As previously mentioned, Sarai had so far been unable to have children. She decided Abram should have a child with her slave Hagar, and Sarai would raise the child with Abram.
Human emotion
Jealousy and conflict arose from the situation. Sarai felt Hagar looked down on her because of her inability to have her own child, and there was also tension between Sarai and Abram. Sarai became increasingly cruel towards Hagar, leading Hagar to run away.
I love the human element that arises in this story. It’s no longer a stale story of old nations and unrelatable events. We see insecurity and jealousy, and the pain of a woman unable to have children, and a slave mother wanting to keep her child, and the strain these emotions put on a marriage. All of a sudden these characters are very relatable, and the Bible begins to read like a story.
Ishmael
An angel of God finds Hagar, and tells her to go back to Sarai. He also promises Hagar that her descendants would be too numerous to count. This would not be the son God promised to Abram, but it sounds like he was still going to create a great nation. But the angel also says:
“You are now pregnant and you will give birth to a son. You shall name him Ishmael, for the Lord has heard of your misery. He will be a wild donkey of a man; his hand will be against everyone and everyone’s hand against him, and he will live in hostility toward all his brothers.”
Isaac and Ishmael, Jews and Muslims
The Quran actually teaches that Ishmael was the promised son of Abram. Jews believe the promise of God was fulfilled through Isaac, but Muslims believe it was fulfilled through Ishmael, so we have the Jews descended from Isaac, and the Muslims descended from Ishmael. This is another fascinating thread from Genesis all the way through today, seen in the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Middle East. Whether the stories are true or not, the fact that the roots of modern conflict can be seen in such an old story is amazing to me.