Written by OLUMOFIN Kehinde Benjamin

HUMILITY AND SUBMISSION – ETERNAL KEYS TO GREATNESS

We cannot attain a prosperous understanding of the New Testament as New Testament saints, unless we have a good grasp of the Temple rituals and ceremonies of the Old Testament. Atop those rituals were the burnt offering… A daily sin offering that was repeated twice daily, morning and evening. It’s usually the first Temple offering, preceding all other sacrifices in the old temple.

Just as the name implies, an offering that was wholly burnt, nothing of it must be left for personal use. It was wholly dedicated to God, everything was for Him. And must be completely burnt on the Bronze Altar, as a mark of humility and submission to God on the behalf of the people. God owns His people, we are completely His, but the exigencies of living has denied man the possibility of full submission in Faith and Humility to God’s Righteous Judgement over sin and Self, So the need for an animal, that took the place of the people in humility and submission to God’s Will on the altar of Judgement and Mercy.

All burnt offerings that ever graced the Great altar stand for and represent the eternal Sacrifice of all sacrifices; Jesus Christ, on Calvary on the behalf of Man and mankind. He unreservedly submitted to the Father’s Will in humility and obedience to His Father and God.

Humility and Submission are eternal keys to greatness; It was by this that Jesus Christ attained the highest position in the heavens and earned a place at the right hand of the Father.

That’s why the burnt offering is a daily sacrifice. Humility and Submission to the will of the Father, should be a daily work of Faith.

That brings me to two Important Bible Families, Abraham and his grandson, Jacob. Both had a common experience… Their wives married their maids to them, and by them have sons. While the son Jacob had from his wives’ maid was numbered and counted as legitimate, the son of Hagar, Sarah’s maid was not that fortunate. He was briefly counted legitimate but later lost that position and privilege to Isaac.

When God tested Abraham to sacrifice his son, He called Isaac, Abraham’s only son,despite having Ishmael before him. God said to Abraham “Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of” (Genesis 22:2). Which simply means, Ishmael was not recognized by God as a legitimate son, thus making Isaac, Abraham’s only son.

But that was not the case in Jacob’s family, all the sons were recognized by God and by them God established the 12 pillars that make up the 12 tribes of Israel. So why will God allow Abraham to send Hagar away with her son but allowed Jacob to keep his wives’ two maids and their sons?

The answer is simple; Humility and Submission. Abraham sending Hagar away was not necessarily an act of restitution. Rather, it was a reward of disobedience on the part of Hagar. Why did Ishmael and his generations miss out of the Abrahamic covenant and Yahweh will never be called the God of Ishmael, Abraham’s first son? We need not to look far, Hagar is the answer to this question. The covenant and the Faith of father Abraham she despised robbed her son of his eternal portion in the God of Abraham. Though He blessed him, gave him 12 princes (Genesis 25:16) and made him mighty in the land of his choice for Abraham’s sake (Genesis 17:20) but he missed out of the eternal blessings of the covenant of circumcision, which he partook in even before the birth of Isaac. He had the present blessings, for God indeed blessed him, but was denied the eternal blessedness of that promised because of Hagar, his mother. She was rejected and so was her son and his generations after him. The maids of Jacobs wives were not rejected and their sons inherited the blessings Ishmael and his tribes missed forever.

A. Why was Hagar rejected?

Simple. She was not only rejected, she was driven far from the inheritance of blessing because of her lack of humility and inability to submit to the lifeline that connected her and her son to the Covenant of Circumcision. Abraham was the Father of Ishmael and the receiver of the Promise but the lifeline that connected Hagar to that Promise was Sarah, with whom lies her allegiance and by whom she got connected to Abraham.

It wasn’t Abraham that saw and married Hagar, she was a gift of love and a surrogate for Sarah. “And Sarah said unto Abram, Behold now, the LORD hath restrained me from bearing: I pray thee, go in unto my maid; it may be that I may obtain children by her. And Abram hearkened to the voice of Sarah.” (Genesis 16:2). Whatever came out of that union was Sarah by master-servant right. She was Sarah’s maid and by right, her allegiance and submission was hers. Herself and son were Sarah’s as long as she lives and it was by this arrangement “that I may obtain children by her” says Sarah, she was inducted into the family of Abraham, she had no right of her own, unless given to her by Sarah, just like the maids of Leah and Rachel, Jacob’s wives.

Having had a son and shared the bed of Sarah with her husband, Hagar forgot her background story and mocked her mistress in disobedience to herself and her son’s ruin. She was soon rejected and with everything that was hers. Ishmael was initially not the problem, it was his mother. But once a servant is disfavored and rejected, nothing of him/her is acceptable, including the offsprings, unless the latter finds his/her way back to the source, but Ishmael never did, instead he aligned himself in that same path with his mother. He had opportunity to choose the path of hatred or love, like Jonathan the son of King Saul, who aligned himself with David, against his own father the king. But Ishmael picked after his mother. He never traced his way back to Abraham, he rather wandered into the wilderness and lost his part in his Father forever.

Was Hagar warned of the danger of disobedience and arrogance? Yes, even by God, but she rejected His appeal. This is how the book of Genesis detailed the beginning of her trouble in chapter 16:4-6 Which says:

“And he (Abraham) went in unto Hagar, and she conceived: and when she saw that she had conceived, her mistress was despised in her eyes. And Sarah said unto Abram, My wrong be upon thee: I have given my maid into thy bosom; and when she saw that she had conceived, I was despised in her eyes: the LORD judge between me and thee. But Abram said unto Sarah, Behold, thy maid is in thy hand; do to her as it pleaseth thee. And when Sarah dealt hardly with her, she fled from her face.”

And here come verses 7-9, “And the angel of the LORD found her by a fountain of water in the wilderness, by the fountain in the way to Shur. And he said, Hagar, Sarah’s maid, whence camest thou? and whither wilt thou go? And she said, I flee from the face of my mistress Sarah. And the angel of the LORD said unto her, Return to thy mistress, and submit thyself under her hands.”

B. Like Mother Like Son

Hagar did not only rebel against her mistress her benefactor, she taught her son, who is now of age to mock Sarah and her son Issac, and that was the last straw that broke the Camel’s back. Whatever body shame Isaac had that was the subject of mockery was not stated. it can even be the fact that he was born to two aged parents but whatever it was, Sarah did not take it lightly.

Genesis 21:8-10 says, “And the child grew, and was weaned: and Abraham made a great feast the same day that Isaac was weaned. And Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian, which she had born unto Abraham, mocking. Wherefore she said unto Abraham, Cast out this bondwoman and her son: for the son of this bondwoman shall not be heir with my son, even with Isaac.”

Sending Hagar and her son away, as mentioned earlier, wasn’t because Abraham wanted to restitute his way and make right the wrong in having a child with Hagar, that was an acceptable transaction in his days. Surrogate mother is still acceptable today, as long as couples and the third party agrees on it. What was wrong was Hagar herself, she fell short of the agreement with Sarah, and arrogantly accorded herself over her mistress just because she had a son and even encouraged the son to do the same. Sending her away was the reward deserving of a callous, insolent and betrayer herself and her son grew to be.

It wasn’t Abraham that saw and married Hagar, she was a gift of love and a surrogate for Sarah. “And Sarah said unto Abram, Behold now, the LORD hath restrained me from bearing: I pray thee, go in unto my maid; it may be that I may obtain children by her. And Abram hearkened to the voice of Sarah.” (Genesis 16:2). Whatever came out of that union was Sarah by master-servant right. She was Sarah’s maid, and by right her allegiance and submission was hers. Herself and son were Sarah’s as long as she lives and it was by this arrangement “that I may obtain children by her” says Sarah, she was inducted into the family of Abraham, she had no right of her own, unless given to her by Sarah, just like the maids of Leah and Rachel, Jacob’s wives.

Having had a son and shared the bed of Sarah with her husband, Hagar forgot her background story and mocked her mistress in disobedience to her own ruin and her son with her. She was soon rejected and with everything that was hers. Ishmael was initially not the problem, it was his mother, but once a servant is disfavored and rejected, nothing of him/her is acceptable, including the offsprings, unless the later find his/her way back to the source, but Ishmael never did, instead he aligned himself in the same path with his mother. He had opportunity to choose the path of hatred or love, like Jonathan the son of King Saul, who aligned himself with David, against his own father, the king, but Ishmael picked after his mother. He never traced his way back to Abraham, he rather wandered into the wilderness and lost his part in his father forever.

Abraham loved Ishmael and even begged God to spare him, He heard him and blessed Ishmael but not like He did the sons of Jacob from the maids of his wives, that stayed submissive and obedient to their mistresses, despite sharing their husband with them.

C. Was Hagar warned of the danger of disobedience, and arrogance?

Yes, even by God, but she rejected His appeal. This is how the book of Genesis detailed the beginning of her trouble in chapter 16:4-6.

“And he (Abraham) went in unto Hagar, and she conceived: and when she saw that she had conceived, her mistress was despised in her eyes. And Sarah said unto Abram, My wrong be upon thee: I have given my maid into thy bosom; and when she saw that she had conceived, I was despised in her eyes: the LORD judge between me and thee. But Abram said unto Sarai, Behold, thy maid is in thy hand; do to her as it pleaseth thee. And when Sarai dealt hardly with her, she fled from her face.”

And here come verses 7-9, “And the angel of the LORD found her by a fountain of water in the wilderness, by the fountain in the way to Shur. And he said, Hagar, Sarai’s maid, whence camest thou? and whither wilt thou go? And she said, I flee from the face of my mistress Sarai. And the angel of the LORD said unto her, Return to thy mistress, and submit thyself under her hands.”

D. Why Was Sending Hagar Away Cannot Be Said to Be an Act Of Restitution?

1. Nothing was wrong about the relationship. Hagar herself was the architect of her own misery Just like many other women whose arrogance and lack of submission had robbed them and their children. The mind of God for initiating their union with their husbands and they know it not, just like Hagar was blind and and will not see the blessing she was leaving behind in the house of Abraham. There was no record she begged nor apologized to her mistress for her behavior….and her blindness almost robbed her of her son in the desert, but God intervened because he had promised to spare the boy Ishmael. But on the matter of the covenant, God had no space for them in His plan.
2. Restitution is a voluntary act of Faith. Letting Ishmael go for Abraham was not a voluntary decision. He only tried to safeguard his son Isaac from his mockers. Had it been that they did not mock Isaac and despised his mother, Sarah. They would have remained in the house and fully enjoy the covenant of circumcision, Ishmael had with his father when he was 13 years old (Genesis 17:26).

In Genesis 17:18 Abraham said to God “…O that Ishmael might live before thee!” And in response God said in verse 20 “And as for Ishmael, I have heard thee: Behold, I have blessed him, and will make him fruitful, and will multiply him exceedingly; twelve princes shall he beget, and I will make him a great nation.” Abram loved his son, but himself and the mother took lightly the joy of an old tiring man, when both became part of his family.

What we do matters to the future prosperity of our children and the life God has in store for them. And more importantly, the life they lead, as a result of the training, voluntary or not, they have from us, will go a long way to determine if and how far they are able to walk into the plan and purpose of God for them. No child form an habit in a vacuum, they mostly learn from the adults around them, parents most importantly. Whatever they pick from us, their destiny will either be made or be marred by them. Wisdom is profitable to those who are blessed by it. Shalom.

OLUMOFIN Kehinde Benjamin, is the Group Admin, 3pG Christian Ministry and President, Fellowship of the Married and Matured Adults.