Our Scripture Of The Week Is:

Hebrews 11:1 KJVS 
[1] Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

This often-quoted verse gives a direct definition of faith, meant to be read in the context of the rest of this letter. At the end of chapter 10, the writer of Hebrews finished describing why the new covenant in Jesus Christ was superior to the old covenant of animal sacrifices (Hebrews 10:1–18). This concluded with a reassuring reminder not to "shrink back," but to "have faith" (Hebrews 10:39). 

The definition given here is meant to tie this command to the examples given later on. After this verse, the writer will explain how the actions of various biblical figures proved both the existence and validity of their faith. Those contexts—former evidence and future expectation—are essential when interpreting the meaning of these words.

In the following verses, the writer of Hebrews will point out examples of believers who demonstrated real, saving faith in God. Each example of faith demonstrates trust, based on what that person knew and held as reassurance that God would act according to His promises. The "assurance" and "conviction" of faith is not blind belief, or gullibility, or wishful thinking. 

Study of the various characters mentioned in this chapter shows that they all had good reasons to trust in God. Their "faith" was not naively accepting fairy tales; it was acting in full confidence that God would do as He had promised, based on those experiences. As the rest of this chapter demonstrates, that kind of faith—trust which produces obedience—results in God's blessings and approval. 

Our perspective, looking back on their example, should inspire confidence that God will make good on His promises, even if our earthly lives don't last long enough to see them come to fruition. God "creates" out of things we cannot see—both in a literal, physical sense, as well as a spiritual sense. Just because we don't understand how God will act does not mean He cannot, or will not act.

Our topic today is:

Sarai’s Suggestion - Unbelief Actions

Genesis 16 continues to follow the life of one of Israel's greatest patriarchs: Abram, who will soon be renamed Abraham. To this point, Abram and his wife Sarai are still childless, despite Abram being well over seventy-five years old (Genesis 12:4). In fact, at this point in the narrative, Abram is pushing ninety (Genesis 16:16)! 

In the prior chapter, Abram has voiced his concerns to God about the situation, and God has responded with a dramatic demonstration of His intentions. For all these many years, Abram has resisted following the normal practices of his day. Abram and Sarai were wealthy. They had many servants. Abram could have taken many wives. 

He chose, instead, to wait for God to fulfill the promise of children through his barren wife Sarai. 
Until now. In the previous chapter, the Lord had directly promised Abram that his heir would be his own flesh and blood (Genesis 15:4). Abram would have a son, and not merely a servant, as his heir. That specific promise does not seem to have been given to Sarai, Abram's wife. 

At the very least, she does not seem to trust God's work in the situation. It's also possible she doubted that Abram's heir was meant to be born through her. In any case, it had not happened yet, and the ticking of the clock must have sounded quite loud as Abram was now well into his 80s and she in her 70s. Sarai has an idea to help the plot along, however.

With Abram in his mid-80s, Sarai has apparently become tired of waiting. In her eyes, it is time to go to plan B: giving her Egyptian servant girl Hagar to Abram, in order to finally obtain a child. Hagar was Sarai's servant, or "slave girl." Slavery in this era was vastly different from what modern people picture. A closer term for today's world might be an "indentured servant." 

This was a one-sided arrangement, to be sure, but the relationship, as seen in the following verses, was not as simplistic as slave-to-master. It's possible that Sarai took possession of Hagar, an Egyptian, when Sarai had been taken by the Pharaoh for his wife (Genesis 12:10–20). Sarai proposes her alternative plan to provide Abram an heir in the following verse.

Interestingly, Sarai holds the Lord responsible for her inability to bear children. In her mind, He is the one preventing this from happening. As a matter of fact, God may have been doing exactly that: executing His plan for their lives in His own timing. Sarai, though, didn't want to wait any longer to see what would happen. Her plan may well have been a normal custom in the culture of their day. 

If a wife could not bear a child herself, she could assign the role to a servant who would become another wife to the husband. If the servant became pregnant, the child would still belong to the first wife, as the servant was her property. As repulsive as that may sound to our modern ears, it was the way of the time.

And, the "slavery" of that era was very different from the brutality modern readers assume when they encounter that word. Still, this must not have been something Abram had ever chosen to do before. He had countless servants. He surely could have had any number of wives. 

And yet, to this point, Abram had remained committed to seeing God's promise fulfilled through Sarai and no other woman. Now, however, he allows Sarai to convince him to try it. It will become clear that this is not the way God intends to build His covenant people.

Apparently, if a wife was unable to bear children, it was considered appropriate for her to give a servant to her husband, as another wife, with the understanding that any children born to that servant would rightfully become the child of the original wife. Either way, this is a plan born out of desperation. The end results will be unfortunate, but not unexpected (Genesis 16:7–12).

It has been a full decade since the initial promise, and Sarai is still barren. By Abram and Sarai's way of thinking, it is time for them to help God's plan along. They want for themselves what God wants for them; they just don't want to wait for Him to give it to them in the traditional way. So, they don't.

In a disappointing moment of faithlessness, Abram agrees, Hagar became Abram's second wife and she quickly becomes pregnant with his son....