Originally posted 4/9/24
Have you ever felt like you had no options for your life? Have you ever felt like you were trapped and had nowhere to turn? Hagar was that woman.
Hagar was Sarah’s servant. Sarah was unable to give Abraham a child so Sarah took matters in her own hands. Sarah gave Hagar to her husband so she could conceive a child. It was common for a servant to bear children especially when the wife could not. As a servant, she had no other option but to comply. Hagar becomes pregnant. I can only imagine how it changed the relationship between Hagar and Sarah. Women are not always gracious to other women. Hagar could do the one thing that Sarah could not do. The jealousy had to be palpable. Genesis 16:4 tell us, “And he went in to Hagar, and she conceived. And when she saw that she had conceived, she looked with contempt on her mistress.”
As the tension grew between these two women, Sarah blamed Abraham. He reminded her that Hagar was her servant. Sarah treated Hagar like the property she was. She had no options other than to comply with Sarah’s wishes. Sarah treated Hagar poorly. We don’t see anything in Scripture that indicates that Abraham did anything to intervene in the relationship between these two women. Gen 16:6 says, “But Abram said to Sarai, “Behold, your servant is in your power; do to her as you please.” Then Sarai dealt harshly with her, and she fled from her.”
Hagar couldn’t take it anymore and she left. What strikes me is how Abraham does nothing to intervene. While Abraham did not intervene–God did.
Genesis 16:7-16 says, “The angel of the LORD found her by a spring of water in the wilderness, the spring on the way to Shur. And he said, “Hagar, servant of Sarai, where have you come from and where are you going?” She said, “I am fleeing from my mistress Sarai.” The angel of the LORD said to her, “Return to your mistress and submit to her.” The angel of the LORD also said to her, “I will surely multiply your offspring so that they cannot be numbered for multitude.” And the angel of the LORD said to her, “Behold, you are pregnant and shall bear a son. You shall call his name Ishmael, because the LORD has listened to your affliction. He shall be a wild donkey of a man, his hand against everyone and everyone’s hand against him, and he shall dwell over against all his kinsmen.” So she called the name of the LORD who spoke to her, “You are a God of seeing,” for she said, “Truly here I have seen him who looks after me.” Therefore the well was called Beer-lahai-roi; it lies between Kadesh and Bered. And Hagar bore Abram a son, and Abram called the name of his son, whom Hagar bore, Ishmael. Abram was eighty-six years old when Hagar bore Ishmael to Abram.”
What must her life been like when she returned? Both women were promised a son. I’m not sure knowing your son would be a wild donkey is a great comfort. However, she still had a promised son.
Fast forward to the child being born. Things between Sarah and Hagar did not improve. We see in Genesis 21:9-14, “But Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian, whom she had borne to Abraham, laughing. So she said to Abraham, “Cast out this slave woman with her son, for the son of this slave woman shall not be heir with my son Isaac.” “And the thing was very displeasing to Abraham on account of his son. But God said to Abraham, “Be not displeased because of the boy and because of your slave woman. Whatever Sarah says to you, do as she tells you, for through Isaac shall your offspring be named. And I will make a nation of the son of the slave woman also, because he is your offspring.” So Abraham rose early in the morning and took bread and a skin of water and gave it to Hagar, putting it on her shoulder, along with the child, and sent her away. And she departed and wandered in the wilderness of Beersheba.” Hagar has now been sent away by Abraham. This poor woman could not catch a break.
Hagar was a single woman trying to find a place for herself and her son.
She felt desparate. Their food and water were gone and she thought they would die, but God heard her. Genesis 21:15 -21 tells the rest of her story. “When the water in the skin was gone, she put the child under one of the bushes. Then she went and sat down opposite him a good way off, about the distance of a bowshot, for she said, “Let me not look on the death of the child.” And as she sat opposite him, she lifted up her voice and wept. And God heard the voice of the boy, and the angel of God called to Hagar from heaven and said to her, “What troubles you, Hagar? Fear not, for God has heard the voice of the boy where he is. Up! Lift up the boy, and hold him fast with your hand, for I will make him into a great nation.” Then God opened her eyes, and she saw a well of water. And she went and filled the skin with water and gave the boy a drink. And God was with the boy, and he grew up. He lived in the wilderness and became an expert with the bow. He lived in the wilderness of Paran, and his mother took a wife for him from the land of Egypt.”
What can we learn from Hagar? She also received a promise from God for her child’s future.
According to www.gotquestions.org, “He saw her in a time of distress when she was hiding and journeying in the wilderness, Hagar acknowledged Him as El Roi, that is, “the God of Seeing,” or “the God Who Sees.” Hagar recognized that God was speaking to her. While God does not audibly speak to us today, He did then. Hagar acknowledged that God cared for her. She felt unworthy and was treated by society as a second class citizen.
According to https://www.gotquestions.org, “When we read the Genesis narrative, we learn that God is an amazing and awesome Creator. We also learn that He cares deeply about His creatures, and He shows love to them in the most remarkable ways. How encouraging to know that, no matter where we are, He is a God who sees us, who loves us, and who wants us to know and trust in Him.”
God loves all His children. Hagar teaches us such a valuable lesson. Who can you share God’s love with today?
Image from www.freebibleimages.org
#faith, #Bible, #Scriptures, #Christian Women, #Discipleship, #womenintheBible, #Hagar