Abram and Sarai Get New Names – Making it Simple – Lesson Seven
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Making it Simple
Lesson 7
Abram and Sarai Get New Names
Genesis 16, 17, 18, 19, 21
Chapter 16
Verse 1-2 Abram’s wife has not borne any children. She suggests that Abram go in to her maid, Hagar, and maybe Sarai would have children through her. Abram listened to her, and did as she suggested.
Verse 3 At this time, Abram has been in Canaan for 10 years. Sarai gives Hagar to Abram to become his wife.
Verses 4-6 Hagar becomes pregnant and begins to despise Sarai. Probably because of Hagar’s ability to give Abram a child and Sarai’s not being able to. Sarai blaims Abram for the trouble and wants him to do something about it. Abram tells Sarai that Hagar is her maid so she can do with her Sarai pleases. Sarai deals harshly with her, and Hagar runs away.
Verses 7-14 The Angel of the Lord finds Hagar by a spring of water on the way to Shur. When Hagar tells him that she is running from Sarai, the angel of the Lord tells her to return to Sarai and to submit to her. He promises her that her seed will be multiplied exceedingly. He also tells her that her child will be a son, and his name is to be Ishmael.
Verses 15-16 Hagar goes home, and bears a son to Abram. Abram names him Ishmael. We are told that Abram is 86 years old at this point.
Chapter 17
Verses 1-2 – Abram is 99 years old. God comes to Abram and reminds him of the promise the Lord made to him. God says again “I will multiply you exceedingly”.
Verses3-8 God says Abram will be a father of nations. He changes Abram’s name to Abraham (“father of many nations”). He again reminds Abraham of the covenant they have made. God promises to keep this covenant with all the generations to follow – for everlasting, and those descendants will receive the land of Canaan.
Verses 9-14 God gives Abraham a sign that will show that God, Abraham, and Abraham’s descendants have a covenant. All malechildren will be circumcised. The child that is not circumcised is to be cast out, because they have broken the covenant.
Verse 15-27 God changes Sarai’s name to Sarah. God promises to give Abraham a son by Sarah. She will be the mother of nations. Abraham falls on his face and laughs to himself thinking, “Shall a child be born to a man who is 100 years old? And shall Sarah, who is 90 years old, bear a child?” God says yes she will bear him a child and the child’s name will be Isaac. The Lord promises to care for Ishmael also and to make him a great nation. But the covenant God will make will be with Isaac, not Ishmael. Abraham then goes and takes Ishmael (who is age 13 by now) and all the males in his household and the males of all his slaves and circumcised them all that day.
Chapter 18
Verses 1-8. The Lord appears to Abraham. Abraham looks up and sees three men standing next him. Abraham invites them to wash their feet, to rest and to have something to eat. He and Sarah fix a meal for the men.
Verses 9-15. When Abraham takes the food to the men they ask about Sarah. Abraham tells them she is in the tent. Then in verse 10 the Lord tells Abraham that Sarah will have a son. Sarah was listening at the door. Sarah was old now, and had passed the age of childbearing. So Sarah laughed to herself thinking “After I have grown old, shall I have pleasure, my lord being old also?” The Lord asks Abraham “Why did Sarah laugh? Is anything too hard for the Lord? At the appointed time I will return to you, according to the time of life, and Sarah will have a son.”
Chapter 21
Verses 1-7 The Lord visits Abraham and Sarah just as He promised and He did for Sarah just as He said He would. Sarah gives birth to a son in her old age, and Abraham names him Isaac (which means “laughter”). Abraham was 100 years old when Isaac was born. (Sarah was 91 yrs old when Isaac was born, see Gen. 17:17)
In Your Bible –
Hebrews 10:23 “ Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful.”
