Sarai didn’t have children yet so she told Abram to lay with her slave, Hagar, to have children. Abram slept with Hagar, and she became pregnant. Because of this, Sarai began to look down on Hagar, and blamed her for her suffering. Abram told Sarai to do whatever she wanted with Hagar. Sarai mistreated her so much that she ran away. The Angel of the Lord found Hagar by a spring of water, and told her she must go back to Sarai and submit to her mistreatment. The Angel of the Lord also told her that he will multiply her offspring so that they will be too many to count. He told her that she will have a son, Ishmael, that he will be wild, and against everyone, and everyone will be against him, he will live at odds with all his brothers. She named the Lord who spoke to her “The God Who Sees”, “I have seen here the One who sees me.” So she gave birth to Ishmael. At this time Abram was 86 years old.
God promises to grow Ishmael’s posterity to be more people than can be counted. When we distrust God and try to fulfill His promises to us through our own sinful methods it wreaks havoc on others. When Abram and Sarai decided to try to have children through Hagar they were doubting God’s faithfulness to fulfill His promise to extend His covenant through offspring. Don’t try to take God’s work into your own hands. He will provide the answers to His own promises in His own time, only trust Him. Patiently endure, and know that He cares for His people.