Women in the Bible
Lesson Nine: by turtle

Part of spiritual battle is having to deal with the circumstances you find yourself in. Sometimes
you can change your environment and sometimes you can not. However you can change what
you believe and think. No one but you controls your mind. Okay God can control, but in
general He gives free will of your thoughts. God even knows and hears our thoughts. So be
aware of what you put in but is also being sent above to God.

1 Chronicles 28:9 KJV
(9)  And thou, Solomon my son, know thou the God of thy father, and serve him with a perfect
heart and with a willing mind: for the LORD searcheth all hearts, and understandeth all the
imaginations of the thoughts: if thou seek him, he will be found of thee; but if thou forsake him,
he will cast thee off for ever.

Psalms 139:23-24 KJV
(23)  Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts:
(24)  And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.

Isaiah 66:18 KJV
(18)  For I know their works and their thoughts: it shall come, that I will gather all nations and
tongues; and they shall come, and see my glory.

God word even declares he knows our thoughts. Cain is a good example of God knowing one
thoughts. Cain was in trouble before he even sinned, because his thoughts betrayed him. So
God knows are thoughts. So what you believe and think in your heart you are? Not necessarily.
Our mind runs a mile a minute. Okay probably faster then that. What we see, hear and think all
filters through our brain. How we perceive our circumstances.

Sometimes we are put in a circumstance that is no fault of our own. Take for example Hagar.
She is Sarah handmaid. Abraham instructed by his wife takes Hagar to be his second wife but
does not have status of being an actual wife. Hagar a servant has no choice but to do her
masters bidding as well as Sarah. And maybe with no doubt Hagar in her own thoughts thinks
that maybe she will have favor if she can produce a child for Abraham.

Genesis 16:1-4 KJV
(1)  Now Sarai Abram's wife bare him no children: and she had an handmaid, an Egyptian,
whose name was Hagar.
(2)  And Sarai said unto Abram, Behold now, the LORD hath restrained me from bearing: I
pray thee, go in unto my maid; it may be that I may obtain children by her. And Abram
hearkened to the voice of Sarai.
(3)  And Sarai Abram's wife took Hagar her maid the Egyptian, after Abram had dwelt ten
years in the land of Canaan, and gave her to her husband Abram to be his wife.
(4)  And he went in unto Hagar, and she conceived: and when she saw that she had conceived,
her mistress was despised in her eyes.

Now that Hagar is pregnant her mistress is displeased with it. Not surprising Sarai would be
jealous. No doubt the hurt and pain of knowing it was her own body that could not bare
children must of racked with her mind. Yet she choose to treat Hagar with her own hurt and
anger.

Genesis 16:5-6 KJV
(5)  And Sarai said unto Abram, My wrong be upon thee: I have given my maid into thy bosom;
and when she saw that she had conceived, I was despised in her eyes: the LORD judge between
me and thee.
(6)  But Abram said unto Sarai, Behold, thy maid is in thy hand; do to her as it pleaseth thee.
And when Sarai dealt hardly with her, she fled from her face.

No doubt the Bible does not give explicit information about what Sarai said to Hagar but it was
enough to put fear in Hagar heart that she flees. She runs for her life. Hagar is no in
disobedience to her situation. Yet no doubt if she was fleeing she was making the choice based
on safety of her and her unborn child.

Genesis 16:7-12 KJV
(7)  And the angel of the LORD found her by a fountain of water in the wilderness, by the
fountain in the way to Shur.
(8)  And he said, Hagar, Sarai's maid, whence camest thou? and whither wilt thou go? And she
said, I flee from the face of my mistress Sarai.
(9)  And the angel of the LORD said unto her, Return to thy mistress, and submit thyself under
her hands.
(10)  And the angel of the LORD said unto her, I will multiply thy seed exceedingly, that it shall
not be numbered for multitude.
(11)  And the angel of the LORD said unto her, Behold, thou art with child, and shalt bear a
son, and shalt call his name Ishmael; because the LORD hath heard thy affliction.
(12)  And he will be a wild man; his hand will be against every man, and every man's hand
against him; and he shall dwell in the presence of all his brethren.

Hagar was no doubt terrified, but even so God brings her comfort by an angel. I be honest until
you feel like Hagar you do not know what it is like. Many battered and bruised women make a
choice to give their husband’s a second chance after they have gone through counseling in
today’s world. But unfortunately they did not have psychologist way back then, yet God
heard Hagar thoughts and sent her a messenger to give her instructions. He tells her to go back
and not to worry about her safety. That is all she needed to know. She needed to know she
would be taken care of and safe. And so Hagar goes back with gladness in her heart and also a
prophecy to hold on to in the days ahead.

Hagar own thoughts almost disrupted what God was going to do in her life. She could not
change her circumstances, but she could change her thoughts. Hagar could only change her
thoughts with the help of the Lord. If you seen an angel like Hagar I am sure you would of
reacted the same as well. Now Hagar after hearing from the Lord became thankful.

Genesis 16:13-16 KJV
(13)  And she called the name of the LORD that spake unto her, Thou God seest me: for she
said, Have I also here looked after him that seeth me?
(14)  Wherefore the well was called Beerlahairoi; behold, it is between Kadesh and Bered.
(15)  And Hagar bare Abram a son: and Abram called his son's name, which Hagar bare,
Ishmael.
(16)  And Abram was fourscore and six years old, when Hagar bare Ishmael to Abram.

Hagar story does not stop there. Soon Sarah would have a child as well the promise seed to
fulfill the covenant that God made with Abraham. As with any family unit two women in a
household is a big mistake. Most men except for some religious groups would agree they rather
just deal with their one wife. They even wonder how men with more wives deal with the nagging.
Abraham would have trouble with his women.

Genesis 21:6-11 KJV
(6)  And Sarah said, God hath made me to laugh, so that all that hear will laugh with me.
(7)  And she said, Who would have said unto Abraham, that Sarah should have given children
suck? for I have born him a son in his old age.
(8)  And the child grew, and was weaned: and Abraham made a great feast the same day that
Isaac was weaned.
(9)  And Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian, which she had born unto Abraham, mocking.
(10)  Wherefore she said unto Abraham, Cast out this bondwoman and her son: for the son of
this bondwoman shall not be heir with my son, even with Isaac.
(11)  And the thing was very grievous in Abraham's sight because of his son.

Abraham would send Hagar away with a few provisions. Hagar now finds herself an outcast
because of Sarah continue jealousy. Hagar has only a small child and herself. So often when
women are abandon, put out or abused they find themselves in the position of not having but
the bare necessity and sometimes not even that.

Genesis 21:12-14 KJV
(12)  And God said unto Abraham, Let it not be grievous in thy sight because of the lad, and
because of thy bondwoman; in all that Sarah hath said unto thee, hearken unto her voice; for in
Isaac shall thy seed be called.
(13)  And also of the son of the bondwoman will I make a nation, because he is thy seed.
(14)  And Abraham rose up early in the morning, and took bread, and a bottle of water, and
gave it unto Hagar, putting it on her shoulder, and the child, and sent her away: and she
departed, and wandered in the wilderness of Beersheba.

Abraham did as he was told to do. He put Hagar out. God had given instructions to the
Abraham. We must remember that God had already made a promise to Hagar and we also see
God makes that same promise to Abraham. Abraham had to have faith. Hagar had to have
faith God knew what He was doing.

Hagar like so many of us grows faint physically and mentally at the challenge. God had
promised her grandkids and here she is ready to give Ishmael to the desert heat. How often we
hear God promises in our heart but lack the faith to believe. Our heart believes but our mind
can not comprehend.

Genesis 21:15-16 KJV
(15)  And the water was spent in the bottle, and she cast the child under one of the shrubs.
(16)  And she went, and sat her down over against him a good way off, as it were a bowshot: for
she said, Let me not see the death of the child. And she sat over against him, and lift up her
voice, and wept.

Hagar question was more like Lord I am dying here and I see no help. Often we are also blinded
by our circumstances that we fail to see the help right in front of us.

Genesis 21:17-21 KJV
(17)  And God heard the voice of the lad; and the angel of God called to Hagar out of heaven,
and said unto her, What aileth thee, Hagar? fear not; for God hath heard the voice of the lad
where he is.
(18)  Arise, lift up the lad, and hold him in thine hand; for I will make him a great nation.
(19)  And God opened her eyes, and she saw a well of water; and she went, and filled the bottle
with water, and gave the lad drink.
(20)  And God was with the lad; and he grew, and dwelt in the wilderness, and became an archer.
(21)  And he dwelt in the wilderness of Paran: and his mother took him a wife out of the land of
Egypt.

It is almost has if God is saying Hagar you are not trusting me, so I am not hearing your
whining, but I have not forsaken you for I hear your son crying about the situation as well. He
has her open her eyes and right before her is a well. Did it just appear, did God place it there.
Probably what had happened the heat, the stress and all her anxiety had gotten he best of her.
God knows what we need before we ask. And God’s provision was already there. All she
need was to stop worrying and trust in God. We believe what we want to and we see what we
want to and even tune out with ours ears what we want to. Yet even so God knows our heart,
our mind our soul and we can not hide those things from God. We must trust God to provide
no matter our circumstances. His promises are always true. It does not mean we will not go
through periods of being thirst, near faith, exhausted and full of frustration. God knows we will,
but He allows it so that we can learn to trust in God. Jesus is the way and hope of every lasting
life as long as we trust in Him and believe in Him.