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Studies in Genesis, Hagar’s Rescue, Lesson XXXIX, Genesis 16:7-16
We are in the sixteenth chapter of Genesis, having already studied the first six verses where Sarai decided to help God carry out His promise to Abram, His promise to give him a posterity, to give him a son.
Her plan involved her maidservant, her Egyptian slave named Hagar whom she simply used, and I mean used, as a surrogate and then when it was obvious Hagar despised Sarai she dealt with her hardly causing Hagar to flee from her face.
And note she fled while she was in her term of pregnancy carrying the son Sarai desired for Abram, an action which would undo Sarai’s plan unless God intervened which in following verses we find God so did.
So, the scene changes from the camp of Abram and Sarai to the place where Hagar fled, a place of water which in those days, the finding of was a matter of life and death.
We read of this in Genesis 16:7-16, 7 And the angel of the Lord found her by a fountain of water in the wilderness, by the fountain in the way to Shur. 8 And he said, Hagar, Sarai's maid, whence camest thou? and whither wilt thou go? And she said, I flee from the face of my mistress Sarai. 9 And the angel of the Lord said unto her, Return to thy mistress, and submit thyself under her hands. 10 And the angel of the Lord said unto her, I will multiply thy seed exceedingly, that it shall not be numbered for multitude. 11 And the angel of the Lord said unto her, Behold, thou art with child and shalt bear a son, and shalt call his name Ishmael; because the Lord hath heard thy affliction. 12 And he will be a wild man; his hand will be against every man, and every man's hand against him; and he shall dwell in the presence of all his brethren. 13 And she called the name of the Lord that spake unto her, Thou God seest me: for she said, Have I also here looked after him that seeth me? 14 Wherefore the well was called Beerlahairoi; behold, it is between Kadesh and Bered. 15 And Hagar bare Abram a son: and Abram called his son's name, which Hagar bare, Ishmael. 16 And Abram was fourscore and six years old, when Hagar bare Ishmael to Abram.
No doubt, Hagar a slave girl from Egypt, a girl who waited on every command of her mistress but now given to the master by Sarai had in her mind a new sense of importance and even power for she now, carried a son for the master.
Certainly, things seemed to her that her status had changed when she was chosen to produce a child on behalf of her mistress who was barren up to this time.
But things only changed in her mind and it caused her to communicate an air of superiority toward her mistress.
And a continuing air as her body grew in girth communicating every day that she could do what Sarai could not. Unintended consequences!
Words were exchanged, looks of distaste and distain were prominently traded and conditions became so harsh Hagar fled in the direction of her homeland, a direction which took her through the desert.
In escaping like Hagar did she put herself and the child she carried in great danger for a woman, a pregnant woman could have been taken captive and abused so easily by wicked travelers and marauders.
She could have lost her baby from the rigors of such travel and having fled, probably in the night, had few supplies for such a long journey.
But God, the “Thou God seest me” God, was watching her, and she found herself at a spring of water in the desert and she sat down exhausted.
Think of what you would do in such a predicament.
Here she was without a soul to help, trying to return to her home country alone and wondering what awaited her there when the Pharoah found out she had run away from Abram.
So, in this context, her future uncertain, her pride getting her into this trouble with her mistress, we see her abandoned by everyone on earth.
No doubt she knew about Abram’s God and may have wondered if that God knew or cared about her and the child she carried.
It was not long before she knew that Abram’s God did indeed care for in verse 7 the angel of the Lord found her.
And it is revealed to her in this visit of God’s emissary a compassionate God, a God who is concerned even for a poor servant girl, a slave who has run away from her master.
She receives news that the child within her will be the beginning of a great multitude but will be a wild man with enemies plentiful.
She is instructed to return to Sarai and to submit to her.
And Hagar, certainly awed and encouraged by this experience speaks of this God as the God who sees.
In this identification God is named, El Roi, the God who sees me.
So, in this passage we have two great events, first God sees Hagar and second Hagar sees God.
God saw Hagar’s affliction and as a result Hagar saw God’s mercy and submitted herself to Him and thereby returned to Abram and Sarai where Ishmael was born.
And what a lesson this is to us who are suffering for we will know that God sees our affliction and we can see his mercy and submit to him as did Hagar.
Hagar was lost but the angel of the Lord found her.
What a truth that is to those of us found by the Lord for we were all Hagar’s before God found us wandering, confused, away from any or little knowledge of God.
We can sing this truth: I was lost, but Jesus found me, Found the sheep that went astray, Threw His loving arms around me, Drew me back into His way.
Many think that this angel of the Lord is the Lord Jesus Christ in a pre-incarnate appearance, an epiphany.
In verse 13 it is stated that it was the Lord who spoke to Hagar.
Hagar fled from Sarai, but she could not flee from the presence of the Lord.
He knew her name, but he asked her where she was from and where she is going.
The Lord knew those things, but he asked her, so she would think about her situation, what are you doing her, where are you from, and where are you going?
She had escaped from where she should have been, where she had duties to perform and she was going where, was uncertain.
God wanted her to examine her circumstance and conclude that it a situation made without any seeking of the Lord for direction.
One thing you can be sure of is that God’s will is not to wander, God’s will is a will of direction and purpose and therefore He gave her direction, Go back to your mistress, submit to her authority and following my direction you will be blessed.
This is the call to trust and obey, for there is no other way to be happy in Jesus than to trust and obey.
God’s word always has built in blessings to those who submit to His Word!
Hagar’s life experiences pertain to all of us for we all need to submit in every way to God for God knows all things.
He told her of her son’s life and what would come from him.
We too are given this truth for we are on the other side of this prophesy and we find everything God said to her to be true.
Therefore, this God of Abram is worthy of our submission for we know that He indeed sees me and knows my frame and yours and every situation we face.
I Peter 5:6,7 again proclaims this in this fashion:
Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time (afterward): 7 Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.
As an aside comment isn’t it always better to wait for the best?
God was merciful to Hagar for His intervention saved her from suffering greatly perhaps even from death if she had continued her escape into the wilderness.
The way of obedience is sometimes hard, but the way of disobedience is much, more difficult and treacherous.
It was better for Hagar to be with Abram and Sarai then to return to Egypt where false gods were worshipped.
God intervenes in mercy and moves us to submit to His will.
Look for those times and don’t run from Him for the Lord indeed knows the way through the wilderness.
God heard Hagar’s affliction according to verse 11.
That is strange to us for we only hear words or cries.
But Hagar’s affliction was heard by God and God came to her aid.
There was nothing given as to Hagar praying but it is almost as if her affliction cried out to God and He says He heard it.
And He came to intervene and to tell her of what was to come for He is a Blessing-God to those who submit.
He tells us he will greatly multiply her descendants.
He tells her of the son in her womb, a son already named Ishmael by God himself, a name which means, “God hears” referring to God hearing her affliction.
I suppose whenever she called her son’s name, Hagar would be reminded of God’s faithfulness, that He had heard her affliction in her time of great trial.
So, we have seen that God saw Hagar but we also see that Hagar saw God.
And when she saw God she named him “Thou God seest me” which in Hebrew is El Roi.
She named the well Beerlahairoi which means "the well of him that liveth and seeth me,".
She saw God in His mercy and submitted herself to Him for she returned to her mistress and her master.
She had been brought through trials to reveal a vision of God which would have been missed if she had not been in the difficult situation.
I have been saved now since 1970, almost fifty years, and have gone through trials, trials in this ministry and trials in my and my wife’s ministry with children.
God says the trial of your faith is more precious than gold that perisheth.
I can attest to that for those things that were so hard to go through are those things wherein we were allowed to see God.
I remember the days of troubled financial waters this ministry sailed through, not in a grand deluxe yacht but in a leaking rowboat on stormy seas.
We bailed and bailed to prevent sinking, but God lifted us up and sealed the leaks and calmed the storm.
We are not in a grand deluxe yacht yet, but our boat is sound and dry.
I remember sitting under the boughs of a tall pine tree often praying for direction concerning provision and spiritual guidance for our home for children and God always provided the need.
Trials are indeed those precious times alone with God who allows you to see him do His work.
Faith moves one to go for God despite any trials being faced.
Faith does not always move along smooth roads for smooth roads do not promote a clinging to God for help.
Smooth roads only promote self-dependence.
Now we are given to ponder Hagar’s name of God, “God sees me.”
In that she proclaims I am not alone here in this wilderness for in my affliction God sees me!
Now that is some realization is it not.
I remember in the old days a Bible verse was posted in the boy’s bathroom in our school.
It may have been in the girl’s bathroom also, but I do not know.
But the message of the verse was “Thou God seest me” which inferred to the boys, Boy’s! You’d better behave because God sees everything you do!
Now certainly that is true but in this case where Hagar says this and gives a name to God she did not use this name to refer to God seeing her sin but she referred to God seeing her affliction.
She saw God’s mercy in spite of her sin and not God’s judgment or wrath.
We in this life may go through many trials, some caused by ourselves or some brought into our lives by God who wants us to have trials that are more precious than gold.
But in all these trials we will find a God who is merciful in spite of our sin.
Think of your life and those things from which you have been delivered.
Think of what awaits you in eternity and you must say, Oh Lord, how can you be so merciful to me, a sinner.
I have gone against your Word, but you still love me and will not let me go.
You lifted me up from the miry clay and set me upon a solid rock.
And in this you know “Thou God seest me!”
Hagar responded by leaving a testimony of God’s care for she named the well “The well of the Living One who sees me.”
Travelers who asked about the story behind the name of the well would be told of her experience and had opportunity to hear of the God of Hagar.
We are to be quick to tell of God’s deliverance and his mercy in times of trial.
For God’s deliverance and mercy brought Hagar to repent of her running away and submit to God’s will by returning to Abram and Sarai.
Submission is the proper response when we receive God’s mercy.
We are to bow to his authority and place our self under the authority structure God has made for our benefit and not run from His order of things.
Running away from God is never the answer for God in mercy will always send us back to begin anew along the road of righteousness. |