# 16 - Sarai vs. Hagar - In this episode of The Chosen People with Yael Eckstein explore the tense and emotional story of Sarai and Hagar, where faith, identity, and God's timing collide in a narrative of human frailty and divine intervention. Discover how God sees and responds to the pain of those caught in the struggles of life.
Episode 16 of The Chosen People with Yael Eckstein is inspired by the Book of Genesis.
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Today's opening prayer is inspired by Genesis 16:13, “So she called the name of the Lord who spoke to her, ‘You are a God of seeing,’...”
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Speaker 1: Previously on the chosen people.
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Speaker 2: You've drawn the attention of Pharaoh's officials, and because of
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Speaker 2: that we should be prepared to tell them. You're my sister,
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Speaker 2: not my wife. This is for your protection as well
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Speaker 2: as my own. If you've drawn the eye of a
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Speaker 2: prominent Egyptian as your brother, my life would be spared.
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Speaker 3: So you'd lie.
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Speaker 2: It's not an outright lie. We do share a father, Abram.
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Speaker 3: You would tell a half truth and deny me the
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Speaker 3: protection of my husband. Lie to spare yourself and ship
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Speaker 3: me off to an Egyptian warlord.
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Speaker 4: My name is Hagar. Is there anything else I can
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Speaker 4: get you?
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Speaker 5: Master Abram, as my servant piqued your interest, consider her
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Speaker 5: a part of my daddy, a gift for bringing me
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Speaker 5: such a life wife.
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Speaker 1: She fumed that the only kindness her husband seemingly had
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Speaker 1: to spare was for some stranger and not his own wife.
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Speaker 1: Abram couldn't bring himself to fully admit what had happened
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Speaker 1: in Egypt, certainly not to Sarah, perhaps some day, but
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Speaker 1: the failure still haunted him deeply.
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Speaker 6: And you speak often for your legacy and the nation
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Speaker 6: you are building. I do not mean to overreach, but
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Speaker 6: how do you plan to secure your line of inheritance
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Speaker 6: without a son or any children, for that matter, have
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Speaker 6: you named an heir?
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Speaker 7: Abraham, do not be anxious, and do not worry about
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Speaker 7: the opinions of others. I have not forgotten about the
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Speaker 7: promise I have made.
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Speaker 2: You, God Most High, I know what you have promised me.
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Speaker 8: But how can.
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Speaker 7: You count the stars? Abram? You cannot, for there are
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Speaker 7: too many. It is impossible. It is to be the
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Speaker 7: same with your offspring. The great nation I shall make
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Speaker 7: through your air would be as innumerable as the stars
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Speaker 7: in the night sky.
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Speaker 1: That night, under a canopy of stars and uncertainty, Sarai,
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Speaker 1: despite her tears, felt comforted. Abram had failed her, but
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Speaker 1: the God of Abram wouldn't.
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Speaker 9: Under the desert searing sun, two women's lives intersected, and
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Speaker 9: the seeds of destiny were sown in the soil of
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Speaker 9: human sorrow. Shallo, my friends from here in the Holy Land,
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Speaker 9: i'm ya l Extein with the International Fellowship of Christians
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Speaker 9: and Jews. Welcome to the Chosen People. Each day we'll
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Speaker 9: hear a dramatic story inspired by the stories, filled with
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Speaker 9: timeless lessons of faith, love, and meaning. Through Israel's story,
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Speaker 9: we'll find this truth that we are all chosen for
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Speaker 9: something great. Take some time after this episode to follow
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Speaker 9: and leave a review. These small steps ensure that you
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Speaker 9: don't miss an episode, and it helps us get discovered.
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Speaker 9: So let's begin. What happens when faith falters in the
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Speaker 9: face of unfulfilled dreams? How do we reconcile the heartache
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Speaker 9: of waiting and the urgency of desire? Can a sacred
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Speaker 9: promise coexist with human impatience? In this dramatic and heart
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Speaker 9: wrenching story inspired by Genesis sixteen, we dive into the
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Speaker 9: lives of Sarai and Hagar, to biblical women who represent
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Speaker 9: our own struggle to cling onto God's promises and to
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Speaker 9: trust in his plans.
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Speaker 1: Sarah's hands slightly as she grasped the clay pitcher. Whether
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Speaker 1: from age or pure apprehension, she was not sure. That
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Speaker 1: morning she had known. At daybreak, she opened her eyes
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Speaker 1: to find the sun screaming through a jagged tear in
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Speaker 1: the tent roof. She had watched the black goat hairs
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Speaker 1: of the tent fabric slowly lose their luster and then
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Speaker 1: deteriorate a little more each day, until a slender scene
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Speaker 1: began to form. She eyed the scene every morning and evening,
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Speaker 1: wondering when it would finally burst open. And today it
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Speaker 1: finally happened. Yes, today was going to be the day.
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Speaker 1: She felt the anxiety building in her bones and her
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Speaker 1: patience raveling like the fabric above her head. She could
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Speaker 1: not let it go on a moment longer. Action had
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Speaker 1: to be taken.
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Speaker 3: Begar, come here, Yes, Marid, I must speak my husband,
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Speaker 3: but you are not dismissed yet. I will have need
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Speaker 3: of you, so do not go far.
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Speaker 1: Yes, my lady, ten years That's what that hole in
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Speaker 1: her tent had come to represent. These nomadic tents had
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Speaker 1: become their home while they waited on a promise from
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Speaker 1: Abram's god, her god too. She had seen his power
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Speaker 1: when he rescued her from the hands of Pharaoh himself.
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Speaker 1: But she wondered as the walls around her began to
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Speaker 1: crumble and her body steadily declined of old age. If
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Speaker 1: there had been some kind of mistake. Was there some
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Speaker 1: sign or direction they had missed along the way. Incalculable
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Speaker 1: scores of descendants and possession of this land were what
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Speaker 1: was promised to Abram, But a nagging suspicion had begun
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Speaker 1: to worm its way into her mind. Was she to
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Speaker 1: be a part of this grand design? Was she perhaps
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Speaker 1: the roadblock? Was she the hold up, the mistake? She
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Speaker 1: pushed the thoughts away, stuffed them deep inside herself.
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Speaker 8: Lady Sirrih, I received word that you sent for me.
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Speaker 3: Yes, Eliezer, I did. I would like you to intercept
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Speaker 3: my husband before he makes plans to join his friends
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Speaker 3: for dinner this evening. I would like him to dine
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Speaker 3: with me. I must speak with him. This is very important, Eliezer.
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Speaker 8: Yes, Lady Sirrih, I understand. I will do as you ask.
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Speaker 1: Sarah shakily set the pitcher down on the table and
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Speaker 1: began gathering the cups and readying the table for their meal,
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Speaker 1: losing herself once more in her brooding. Not having children
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Speaker 1: had long set her apart. Other women simply didn't know
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Speaker 1: what to talk to her about. Their whole worlds were
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Speaker 1: oriented around their children, and men didn't quite know what
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Speaker 1: to make of her either. She was the wife of
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Speaker 1: a p dominent clan leader, without the responsibilities of child
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Speaker 1: rearing to occupy her time. It was a life of
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Speaker 1: solitude she had never asked for. She had even lost
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Speaker 1: her reluctant companion in Lot's wife when they decided to
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Speaker 1: settle miles away in Sodom. Even more than the loneliness
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Speaker 1: of her life and station, the overwhelming feeling of inadequacy
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Speaker 1: gnawed at Sarah. She had buried the wound of her
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Speaker 1: infertility deep within herself long ago, but what she would
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Speaker 1: never dare speak aloud was this. She had never felt
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Speaker 1: like a whole person because of it. So she hid
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Speaker 1: behind her mask of self sufficiency and duty. She ran
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Speaker 1: her household, honored her husband, and oversaw their affairs. She
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Speaker 1: was the portrait of her Hebrew wife.
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Speaker 3: Lady Sarah, the meal is almost ready for you, and
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Speaker 3: Master Abram, thank you. Marret.
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Speaker 1: With nothing else to nervously fill her time, she began
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Speaker 1: to pace the length of the tent back and forth.
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Speaker 1: For ten years. She wondered at the promise spoken over
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Speaker 1: their lives. Fear that she had done something wrong, or
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Speaker 1: perhaps had not done enough, manifested her creeping doubt in
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Speaker 1: her heart. Old insecurities clawed their way to the surface,
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Speaker 1: refusing to stay where she had long ago lobbed them away.
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Speaker 1: They ate away at her faith, Like the fraying of
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Speaker 1: their tent. They demanded action. They gave her a sense
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Speaker 1: of urgency and need to take matters into her own hands. Maybe,
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Speaker 1: just maybe she had to be the one to fix it.
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Speaker 1: She refused to be the cause of failure. She could
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Speaker 1: not stomach this being her shortcoming. An idea had taken root,
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Speaker 1: and the more she stewed on it, the more sure
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Speaker 1: she felt.
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Speaker 8: Lady, sir I, I have found your husband. Will you
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Speaker 8: be requiring anything else before I tell the servants you're
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Speaker 8: ready for your meal?
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Speaker 4: No?
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Speaker 3: Thank you, Eliezer, that will be all.
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Speaker 2: Sir I. I am always honored to dine with you,
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Speaker 2: But what's with all the urgency informality?
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Speaker 8: Are you well?
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Speaker 3: Abram? I have something I need to discuss with you.
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Speaker 1: Sarah paused as the servants brought in food and wine.
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Speaker 1: She knew Abram could detect her nervousness immediately, after all,
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Speaker 1: they had been married for over fifty years, but he
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Speaker 1: respectfully held his silence and allowed her to take the
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Speaker 1: time to prepare for what she had to say. Sarah
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Speaker 1: I only resumed her conversation with her husband once the
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Speaker 1: servants were gone.
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Speaker 3: Abram, I have been giving this a lad of thought.
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Speaker 3: It has been ten years since we arrived in Canaan,
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Speaker 3: and God has promis must you a mighty legacy and
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Speaker 3: possession of this land. You told me that he confirmed
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Speaker 3: this promise in the most binding method of our culture,
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Speaker 3: through covenant. You said that your offspring would come from
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Speaker 3: your flesh and blood. I have never been able to conceive,
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Speaker 3: and in the ten years since we heard this promise,
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Speaker 3: that hasn't changed.
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Speaker 1: Abram reached over the table to grasp her trembling hand.
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Speaker 1: Abram's touch did not ease her discomfort. It had been
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Speaker 1: fifty years of reassuring glances, squeezes of the hand, and
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Speaker 1: words of affection, but never once did Abram ever say
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Speaker 1: the words she desperately longed for. You are enough for me.
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Speaker 1: She swallowed, steeled herself, let go of her pride, and said, I.
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Speaker 3: Would have you achieved this promise another way. I would
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Speaker 3: present my maid to you so that you could conceive
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Speaker 3: a child with her. The child would be of your
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Speaker 3: flesh and blood, and you would only have to adopt
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Speaker 3: him as your heir. In that way, we would achieve
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Speaker 3: God's promise to us. We could build our family through
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Speaker 3: this child you would conceive with another.
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Speaker 8: Sorry, you would do that for us.
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Speaker 3: I would. It is the most logical path forward, and
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Speaker 3: you would have the authority to make it so according
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Speaker 3: to our laws.
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Speaker 1: Sarah watched as Abram considered her words. She knew the
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Speaker 1: events in Egypt had affected him deeply. He had come
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Speaker 1: very close to losing her entirely. He was as stubborn
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Speaker 1: as she was in admitting his own failures. She supposed
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Speaker 1: he found it easier to bury them as well. He
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Speaker 1: had been doing his best to mend what had been lost.
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Speaker 1: She could acknowledge that it had taken a great deal
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Speaker 1: of time to walk back the trust between them. They
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Speaker 1: had made progress, and Abram still seemed unsure at times
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Speaker 1: about how to re engage, and she, in turn did
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Speaker 1: not know what to tell him or where to begin.
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Speaker 2: Sorry, this offer is very generous. You have moved me
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Speaker 2: greatly in your commitment to what our God has promised us.
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Speaker 8: I will do what you have asked of me. I
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Speaker 8: will accept.
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Speaker 1: Sharp pangs of emotion welled up unexpectedly from within her.
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Speaker 1: This wasn't what she wanted. Yes, this was what she
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Speaker 1: had planned, and she thought she had the resolve to
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Speaker 1: see it through. But it wasn't until now that she
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Speaker 1: realized she didn't want him to grant her this request,
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Speaker 1: and so readily she knew her suggestion was logical and strategic,
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Speaker 1: But what she had failed to consider was her desperate
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Speaker 1: desire for validation. To her great surprise, she realized at
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Speaker 1: this moment that she craved comfort, the very thing she
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Speaker 1: could not bring herself to ask for outright. All she
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Speaker 1: wanted was for him to tell her that she was
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Speaker 1: a whole person, with or without a child, that she
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Speaker 1: was enough. Promise or no promise of a legacy. These
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Speaker 1: thoughts screamed at her from the depths of her very soul.
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Speaker 1: She had tamped down those old hurts, but here they
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Speaker 1: were threatening to burst out of her. At long last,
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Speaker 1: she was right. She wasn't enough. Her husband's acceptance of
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Speaker 1: her plan proved all her insecurities right. The realization stopped
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Speaker 1: her in her tracks and rendered her silent. She had
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Speaker 1: laid this trap for herself, and now she was snared
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Speaker 1: like a rabbit. She had no choice but to go
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Speaker 1: through with it. She could not now deny her husband
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Speaker 1: the very solution he had been looking for. She could
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Speaker 1: not fail him in this. She would not fail him
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Speaker 1: in this, and so she stayed silent. Hagar now stood
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Speaker 1: before her lady and her master. She had never held
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Speaker 1: an audience with them both before. She had been given
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Speaker 1: to Abram in Egypt, and he in turn gave her
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Speaker 1: to his wife, Sarah. Hagar had been her maid ever since.
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Speaker 3: Abram, I present you with Hagar, as you once gave
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Speaker 3: her to me as a gift. I now present her
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Speaker 3: to you so that we may build our family.
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Speaker 1: Hagar blinked in surprise, but kept her head bowed politely.
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Speaker 1: She peered up at her master and lady in the
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Speaker 1: tense silence. This exchange seemed so formal, so restrained between them.
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Speaker 1: Perhaps this was yet another strange custom these Hebrews held.
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Speaker 1: Hagar had always found it strange that Abram had not
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Speaker 1: taken an additional wife or concubine. She was equally so
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Speaker 1: that Abram had not made advances toward her, as all
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Speaker 1: her previous masters had done. All her life, Hagar had
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Speaker 1: been a slave and came to understand that nothing, not
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Speaker 1: even her own body.
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Speaker 7: Was her own.
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Speaker 1: Hagar barely remembered the village she came from, or even
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Speaker 1: the faces of the parents who sold her. All she
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Speaker 1: remembered was that they told her it was a great
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Speaker 1: honor to be selected for pharaoh, but even that honor
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Speaker 1: had been taken away from her when she was given
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Speaker 1: away without a second.
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Speaker 3: Thought, Hagar, you will go with my husband and lie
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Speaker 3: with him until you conceive a child. I will relieve
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Speaker 3: you of your duties until the child is born. The
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Speaker 3: child you bear him will become our heir. Do you
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Speaker 3: understand what I am asking of you?
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Speaker 4: Yes, Myldia, I understand as you command me. I will
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Speaker 4: do as you ask.
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Speaker 1: And so Hagar did as her lady instructed. That very night,
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Speaker 1: she was escorted to her lord's tent. Her lady say,
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Speaker 1: I was there to open the entrance. As Haiger entered,
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Speaker 1: she saw her lady's face illuminated by torchlight. Hatred was
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Speaker 1: painted on the creases of her eyes. Was that hatred
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Speaker 1: toward her or perhaps to Abram?
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Speaker 7: No.
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Speaker 1: Hager had lived in hollow palaces long enough to recognize
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Speaker 1: a woman who hated herself. Her night with Abram was
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Speaker 1: a gentle and brief affair. She was not abused or belittled.
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Speaker 1: Amid it all, Hagar could not help but wonder if
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Speaker 1: this was the beginning of something good for her. Perhaps
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Speaker 1: she could be more than a slave. True to her word,
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Speaker 1: SyRI I relieved Hagar from her duties, ensuring that she
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Speaker 1: would be looked after for the duration of her pregnancy.
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Speaker 1: For the first time in Hager's life, she had meals
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Speaker 1: brought to her, She had some one else to mend
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Speaker 1: and wash her clothes, and her living space was kept
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Speaker 1: neat and clean. Most crucially, there was no one telling
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Speaker 1: her what to do. To someone who had never had anything,
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Speaker 1: this was everything she felt significant. It gave her a
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Speaker 1: glimpse into a future where she wasn't a slave to
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Speaker 1: the whims of others. She began to dream of things
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Speaker 1: that had never been accessible to her before, a family,
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Speaker 1: and perhaps even a legacy of her own. If Abram
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Speaker 1: and sarah I could hope for such a thing, why
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Speaker 1: not her?
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Speaker 8: Was she not.
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Speaker 1: Bringing this about for them? In fact, they couldn't do
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Speaker 1: this without her. If Abram could adopt her son, why
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Speaker 1: could he not legitimize Hager as well. Time passed and
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Speaker 1: the pains of pregnancy began. First, she noticed the fatigue.
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Speaker 1: Hagar knew the tiredness that came from a long day
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Speaker 1: of work, but this was a lethargy she had never known.
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Speaker 1: But when the nausea began, she knew with certainty. As
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Speaker 1: her belly grew, so did her resentment of Sarah. She
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Speaker 1: hated that she would be denied the child growing inside
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Speaker 1: of her. She hated that she would return to the
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Speaker 1: life she had before. But most of all, she hated
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Speaker 1: that Sarah would get everything she wanted and Hagar again
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Speaker 1: would be left with nothing.
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Speaker 3: Good morning, Hagar, I received word that you are now showing.
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Speaker 4: I am, lady, as you can see well.
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Speaker 3: I came to see you and see how you are progressing.
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Speaker 4: I am how you see, lady? The baby grows each day.
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Speaker 3: And the midwife says, the baby's healthy. Are you heeding everything?
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Speaker 3: She says?
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Speaker 1: Hager's hatred of Sarah I could be contained no longer.
00:19:02
Speaker 1: Sarah came to her and asked these questions and similar
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Speaker 1: ones almost every day. Hager's frustration at her fraud situation
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Speaker 1: boiled over.
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Speaker 4: Why nothing but a mayor to you to be broken
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Speaker 4: in bread. However you see fit, you will snatch this
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Speaker 4: child of mine the moment it is free and claim
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Speaker 4: it as your own. But why should you have a
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Speaker 4: say at all? It is Abrahm who chose me, and
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Speaker 4: it is I who was up to this task when
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Speaker 4: you were not. Why should I not be.
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Speaker 1: Rewarded with that? Hagar stormed off before Sarah could open
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Speaker 1: her mouth to say a word. Hagar's words hung in
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Speaker 1: the air moments after she left, and Sarah I was
00:19:49
Speaker 1: rendered utterly speechless. Would this woman take her child? Would
00:19:55
Speaker 1: Abram in fact come to favor Hagar once she bore
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Speaker 1: a child of his flesh? Fear surged through her veins
00:20:03
Speaker 1: and kicked up fury in its wake. Sarah I had
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Speaker 1: done the noble thing. She sacrificed her pride in granting
00:20:11
Speaker 1: her husband this path toward a child, and this was
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Speaker 1: to be how she was to be repaid. Her anger
00:20:20
Speaker 1: crackled toward her husband. He had, without a moment's hesitation,
00:20:25
Speaker 1: set her aside. The boldness of her handmaiden could be
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Speaker 1: dealt with later, but first her husband. Sarah knew Abram
00:20:34
Speaker 1: would be heading out toward the fields to day. She
00:20:38
Speaker 1: marched back to their tent and cornered him as he
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Speaker 1: prepared to leave.
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Speaker 2: Abram, Sir, I, what's wrong?
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Speaker 3: Tell me the truth? Have you given Hagar any reason
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Speaker 3: to believe that she may keep our child?
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Speaker 5: What?
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Speaker 8: Of course not? Why would you ask me such a thing?
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Speaker 3: Have you told her that you prefer her to me?
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Speaker 2: Of course, not where is this coming from. I've only
00:21:09
Speaker 2: done what you've asked me to do, what I.
00:21:13
Speaker 3: Asked you to do. But oh, how quickly you agreed.
00:21:18
Speaker 3: Not a moment's hesitation for your wife, not one moment
00:21:22
Speaker 3: to consider why I asked you to do it or
00:21:24
Speaker 3: how I felt about it.
00:21:27
Speaker 2: Sarah, you asked me to do this. Why would you
00:21:31
Speaker 2: ask this of me if you didn't want it? I
00:21:34
Speaker 2: wanted to please you, so I did what you requested
00:21:37
Speaker 2: of me.
00:21:40
Speaker 3: Oh is that why you did it to please me?
00:21:43
Speaker 3: That is why you swiftly and gingerly took the slave
00:21:47
Speaker 3: to your bed to please me?
00:21:50
Speaker 2: Sure, Abram, you were so sure, you were so bold
00:21:56
Speaker 2: and confident with this plan. How was I to know
00:22:00
Speaker 2: you were holding back your true feelings? Was it a
00:22:02
Speaker 2: trap you laid for me? I've been trying desperately to
00:22:06
Speaker 2: be a better husband, a better man for you. I
00:22:11
Speaker 2: was moved that you were so invested in the promise.
00:22:14
Speaker 2: How God made us Ah, I thought this would make
00:22:18
Speaker 2: you happy. This business with Hagar will give us a
00:22:22
Speaker 2: child at last.
00:22:25
Speaker 3: No, Abram, this business with Hagar will give you a child.
00:22:29
Speaker 3: It's your child, your promise your legacy, your divine calling
00:22:33
Speaker 3: with some god I have yet to hear from. Perhaps
00:22:36
Speaker 3: in the midst of it all, I would have a
00:22:38
Speaker 3: consolation prize, a husband who loves me and won't ship
00:22:41
Speaker 3: me off to Pharaoh or leave me into the arms
00:22:45
Speaker 3: of some slave.
00:22:47
Speaker 2: Sir I, I am not leaving you.
00:22:50
Speaker 8: I am not.
00:22:50
Speaker 3: Whatever kindness you have shown this woman has made her
00:22:53
Speaker 3: hate me and desire you. This woman who should have
00:22:56
Speaker 3: been our ally has become my enemy. She hates me.
00:23:02
Speaker 3: You agreed to this plan, so I hold you responsible.
00:23:05
Speaker 3: What I had hoped would help has only come back
00:23:08
Speaker 3: to harm me. May God judge between.
00:23:11
Speaker 2: Me and you, Sir I, these are strong words. You
00:23:18
Speaker 2: give me no choice but to give you justice. Do
00:23:23
Speaker 2: what you please with the girl. You can decide what
00:23:27
Speaker 2: is to be done with her.
00:23:30
Speaker 1: Sarah I turned on her heel and left their tent.
00:23:33
Speaker 1: Satisfaction was not complete in her eyes, not even close,
00:23:37
Speaker 1: but at least she would have her justice. She found
00:23:41
Speaker 1: Hager and confronted her, rage roaring in her ears.
00:23:46
Speaker 3: You there, Hagar, how dare you speak to me as
00:23:50
Speaker 3: you did earlier? Who do you think you are?
00:23:53
Speaker 4: You have given your husband to me, and I have
00:23:55
Speaker 4: done what you could not. Why should my station not
00:23:58
Speaker 4: be elevated? Who is to say that Abram will not
00:24:03
Speaker 4: decide between us.
00:24:05
Speaker 3: I am your lady, and you are mine to do
00:24:08
Speaker 3: with as I please. Even the child growing inside you
00:24:13
Speaker 3: is mine to do with as I please. I have
00:24:16
Speaker 3: given you nothing. You are nothing.
00:24:21
Speaker 1: Sarah struck Hagar with her final words. Hagar fell to
00:24:26
Speaker 1: the ground, and Sarah felt the leash on her anger
00:24:29
Speaker 1: slip even further As she continued her assault on a
00:24:33
Speaker 1: defenseless Hagar. Over and over again, she yelled, you.
00:24:38
Speaker 3: Are nothing, You are nothing, You are nothing.
00:24:45
Speaker 1: Sarah was too enraged to know if she was yelling
00:24:48
Speaker 1: these insults at Hagar or herself. Panting and exhausted, SARAHI
00:24:54
Speaker 1: finally collapsed to her knees, trembling. The air between the
00:24:59
Speaker 1: two women was still taut, like the string on a bow.
00:25:03
Speaker 1: Haiger winced as she uncurled herself from the protective ball
00:25:07
Speaker 1: she had formed around her head and pregnant belly. She
00:25:10
Speaker 1: peered up at Sarah, tears brimming in her eyes. Sarah
00:25:15
Speaker 1: I was still panting and glaring at her, but still
00:25:19
Speaker 1: as death. Hager tentatively propped herself up with her elbow
00:25:24
Speaker 1: weighing how Sarah would respond to her movement. Sarah stared
00:25:29
Speaker 1: at her in lethal silence, but didn't move to strike
00:25:32
Speaker 1: or stop her. Haiger pushed herself to her feet, shaking.
00:25:37
Speaker 1: Sarah watched her but made no movement. Sensing this may
00:25:42
Speaker 1: be her only opportunity, Hager turned and stumbled away as
00:25:46
Speaker 1: quickly as she could. She did not want to allow
00:25:49
Speaker 1: her lady time to change her mind. Hager broke into
00:25:53
Speaker 1: a limping run as she fled from Abram and Saya's camp.
00:25:57
Speaker 1: She had no plan and nowhere to go, but instinctively
00:26:01
Speaker 1: ran east toward Egypt. Sarai stared after Hager for a
00:26:05
Speaker 1: long while until her limping figure disappeared from view on
00:26:09
Speaker 1: the horizon. When she was gone, regret and shame flooded Sarai,
00:26:16
Speaker 1: flashing out her fury. She hated Hagar, she hated Abram,
00:26:21
Speaker 1: but most of all, she hated herself. Hagar staggered along
00:26:30
Speaker 1: the road to shore. On the way to Egypt. She
00:26:33
Speaker 1: had covered miles and miles since her confrontation with SARAHI.
00:26:38
Speaker 1: Black and purple bruises flecked with a yellowy green began
00:26:42
Speaker 1: rising from her skin where Sarai had struck her. She
00:26:46
Speaker 1: wandered with nothing but the clothes on her back. Her
00:26:50
Speaker 1: stomach growled and her throat was dry. She hoped she
00:26:54
Speaker 1: would happen upon travelers who would take pity on her
00:26:57
Speaker 1: and give her shelter and protection, but she had seen
00:27:01
Speaker 1: no one on the road since she fled that morning.
00:27:04
Speaker 1: First buzzed in the back of her mind like a pest,
00:27:08
Speaker 1: and even the dull, throbbing headache could not be quieted.
00:27:12
Speaker 1: She saw a modest spring up ahead off the road
00:27:15
Speaker 1: and quickened her pace. She carefully navigated the steep drop
00:27:19
Speaker 1: off the road to access the trickling water. She protectively
00:27:24
Speaker 1: held her belly as she sidestepped down the hill. She
00:27:28
Speaker 1: collapsed to her knees, cupped her hands, and greedily dreamt
00:27:33
Speaker 1: the water from the stream. After several gasping gulps of water,
00:27:38
Speaker 1: she realized how quiet the world around her had become.
00:27:42
Speaker 1: The insects, birds, and even the breeze around her had ceased.
00:27:48
Speaker 1: She looked over her shoulder up toward the road and
00:27:51
Speaker 1: beheld an other worldly being staring at her. She yelped
00:27:56
Speaker 1: in surprise and fell backward, catching herself on her elbow.
00:28:00
Speaker 7: Hagar, you do not know me, but you know the
00:28:03
Speaker 7: God of Israel. I serve I come to you now
00:28:07
Speaker 7: on his behalf.
00:28:08
Speaker 1: Hagar was too stunned to say anything and dumbly gaped
00:28:12
Speaker 1: at the figure. The messenger came down the hill and
00:28:16
Speaker 1: stretched out his hand to Hagar. The gesture was so
00:28:20
Speaker 1: kind and so human that, despite the messenger's appearance, Hagar
00:28:25
Speaker 1: hesitantly took his hand, and he helped her to her feet.
00:28:29
Speaker 7: Hagar, tell me where do you come from? And where
00:28:33
Speaker 7: are you going?
00:28:34
Speaker 4: How is it that you know my name?
00:28:36
Speaker 7: I know many things. You come from Egypt, and you
00:28:40
Speaker 7: are a handmaiden to Sarah. But now I ask you,
00:28:44
Speaker 7: so tell me where did you come from? And where
00:28:48
Speaker 7: are you going?
00:28:50
Speaker 4: I am running away from my lady, said I.
00:28:54
Speaker 1: The messenger smiled at Hagar. He seemed to take in
00:28:58
Speaker 1: her measure. Knew she should probably be afraid. That she
00:29:02
Speaker 1: was struck by the kindness of his presence. She could
00:29:06
Speaker 1: sense power as well, great power, but she knew instinctively
00:29:12
Speaker 1: that no harm would come to her.
00:29:14
Speaker 7: Hagar, the God I spoke of, I am here to
00:29:18
Speaker 7: speak to you on his behalf. He would have me
00:29:21
Speaker 7: tell you two things. First, I would ask something of you.
00:29:26
Speaker 7: You are to go back to your lady and submit
00:29:29
Speaker 7: to her authority.
00:29:31
Speaker 1: Hagar's eyes widened at this, but the messenger continued, second,
00:29:36
Speaker 1: I would give you something. Hagar's heart leaped to be
00:29:41
Speaker 1: given anything by such a figure of authority. She sucked
00:29:45
Speaker 1: in her breath. The God Most High will give you
00:29:48
Speaker 1: a great family. He will greatly multiply your offspring, and
00:29:53
Speaker 1: they will be too ready to count. The child growing
00:29:56
Speaker 1: in your wound now will be a son. You are
00:29:59
Speaker 1: to name aim him Ishmael. The God most High has
00:30:04
Speaker 1: seen everything that has happened to you. He has heard
00:30:07
Speaker 1: both the longings of your heart and seen the abuse
00:30:11
Speaker 1: that has befallen you. Hagar started at that. She was
00:30:16
Speaker 1: humbled to have drawn the attention of Abram's God.
00:30:20
Speaker 7: I will tell you more about the son you will
00:30:22
Speaker 7: bear Ishmael. When he grows to be a man, he
00:30:26
Speaker 7: will be like a wild bulgie. His hands will be
00:30:29
Speaker 7: against everyone, and everyone's hands will be against him.
00:30:33
Speaker 1: Hagar did not understand the full meaning of what the
00:30:37
Speaker 1: messenger was telling her, but she assumed that she would
00:30:40
Speaker 1: come to understand in time.
00:30:43
Speaker 7: His great family will be settled, from Havilah to Shur
00:30:47
Speaker 7: and they will all be together.
00:30:50
Speaker 1: Hagar was amazed at the words of the messenger. She
00:30:53
Speaker 1: wondered at the power and authority of his God.
00:30:58
Speaker 4: I am honored you would come to me that your
00:31:02
Speaker 4: God even knows who I am. You have said his
00:31:06
Speaker 4: name is God most High, and I have called him
00:31:09
Speaker 4: the God of Abram. But now I will give him
00:31:13
Speaker 4: a new name. Your God has seen me something so
00:31:19
Speaker 4: few have done, so I would call him Eleroy, the
00:31:26
Speaker 4: God who sees.
00:31:32
Speaker 1: Hagar did as the messenger of Elroy, as she named
00:31:36
Speaker 1: him bid. She returned to her lady Sarah and submitted
00:31:40
Speaker 1: herself to her authority. Sarah's anger had simmered, and an
00:31:46
Speaker 1: icy indifference settled in its place. She took Hagar back
00:31:50
Speaker 1: into her care to await the child's birth, but the
00:31:54
Speaker 1: rift between the women had been said. Abram had struggled
00:31:58
Speaker 1: with his decision as to what to do in the
00:32:01
Speaker 1: conflict between his wife and the would be mother of
00:32:04
Speaker 1: his child. When Hagar ran away due to Serah's harsh
00:32:08
Speaker 1: dealings with her, Abram was overcome with guilt. He felt
00:32:12
Speaker 1: that he had failed again. He cried out to his
00:32:15
Speaker 1: God about what to do or how to proceed, But
00:32:18
Speaker 1: when Hagar returned. He rejoiced and took it as a
00:32:21
Speaker 1: sign that he was to continue with the plan to
00:32:24
Speaker 1: adopt the child as his heir. When the day finally
00:32:28
Speaker 1: came for Hagar to bear her son, she sent word
00:32:31
Speaker 1: to Abram about the name.
00:32:32
Speaker 8: Master Abram. Congratulations, Hagar has born your son.
00:32:39
Speaker 2: That's wonderful news. Eliezer, thank you.
00:32:41
Speaker 8: Yes, it is Master Abram. But there's more. What is it?
00:32:47
Speaker 8: Hagar has asked me to relay the message that the
00:32:50
Speaker 8: boy's name will be Ishmael. What did you say? Her
00:32:53
Speaker 8: name is to be Ishmael? Why would she ask for
00:32:56
Speaker 8: anything else? The name is to be Ishmael. Why would
00:33:00
Speaker 8: she ask for the name to be a Hebrew name?
00:33:03
Speaker 8: If anything, I would think she'd ask for one that's Egyptian.
00:33:06
Speaker 2: The name means God hears.
00:33:09
Speaker 1: Abram wondered at the name. He had thought that everything
00:33:13
Speaker 1: had been said right and that his God was affirming
00:33:16
Speaker 1: his decision. How strange that this significant name would come
00:33:21
Speaker 1: through the woman he and his wife had treated so badly.
00:33:26
Speaker 1: Abram could not shake the feeling that, in taking matters
00:33:29
Speaker 1: into their own hands, they had indeed fallen short.
00:33:36
Speaker 9: When I first heard the story of Sarahi and Hagar.
00:33:39
Speaker 9: I was struck by its raw humanity. Here we have Sarai,
00:33:44
Speaker 9: a woman with deep aching desires, longing for a child,
00:33:47
Speaker 9: a legacy, and the love of her husband. And then
00:33:51
Speaker 9: there's Hagar, a servant caught in the middle of someone
00:33:54
Speaker 9: else's desperation. The whole narrative feels so raw, it feels
00:33:59
Speaker 9: so human. I feel the way of Sarai's hope turned
00:34:04
Speaker 9: to despair. Her dream is tangled and frustration. I feel
00:34:09
Speaker 9: Hagar's confusion and fear, thrust into a role she never
00:34:13
Speaker 9: even wanted. And through it all, I feel God's presence,
00:34:17
Speaker 9: not absent in the entire messy situation, but intimately involved.
00:34:23
Speaker 9: God heard Hagar's cries. God felt Sarai's pain. This story,
00:34:29
Speaker 9: with all of its imperfections and struggles, reminds me that
00:34:34
Speaker 9: God is there for us, not only in the easy times,
00:34:38
Speaker 9: but in the messy times, despite our humanity and our brokenness. Now,
00:34:44
Speaker 9: let's take a moment to explore the significance of Sarai
00:34:47
Speaker 9: and Hagar's names, names that are rich with meaning and insight. First,
00:34:52
Speaker 9: there's Sarai, which in Hebrew means my princess. Her name
00:34:57
Speaker 9: evokes images of nobility bearing and someone destined for greatness.
00:35:03
Speaker 9: Sarai carries the promise of what is to come the
00:35:06
Speaker 9: lineage of kings. Let's look a little closer. A princess
00:35:11
Speaker 9: holds great potential, but often has to wait for her
00:35:15
Speaker 9: kingdom and her future. Sarai's journey is marked by this
00:35:19
Speaker 9: tension between the future promise of royalty and the present
00:35:23
Speaker 9: reality of barrenness. Sarai is a woman caught between what
00:35:28
Speaker 9: is and what will be, struggling to hold on to
00:35:32
Speaker 9: faith in the face of long years of waiting. She's
00:35:35
Speaker 9: been promised that she will be a mother of the nations,
00:35:38
Speaker 9: but the promise has yet to be fulfilled. Sarai is
00:35:42
Speaker 9: caught in the in between, and that is where so
00:35:47
Speaker 9: many human mistakes can be made. In the margin between
00:35:51
Speaker 9: God's future promises and are current suffering. Then we have Hagar,
00:35:57
Speaker 9: whose name, literally in Hebrew, means flight. Her name tells
00:36:02
Speaker 9: a story of movement, of escape, of a journey from
00:36:04
Speaker 9: one place to another. Hagar's embodiment, of displacement, of being uprooted,
00:36:09
Speaker 9: of being cast into uncertainty. In flight, Hagar navigates the
00:36:15
Speaker 9: harsh realities of her existence, finding herself seen by God
00:36:19
Speaker 9: in the wilderness. It is in these names that we
00:36:23
Speaker 9: can understand the depth of their personal stories and what
00:36:27
Speaker 9: they're coming to teach us. Why are we so impatient?
00:36:33
Speaker 9: Why do we struggle with waiting? In our fast paced world.
00:36:37
Speaker 9: We're often told to take control, to make things happen
00:36:40
Speaker 9: to our own strength and our own terms, But all
00:36:43
Speaker 9: too often God's timing doesn't fit our schedules or plans.
00:36:48
Speaker 9: Isaiah forty thirty one says, but they that wait upon
00:36:51
Speaker 9: the Lord shall renew their strength. They shall mount up
00:36:55
Speaker 9: with wings as eagles. They shall run and not be weary,
00:36:58
Speaker 9: and they shall walk and not faint. Waiting on God
00:37:02
Speaker 9: isn't passive. It's active, and it's about trust. It's about
00:37:06
Speaker 9: surrendering our timeline to God. And when we wait, we
00:37:11
Speaker 9: are acknowledging that God is God, He is perfect and
00:37:15
Speaker 9: well we are not just like Sarai. We face a
00:37:19
Speaker 9: choice to take matters into our own hands or to
00:37:21
Speaker 9: trust in God's perfect timing. I know it's easier said
00:37:26
Speaker 9: than done, but remember God's promises are never late, they
00:37:30
Speaker 9: are always right on time. And while we wait for him,
00:37:34
Speaker 9: God works on us and in us, preparing us for
00:37:39
Speaker 9: what's to come. But aside from what Sarai in Hagar's
00:37:43
Speaker 9: story tells us about our relationship with God, it also
00:37:46
Speaker 9: looks at some pretty profound moral and ethical issues. Abraham
00:37:51
Speaker 9: and Sarai's use of Hagar is a stark reminder of
00:37:54
Speaker 9: how humans often treat each other in their quest for
00:37:58
Speaker 9: what they believe is right. Think about it. Sarai offers
00:38:02
Speaker 9: Hagar to Abraham, not considering Hagar's voice, choice, or dignity. Hagar,
00:38:07
Speaker 9: a servant, finds herself used her body means to an end.
00:38:13
Speaker 9: It's a disturbing glimpse into the human tendency to use
00:38:16
Speaker 9: others for personal gain, and is not just an issue
00:38:20
Speaker 9: from the Bible, no, from the days of servants and enslavement,
00:38:24
Speaker 9: from times when such actions were more common. These same
00:38:28
Speaker 9: human tendencies are very much alive and well today. Unfortunately,
00:38:34
Speaker 9: we see such actions everywhere in the corridors of power,
00:38:38
Speaker 9: in the workplace, in our communities, and sometimes even in
00:38:42
Speaker 9: our homes. Humans have a dark tendency to exploit others
00:38:46
Speaker 9: while pursuing their own selfish goals. Convinced that the ends
00:38:50
Speaker 9: justify the means, Sarai and Abram's actions while driven by
00:38:55
Speaker 9: a deeply personal and painful longing crossed ethical boundaries. They
00:39:00
Speaker 9: inflicted harm on Hagar, causing strife and suffering. We would
00:39:05
Speaker 9: expect more from our matriarchs and patriarchs. Don't you think
00:39:10
Speaker 9: the great men and women of the Bible should be
00:39:13
Speaker 9: better examples? No, But, as we've already seen throughout Genesis,
00:39:17
Speaker 9: Jewish tradition doesn't consider our patriarchs and matriarchs have been perfect.
00:39:22
Speaker 9: Although they did exist on a much higher level and
00:39:25
Speaker 9: they were directly connected to God, they were also imperfect,
00:39:32
Speaker 9: just like us. And as this story about great people
00:39:37
Speaker 9: acting not so greatly points out our human imperfections, it
00:39:41
Speaker 9: also asks us to look at those who, like hug
00:39:44
Speaker 9: Our feelus, feel discarded and feel voiceless. The story reminds
00:39:50
Speaker 9: us both that we, even though we're imperfect, could still
00:39:54
Speaker 9: have a connection to God that's deep and real and meaningful.
00:39:58
Speaker 9: And it also reminds us of our call to see
00:40:00
Speaker 9: and treat every person as an image bearer of God,
00:40:04
Speaker 9: deserving of dignity and respect. Because even as Hagar was mistreated,
00:40:11
Speaker 9: the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob saw her in distress,
00:40:15
Speaker 9: he didn't turn his eyes when Hagar fled into the
00:40:19
Speaker 9: wilderness feeling used and abandoned. God actually went to meet her.
00:40:23
Speaker 1: There.
00:40:24
Speaker 9: God saw Hagar, and he called her by name. God's
00:40:29
Speaker 9: tenderness towards Hagar is a powerful reminder of his heart
00:40:32
Speaker 9: for the marginalized, the used, and the abused. It shows
00:40:36
Speaker 9: us that no one is beyond his sight or a
00:40:38
Speaker 9: care in the vast expanse of human suffering. God's compassion
00:40:43
Speaker 9: reaches out to those who feel most forgotten, the very
00:40:47
Speaker 9: same people who the Fellowship works each day to help
00:40:51
Speaker 9: to bring food to and say you're not alone. We
00:40:55
Speaker 9: do that here in the Holy Land, across the former
00:40:57
Speaker 9: Soviet Union, and anywhere around the world where God's people
00:41:01
Speaker 9: need help. We help over two million people a year
00:41:05
Speaker 9: who feel alone, and we tell them God has not
00:41:09
Speaker 9: abandoned you nor forgotten do and either have we. There
00:41:14
Speaker 9: was a teacher from Nazareth who understood these principles that
00:41:17
Speaker 9: we see in Genesis sixteen. And to speak more on
00:41:20
Speaker 9: that is our good friend, Bishop Paulinier.
00:41:23
Speaker 10: Thank you, yeah, El, You've done such a masterful job
00:41:26
Speaker 10: speaking to this chapter sixteen. Can you believe I can
00:41:31
Speaker 10: barely get past verse one because it's unfortunately such a
00:41:36
Speaker 10: common anguish for some women and couples to suffer.
00:41:42
Speaker 8: It says that Sarah.
00:41:43
Speaker 10: Could not conceive, she could not become pregnant. You look
00:41:50
Speaker 10: back at the book of Genesis when God speaks to
00:41:53
Speaker 10: Eve and he prophesies through her and says that ultimately
00:41:57
Speaker 10: deliverance is going to come through pre mensi, through conception,
00:42:01
Speaker 10: through a child, a baby who's heel will be pressed
00:42:06
Speaker 10: against the enemy's head and crush him. God had spoken
00:42:11
Speaker 10: prophetically to this seventy five year old Abraham's sixty five
00:42:16
Speaker 10: year old Sarah that through them would come a nursery.
00:42:22
Speaker 10: And to the Christians listening, now you understand that through
00:42:28
Speaker 10: the nursery would come the nation of Israel, and through
00:42:33
Speaker 10: the nation would come Jesus, and through Jesus we'd come
00:42:38
Speaker 10: his Church, and through his Church the ultimate manifestation of
00:42:44
Speaker 10: His kingdom. But we can't get out of verse one.
00:42:49
Speaker 10: She can't conceive, And it's a tragic motif or theme
00:42:55
Speaker 10: we keep running into in this Covenant conversation. Rebecca and
00:43:01
Speaker 10: Isaac couldn't conceive, and Jacob and his Rachel could not conceive,
00:43:08
Speaker 10: and Hannah and we get over to the Christian scriptures
00:43:11
Speaker 10: of the New Testament, and Elizabeth in her old age,
00:43:15
Speaker 10: and her husband and his old agent wanted a child,
00:43:19
Speaker 10: and they couldn't conceive. And in each one of these situations,
00:43:26
Speaker 10: their husband caressed them and braced them, their husband poured
00:43:31
Speaker 10: their own flesh, seeded themselves into their wife, and stelled
00:43:38
Speaker 10: their bodies betrayed them, and they could not conceive. And
00:43:45
Speaker 10: so I'm thinking sitting here now about something miraculous. Over
00:43:51
Speaker 10: in the Christian scriptures of a young Jewish girl named Mary.
00:43:57
Speaker 10: The Bible says that no man touch'd her, no man
00:44:02
Speaker 10: had embraced her, caressed her, no man had seeded his
00:44:07
Speaker 10: own flesh into her. But miraculously she conceiv'd and brought
00:44:14
Speaker 10: forth her son and laid him in a manger. We
00:44:19
Speaker 10: know his name to be Jesus. That whole scenario I
00:44:24
Speaker 10: can't conceive. Though I've been touch'd and Mary I have conceiv'd,
00:44:34
Speaker 10: yet no man has touched me the miracle. And I
00:44:40
Speaker 10: would say to those who are Christian who believe in Jesus,
00:44:44
Speaker 10: the only thing more miraculous than the virgin birth.
00:44:50
Speaker 7: Is the new birth.
00:44:54
Speaker 10: Almighty God, I thank you for the miraculous in your
00:44:57
Speaker 10: covenant conversations with your people in the Hebrew scriptures, in
00:45:01
Speaker 10: the Christian scriptures, and that all of us who believe
00:45:04
Speaker 10: in this one God of Israel, we rest in you
00:45:08
Speaker 10: and the promises you've spoken, and we know that with God, all.
00:45:14
Speaker 6: Things are possible.
00:45:18
Speaker 9: In the tension between the now and the not yet,
00:45:20
Speaker 9: let's remember to trust in the tension between the ends
00:45:24
Speaker 9: and the means. Let's remember justice in the tension between
00:45:28
Speaker 9: the known and the unknown. Let's remember to seek peace.
00:45:33
Speaker 9: Here's a final blessing for you. Ivareh Hashem vishmerechra ya
00:45:39
Speaker 9: heer hashempanave e lehra verron nera y sa haschempanave e
00:45:44
Speaker 9: lehra shllon. May the Lord bless you and keep you.
00:45:49
Speaker 9: May the Lord make his face shine upon you. May
00:45:52
Speaker 9: he be gracious to you. May the Lord turn his
00:45:55
Speaker 9: face towards you and give you peace.
00:45:59
Speaker 1: Amen. You can listen to the Chosen People with Isle
00:46:03
Speaker 1: Eckstein Ad free by downloading and subscribing to the Prey
00:46:06
Speaker 1: dot Com app today. This Prey dot Com production is
00:46:11
Speaker 1: only made possible by our dedicated team of creative talents.
00:46:15
Speaker 1: Steve Gattina, Max Bard, Zach Shellabarger, and Ben Gammon are
00:46:19
Speaker 1: the executive producers of The Chosen People with Yile Eckstein,
00:46:23
Speaker 1: edited by Alberto Avilla, narrated by Paul Coltofianu. Characters are
00:46:28
Speaker 1: voiced by Jonathan Cotton, Aaron Salvato, Sarah Seltz, Mike Reagan,
00:46:33
Speaker 1: Stephen Ringwold, Sylvia Zaradoc and the opening prayer is voiced
00:46:36
Speaker 1: by John Moore. Music by Andrew Morgan Smith, written by
00:46:41
Speaker 1: Bree Rosalie and Aaron Salvato. Special thanks to Bishop Paul Lanier,
00:46:45
Speaker 1: Robin van Ettin, kaylab Burrows, Jocelyn Fuller, and the team
00:46:49
Speaker 1: at International Fellowship of Christians and Jews. You can hear
00:46:53
Speaker 1: more Prey dot com productions on the Prey dot com app,
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00:47:00
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