Previous Challenge Entry (Level 3 - Advanced)
Topic: Insulted (07/11/24)
-
TITLE: When Your Plan Goes Wrong | Previous Challenge Entry
By Marilyn Meiners
07/13/24 -
LEAVE COMMENT ON ARTICLE
SEND A PRIVATE COMMENT
ADD TO MY FAVORITES
“I’m in the middle of making bread,” retorted Hagar.
“I don’t care what you are doing. Come. Now!” demanded Sarai.
Leaving her work behind, Hagar approached Sarai cautiously. She knew if she offended Sarai in any way she would be harshly mistreated.
“Yes, my lady, what do you want?”
“You know I can’t have children.” Hagar nodded.
“Well, I want you to lay with my husband and get yourself pregnant so I can have a child by you.”
“What? I can’t do that. It would not be proper. What would Abram think?” argued Hagar. Hagar continued to ponder this request. What is Sarai thinking? We don’t get along as it is and now she wants me to bear a child by her husband. I think she has gone a little mad. It’s always Hagar do this and Hagar do that. Well, not this time.
“Hagar! Are you listening to me? Tonight when my husband lay in his bed, you will quietly go in to him and make love. This is not a request, this is an order.”
Hagar sighed, then went back to her kitchen and her bread making. Another insult thrown in Hagar’s face by her mistress. Oh how she was beginning to hate her. Well, she would do this one thing but it would be the last thing she did for her. And when the baby came, Sarai would have no part of him. This baby would be totally hers. She would use this baby to insult Sarai.
Hagar smiled to herself at the thought of this wonderful plan.
“What have I done,” thought Sarai. “Now my husband has loved my mistress. What must he think. Oh, this was a stupid plan. Look at Hagar. Smiling all the time. Gloating in my face.
She went to Abram and demanded he get rid of her.
“Why? What has she done?” Asked Abram
“She insults me all the time, and I can’t stand to look at her. Send her away.”
Abram wanted no part of this kerfuffle and told Sarai to do it herself.
And so she did.
Hagar found herself wandering in the wilderness. She came to the spring at Shur and sat down. She rested her head on her bent knees as her heart cried out in desperation, “What am I going to do? Where will I go? I’m probably pregnant. Help!”
Suddenly an angel appeared. At least she thought it was an angel. He spoke to her, “Hagar, servant of Sarai, where have you come from and where are you going?”
“I am fleeing from my mistress Sarai”
The angel said, “Return to your mistress and submit to her. I will surely multiply your offspring so that they cannot be numbered. You shall bear a son and call him Ishmael.”
“Let me get this right. You want me to return to Sarai even though she mistreats me, insults me, abuses me and you want me to submit to her? Is that what you are asking?”
“Yes, and I will give you the promise of a son who will multiply into many.”
Against everything that was in Hagar, she picked herself up and returned to the home of Sarai where she bore a son and named him Ishmael.
Sarai hated Hagar even more. She hated her son. This was all her doing. How she regretted her decision. For fourteen years she endured Hagar gloating over her son. No matter how unkind Sarai was to Hagar, Ishmael stood between them. The son Sarai wanted and yet couldn’t have.
“A fool is quick-tempered, but a wise person stays calm when insulted.” - Proverbs 12:16
Sarai acted the fool and now she would have to live with her decision. Hagar could not be considered wise, but she did stay clam under the situation.
That is, until Sarai had a son. Now the battle truly began. Sarai abused Hagar, Hagar abhorred Sarai. Sarai demanded Abram get rid of Hagar and Ishmael.
Ishmael was Abram’s son. How could he let him go. But God said to him, “I will make a nation of the son of the slave woman, because he is your offspring.” Knowing this, Abram gave bread and water to Hagar and sent them into the wilderness.
Being sent away by Abram was the harshest insult Hagar could experience. Again, as before, an angel spoke to her. “Fear not, for God has heard your cry. I will provide for your needs.”
And God did.
Selah.
Scripture from ESV and NLT
The opinions expressed by authors may not necessarily reflect the opinion of FaithWriters.com.
Accept Jesus as Your Lord and Savior Right Now - CLICK HERE
JOIN US at FaithWriters for Free. Grow as a Writer and Spread the Gospel.
Well done
Blessings