When the sun had gone down and it was dark, behold, a smoking fire pot and a flaming torch passed between these pieces. On that day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying, “To your offspring I give this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the river Euphrates, the land of the Kenites, the Kenizzites, the Kadmonites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Rephaim, the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Girgashites and the Jebusites.”
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.
Comment: As discussed previously God ‘signed’ the covenant/promise that he had given to Abram by Himself, symbolised by fire and light, walking between the rows of prepared carcasses. Usually both parties had to walk through but this was a one sided covenant – Abram didn’t have to pay anything in return.
Nevertheless husband and wife had been later discussing it. Barren as she knew she was, Sarah came up with an answer that from a human point of view would possibly solve the problem of Abram’s childlessness. No doubt this sort of thing was pretty common so she ‘donated’ her slave as a partner to her husband, her ‘one-flesh’. Abram listened and heeded, but, in retrospect, you must ask if that was a wise thing to do morally or in the outcome which we will look at later!
Prayer: Help me, O God as I often have to work through seeking to know what is right, convenient, personally desired and Your will. Thank You for Your Word and fellow Christians who can help me in these times.
As I read it! 