Go Back And Submit

Then the angel of the Lord told her, Go back to your mistress and submit to her. Genesis 16: 9

This is Hagar’s predicament at the moment. She was once living quite freely and managing quite well in the household of Abram, as Sarai’s maidservant. Things were going well, I tell you, for this slave, this foreigner, until she began to feel unwanted, unloved, unwelcomed and uncared for. This feeling was real, because things had changed in their relationship as maid and mistress. It became so unbearable that Hagar ran away from her mistress.

Let’s face some facts. There is always a reason why one runs away in any relationship, but when a servant, or slave runs away, it has to be the pits. It has to be extremely bad. You must understand that the slave owns nothing, has nothing and is the property of those who bought her. She is a foreigner, a non-belonger. She only survives with her owners. Knowing all this, Hagar, this slave woman, still breaks away and runs away to be a wanderer and die. You must remember that in those days, no one will take the slave of another, or keep the slave of another. But there is something deeper here. Hagar is carrying the offspring of her mistress’s husband. Note carefully at how this is being put for you. Hagar is carrying fruit, offspring from Abram, because of her love, obedience and loyalty to her mistress. She is the servant of Sarai, and since she is no longer her own, but Sarai’s, she has done exactly what her mistress has asked her to do.

Yes, you see the same with Jesus, as the Suffering Servant of God. God Himself commanded that Jesus face the cross, and Jesus obeyed. To so many, it is an unjust, unfair, cruel act of Father God, for His Son and Servant. But this is the work of the servant, that of obedience. Whether Sarai had asked Hagar to cook her a meal, wash her clothes, or sleep with her husband, it did not matter. She was a servant and obedience was all she knew, for love, obedience and loyalty were the hallmark of the true servant and slave.

Now something has changed and this maidservant has begun to lose her lol, for her mistress. She has begun to despise her mistress. Here is the one thing that would cause great grief and pain to her mistress. She, the maid, was able to not just know intimacy with her mistress’s mate, but was the one bearing his fruit. Both mistress and maid share intimacy, but the maid carries the offspring. Are you seeing and feeling how very delicate this situation must be? This gets to the head of Hagar and she becomes above herself, forgetting that she is still the maidservant. Here, privilege and sheer favour to be able to bear the fruit for her mistress’s husband should never have changed her, causing her to become puffed up. She should never have forgotten that she is still maid, not mistress. So when she receives the back lash, as it were, for her behaviour, she runs away.

The angel of the Lord finds her and she tells him all about herself and her running away. He listens and then tells her, Go back to your mistress and submit to her. The Word of God for this runaway servant, this one running away from the one she despises, the one she has offended and who is now mistreating her, is to return and submit.

Here are the facts. Unless you return, you cannot submit, for it is in returning that submission takes place. It is in submission, that obedience and humility take place.

From whom are you running away? Who is your master or mistress? Whose worker are you? What I was told and continue to share with you, is most convicting. The way our Lord uses words and images to bring His humanity to us, never ceases to floor me. I give you as I receive. Your mistress is Grace. You have been kept by Grace and you serve Grace. In your obedience to service, you have received Grace, but Pride has arisen in you. You know that you are carrying the fruit of Love within you, and you lose all humility and become proud in your dealings with Grace. You are running away from Grace at the moment, and that is because of your pride. Return to Grace! Go back to Grace! Repent, return and be submissive. Submit to Grace, especially now that you are carrying the fruit of your intimate times with God, who is Love. You are carrying the Lord’s ‘Fruit of Love’ within you. You must remain the servant of Grace and Grace still comes by faith.

Can you not hear our Lord saying:-

• Walk in My Goodness and not in any goodness of your own?

• Walk in My Righteousness and not in any righteousness of your own?

• Walk in My Awareness and not in any awareness of your own?

• Walk in My Completeness and not in any completeness of your own?

• Walk in My Effectiveness and not in any effectiveness of your own?

O Holy Lord, may Thy Name be praised. Let me return please, to Grace. Let pride die Lord, that I may, with Thy fruit, be submissive to Thy Grace please. Submit me O Lord! Submit me to Thee. I return to submit. Amen!