Pastor Gbenga Aluko
Text: Gen. 21:9-19
This study will be done with the following headings.
- Background
- Meaning
- Examples of God’s help in the scriptures
- Why God helped Hagar and her Son
- Conclusion
Background
The chapter of reference opened with the account of God’s visitation to Sarah Abraham’s wife, The visitation was not physical visitation, it was a divine and prophesied encounter that birthed physical manifestation, ending a protracted situation of barrenness. Gen.21:1, 17:16, 18:10. May we continue to experience God’s visitation and help in Jesus mighty name. Amen.
In the passage, Abraham’s obedient nature was highlighted:
· Named the child Isaac in obedience to what God told him earlier Gen. 21:3, 17:19
· Circumcised the young son just as God commanded. Gen.21:4.
· He later drove Hagar and her son away when God underscored that he did as his wife said. Gen.21:12
Sarah was full of thanksgiving to God for making her and Abraham have a child at a very old age Gen.21:6-7, while at that she was however watchful and observant enough to notice when Ishmael (who was fourteen years older) was mocking her son Gen.21:9( issues! was Ishmael just rude, poorly taught, had bad/ungodly model or all of the above, God is the best judge), who knows what else he was doing and would have done to him but for Sarah’s stance, how watchful are we?
Underscoring watchfulness, thank God a watchful woman, her son would have been successfully exchanged for a dead one 1 Kings 3:21 and our Lord and Saviour Jesus also admonished us to watch and pray Matt 26:41. Let’s watch and pray.
Meaning
What does help mean: according to the dictionary
“to give or provide what is necessary to accomplish a task or satisfy a need, contribute strength or means to, to render assistance, cooperate effectively with, aid/assist”
Who is the Helper of the Helpless? God, the Hebrew phrase Jehovah Ezer means the Lord my help.
God is our help in troubles Psalms 46:1, God is the father to the fatherless and defender of the widow Psalms 68:5. GOD IS THE HELPER OF THE HELPLESS HALLELUYAH.
Examples of God’s help in the scriptures
The bible is filled with divine interventions in human affairs(helps), we would briefly mention a few:
· The paralysed man Mark 2:1-12
· Peter when sinking Matt. 14:29-31
· The Woman with the issue of blood Luke 8:40-48
· Elijah during a famine 1 King 17:2-7,8-16
God came to the aid of the children of Israel on several occasions let’s just look at few of them:
· Quails when they complained of meat Ex. 16:11-13
· Manna fell from heaven Ex. 16: 14-15
· Water from the rock Num. 20: 1-13
· Brought down Goliath. 1 Sam. 17:45-47
Why God helped Hagar and her Son
The scripture says in Psalm 115 lines 3 that God sits in heaven and does what pleases Him but as revealed through the scriptures lets look at a few of the reasons God helped Hagar and her Son:
- He was a seed of Abraham and a prophecy of a great nation not only survival Gen. 21:13.
- She had nowhere to go to, was wandering because she was driven out. Gen.21:14, Ps. 68:5,110:14
- She had exhausted the meagre provisions she was 14, Ps... Gen. 21:15
- She cried/prayed. Gen. 21:16
Conclusion
In 2 kings 6:27 a king declared clearly that if God does not help, he can’t either, he is limited, he may /would also need help too being Human. Psalms 60:11 states clearly a man who needs help and knows where to go to, further stating that vain is the help of men, let us rise and cry for His help too, He is our father and a loving one at that, He is the Helper of the Helpless.
Shalom.