- • did Abram do to be considered righteous in the eyes of God? • did Abram do to be considered righteous in the eyes of God?
- • the same vein, what is it that you have to do to welcome God's saving power into your life? • the same vein, what is it that you have to do to welcome God's saving power into your life?

## Read Genesis 16

Now we would hope that after the Lord puts a stamp on his promises to Abram with the covenant-making ceremony, Abram would be good to go. He could have looked to the dust on the ground during the day every day and the stars in th e sky at night every night and been reminded of God's promises. Still, ten years later, Abram and Sarai get anxious and look to a familiar place.

- • back. When famine struck Canaan back in Genesis 12, where did Abram and his people look for • back. When famine struck Canaan back in Genesis 12, where did Abram and his people look for aid?
- • is Hagar's ethnicity? Why do you think it was important to mention where Hagar is from? • is Hagar's ethnicity? Why do you think it was important to mention where Hagar is from?

Egypt has already been an idol for Abram and his people. One theme of the Old Testament is the establishment of the nation of Israel and God's interactions with the nation throughout centuries of faithfulness and unfaithfulness. A nation that seemed to be thriving at this time in history was Egypt. As the Old Testament continues, we will see God's people look to Egypt in times of mistrust in the Lord and we will see God answer this situation time and time again. God will show his supremacy over Egypt with Moses and the plagues later in the book of Exodus. In the books of Exodus and Numbers, we will see God's people , after being freed from Egyptian slavery, continuously look back to Egypt as a place of comfort and provision. And much later than that, in the time of the kings (conveniently documented in the books of 1&2 Kings as well as 1&2 Chronicles), the Lord's people will often put their allegiance and safety in the hands of Egypt.

- • you have any metaphorical 'Egypts' in your life? These could be idols like money, popularity, • you have any metaphorical 'Egypts' in your life? These could be idols like money, popularity, sexuality, academic or personal achievement, etc. that you look to often when you don't trust God's provision and protection in your life.
- • does it make you feel that even Abram fell prey to similar sin patterns? • does it make you feel that even Abram fell prey to similar sin patterns?
- • would it look like for you to have a deeper trust in God with these areas of your life? • would it look like for you to have a deeper trust in God with these areas of your life?

Think about this household dynamic in Genesis 16. Hagar is Sarai's servant and they hatch a plan for Abram to …' Go in to …(verse 2)' her. Do you think there is an outcome of this scenario that doesn't end in weird/hurt personal feelings? Already we've seen Abram tell Pharaoh that Sarai was his sister, and a family land dispute between Lot and Abram. It really seems like without assurance in the power of God and the comfort of God's commitment to his people, it does not take much for family/household dynamics to go off the rails. Let's see how Hagar's story in Genesis 16 comes to a close.

An angel of the Lord catches up with Hagar at a spring or well. In her distress, the angel tells her to return to Sarai and repair their relationship and, despite all their failings, 1.) the Lord will multiply her offspring so they cannot be numbered, 2.) her son will be Ishmael a true son of Abram, and 3.) Ishmael will be free like a wild donkey.