Context
In Genesis 16, Abram and Sarai respond to delay in God's promise by taking matters into their own hands through Hagar. The chapter exposes the pain and disorder that follow when people try to secure God's promise by human strategy.
Common Interpretations
A common reading of this section is that the delay of the promise becomes the testing ground of faith. Sarai and Abram do not reject God's promise outright; they attempt to achieve it by their own arrangement, and the rest of the chapter shows the disorder that follows. Interpreters often treat the line "Abram listened to the voice of Sarai" as part of the narrative warning. The problem is not ordinary spousal counsel, but a human plan substituted for patient trust in what God said He would do.
Current Position
This site's current position is that Genesis 16 shows what happens when people try to force God's promise into being by human means. Abram and Sarai do not deny the promise; they try to accomplish it on their own terms, and the chapter records the damage that follows. At the same time, the chapter also becomes the first appearance of the Angel of the LORD. That matters because the same chapter that exposes human impatience also contains a direct appearance of the One Hagar identifies as God Himself.