Hagar: The God Who Sees Me

Introduction

Life’s not fair

We see this in life: good people are wounded, neglected, abandoned, while it seems evil folks are elevated and praised. That’s the way fallen society works.

Biblical characters were not immune: Joseph treated unfairly by his own brothers, Bathsheba’s husband executed by military hands of David, Jesus…the list goes on.

Of all the biblical characters, few have as unfair existence as Hagar

Life out of control

Egyptian servant/slave of Sarai

likely becoming part of the family during Abram & Sarai’s excursion there where they lied and brought suffering on Egyptians

Used to birth offspring when Sarai takes God’s promises into her own hands

a common practice of the time & culture

Despised for the very reason she was used in the first place

Although she had a child—a son—she was hated by Sarai

First God encounter

Genesis 16 tells how Hagar responds to Sarai’s harsh treatment: she flees

Angel of the LORD (Christophany) appeared to her while she fetched water

Gave her a promise that would outshine and outlast any harsh treatment she could endure

She is changed, calling him El-Roi—the God who sees me

She returns

Second God encounter

Genesis 21, Sometime after Isaac is born, Sarai (now known as Sarah) drives Hagar away

Sarah has her own child/son, so Ishmael is no-longer needed, and both Ishmael and Hagar are seen as threats

After exhausting their water supply in the desert she was prepared to die, and laid Ishmael under a bush some distance away.

Hope was gone

God responds by providing water for them, opening Hagar’s eyes

Hagar saw no way out of this mess, but God had bigger plans

Finally landed outside of Egypt(home), later finding Ishmael a wife.

El Roi

First no one saw Hagar, then God saw her, finally she saw God

The God who sees me becomes the God of Hagar.