GENESIS 16
If Abram had taken in the lessons of chapter 15 he would have been preserved from the course he took in this chapter. The instruction he had in chapter 15 was that God was the source of everything — “I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward”. God had shown him, in figure, that the true seed would be a heavenly seed; He had called his attention to the stars, and said, “So shall thy seed be”. That ought to have set aside in Abram’s mind any thought that there could be a seed according to the flesh to inherit [p. 131] the promises. God had also shown him, in figure, that He would secure the inheritance and bring the seed into it on the ground of the death of Christ; that also sets man aside. Now Abram was tested as to how far the light had been made good in his soul.
The importance of having a right kind of mother is emphasised by this chapter. The previous chapter shows the exercise of the “great father” as to the true seed. But in this chapter the exercise is as to the right kind of mother. The apostle applies it to us in the Epistle to the Galatians. He shows that Hagar is a figure of the legal system, she is a bondwoman: the heirs — the true seed — must be freeborn. Hagar means ‘flight’. She typifies an order of things that has to disappear; it does not bring in what is for the pleasure of God. “Cast out the bondwoman”. “He takes away the first that he may establish the second”. Christ has taken away all the system of which Hagar is a type.
We see in this chapter a distinct movement to bring in the seed on a wrong line, under a wrong kind of mother. And we may see also a fruit of Abram’s defection in chapter 12: he had an Egyptian maidservant in his household. If that which is of the world once gets in it is not easy to get rid of it, and there is danger that we may fall back upon it, in presence of difficulties, as a help to bring about what we desire. In God’s mind the seed were to be freeborn; they could not be children of a bond-maid. They must be conceived, and brought forth, and brought up under the influence of a proper mother, and that is heavenly grace. The true seed must be in the perfect liberty of grace: no Egyptian, no [p. 132] bond-maid, could bring up sons in the liberty of heavenly grace.
“Hagar is Mount Sinai in Arabia, and corresponds to Jerusalem which is now, for she is in bondage with her children”, Galatians 4: 25. What is of the world, what is legal, and what genders to bondage all go together. The world in Galatians is the world in its religious aspect, not in the profane or wicked aspect, but a world marked by religiousness and legality: all that results in bondage. The turning aside of the Galatians is exactly what is seen in divine figure in Genesis 16. It is an attempt to provide heirs for the favour and blessing of God in a worldly and legal way. It is an attempt to bring things about according to the flesh; it is the line of Hagar, not grace or faith. The will of God is to have a seed in the liberty of heavenly grace, the true children of Jerusalem above. We ought all to be exercised about the need of a good mother. A bond woman could never have a free son; Jerusalem that now is, is in bondage with her children.
The principle of which Hagar is a type is the idea that something can be brought about in connection with man in the flesh that is according to God’s pleasure. It is the thought that the flesh, educated and put in shape, can eventually inherit the promises. It is striking that Abram should move on this line, it teaches us what a true believer may do. It shows how soon the idea gets a footing of trying to reach things in the flesh. They were true believers in Galatia; they had the Spirit; yet they were taking up law and circumcision to make a fair show in the flesh. Look at the children of Israel! All their experiences in Egypt, and in their early days in the wilderness, were to teach them that grace was the only spring of [p. 133] blessing. At the Red Sea, and in the early part of the journey in the wilderness, all God’s ways with them were in grace. He showed them plainly that grace was the line of blessing, and yet how ready they were to turn from that line and take up responsibility in the flesh. The pride of man lightly esteems grace. The legal system gives room for that pride, and it is illustrated in Hagar. The mother is the system under which one is brought up. True believers may easily come under the influence of the wrong mother. Bringing in what is of the flesh makes something of me, but it all turns to bondage in the end. Anything that I can connect with myself, and glory in according to the flesh, is a bit of Ishmael.
Sarai was a free-woman, and all that was on the line of promise must be free-born. The seed must be in the liberty of heavenly grace. The legal system could never conceive, or bear, or bring up a seed to inherit the promises. So that this chapter gives us a figure of the coming in of the law, and of putting things on the ground of what man in the flesh could be for God. It is an exposure of the impossibility of the seed coming in on the line of the flesh. Chapter 15 ought to have shown Abram that all must come in from God’s side, and that righteousness must be on the principle of faith, and on the ground of death, which really sets aside all that man in the flesh is. But this is a hard lesson for man to learn.
When we come under the influence of Jerusalem above we make much of God, we magnify His grace, and we do not think of ourselves save as subjects of grace. Could you improve the Lord Jesus Christ, the glorified Man in heaven? Could you add anything to Him? God wants you to be nourished in the sense [p. 134] that all that shines in that glorified Man in heaven makes known His grace which is for you. He is the measure of the true grace of God, and as you take it in you are in liberty, you get free from bondage. The whole system of heavenly grace is filled out of Christ, the Son of God. Hagar answers to Jerusalem below: she is in bondage and her children. You cannot move about among the people of God without finding that there is a great deal of bondage with many. They are not free in the spirit of worship.
It has been said that all great men have had remarkable mothers, and that they have owed their greatness to the character of their mothers. This is true divinely; if I am under legal influence I become legal and get under bondage, and lead others into bondage, too. A legal person would like to make every one legal. No doubt the Galatians were talking of being wonderful people, but it did not come about; the line they were on only led to biting and devouring one another. Hagar can only bring forth what the angel describes as “a wild ass of a man”.
The influences of the heavenly Jerusalem are made good in our souls now as we come under the power and teaching of grace. All that is effective comes to us through the gospel, but we have to give our hearts up to the influence of it by the Spirit. The influences of grace are brought to bear upon us by new-covenant ministry, the ministry of all that is the outcome of the love of God. The unfolding of what God is for us; His love concentrated at Calvary, and now diffused in millions of hearts here by the Spirit; so that there is a response to Him in free affections, and in the spirit of sonship. That is the influence of Jerusalem above. Then we can “by love serve one another”.
[p. 135] How beautiful that is! Saints are served because there is a powerful spring of love within that must express itself in service.
Paul said to the Galatians, “My children, of whom I again travail in birth, until Christ shall have been formed in you”. He travailed once at their conversion, and now again that Christ might be formed in them: that is the true spirit of the mother. What this chapter is taken up with is the importance of a right mother. It is as Christ is ministered that we come into the good of it. Genesis 16: 12 shows the spirit of the Galatians biting and devouring one another. The flesh is “a wild ass of a man”; that is, unsubdued. Ishmael and all his descendants represent the seed according to the flesh. There is pride connected with the flesh and the legal system; Hagar despised Sarah (verse 4); the pride of the flesh despises all the influence of grace.
Hagar personally is dealt with in divine goodness and grace. Those who come into connection with what is of God come under the goodness of God, even though not converted. Hagar is driven out; Sarai would not have her. Paul is much like that in writing to the Galatians; he will not tolerate Hagar; the spirit of grace cannot tolerate what is legal, and what gives place to man in the flesh. But though she is driven out she becomes the subject of divine care; there is a spring in the wilderness even for her. The way Ishmael and Hagar are cared for is a wonderful setting forth of grace. It is like the elder brother who would not come in; he had the same proud spirit as Ishmael; yet the father went out and entreated him. It has been said, that there was more grace shown to the elder brother than to the prodigal!
[p. 136] We see here wonderful grace going out to Hagar and Ishmael, though the true character of the seed according to flesh is plainly spoken of. Ishmael means ‘God hears’; that is the key of blessing put into Hagar’s hand. It is very touching that the angel said, “Return to thy mistress, and submit thyself under her hands”. She had the opportunity to submit. The great trouble with the Jew was that he would not submit to the righteousness of God. Ishmael had his name, ‘God hears’. God would listen to the cry of need and affliction from any man. In this way the gospel was presented to Hagar. So in all the wanderings of Israel after the flesh they might have known that God would hear the cry of need. Their character came out here, “A wild ass of a man”, unsubdued. Israel was never broken; it was unbroken flesh with their hand against every man, and every man’s hand against them. Paul said, “They please not God and are contrary to all men”. So every man’s hand is against the Jew: religious pride always calls out the enmity of others. Yet even the seed after the flesh with all their pride are still subjects of mercy. As having come into connection with Abram — the depository of promise — they are of interest to God. In Romans 11 we read they are beloved for their fathers’ sakes. God was interested in Hagar because of her connection with Abram. So God is interested still in the Jew in spite of his enmity against the gospel; he is beloved for the father’s sakes. I think we see in all this part of the chapter a figure of the seed according to the flesh, preserved by God, but unbroken, and in pride against every man — “contrary to all men” — and in result having all against him. And yet carrying all the time, as it [p. 137] were, the key of blessing, if at any time they should feel the need of it. ‘God hears’ — a wonderful key of blessing! God makes Himself known to Hagar in grace: she called the name of Jehovah “Thou art the God who reveals himself”. It comes to this, that God is, and ever has been, what He is, whatever man may be. However unsubdued and obdurate man may be, God is the source of blessing: He can only be what He is. This well has been near to the seed after the flesh in all their wanderings. Every ray of light that God gave of Himself in the Old Testament was just a gleam of grace. This is a beautiful unfolding of grace. God unfolds Himself in the Old Testament; all through He was always the God whose great object was to reveal Himself.
Beer-lahai-roi is the “Well of the Living who was seen”. There is much more in that than in the A.V. “Thou God seest me”. It is not that God sees me, though that word has reached many consciences, but it should read, “Thou art the God who reveals himself”. It is not that God sees me, though that is, of course, true, but that I may see Him. If God reveals Himself it must be in grace; He is the God of all grace and always was; and what God is, is always the line of blessing for man. How full even the law is of Christ! There are innumerable gleams of light there as to God and Christ. Even the covenant that came from Mount Sinai contained many precious hints of grace, and much that faith might have laid hold of as showing the blessed character of God. All these hints in the Old Testament were a well of blessing for rebellious and unsubdued man. If it says, “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God”, it shows His nature, what He delights in. What a revelation to my heart [p. 138] of what God is! God is love, He wants me to love Him; He would not ask His creature to love Him if He were not love Himself. So that the law contains the gospel!
“Here also have I seen” (verse 13). This looks on prophetically to the time when all Israel will be saved, and will come under the quickening power of God; the dry bones shall live. They will see God in all His love: the unsubdued heart of stone that made them like Ishmael — a wild ass of a man — will become a heart of flesh: they will come under a new mother. Israel will come eventually under the influence of grace. The elder brother will come in; the father will go out and entreat him. He has given the heavenly part to the prodigal, but the earthly part is left; that will be given to the elder brother.
God always provides a well. There has always been enough in the dispensation of God to make God known. In the law which man uses to shut God out, and to establish his own righteousness, there is enough to save him. Every Sunday Christendom says words that might be life and blessing to them: the well is near them. People going to church and chapel say continually words that might bring blessing; the key is in their hands if they will only use it. It shows the wonderful character of God in grace.
Abram was off the line in this chapter. It was departure from the line on which God was going to bring in the seed; He was going to bring it in from His own side and in His own way on the line of promise. Abram had to learn that what was of the flesh would not do, and that everything connected with the flesh must be set aside, and then God fulfilled all His promises in Christ — Isaac was brought in.