Genesis 21:8 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. 12 And God said unto Abraham, Let it not be grievous in thy sight because of the lad, and because of thy bond woman, in all that Sarah hath said unto thee, hearken unto her voice"....
These verses of scripture teach us that we should not be afraid to take our bad decisions to The Lord in prayer, even after we have acted upon them and have begun to reap the harvest we have sown. God does not cast us off when we have run ahead of Him and done contrary to His will, yet, for more reasons than one, it is never good to make any delicate decisions without His guidance, for we often bring unnecessary problems upon ourselves which could otherwise have been avoided.
In this instance, it was Sarah who took the lead in the decision-making process, a method that is contrary to the Biblical order for the family, so that when Abraham found himself in grave difficulty, The Lord issued a rebuke to him by telling him to listen to his wife again, since he had obeyed her voice in the first place.
Now it is important for us to understand the full ramifications of that one bad decision, for it is often the case that satan hides the evil results of a course of action from us, being careful to only present the so-called benefits to disobedience. And so many Christians fall for this snare, that it has become necessary for us to study carefully the results of Abraham's choice, and also to reason soberly from cause to effect, whatever decisions we intend to pursue, especially if we decline to ask God's guidance in all matters. Let's read:
[Patriarchs And Prophets pp. 145>146] Flattered with the honor of her new position as Abraham’s wife, and hoping to be the mother of the great nation to descend from him, Hagar became proud and boastful, and treated her mistress with contempt. Mutual jealousies disturbed the peace of the once happy home. Forced to listen to the complaints of both, Abraham vainly endeavored to restore harmony. Though it was at Sarah’s earnest entreaty that he had married Hagar, she now reproached him as the one at fault. She desired to banish her rival; but Abraham refused to permit this; for Hagar was to be the mother of his child, as he fondly hoped, the son of promise. She was Sarah’s servant, however, and he still left her to the control of her mistress. Hagar’s haughty spirit would not brook the harshness which her insolence had provoked. “When Sarai dealt hardly with her, she fled from her face.”
Sarah saw in Ishmael’s turbulent disposition a perpetual source of discord, and she appealed to Abraham, urging that Hagar and Ishmael be sent away from the encampment. The patriarch was thrown into great distress. How could he banish Ishmael his son, still dearly beloved? In his perplexity he pleaded for divine guidance. The Lord, through a holy angel, directed him to grant Sarah’s desire; his love for Ishmael or Hagar ought not to stand in the way, for only thus could he restore harmony and happiness to his family.
If for any reason, whether trivial or not, the peace of a Christian's home is disturbed, then the parents should like Abraham, prayerfully seek for a workable solution, lest their worship and prayers to God do not get past the ceiling. In other words, divisions between husbands and wives, or family members living under the same roof, cannot be fostered without seeking resolution, for God is a Spirit, and therefore the disturbances must be resolved before our praise can be accepted in His sight.
As a matter of fact, it matters not so much who is right or who is wrong, for the real issue to be addressed whenever disturbances arise, is how can we be brought back into harmony with God's revealed will, and with one another, for it's then and only then that our worship can be acceptable in His sight. Let's read:
Matthew 5:23 Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath ought against thee; 24 Leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift.
In Abraham's case, urgent action was needed before his entire household would be thrown into turmoil and disarray, for we observe that the very same Sarah who had instigated the ill-advised decision, is the very same one who would have fought with Hagar, if the problem was not resolved according to her wishes. Whenever there is fall-out from bad choices in the family, we should be careful not to stoke the fire with hasty words, which often act as oil upon the flames. Instead we should ask God to enable us to keep us from blowing a fuse, lest our relationship with one another suffer a short circuit, as was almost the case with the issue of Hagar.
It is of critical importance that as Christians we learn the lesson of bridling our mouths, for harsh, unkind words have the effect of banishing the presence of holy angels from our homes, if the atmosphere is rife with bitterness, and an unforgiving spirit. Let us therefore seek God in all circumstances, whether good, bad, or indifferent, for half of life's problems can indeed be avoided, if we would but pray and wait upon The Lord.
We therefore end with a passage of scripture which encourages us to do just that, for God is more than willing and able to guide us past the many snares that are set for our feet. Let's read:
Isaiah 40:29 He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength. 31 But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.
May The Lord add His blessing to the study and practice of His every word. God bless!