Wednesday, March 3, 2010

Slightly Bad Girls #3 questions 5 & 6

5. In Genesis 15, God told Abram he would father a son from his own seed but did not mention the mother's name. How might the story have unfolded differently if God had said, " And Sarai will bear this son"? Since we know "his way is perfect," why do you think God withheld this vital fact? Ten years passed before Sarai took steps to secure an heir for Abram. What do you suppose finally prompted her to act?

6. When Sarai gave Hagar to her husband, how had she "opened the door to spiritual catastrophe"? In what ways did Hagar's quick conception make matters worse for Sarai? In your own life, when have you taken your future into your own impatient hands without seeking God's guidance? And what was the outcome?

The last questions gave us an insight as to how Sarai may have even thought about herself, or even carried herself in an area she would have had security, her looks. These are asking us to think about her insecurity, her barrenness.

Oh my, yaw think my answers are long now, wait til I have to answer if I've ever taken matters into my own hands....oh wow...I must say I've been blessed to grow quite a bit these last 3 or 4 years...but man, before then! ha, The question would have to be, when didn't I take matters into my own hands?

3 comments:

  1. 5. I think God was asking/testing their faith. She got impatient, and wanted to "control" everything. I have tried to take the future into my own hands for most of my life, and God has intervened in the most appropriate ways, Thankfully!
    6. She probably wanted a child so bad, and felt less-than when she couldn't conceive. She was probably so furious when Hagar got pregnant so quickly, I think it almost consumed her with anger and jealousy.

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  2. 5. God's character is unchangeable. Just like today, God always gives us one step at a time and not the full picture which is probably one reason He withheld the information on Sarai being the mother of his heir. It's important to note the cultural differences here. Women usually blamed themselves for not having kids (they didn't have the tests that we do now), and back then the woman's barrenness might lead to the man divorcing her. Sarai's desperation to have a child through Hagar was definitely common in those days. Hebrews 11 says that she was a woman of faith, so Sarai could have possibly thought having a child through Hagar was how God would fulfill His promises. Abram and Sarai most likely would have waited on God if He would have said Sarai would be the mother.

    6. Just being honest here... I'm not sure what the question means by spiritual catastrophe. Are we talking the Ishmael situation or how Sarai responded? Again since women blamed themselves for not bearing children, it's not surprising Sarai acted the way she did. For doing something that was acceptable culturally , she paid a dear price for... excruciating, jealousy, embarrassed, and humiliated are words that come to mind if I were in her shoes. It's not a very good idea to take matters into our own hands without seeking God's guidance. Proverbs 20:24

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  3. OK girls, so I waited long enough to have a 3rd person post their comments...I'm just going to start trying to do a quick post every few days to get us through the rest of this.

    So, #5: Amanda was right with the culture being different, but also it is important to point out that Adam and Eve were created perfect. So they carried perfect genes. It wasn't until the fall of man that the curse fell upon their bodies. The closer to Adam and Eve you get, the more perfect their bodies, especially their reproductive ones, were. I still believe that God grants life, or chooses to not grant life, however, it is important to remember we live in a fallen world. In that day, it was God who closed the womb. In our day, it is a variety of lifestyle choices, diseases, and consequences that impacts our infertility. Now, with that in mind, of course Sara didn't feel like she had any real guidelines to go by, however, had she sought God's guidance, I feel it would have been given to her. In the end, God had a plan. And using Sara's impatience, and Hagar's son was part of that plan.

    6. I think she is referring to "spiritual catastrophe" in terms of a little of both. Sarai's response was obviously not pleasing to the Lord, afterall, it was Him who appeared to Hagar to convince her to return. As I reflect on my past, I can recall so many circumstances where I felt as though I had gotten myself into the mess, and therefore, I should get myself out. As I've matured, I have realized that although I still may get myself into messes quite often, God is willing to help me get out. I think a part of me realizes that I just can't always trust myself to make the best decisions, it is learning to quiet Jamie and listen to Christ that enables me to make it through life without major catastrophes of my own!

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