I am not sure how things are at your end at this point of time. Probably life has been too hard for some of us and at times feel as if we are in an isolated island though surrounded by people. In spite of trying our best often to adjust and fit ourselves into situations we fail and then come to the conclusion that life and people around us are not fair to us at all. This Monday morning the encouragement from God’s Word is that our God will definitely be fair to us. Our thought for reflection is, “Our God Receives Those Who Are Rejected By Others”.
And she (Sarah) said to Abraham,
“Get rid of that slave woman and her son, for that slave woman’s son will never share in the inheritance with my son Isaac”
(Genesis 21:10).
As we all know, the idea that Abraham should have a child by Hagar was originally Sarah’s idea. Hagar was just caught up in a scheme that was not of her own making. Hagar truly was an innocent party who was being used as a pawn in an important game devised by Sarah and Abraham. Thus as readers, our sympathy goes to Hagar and her son Ismael. Why? Because of two reasons:
1. Hagar and her son were “ridiculed” undeservingly.
Hagar and Ishmael had names, but Sarah deliberately avoided using them but preferred to refer to them as “that slave woman and her son”. She did that out of disgust towards Hagar and Ishmael and to show how much she disliked them. But God while speaking to Abraham, referred to them in a politer way:
“Do not be distressed about the “boy and your maidservant”
(Genesis 21:12).
Do we feel hurt when people ridicule us and put labels on us to show how much they dislike us?
2. Hagar and her son were “rejected” cruelly.
Sarah instructed Abraham to “get rid” of Hagar and Ishmael as she felt that Hagar and especially Ishmael had no right to share in the inheritance of her own son Isaac. God’s reassurance to Abraham that He would take care of Hagar and her son, clearly revealed that Sarah’s harsh and cruel rejection and treatment of her maidservant did not receive divine approval:
“I will make the son of the maidservant into a nation also, because he is your offspring"
(Genesis 21:13).
Are we feeling cruelly rejected by those who were once very close to us and who once used us for their advantage?
Ridicule and rejection are evidences of someone else’s perception of us and need not necessarily be the evidence of our own flawed nature or character. The only approval that truly matters is our God’s approval of our character, nature, actions and behaviour. Our worth does not depend on the acceptance or rejection of others but on our position in Christ. God’s Word reminds us this morning that God and life both have greater plans for us. Our God receives us when we are ridiculed and rejected by others. Let’s begin this new week with the confidence that though ridiculed and rejected by others we are important to God because of our position in Christ and we are rightly within God’s divine plan.
Blessed day and fruitful week ahead!