New names?

Genesis 17:5
Neither will your name any more be called Abram, but your name will be Abraham; for the father of a multitude of nations have I made you.

It’s commonly taught and believed that Sarah, Abraham’s wife, was scheming and acting in a devious way when she told Abraham to have a baby with Hagar. I’m not entirely sure that is what the Bible actually says, though. I guess the question that begs to be asked here is this: if she wasn’t scheming (and plotting to consciously act outside of the will of God) then why did she have this plan to have Abraham have a baby with Hagar?

In short Sarai (her name at the time) was acting on human knowledge. Abram (his name at the time) had no doubt told her that the Lord had come to him and proclaimed that his descendants would outnumber the stars. I know that if God had come and told me that I would have wasted no time telling my wife! But God never told Abram that Sarai would be the mother. (It’s okay, go look it up to see for yourself.)

Naturally, Sarai and Abram must have assumed that it would be through them, but after trying time and time again, humanity got the best of them. Frustration coupled with questions like “how” and “when” cluttered their minds and consumed their thoughts until finally Sarai gave up hope that she would be the mother. She went to her husband Abram with a plan in mind: maybe I’ll be a mother through my servant.

Was it malicious? Was it sinful for Sarai to have this thought? I don’t see how it could have been. She hadn’t been told that she was going to be the one to bear the child. She only knew half of the plan; Abram was going to be the father. Sarai was simply trying to work out the will of God through her own understanding. She didn’t have all of the information yet.

God designed this story to unfold exactly how it did, not to show us how working outside His will always causes us problems, but to reveal a snapshot of the good to come through Jesus Christ. After Abram and Hagar conceived and had a baby, God was able to fully reveal Himself to Abram and Sarai.

It wasn’t until doing (and therein lies the secret) things their way failed that God was able to show them that things done (past tense) His way always work. Abram and Sarai couldn’t have the child of promise before God inserted His grace into their lives, specifically into their names. (Before they conceived God changed their names by adding a simple letter,ה [H]. The fifth letter of the Hebrew alphabet is Hei. Five is the number of grace and Hei is the letter of grace. It means “lo and behold”. Its pictograph is usually a man standing with arms raised or an open window.) It was then, after grace had been placed in their lives, that God declared that Abraham and Sarah would have Isaac, the son of promise.

The same holds true for us today, in reference to grace. Each and every one of us has unknowingly acted outside of the will of God in an attempt to obtain the promise through our own works and deeds, our doings. But, just like Abraham and Sarah, it’s not until God puts (continually) His grace, Jesus Christ, into our lives that we are able to receive the promise. When Christ died on the cross He became a physical manifestation of the letter “H”. The people cried out “look” as He hung on the cross. He was a man standing with His arms raised and His death opened the windows of heaven for all mankind to see.

The beautiful picture of God’s love and plan for salvation that is cleverly hidden within the story of Abraham and Sarah is just one of the many hidden treasures cleverly concealed within the pages of the Bible. Without grace there is no reward.