Genesis 16 – 19
These chapters are some that people often hold up as the inconsistencies of God’s word. First, Sarai offers Abram her servant to father the child God promised. The Lot offers his virgin daughters to the crowd to protect his guests. Then these same girls get pregnant by making Lot drunk and sleeping with him. This becomes far too odd for most people to casually read and understand. I have read it multiple times and still have difficulty with what’s going on here.
First the child born to Sarai’s servant Hagar name Ishmael and he will be “a wild donkey of a man.” Often we see building being blown up in the “name of Allah” assume this is the bloodline of Ishmael. Although it’s difficult to verify Mohammed appears to be a descendent of Ishmael and therefore the promise God made in verse 10 is true.
Next we have God restating the promise to Abraham and Sarah, along with changing their names, that they will have a son. This time laughter ensues from both of them, since both were past 90 and Abraham would be 100 when the child was born. I could not imagine having another child at 50, so could imagine what Abraham is feeling.
Chapter 19 verse 14 offers the ultimate question about God:
Is anything too hard for the LORD? At the appointed time I will return to you, about this time next year, and Sarah shall have a son.”
This is so profound when you really think about it and is often the core of our faith journey. The question I often ask is “if God is so great and powerful they why does He not show himself and do this?” “This” may be a myriad of things like parting the Red Sea again to getting me the winning lottery numbers. God has already done this for the people with negative results. He parted the Red Sea and within a short period the people had abandoned God for a golden calf. So the old “been there, done that” comes into play.
Also, I believe God is finding our love for Him becomes greater when we have to find him and not having His glory poured out before us. Don’t get me wrong miracles happen each and every day, but often get ignored or explained away. I am sure if the Chattahoochee parted for a live CNN broadcast someone would discredit God and “explain away” His existence. No we need to search God out, which often appears difficult, but being “omnipresent” He never leaves our side! It more we turn off the “God radar” and ignore those little signs.
Where is your faith? Do you believe God did all these things written in this book or is this just a bunch of fairy tales strung together with one common theme all pointing to Jesus that just randomly was put together? Or is this the Holy Word of God and it’s all true from cover to cover? Did Moses get creation right or did he explain it the best he could with the knowledge he had? Was this written so everyone could understand and therefore some “poetic license” was taken in many aspects, so to simplify? Your call!