Genesis Vol 3.pdf - College Press

1.6: l-ldj ’ GENESIS I ; ; - ’.,
The Angel’s qzbestion, v. 8, revea1s.q mysterious knowledge
of. Hagar’s experiences, desigped, it would seem, to
impress the fugitive “with a full conviction of the super.
natural, the divine character of the,> speaker, and a lively
sense of her sin in abandoning the station in which His
providence had placed her.”
The Aegel’s Comwzand: Hagar must return-, to her
mistress, that is, she must correct the exi$ti>ng* ,wrong she
has done, her self-willed departure iyom her regulai. status
in life; for Sarai is still mistress, by- .?he-Egyptian’s own
admission (v. 8). The accomplishment of her1 sonls great
destiny must depend on her maintai,fiing proper, connections
with Abram’s family. She inqst put duty first, and
retrace her steps to Hebron. “Plain, - dutiful submission
. . is sufficient for Hagar; nor would Sarai, after this
experience with the Angel became known, have asked any
more.”
The Angel’s Revelations were three: (1) she must
return and submit herself to her mistress, v. 9; (2) she will
be the ancestress of countless offspring, v. 10; (3) She
shall bear a son and this son shall bear a name that shall
always be a reminder to ail1 concerned that God in a very
signal way heard the cry of this woman in her hour of great
distress, v. 1 1. “Ishmael” means literally “God hears.”
“Yahweh hath heard thy affliction”: the inference is unavoidable
that Hagar in her distress had cried out to the
God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. It should be noted
that the three consecutive verses here, 9, 10, 11, begin with
the same statement, “And the Angel of Yahweh said unto
her.”
5. The Prophecy Concerning Ishmael and His Seed
(vv. 11, 12).
(1) By disposition Ishmael shall be “a wild ass of a
man”: “a fine image of the free intractable Bedouin
character which is to be manifested in Ishmael’s descen-
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