had intended to make a way for something so much better. All children of God enter His Kingdom by Grace through faith - by believing. Too many move on from here in a cocktailed lifestyle of law and grace. The lesson of Hagar is that the way of self-realisation, a man-centred Gospel, makes Christ of no advantage or value to us in living, even if we are His. Sarah, a free woman is 'the mother of us all' amd her son symbolises the path way to fruitfulness and Sanctification as a Christ-follower in our day - being born of the Spirit means growing up in the Spirit, trusting Him for what we can never manufacture in our own strength.
Hard times and impossible situations, of which I can recall many in my years in ministry, are there to help remind us that there is no other way than to believe the Promiser. This was the original design, nor should it be any other way.
Thoughts from a sermon 'Sanctified by Grace' preached in SCC 31/1/10
