Genesis 15:4 “And at once the voice of the Lord came to [Abram], saying, “[your house servant] will not be your heir, rather one who will come from you, he will be your heir.”
God promised Abram that the inheritance would be for his son. But Sarai was without children. Rather than talk to God about it, Sarai had a plan for Abram.
Genesis 16:3 says that Abram dwelt in the land of Canaan for ten years when Saria gave Hagar to be the wife of Abram. These ten years refer to the time when they returned from Egypt. It wasn’t ten years since God had promised a son as the heir of Abram until he took Hagar as a wife. Sarai knew that she hadn’t conceived since leaving Pharoah’s house and returning to Canaan with Abram. As she says in verse 2, “Look, the Lord has prevented me from bearing children.” When Sarai learned that God had promised Abram a son, she was convinced that a son wasn’t coming from her.
Genesis 16:2 continues, “Go in, therefore, to my maid so you may have children from her.’” And Abram listened, foolish though it may have been. Hagar was a maid that Sarai acquired while they sojourned in Egypt. Pharaoh may have given Hagar to Sarai after taking Sarai as his wife. Sarai was now giving Hagar to Abram to be his second wife to provide Abram with a son. You heard that correctly. The Hebrew word says that Hagar became a wife, not a concubine. That is important in understanding what happens next.
After Hagar became pregnant, verse four says that Sarai became dishonored before her. Other translations say that Sarai was lightly esteemed or insignificant in the eyes of Hagar. Verse four is not saying that Hagar felt ashamed of what Sarai made her do by getting pregnant. Hagar was now viewing herself as the one wife that conceived a child for Abram, so she looked on Sarai with contempt because Sarai was barren.
Sarai complains to Abram about the way that Hagar is treating her. After all, Hagar is supposed to be a maidservant to Sarai. Abram agrees to let Sarai deal with Hagar as her maidservant instead of as his second wife. Unfortunately, Sarai mistreats Hagar to the point that Hagar runs away.
Hagar runs into the wilderness where an angel of the Lord tells Hagar to return to her mistress Sarai and humble herself in her hands. Then the angel of the Lord makes a promise to Hagar. Genesis 16:10 “Increasing, I will increase your offspring, and it will not be countable because of the great number.”
Hagar’s child would have numerous descendants. The angel of the Lord tells her to name the child Ismael because God noticed her humiliation. Other translations say misery or affliction. Hagar thought she would be the honored wife because she was the one who was pregnant. Instead, she was to return in humility and continue to be a maidservant to Sarai. And God would bless her in her humility.
Abram was eighty-six years old when Ismael was born.