Page:An Exposition of the Old and New Testament (1828) vol 1.djvu/134

102 the Lord made a covenant with Abram, that is, gave a promise to Abram, saying, Unto thy seed have I given the land. Here is, 1. A rehearsal of the grant: he had said before, To thy seed will I give this land, ch. 12. 7.— 13. 15. But here he says, I have given it; that is, (1.) I have given the promise of it, the charter is sealed and delivered, and cannot be disannulled. Note, God's promises are God's gifts, and are so to be accounted of. (2.) The possession is as sure, in due time, as if it were now actually delivered to them: what God has promised, is as sure as if it were already done; hence it is said, He that believes hath everlasting life, John 3. 36, for he shall as surely go to heaven as if he were there already. 2. A recital of the particulars granted, such as is usual in the grants of land. He specifies the boundaries of the land intended hereby to be granted, v. 18. And then, for the greater certainty, as is usual in such cases, he mentions in whose tenure and occupation these lands now were. Then several nations or tribes, are here spoken of, v. 19..21. that must be cast out, to make room for the seed of Abram. They were not possessed of all these countries, when God brought them into Canaan. The bounds are fixed much narrower, Num. 34. 2, 3, &c. But, (1.) In David's time and Solomon's, their jurisdiction extended to the utmost of these limits, 2 Chron. 9. 26. (2.) It was their own fault that they were not sooner and longer in possession of all these territories. They forfeited their right by their sins, and by their own sloth and cowardice kept themselves out of possession. 3. The land granted, is here described in its utmost extent, because it was to be a type of the heavenly inheritance, where there is room enough: in our Father's house are many mansions. The present occupants are named, because their number and strength, and long prescription, should be no hindrance to the accomplishment of this promise in its season, and to magnify God's love to Abram and his seed, in giving to that one nation the possession of many nations: so precious were they in his sight, and so honourable, Isa. 43. 4.

CHAP. XVI. Hagar is the person mostly concerned in the story of this chapter, an obscure Egyptian woman, whose name and story we had never heard of, if Providence had not brought her into the family of Abram. Probably, she was one of those maid-servants, which the kind of Egypt, among other gifts, bestowed upon Abram, ch. 12, 16. Concerning her, we have four things in this chapter; I. Her marriage to Abram her master, v. 1..3. II. Her misbehaviour toward Sarai, her mistress, v. 4, 6. III. Her discourse with an angel that met her in her flight, v. 7..14. IV. Her deliverance of a son, v. 15, 16.

OW 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 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.

We have here the marriage of Abram to Hagar, who was his secondary wife; herein, though some excuse may be made for him, he cannot be justified; for from the beginning it was not so; and when it was so, it seems to have proceeded from an irregular desire to build up their families for the speedier peopling of the world and the church: it must not be so now. Christ has reduced this matter to the first institution, and makes the marriage union to be between one man and one woman only.

Now,

I. The maker of this match (would one think it?) was Sarai herself: she said to Abram, I pray thee go in unto my maid, v. 2. Note, 1. It is the policy of Satan to tempt us by our nearest and dearest relations, or those friends that we have an opinion of and an affection for. The temptation is most dangerous, when it is sent by a hand that is least expected: it is our wisdom therefore to consider, not so much who speaks, as what is spoken. 2. God's commands consult our comfort and honour, much better than our own contrivances do. It had been much more for Sarai's interest, that Abram should have kept to the rule of God's law, than that he should have been guided by her foolish projects; but we often do ill for ourselves.

II. The inducement to it was Sarai's barrenness.

1. Sarai bare Abram no children; she was very fair, ch. 12. 14; she was an agreebleagreeable [sic] dutiful wife, and a sharer with him in his large possessions; and yet written childless. Note, (1.) God dispenses his gifts variously, loading us with benefits, but not overloading us: some cross or other is appointed to be an allay to great enjoyments. (2.) The mercy of children is often given to the poor, and denied to the rich; given to the wicked, and denied to good people; though the rich have most to leave them, and good people would take most care of their education: God does herein as it has pleased him.

2. She owned God's providence in this affliction; the Lord hath restrained me from bearing. Note, (1.) As where children are, it is God that gives them, ch. 33. 5, so where they are wanted, it is he that withholds them, ch. 30. 2. This evil is of the Lord. (2.) It becomes us to acknowledge this, that we may bear it, and improve it, as an affliction of his ordering for wise and holy ends.

3. She used this as an argument with Abram to marry his maid; and he was prevailed with by this argument to do it. Note, (1.) When our hearts are too much set upon any creature-comfort, we are easily put upon the use of indirect methods for the obtaining of it: inordinate desires commonly produce irregular endeavours: if our wishes be not kept in a submission to God's providence, our pursuits will scarcely be kept under the restraints of his precepts. (2.) It is for want of a firm dependence upon God's promise, and a patient waiting for God's time, that we go out of the way of our duty to catch at expected mercy; He that believes, does not make haste.

4. Abram's compliance with Sarai's proposal, we have reason to think, was from an earnest desire of the Promised Seed, on whom the covenant should be entailed. God had told him that his heir should be a son of his body, but had not yet told him that it should be a son by Sarai; therefore he thought, "Why not by Hagar: since Sarai herself proposed it?" Note, (1.) Foul temptations may have very fair pretences, and be coloured with that which is very plausible. (2.) Fleshly wisdom, as it anticipates God's time of mercy, so it puts us out of God's way. (3.) This would be happily prevented, if we would ask counsel of God by the word and by prayer, before we attempt that which is important and suspicious: herein Abram was wanting; he married without God's consent. This persuasion came not of him that called him.

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. 5. And Sarai said unto Abram, My