Q1. Hagar's Pride, Sarah's Jealousy

[Alan8]

Q1. (16:1-6) Why does Sarah take her anger out on Abraham? Why does she take her anger out on Hagar? Is she trying to get rid of Hagar or the baby? In what sense is Hagar's pride Abraham's fault? In what sense is Hagar's affliction Abraham's fault? What situation in your family does this reminds you of?

This passage is difficult to understand unless you know the culture of the times. In the culture of the time of Abraham a barren woman was looked upon as God's curse. God was withholding His blessing if a woman was barren. Sarah knowing that and now past the age of child bearing (in the natural)seeing how easy Hagar became pregnant was too much for Sarah to take in. In her jealousy and pressure in her inability to produce a child for Abraham she takes her anger out on Abraham.

She takes her anger out on Hagar because she knows that should be her with the baby and not Hagar. Of course Abraham is happy now that he has an heir (the son will come from him even though it did not come from Sarah). Hagar is happy to have a son that will be Abraham's heir.

Is she trying to get of Hagar or the baby? I don't think we will ever know that for sure. Her actions could be seen as though she was trying but anger can take you further than you want to go in any situation.

Much of this is Abraham's fault. How? Because he never consulted God before he went in to Hagar and had a son. If he would have consulted God first this would not have happened. God did not reveal to Abraham until after Ishmael was born that the heir would come from Sarah. However, if he would have consulted God first before he went in to Hagar this whole mess would not have happened.

[Spen]

Q1. (16:1-6) Why does Sarah take her anger out on Abraham? Why does she take her anger out on Hagar? Is she trying to get rid of Hagar or the baby? In what sense is Hagar's pride Abraham's fault? In what sense is Hagar's affliction Abraham's fault? What situation in your family does this reminds you of?

1. Why does Sarah take her anger out on Abraham? Most likely because she felt Abraham should have made it clear to Hagar the truth of what she was expected to be and do in her relationship with Abraham and Sarai.

2. Why does she take her anger out on Hagar? Anger wants a physical outlet and Hagar is conveniently the object.

3. Is she trying to get rid of Hagar or the baby? It

[pastor neal]

Q1. (16:1-6) Why does Sarah take her anger out on Abraham? Why does she take her anger out on Hagar? Is she trying to get rid of Hagar or the baby? In what sense is Hagar's pride Abraham's fault? In what sense is Hagar's affliction Abraham's fault? What situation in your family does this reminds you of?

Sarah took her anger out on Abraham as she holds him personally responsible for Hagar's attitude and actions once she conceives his child.

Sarah's' anger toward Hagar, I believe, is two-fold. First she is angry because she was unable to conceive of her own child, and secondly she feels that Hagar is standing tall and proud since her pregnancy which is condescending and insulting to her.

Sarah, it appears, wants to get Hagar as far away as possible but out of her jealously her impetuousness is putting the unborn child at risk. Sarah must be aware of the danger to the child as Hagar could not make it alone in the wilderness unless she can hook-up with a caravan going back to Egypt.

Abraham has some what of a crush on Hagar and I believe that it is this attraction that enables Hagar to walk tall and proud. Because Abraham will not stand-up and take control of the discord between Sarah and Hagar he is allowing Sarah to place Hagar in a dangerous situation.

[wifee]

1a)Sarah probably takes out anger on Abraham, because of pressure being father of many nations and his virility getting Hagar pregnant easily, underlining Sarah’s infertility, He is the cause of her unhappiness & frustration.

b)She is angry at Hagar because she conceives so easily, showing up Sarah’s in adequacy. The combined joy of hagar & Abraham was too much for her.

c)Hagar

d)Abraham enabled pregnancy to happen, which lifted her status from just servant in household.

e)Abraham avoids conflict &didn’t restrain Sarah, so inadvertently allowed Sarah to mistreat her. f)Times when I have not been patient enough to wait for the Lord to act first.

[royk]

Q1. (16:1-6) Why does Sarah take her anger out on Abraham? Why does she take her anger out on Hagar? Is she trying to get rid of Hagar or the baby? In what sense is Hagar's pride Abraham's fault? In what sense is Hagar's affliction Abraham's fault? What situation in your family does this reminds you of?

Abraham agreed to sleep with Hagar; if he was wise, he could have figutred out the consequences; still he agreed to sleep with the younger woman. The result is these women are blaming someone else for their problems that they created by their actions. In this way I can see that it doesn't matter who I want to blame, if I was not able to understand the consequences of my actions, and if problems resulted, I should seek solutions with the people in question and not try to blame anyone for what is unfolding before me.

[joy irowa]

inferiority complex entered her

because hagar was full of pride

she tried to get rid of hagar

because Abraham pampered her i believe because she was carrying his child

for permitting sarah to do whatever she likes with him

a polygamus home

[Old Jerry]

I think the reason that Sarah takes her anger out on Abraham is because she it was her fault that Abraham slept with Hagar. She is the one that suggested it. The reason she is trying to get rid of Hagar or the baby is because she knows that the baby will inherit Abraham estate.

The reason that Hagar’s pride is Abraham’s fault is because he is the one that impregnated her. And the reason that Hagar’s affliction Abraham’s fault is because he let Sarah do what she thought was right and he is the one that suggested the results of the action.

[Craig]

Q1. (16:1-6) Why does Sarah take her anger out on Abraham? Why does she take her anger out on Hagar? Is she trying to get rid of Hagar or the baby? In what sense is Hagar's pride Abraham's fault? In what sense is Hagar's affliction Abraham's fault? What situation in your family does this reminds you of?

 

 

Her jealousy of Hagar's pregnancy turns into anger which she takes out on both Abraham and Hagar.  She is the odd person out and feels that Hagar is disrespecting her and flaunting her pregnancy at Sarah's experience. 

 

Hagar's pride and affliction is partly Abraham's fault because he does nothing to correct it.  He doesn't exercise any leadership over Hagar.  He tries to ignore the situation and hopes it will go away.  However, his non-involvement in this situation allows the dysfunction, tension, and toxic environment to continue culminating in near disaster.

 

This account reminds me of the lack of attention, at times, by me to finances in our family that has lead from simple solutions to unnecessarily severe financial solutions.  Ignoring things only makes matters worse

[Ernie's Son]

Why does Sarah take her anger out on Abraham?  Abraham was unwilling to punish Hagar for her conduct toward Sarah.

 

Why does she take her anger out on Hagar? Sarah said: " . . . when she saw that she had conceived, I was despised in her eyes . . . . (5)"

 

Is she trying to get rid of Hagar or the baby? The baby.

 

In what sense is Hagar's affliction Abraham's fault? Apparently, Abraham lets Sarah do as she wants while being unjust to Hagar.

 

What situation in your family does this remind you of? Probably anytime that I put my plan first instead of God's plan.

 

 

[lighthouse2014]

Q1. (16:1-6) Why does Sarah take her anger out on Abraham? Why does she take her anger out on Hagar? Is she trying to get rid of Hagar or the baby? In what sense is Hagar's pride Abraham's fault? In what sense is Hagar's affliction Abraham's fault? What situation in your family does this reminds you of?

Genesis 16:1-6, Sarah takes out her anger on Abraham because Hagar is pregnant, now Sarah knows it is her problem that she has not become pregnant. Hagar is now prideful and this makes Sarah angry.

Sarah takes out her anger on Hagar because she has become pregnant by Abraham. Hagar's child will now be heir to Abraham and not by any of Sarah's descendants. After all it was Sarah's idea for Abraham to sleep with Hagar.

Sarah is trying to get rid of Hagar before her baby by Abraham is born.

Hagar's pride is Abraham's fault because he does not deal with the situation between Sarah and Hagar, he passes it off as being Sarah's problem. Her affliction by Sarah has now become Abraham's fault, he does not try to defend her in any way.

The situation of Hagar being pregnant and Sarah's anger has a relationship even in today's society. Families refuse to confront a problem and submit, instead they try to blame others or purely fuse to deal with it.        

[Rosesam]

Q1. (16:1-6) Why does Sarah take her anger out on Abraham? Why does she take her anger out on Hagar? Is she trying to get rid of Hagar or the baby? In what sense is Hagar's pride Abraham's fault? In what sense is Hagar's affliction Abraham's fault? What situation in your family does this reminds you of?

God had promised that Abraham would have descendants, but hadn’t told as to whether it will be through Sarah. So, after waiting for many years for the fulfillment of God’s promises, Sarah decides to help God out by offering to Abraham her maid, Hagar to become a surrogate mother on her behalf. Rather than asking God for confirmation, Abraham listens to his wife and impregnates Hagar. Up until now they hadn’t figured out who actually had fertility issues, since modern methodology of figuring out was not there back then. Moreover Sarah had passed her child bearing phase in her life. But when Hagar becomes pregnant, the realization that Sarah was actually having an issue must have struck her real hard. Perhaps all the years of having no children would resulted in some gossip that Sarah was to blame. But in the back of her mind Sarah would have thought that Abraham was to blame. But now it was obvious for everyone that it was indeed Sarah’s body that was barren. In those days a barren woman was considered to be a curse. This jealously towards Hagar and frustration of being barren results in lashing out against Abraham by Sarah.

Hagar must have been overjoyed having conceived Abraham’s child. This ended up in pride in her own eyes and contempt over Sarah. Probably she would have thought that her slave status is going to change and this would result in her freedom. This made Sarah to take out her anger towards Hagar.

Sarah wanted a child to be an heir to Abraham. Moreover the child born to Hagar would have been called as her child, unless a child is born to her. Since her age was not helping her, she would have thought that the chances of bearing a child herself was remote. She didn’t want Hagar to usurp her status as wife. And I think her anger was not to actually get rid of Hagar or the baby, but to make Hagar to realize that she will not take the status of a wife, in spite of bearing Abraham’s child.

Abraham didn’t originate the idea of impregnating Hagar, but had merely agreed to Sarah’s proposal. But in a sense he was to blame for both Hagar’s pride and her affliction. As he had the leadership role in the family, he should have anticipated this outcome. Since Hagar had become Abraham’s concubine, she knew that she could never be sold and had a special status in Abraham’s household, which led to her pride. When Sarah afflicted Abraham, rather than taking the leadership role in his house, he just turned a blind eye towards what was happening there.

Pride, jealousy, anger, not taking leadership role etc. are still seen in households because of the sin nature of man living in this sinful world.

[Godswriter]

Q1. (16:1-6) Why does Sarah take her anger out on Abraham? Why does she take her anger out on Hagar? Is she trying to get rid of Hagar or the baby? In what sense is Hagar's pride Abraham's fault? In what sense is Hagar's affliction Abraham's fault? What situation in your family does this reminds you of?

I believe she took it out on Abraham because Hagar now felt superior to Sarah because she was pregnant and had conceived while Sarah was barren. The main reason she took it out on her is because Hagar chose to treat Sara as inferior. I would say that the pride is both Sarah's and Abraham's fault since they chose to move ahead of God and in doing so they caused her to become proud. Her affliction is His fault since he chose not to defend her. I would have to say the situation with my grandma where she was treated like an inferior human being.

[Irmela]

(16:1-6) Why does Sarah take her anger out on Abraham?

Abram is closest to Sarai, so it would be that he got the brunt of her anger. Abram lay with Hagar and by this union, it is reflected that Abram is not the one that is unfruitful. It is hard to stare the truth in the face. Now it shows clearly, Sarai is the one that is barren ...   the "fault does lie with her and not with Abram". Sarai was jealous. 

Why does she take her anger out on Hagar?

Hagar was successful in conceiving a child and she, Sarai, as "chief-wife" could not conceive. This was a very sore point. Hagar now in her mannerisms was probably making Sarai feel even more unworthy than ever before. 

Is she trying to get rid of Hagar or the baby?

I don't think she was trying to get rid of them, but she was trying to right the wrong she had caused by not waiting on God for His perfect timing. I think she was unsuccessfully trying to fix an unfixable situation. 

In what sense is Hagar's pride Abraham's fault?

Abram had been promised an offspring by God and now Abram listened to a plan made by his wife. Hagar was pregnant and I am sure that Abram let Hagar know or feel/sense, in no uncertain terms, that he was excited about the coming of the child. Hagar, as a slave turned 'secondary wife, in turn was proud to have been chosen to bear the 'chief' a son. 

In what sense is Hagar's affliction Abraham's fault?

Abram should have also spoken things out with his wife and Hagar and shown that he was actually the head of the home. For peace they would both need to toe the line. The only reason Hagar was carrying his child was so Sarai could build a family. That was the agreement in the first place. 

What situation does this remind you of?

This situation often is found in families where there has been a divorce or a death and the second partner is starting to assert his/her status or  authority in the family. Children that are involved or other family members need to recognize or welcome a new method in the "fold" as it were. This is not always easy. Lots of prayer and patience is needed. 

 

[Bianca]

I believe Sarah blames Abraham because he is the one that has sexual relations with Hagar though she didn't have a problem with it at first but still she is going to look at her husband. Which some other women would have probably done the same thing. Sarah was jealous because she hasn't produce an offspring. Jealously can make you not see things as clearly. I believe Sarah is trying to get rid of them both out of anger. Not trying to kill them, but doesn't want them around and angry at them. It is Abraham's fault concerning Hagar because it should have never happened anyway. They should have waited on The Lord. 

 

I don't have a situation that I can think of right now.