Is there an instance in your life when you forgot to trust God? Have you tried to make your own way rather than follow God's way in solving a problem?
Last Shabbat, God said to Abram that he would have a child from his own body and that this child would be his heir. God also brought Abram outside to look toward heaven and count the stars, which would represent his innumerable descendants. Abram believed in the plan of God.
Now, in our Torah portion, Sarai and Abram had no children, and they both came to a decision point according to their way. Sarai, which in Hebrew means “dominative,” claimed that God had restrained her from bearing children. Perhaps the reason she thought this was because of her age. But I believe Sarai had a lack of faith because only God can open and close the womb of a woman.
Sarai convinced Abram to go into her servant Hagar, which in Hebrew means “forsaken,” believing that she would get a son through her. Since they had lived in Canaan for ten years, perhaps Sarai observed the culture of the people there—that if a woman was unable to have a child, the man would take another wife for himself.
But instead of telling Sarai to wait and trust in the way of God, Abram listened to the voice of his wife. He forgot that he had received an assurance from God about an heir from his own body. Genesis 15:4: “And behold, the word of the Lord came to him, saying, ‘This one shall not be your heir, but one who will come from your own body shall be your heir.’” Abram was led when he should have been leading. We can relate this to Eve and Adam when they ate the fruit in the Garden of Eden.
We now have the results of Sarai and Abram's decision. In verse 4, Hagar detested Sarai. Maybe she thought she was now better than Sarai. In verse 5, Sarai blamed Abram, as if Abram had refused to correct her. That’s why she said, "My wrong be upon you, and may God judge us.” In verse 6b, Hagar fled from Sarai's presence because Sarai dealt harshly with her. Sarai treated Hagar badly, so the Angel of Adonai appeared to her.
What are the lessons that we can learn from our Torah portion? From the word WAIT, we can learn the following:
1. W-ay of God Should Prevail
Abram and Sarai wanted to have a child. But since God called Abram for a special mission, the birth of a promised son served as one of the severe tests for Abram, aside from sacrificing Isaac when he was born. And since the promise came from the mouth of God, it was only right that Abram should wait. It seems that Satan was messing up the lives of Abram and Sarai to destroy the lineage from which the Messiah would come.
Proverbs 19:21 says, "Many are the plans in a man's heart, but it is Adonai's purpose/plan that prevails.” Even the Apostle Paul said in 1 Corinthians 2:5: “That your faith should not be in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.” May we be reminded that God is omniscient. He knows what is best for us, and the way and plan of God are better than ours.
2. A-lways Remember His Promise
When Sarai told Abram that God restrained her from bearing children, it was the perfect timing for Abram to tell Sarai about his conversation with God. If he had shared it with Sarai before, he should have stressed to her that they should remember God's promise.
As an application to us, the moment we remember the promises and faithfulness of God in the Scriptures, it helps us to keep our focus on Him and not on our situation. Joshua 21:45 NKJV says: “Not a word failed of any good thing which the Lord had spoken to the house of Israel. All came to pass.”
3. I-n His Perfect Time, It Will Happen
The statement of Sarai in verse 2 shows that she relied upon her age, which seemed to make having children difficult. The question is: is there anything too hard for God? Like Sarai, the problem with us is that we often look at our situation. We forget that there is a God who sees our condition and knows when He will grant our requests.
There are many Bible verses that affirm God's perfect timing. Ecclesiastes 3:11 says: “He has made everything beautiful in its time.” Isaiah 60:22 says: “When the time is right, I, the LORD, will make it happen.”
While waiting for God's way or plan, we must be patient. James 5:7b says: “The farmer waits for the precious produce of the soil, being patient about it, until it gets the early and late rains." Sometimes we want to give up, but when we wait for God's perfect timing, we can enjoy the process while He is working. The best way to be patient while waiting is to PRAY.
4. T-rust Him
In my understanding, Abram and Sarai had certainly lost hope, so they took matters into their own hands.
As an application to us, if we genuinely put our trust in God, who is already victorious, then we have no reason to worry. Jeremiah 17:7 NKJV says: “Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, and whose hope is the Lord.”
The context of our Haftarah portion is about the Messiah's return in victory from the defeat of His enemies, of which Edom was a type. The remaining part is about the prayers of God's people, and they admit His mercy toward their nation.
Israel will realize that during their exile, their relationship with God was not correct. That’s why, in verse 19, Israel became like a foreign nation that never knew their God. The chosen people, to whom He made a covenant and revealed His majesty, forgot their mission to serve and glorify Him.
In the Apostolic portion, Apostle Paul used an argument from the Torah to show the believers in Galatia that it has been impossible to gain God's favor through human effort. Isaac was the son of promise. Though it did not happen immediately, it was fulfilled at the perfect time.
Paul used his explanation for salvation. Isaac's mystery revealed to us that salvation is God's gift. It is grace and undeserved. Sarai and Abram's attempt with Hagar is an illustration of people being born under the bondage of the law. They earn righteousness by keeping the law, but those who participate in salvation by grace are freed from the bondage and condemnation of the law.
The connection of our parasha is about relying on human effort. In the Torah, Sarai and Abram made an effort to have a child. In the Haftarah, Israel's effort failed in obeying God and resulted in being compared to foreign nations who were not called by His name. In the Apostolic portion, we see that we cannot be saved through human effort because salvation is by grace through faith in Messiah Yeshua.
Returning to my introduction, God's way is different from man's way. We may not understand, but we must wait and trust His ways. So, when our plans or decisions start to change, remember God to keep our hope in the One who holds the future.
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