By Andrew Williams
Then the Angel of the Lord said to her, “You must go back to your mistress and submit to her mistreatment.”
Genesis 16:9 HCSB
Good morning fellow disciples.
The background for this verse is that Hagar had conceived a child for Abraham after she was given as a second wife to him by Sarah. She had been disrespectful to her mistress and had been chased out of the house.
While in the desert she encountered an angel of God who told her to go back to Sarah and to submit to her mistreatment.
What a weird way to state it: “Submit to her mistreatment”.
Submit is defined as “to defer to or consent to abide by the opinion or authority of another.”
Hagar was told to go back to Sarah and to consent to abide by Sarah’s opinion and authority.
Many of us find ourselves in similar situations where we have been mistreated by our masters. Sometimes, because of the mistreatment or because we believe that we are better off than them, we disrespect them. We do not honor them! We do not submit to them!
Would you go back to your master or your boss and submit to his or her authority if it meant that you would be mistreated?
Did you just say no?
Remember the example of Jesus, who submitted to the authority and will of His father, knowing that He would be mistreated, beaten, and then be crucified by ungodly people.
If you are a disciple of Christ, you also need to submit to your master, no questions asked!
Prayer: Father God, You are my master. Sometimes what You ask of me requires me to endure suffering. Sometimes it means giving up the things that I love the most. Sometimes it requires me being the best person that I can be. Regardless of what it costs, my God, I am submitted to You. Amen