Vs. 1-2 - God had just told Abraham that He was going to produce the offspring that would be the chosen people in 15:1-4. Sarah decides (with the prompting of satan) that she needs to help God out. After all she is of old age and has been barren and there is no way God could have meant she would be the mother. Instead of considering the miraculous power of God she was blinded by the circumstances of her current condition. Have you ever done this? We all have and as a result we miss out on the true sense of the miracle that God would have provided in our lives. If God wanted our help He would ask for it. How many times we hear the specific instructions of God and allow our flesh to get in the way and try to make it happen because it does not transpire as soon as we want it to.

Vs. 2 - Abraham knew - he believed God - yet he listened to Sarah and accepted compromise. It is no different that Adam and Eve in the garden; so many times we want to lay the blame on Eve yet Adam was right there with her when the deceiver spoke to her. He did not take his stand as the priest and leader of the family, therefore the deception was inevitable. Abraham knew what God had told him and he knew that this was not the prescribed way. If God directs you to do something, no one should convince you to alter what you know God said to do and how to do it.

Vs. 4 - God's plan will always bring about joy and peace. When we allow satan to convince us to jump ahead of God's plan it will create negative reactions.

Vs. 11-12 - Every seed produced outside of God's will, will produce strife. Ishmael is the progenitor of Islam whose founder is Muhammad. The Arabs have been bitter enemies with the Jews from the days of Ishmael to this very day. Their whole goal and desire is to completely destroy the Jewish people and take control of Jerusalem. They are not a peace loving people as the media would have you believe. The very prophecy given to Hagar about Ishmael stands true to this day; "he will be a wild man and his hand will be against his brothers and his brother's hands against him, and he shall dwell in the midst of his brethren." This could not be any truer than what we see in Israel today with the conflict between the PLO and the Jewish people.

Vs. 16 - Abraham was given the promise at 75 and 11 years later committed this lapse and therefore had to wait another 14 years to see the fulfillment. What is the longest amount of time you waited for an answer from God? Have you ever tried to help God out because you felt He had forgot about His promise? God has a reason for not answering you in the time you want.