Chapter 16 lies between Chapter 15 the covenant given by God to Abraham that your nation will be numerous, and Chapter 17 where the covenant is shown by Abraham's people through circumcision. Genesis 16 is a warning against the sins of Synergism.
How do we know that something is Godly or Sinful? According to John Frame what God Bless is Good; and what God does not bless is not God.
Sarai wants to fulfill the needs of Abraham, she is getting older, and she does not think it possible that she would become pregnant. Sarai tries to fulfill Abraham's desires by having her maid servant become pregnant through Abraham. (This is a Jerry Springer episode, right? Totally!)
Hagar becomes pregnant. She then looks at Sarai with a poisonous eye that curses her master.
This event is a tragedy because instead of trusting God (that the covenant would be fulfilled), Sarai acts outside of God and attempts to make her household fruitful. The whole thing backfires and no one is happy, and everyone is blaming everyone. Because Sarai wants to be helpful and be a "demigod" she corrupts her household.
This event is similar to the one described in Genesis 3:6. Eve gave Adam an apple to eat; while Sarai gives Abraham Hagar to consume. Sin gets worse over time.
Hagar can no longer serve under Sarai. So she leaves back to where she is from "Egypt".
God finds her and tells her to return to her master. God says, "Servants serve your masters in Colossians 3.
Some blessing? Would we want to return to a bad situation if God instructed us to do so? Hmmm!
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