There once lived a man named Abram, who lived with his wife Sarai. They had a good marriage but with no children of their own. They wanted children, but for some reasons, it had not been possible for them. Then one night, God came to talk to Abram. God promised Abram that he and his wife would have children. God said to Abram, “Look up in the night sky at all the stars. That is how many children you and Sarai will have.” 

In those days there was a famine in the land, so Abram and Sarai went to Egypt, which was an empire of wealth in those days. Sarai was a beautiful woman, so to protect himself from rivals who might covet his wife, Abram asked Sarai to say she is his sister. An admiring Pharaoh thereupon took Sarai home to be his, thanking Abram with a generous gift of livestock and slaves. But God afflicted Pharaoh with "great plagues." When the truth of Abram and Sarai’s marriage was revealed, the frustrated Pharaoh handed Sarai back to Abram.

Abram and Sarai ended up in the city of Hebron, where he complained to God, who had promised him offspring, that he was still childless. Sarai offered him her slave woman, Hagar, and said: "It may be that I may obtain children from her." But after Hagar conceived, she looked upon Sarai contemptuously—or so her mistress believed. In return, Sarai treated the pregnant Hagar harshly, and she fled into the desert. An angel ordered her back, encouraging her and telling her that her son was to be named Ishmael, meaning "God hears."

When Abram was 99 years old, God changed his name to Abraham, which means “father of many” in Hebrew. God also changed Sarai’s name to Sarah. Then He said to Abraham, “You will soon have a child.” Both husband and wife laughed at the news.

In Genesis 21, God's promise to Abraham was finally fulfilled, as Sarah gives birth to Isaac which means, “he laughs.” But she fretted over whether Ishmael would also be Abraham's heir, and she told Abraham to send them both away. God told Abraham to do as Sarah wished, so he sorrowfully sent Hagar and his son Ishmael into the desert. As Hagar began to despair, God spoke to her, promising that Ishmael will become "a great nation" and showing her a well in the desert that saved both her and Ishmael’s lives.

Discussion Questions:

1. What was God’s promise to Abram?

2. Why does Abram lie to the Pharaoh?

3. Why do you think there was conflict between Sarai and Hagar?

4. There are many names in the Bible that have important meanings for situations. Tell us about the meaning of your name.