Scripture Sisters: Hagar: by Katie
Who was she?
We meet Hagar for the first time in Genesis 16. Hagar is described as an “Egyptian slave” (Gen. 16:2) who serves legendary figures Sarai and Abram, better known as Sarah and Abraham. At the beginning of Hagar’s story, Sarai decides that since she is unable to bear children for her husband Abram, then he should lay with Hagar so that Sarai can build a family with her husband through their servant. Abram follows through with this plan, and Hagar becomes pregnant with his child.
When Hagar gets pregnant, she begins to despise Sarai. Sarai takes out her anger over this on her husband, telling him that her suffering is his fault since he listened to her plan to impregnate their slave. Abram responds by turning Hagar over to Sarai for her to do whatever she wants with the servant girl. Sarai treats Hagar so horribly that Hagar runs away from Abram’s family.
While Hagar is in the wilderness, an angel of the Lord meets her. He asks what she is doing, and she tells him that she is running away from her mistress. He says that she must go back, and when she does, He will bless her greatly. The angel goes on to tell her that her son will be named Ishmael which means, “God Hears,” because the Lord has heard her “cry of affliction” (Gen. 16:11).
After this encounter, one of the most profound moments in the Bible occurs.. The Scripture says, “So she named the Lord who spoke to her, ‘You are El-roi,’ for she said ‘In this place, have I actually seen the one who sees me?’” (Genesis 16:13). Then she returns to Abram and Sarai’s house where she gives birth to Ishmael.
I love this scene for many reasons. I think it is so powerful that God meets Hagar in the wilderness. That He essentially tells her that He understands what she’s going through, but that He has plans for her that are greater than she could possibly imagine. But in order to get to that place, she has to go through this one. The Lord is speaking directly to her, laying out a purpose for her life.
My favorite part of her story is that she gives the Lord a name. The Old Testament has many occasions in which God reveals His own name to people. However, this is the only time in Scripture that a person gives a name to the Lord. Not only that, but also, this person is a woman. A slave. An object that is used to bear a child so that the child can bless a family that mistreats her. This woman names the Lord, the God of the universe. Because she knows that He hears her and that He sees her. Even her. Even now.
I wish I could say that it was happily ever after from this point on for Hagar. However, just a few chapters later, she’s in a similar situation. Eventually, Sarai and Abram - now called Sarah and Abraham - have a son of their own. One day, Sarah sees Hagar’s son Ishmael making fun of her new son Isaac and Sarah demands that Hagar and Ishmael be sent away so that Ishmael cannot be a coheir with her son.
The next day, Abraham gets a tiny amount of food and bread for his son and the son’s mother and sends them back into the wilderness. It does not take long for the water to run out, and Hagar is so upset over the fact that her son is about to die, she hides him under a bush and moves a little distance away so she does not have to watch him die, and then she begins to weep.
Then the angel of the Lord meets her in the wilderness again. He tells her that “God has heard the boy crying” (Gen. 21:17), much in the same way he heard her own cry the last time in the wilderness. Then the angel reminds her that God has a plan for Ishmael and that a great nation will come from him. Then, God opens Hagar’s eyes to reveal a well in the wilderness so that she can give her son some water. The Bible tells us that “God was with the boy” (Gen. 21:20), reminding us that God always fulfills His promises.
How did the Lord use her?
The story of Hagar and Ishmael is a difficult one for Christians. She was mistreated in the home of Abraham, the father of many nations. The man by whom all nations will be blessed. Honestly, if it weren’t for Abraham, none of us would exist, let alone be believers today. However, these interactions with Hagar remind us that Abraham was not perfect. He and Sarah were oppressive masters, disrespecting Hagar as a person and as the mother of Abraham’s first child.
The Lord uses Hagar to remind us that God is with all people. Even if it seems like we or someone else is in a tough spot - something that is impossible to get out of - God is with us. He hears us. He sees us. He is working for us.
More than that, God uses Hagar to show us that everyone has the potential for an intimate relationship with Him. Hagar was a slave, subject to the rule of someone else. Nevertheless, she did not have to rely on Abraham or Sarah to talk to God for her. In fact, God speaks directly to Hagar to tell her that he sees and hears her. Then, in response, Hagar boldly names the Lord. It is important because she is the only person in Scripture to ever do this. She names Him in a way that is truthful and personal. Because she knows Him. Even in her lowly state in life, she has an intimate relationship with the Father.
The Lord also uses Hagar yet another reminder that He always fulfills His promises. He sends her back to Abraham and Sarah’s house after she runs away so that her son can benefit from living there. In addition, He promises that Ishmael will also become the father of a great nation. Scripture tells us that God is with Ishmael as he grows up. Things could have turned out so differently for Hagar and Ishmael, but God met them in their darkest moments and assured them that He was working in their lives, providing for them every step of the way.
What can we learn from her?
Hagar teaches us that it is okay to be bold in our relationship with God. She cries out to Him, and He hears her cry. And He sees her. And in a remarkable moment of recognition, she names HIm the God Who Sees. She knows that God is with her and because of that, she can speak to Him in complete and vulnerable ways.
Hagar also teaches us the importance of obedience. For me, it would have incredibly difficult to return to the home of my oppressors. However, Hagar does so because the Lord tells her to. And she trusts Him. She knows that Lord is good and that He fulfills His promises. So she goes back, even though she was entering into a place where she had been mistreated and would be mistreated again. All because she trusted the Lord.
Let us allow Hagar to be an example to us. We can cry out to the Lord, either with affliction or joy, and we can know that He will hear us. We know that God sees us. Even when we are aimlessly wandering in the desert, not knowing what our next move will be, He is watching. He is working a plan that is good and glorifying. He always keeps His promises, and even when we end up back in the desert, we can trust that He is still working. So, like Hagar, let us be obedient. Because even when the water runs out, we have a God that provides a well, if only we will allow Him to open our eyes.
Katie is a first year student from Mississippi and is currently studying Ministry Leadership. She is excited to see what God has to teach her during her time at Southeastern. Katie loves naps, cheese, and Captain America.