It is never too late to abandon the wrong plan. My friend Wayne taught me that. I have found it to be true. We may start down a path and realize it is leading to pain. If at any point, we turn from that plan, we may get back on the right path and mitigate the damages.
Abram and Sarai should have abandoned the plan. But they didn't. "Ready, fire, aim." Recklessly, they pressed on with their bad idea. Abram slept with Hagar. Hagar became pregnant and despised Sarai. Sarai told Abram it was his fault and asked the Lord to judge between her and him. Does she really care what the Lord thinks at this point? Abram tells Sarai she can mistreat her slave. Hagar runs for her life. A spiritual avalanche ensues.
The Bible does not depict its heroes as perfect. This confirms the story's veracity to me. If you were trying to do "hagiography" and glorify the characters, you would never tell this story. Why does the Bible tell it? Remember the big picture of God's good world, corrupted by sin. Even the heroes in the Bible like Abraham, Moses, and David made bad mistakes. The authors of scripture do not sweep these mistakes under the carpet. Instead they show us how God is able to work all things, even really bad things to accomplish his plan of redemption.
One proviso: people are not just pawns in the great drama. God is a just judge. He holds his people accountable for their mistakes. Just between you and God, are you on the right path right now? Are you pursuing a plan that will harm others and yourself? Stop now. It is never too late to abandon the wrong plan. The sooner we repent, the less damage we do to ourselves and others.
