Genesis 16-18

Welcome to the Safe Space! Where we last left off in the Bible, God had made a covenant with Abram, promising that his descendants would inherit a vast land. Yet Abram and Sarai were still waiting for the promised child. As the years passed, Sarai remained childless, and she decided to take matters into her own hands. Sarai gave her Egyptian servant, Hagar, to Abram so that she could have a child through her. Hagar became pregnant, but the relationship between the two women quickly turned bitter. Sarai treated Hagar harshly, and Hagar fled into the wilderness. There, the angel of the Lord found her beside a spring and told her to return and submit to Sarai. He also promised that her descendants would be too numerous to count and that she would give birth to a son named Ishmael. Hagar returned, and she bore Abram a son. Abram was eighty-six years old when Ishmael was born. Thirteen years later, God appeared to Abram again and renewed His covenant. He commanded Abram to live in His presence and live blamelessly. God changed his name from Abram to Abraham, declaring that he would become the father of many nations. God also changed Sarai's name to Sarah and promised that she would become the mother of nations and that kings would come from her family. Then God established circumcision as the sign of the covenant. Every male in Abraham's household was to bear this mark. And God made an astonishing promise: Sarah herself would have a son. Abraham struggled to believe it. He laughed at the thought of a man nearly one hundred years old and a woman ninety years old having a child. He asked God to let Ishmael live under His blessing. God promised to bless Ishmael and make him the father of a great nation, but the covenant would be established through the son Sarah would bear. Then, one day, Abraham saw three visitors approaching. He hurried to welcome them and offered them food and rest. As they spoke, the Lord revealed that Sarah would have a son by the same time the following year. Sarah listened from inside the tent and laughed to herself. She wondered how she could possibly have such joy at her age. But the Lord responded with a question that reaches across generations: Is anything too hard for the Lord? Afterward, the visitors turned toward Sodom. The Lord revealed to Abraham that the outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah was great and that their wickedness would be investigated. Abraham then stood before the Lord and pleaded for the people of those cities. He asked whether God would destroy the righteous along with the wicked. Again and again, Abraham appealed to God's justice, asking if the cities would be spared for the sake of fifty righteous people, then forty-five, forty, thirty, twenty, and finally ten. Each time, the Lord agreed. The fate of Sodom and Gomorrah now hung in the balance, while Abraham was left with a promise that seemed impossible: Sarah would have a son, and through him, God's covenant would continue. Verse of the Day: Romans 12:9-10;18 Don’t just pretend to love others. Really love them. Hate what is wrong. Hold tightly to what is good. Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honoring each other. Do all that you can to live in peace with everyone. Question of the Day: Which relationships in your life need peace right now?