I wake and feel the fell of dark, not day,
What hour, O what black hours we have spent
This night! What sights you, heart, saw; ways you went!
And more must, in yet longer light’s delay,
– With witness I speak this. But where I say
Hours I mean years, mean life. And my lament
Is cries countless, cries like dead letters sent
To dearest him that lives alas! away.
– I am gall, I am heartburn. God’s most deep decree
Bitter would have me taste: my taste was me;
Bones built in me, flesh filled, blood brimmed the cures.
– Selfyeast of spirit a dull dough sours. I see
The lost are like this, and their scourge to be
As I am mine, their sweating selves; but worse.

Sarah looking at her new son says, “God has made laughter for mel everyone who hears will laugh with me.” After a time, Sarah then grows to despise Hagar’s son who was also the son of Abraham. Sarah forces Hagar and her son out into the wilderness where they would perish.

When they run out of water Hagar “left the boy under one of the bushes. Then she went and sat down opposite him, about a bowshot away, for she said, ‘Do no let me see the boy die’…and she lifted up her voice and wept. God heard the lad crying; and the angel of God called to Hagar from heaven and said to her…’Do no fear, for God has heard the voice of the lad where he is. Arise, lift up the lad, and hold him by the hand, for I will make a great nation of him.’”

God is being faithful to the promise he made in previous chapters that Hagar’s son would also be a great nation. God is always faithful to his promises.

I am amazed at how Sarah, a mother who suffered much sadness in her life, could do this to another child. God had blessed her, why was she so worried about this child encroaching on her child’s blessing? Or was it the constant reminder of her failure that she wanted to be rid of? Regardless the lesson we need to take away is that we need to care for ALL those around us. We should rejoice in the laughter God gives, but we should work to keep God’s children from crying.

Every child is a child to whom we are called to demonstrate Christ’s love. We do not have the option of thinking of any child as disposable. Even if a child reminds us of mistakes we made in the past, that child is a gift from God and we have a great responsibility to that child.

All children all laughter made by God for us. We should never be the cause of a parent and child weeping as Hagar and her son wept.

Splagchnon (inner parts) is mostly used to denote the seat of the emotions.  To subscribe to this podcast please go to iTunes and subscribe to “The Koine Greek Word of the Day Podcast”.