Hagar

Genesis 16:7-16

Now the Angel of the Lord found her by a spring of water in the wilderness, by the spring on the way to Shur. ⁸ And He said, “Hagar, Sarai’s maid, where have you come from, and where are you going?”

She said, “I am fleeing from the presence of my mistress Sarai.”

⁹ The Angel of the Lord said to her, “Return to your mistress, and submit yourself under her hand.” ¹⁰ Then the Angel of the Lord said to her, “I will multiply your descendants exceedingly, so that they shall not be counted for multitude.” ¹¹ And the Angel of the Lord said to her:

“Behold, you are with child,And you shall bear a son.You shall call his name Ishmael,Because the Lord has heard your affliction.¹² He shall be a wild man;His hand shall be against every man,And every man’s hand against him.And he shall dwell in the presence of all his brethren.”

¹³ Then she called the name of the Lord who spoke to her, You-Are-the-God-Who-Sees; for she said, “Have I also here seen Him who sees me?” ¹⁴ Therefore the well was called Beer Lahai Roi; observe, it is between Kadesh and Bered.

¹⁵ So Hagar bore Abram a son; and Abram named his son, whom Hagar bore, Ishmael. ¹⁶ Abram was eighty-six years old when Hagar bore Ishmael to Abram.

Who is Hagar?

Hagar was Sarai's (Sarah) servant. Hagar likely joined Abram and Sarai when the Israelites fled Egypt. Pharaoh gifted the Israelites many things including servants of their own. Hagar was told by Sarai to lay with her husband Abram because she felt this was the only way Abram would have a child. This was outside of God's will, but Hagar did become pregnant and despised Sarai. Sarai then began to mistreat Hagar so she fled.

God cared for Hagar

Hagar is often a forgotten woman in the bible or viewed as an "evil" person. However, God cared for Hagar just as He did for Abram and Sarai. In reality, Hagar had to obey Sarai's command as her servant. When she fled for her life, she was certain she was alone- an unmarried- pregnant woman, abandoned by masters, left on her own. Yet, although she was not an Israelite, was not one of "God's chosen," He still saw her. In fact, Hagar was given a promise almost identical to Abram's. God told her "I will multiply your descendants exceedingly, so they shall not be counted for multitude." For the first time, Hagar felt seen.

"She gave this name to the Lord who spoke to her: "You are the God who sees me," for she said, "I have now seen the One who sees me."

Hagar goes on to name her son Ishmael, meaning "God hears." Although Ishmael will go on to be wild and fight all his life, he still brought forth promise to Hagar.

Where have you come from and where are you going?

This is the question God asked Hagar, but it is also the question God asks of us. Where have you come from? God knows where you are, He knows every part of you. Where are you going? We may not be able to change our past, where we've come from, but it is our choice where we choose to go. God has given us free will. We choose to live for God. When Hagar encountered God at the well, she could have went her own way, but she surrendered and did what God told her, returned to her master, and she was rewarded.

We are Hagar.

We have all been Hagar. We have all been in a tough situation we wanted to run from. We have all felt alone, like no one understands us- like life is unfair. However, God does understand us, He knows us. Even when we mess up, He can can make our bad situation better. He can provide provision when we have none.

• What is your Hagar situation?

• How did God show up for you?

• Where are you going?