What Aileth Thee?

In Gen 21:17, God appeared to Hagar when she thought she and Ishmael would die of thirst in the wilderness of Beersheba.  He asked her, “What aileth thee, Hagar”?  Well, the answer was obvious.  She thought she and her son were going to die.  God didn’t ask the question because he didn’t know the answer; he asked because she needed to consider why she was ailing.

Hagar’s son Ishmael had been mocking Isaac in Gen 21:9.  So, Sarah said cast out this bondwoman and her son, v.10.  And the Lord agreed with Sarah, v.12

Consequently, Abraham gave Hagar bread and a bottle of water and sent her and Ishmael on their way, v.14.  When the bottle was spent, she cast Ishmael under a shrub and sat a good way off so she wouldn’t have to watch him die, v.15-16.  And this is when the Lord showed up.

What aileth thee?  Why would God ask this question?  He wanted her to carefully consider his answer.  And the answer God gave her is very instructive to us.

In Gen 16:6, Sarah had dealt so harshly with Hagar over the way Hagar despised her after she conceived, v.5, that Hagar ran off.  When she was by a fountain of water, v.7, the angel of the Lord found her.  He told her to return, v.9, and then prophesied of the child’s birth and future, v.10-12.  From him would come a multitude.

This happened around the time Abraham was 86 years old, v.16.

In Gen 21:5, Abraham was 100 years old.  Ishmael was 14 when Isaac was born.  And by the time Isaac was weaned, v.8, at 5 years old, Ishmael was 19 years old.  So, 19 years had passed since the angel of the Lord had spoken to Hagar by that fountain of water.

What had he told her back then?  “I will multiply thy seed exceedingly”, 16:10.  Ishmael would have to have his own child.  He would have to be a man, v.12.  And he would have to be dwelling in the presence of his brethren, v.12.  None of these things had happened yet.

Furthermore, God told Abraham that he was going to make Ishmael a nation, Gen 21:13.  Do you think Abraham may have told Hagar this to comfort her?  After all, he grieved, v.11, their departure.  Abraham would surely have been comforted by this prophecy.

The lesson is this.  You have to remember things the Lord promised you, even years before, so that you don’t believe things like Gen 21:16 in a time of “uncertainty”.  You have to accept the truth of the Lord and live by it as a defense against despair.

How many people give up and don’t count on the promises of God when life turns hard against them.  You don’t want God showing up asking you, “What aileth thee”?

For example, consider Naomi.  She was bitter and mad at God, Ruth 1:21.  But she forgot Deut 10:17-18.  She and Ruth were both widows.  And God took marvelous care of them.

You need to remember the truth God teaches you along the way because you’re going to need it down the road. Prov 19:20 “Hear counsel, and receive instruction, that thou mayest be wise in thy latter end”.  Down the road the things you learned early on are going to sustain you when things might look hopeless.

When you find yourself ailing, reflect on what God has taught you and live by the truth you learned.