Sarai and Hagar

Now Sarai Abram's wife bare him no chil­dren: and she had a handmaid, an Egyptian, whose name was Hagar . . . And Hagar bare Abram a son: and Abram called his son's name, which Hagar bare, Ishmael. Gen. 16:1-16 The happenings recorded in this chapter are in a sense the outgrowth of past events. According to the sacred record, it was some ten years ago that Abraham had taken up his residence in Canaan, with the prom­ise stored away in his soul that of him the Lord would make a great nation....