The Impatience of Sarai...

…Had unimaginable consequences.

“And Sarai said to Abram: 'Behold now, the Lord has restrained me from bearing; go in, please, to my handmaid; it may be that I shall have children through her.' And Abram listened to the voice of Sarai” (Genesis 16:2).

Sarai wanted to have children, however when she realised that it wasn’t happening, she offered her servant (Hagar) to her husband (so that he’d impregnate the Egyptian).
Was this a well thought out plan? Did Sarai think of the consequences of her decision?

A Thoughtless Plan

Sarai’ emotions (shame for not being able to bear; fear and despair since infertility was a reason to be returned to her family) clouded her reason, and her alarm system urged her to do something, anything...which she did. However, she didn’t allow reason to show her that her quick solution would bring her nothing but humiliation: first, her husband was quick on following the suggestion (mind you, had she suggested they’d move their tent a bit to the left a lot of negotiation would’ve been involved; but since the deal was to have sex with the servant...Abram was game “what else is there to negotiate?”); second, once Hagar had Ishmael she saw herself as being far superior to Sarai (and this is true up to the present days: most women who have born children look down on those who either can’t bear or choose not to); she despised her mistress and she was presumptuous enough to believe that she was more loved than future Sarah.

The Consequences were overlooked

God had already made a pact with Abram: He would give his seed the Land (from the River of Egypt to the great River Euphrates) and rule over the people living there. Sarai certainly knew this (at this point, it can be said ambition led her to be hasty) and since she did, why didn’t she use her gray cells and think “If God promised this to Abram, it’s because there is a plan. I must not be impatient.”? Why didn’t she bother to see the broader picture? Ambition blinded her and she failed to weigh the consequences: 1st God delayed her pregnancy (until she was at least 90) for having had the nerve to “lead” Him to re-adjust His plan (the birth of Ishmael changed the future). 2nd since Sarai is the mother of the Chosen People and she was stubborn, impatient, ambitious and wanting of vision (of God’s plan) she condemned her chosen children to eternal stubbornness, impatience, ambition, lack of vision (of God’s plan) and therefore to sufferance. 3rd Ishmael (the uncle of Jacob) is claimed to be the father of Muslims and look at the troubles existing between them and Israel since the day the latter left Mitzrayim (Egypt) until our present days.

How would today’s political and religious scenarios look like if  Sarai hadn’t been so thoughtless?


Image: Hagar and Ishmael in the Wilderness by Karel Dujardin