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For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast.Eph 2:9 |
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| Archived Manna: | |
Dear
Friend,
If you do not already have a habit of gathering daily manna the first thing in the morning (we can look at the example given to us in Exodus 16 and find the pattern for make it a habit. Establish your life and your schedule to allow you the necessary time to do your daily collection first thing every morning to give you the strength to make it through the day. And remember that today’s manna will not be sufficient for tomorrow; tomorrow’s manna must be collected tomorrow morning. Saturday, July 16, 2022
Today's Passage : Today's Passage :The Story of Abraham [14] - Sarai and Hagar Bible Verse:Genesis 16:1-6 (ESV) "Now Sarai, Abram’s wife, had borne him no children. She had a female Egyptian servant whose name was Hagar. And Sarai said to Abram, “Behold now, the Lord has prevented me from bearing children. Go in to my servant; it may be that I shall obtain children by her.” And Abram listened to the voice of Sarai. So, after Abram had lived ten years in the land of Canaan, Sarai, Abram’s wife, took Hagar the Egyptian, her servant, and gave her to Abram her husband as a wife. And he went in to Hagar, and she conceived. And when she saw that she had conceived, she looked with contempt on her mistress. And Sarai said to Abram, “May the wrong done to me be on you! I gave my servant to your embrace, and when she saw that she had conceived, she looked on me with contempt. May the Lord judge between you and me!” But Abram said to Sarai, “Behold, your servant is in your power; do to her as you please.” Then Sarai dealt harshly with her, and she fled from her." Message:
This history recounts the life of one of the holiest and most revered patriarchs, Abraham, a man of God. It is quite a jolt when Sarai suggests that Abram commit adultery — and he does it! Yet again, we see how old the text is, because the ten commandments had not yet been handed down.
Remember Paul’s long discussion of sin and the law in Romans, e.g. “I would not have known sin except through the law.” (Romans 7:7) Abram lives under an ancient relationship with God, just as Adam did. What God wants him to do, He tells him directly. Possibly the only unrighteousness known to Abram is what would become the First Commandment, the most basic law of God; to worship Him as God, and no other.
A few years after they have returned from Egypt — we really have no way of knowing what “ten years” means — Hagar, an Egyptian girl they had brought with them, becomes the first surrogate mother. Abram is making a subtle mistake here; for God has promised him a son by his wife, so the business with Hagar is unnecessary. Still, God has not forbidden it.
And as always, when we have two women and one man (or vice versa), drama ensues. Once Hagar is pregnant, she now has something on Sarai because she is the mother of Abram’s child, and she lords it over Sarai. But her pridefulness is ill-conceived, because Abram takes Sarai’s side and she “deals harshly” with Hagar. What this means is left to our imagination; beating servants was commonplace, but Hagar was pregnant with a child that Sarai wanted, and she would not have risked inducing a miscarriage.
Whatever Sarai did to Hagar, it was harsh enough to make her run off.
Meditation : Prayer : May I go in peace, with God and with his other children, and may we love one another as Christ taught us. May I follow the example of good men of old, and may God comfort and help me and all who believe in Him, both in this world and in the world which is to come.....Amen |
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