May
the mumbling commence!
Sometimes,
we think that we should help God along with His plans. And we get ourselves into trouble… sometimes
with pride… sometimes with false humility.
Read from Peterson’s The Message:
Sarai,
Abram’s wife, hadn’t yet produced a child.
She
had an Egyptian maid named Hagar. Sarai said to Abram, “God
has not seen fit to
let me have a child. Sleep with my maid. Maybe I can
get a family from her.” Abram agreed to do what Sarai said.
So
Sarai, Abram’s wife, took her Egyptian maid Hagar and gave her to her husband Abram as a wife. Abram had been
living ten years in Canaan when this took place. He slept with
Hagar and she got pregnant. When Hagar learned she was
pregnant, she looked down on her mistress.
Sarai
told Abram,
“It’s all your fault that I’m suffering this abuse. I put my maid in bed with you and the minute she knows she’s pregnant, she treats me like I’m nothing. May God
decide which of us is right.”
“You
decide,”
said Abram.
“Your maid is your business.”
Sarai was abusive to Hagar and
Hagar ran away. (Genesis 16:1-6)
Now
read the same passage from the NIV translation:
Now Sarai, Abram's wife, had borne him no children. But
she had an Egyptian maidservant named Hagar; so
she said to Abram,
"The Lord has
kept me from having children. Go, sleep with my maidservant;
perhaps I can build a family through her."
Abram agreed to what Sarai said. So after Abram
had been living in Canaan ten years, Sarai his
wife took her Egyptian maidservant Hagar and gave her to her husband to be his wife. He slept with Hagar, and she conceived.
When she knew she was pregnant, she began
to despise her mistress. Then Sarai said
to Abram, "You are responsible for the
wrong I am suffering. I put my servant in your
arms, and now that she knows she is
pregnant, she despises me. May the Lord judge between you and me."
"Your servant is in your hands," Abram said. "Do with
her whatever you think best." Then
Sarai mistreated Hagar;
so she fled from her. (Genesis 16:1-6)
Most of the changes that Peterson
has done are harmless updates of the older English used in the NIV. However, the differences in translations of
who God is going to decide between are significant. The NIV seems to be the Lord judging between
Sarai and Abram, while Peterson’s work suggests that the decision is between
Sarai and Hagar. It’s ambiguous. Though Peterson’s work seems to resolve the
difficult reading within the context of the story, the conflict between Sarai
and Abram is the most faithful to the original text. Sometimes ambiguity is purposeful.
But the issue is Sarai’s false
humility in assuming that she is not a part of God’s plan. How many times have you and I made that same
mistake? Sometimes it’s easier to pass the
buck. Let someone else embrace God’s
plan.
And that false humility gave way to
Hagar’s prideful reaction… and conflict amongst all three of the parties
involved – Abram, Sarai and Hagar. It’s
no wonder that Abram was hands off when Sarai came to complain to him.
Tomorrow, we will pick up the story
where we left off today… with Hagar fleeing the wrath of Sarai.
Enough mumbling for now…
Peace Out
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