I was reading Genesis 16 today, and instead of reading the chapter like it's a story, I read the chapter from the point of view of each person. I learned that it makes the Bible come alive. I realized that Hagar went through what a lot of people these days go through, not feeling seen and
feeling lonely.
Abram (later Abraham) had a wife named Sarai. Sarai could not have children, she said in verse 2 "The Lord has prevented me from bearing children."
Something didn't settle right with me when I read that, I realized that in reality, it was her faith that was preventing her from having children. Sarai had a faith problem and blamed it on God.
While Sarai was talking with her husband, Abram, she suggested that he should take her servant, Hagar, and make their child with her. Sarai basically suggests that Abram goes against Hagar's will to make a child with her and then take the child as Abram and Sarai's baby.
Abram agreed to this "brilliant" idea.
Now, the Bible doesn't say how Abram got Hagar to sleep with him. But I can assume that Abram acted like he loved her enough to sleep with her. Hagar being only a servant who feels lonely, probably fell into it easily.
Genesis 16:4 says that Hagar treated Sarai with disrespect. I could only imagine that she had no clue of the plans for that intimate moment. She did not sign up for pregnancy, she just wanted to be loved. This broke Hagar and she started dishonoring and disrespecting Sarai.
Hagar treated Sarai with disrespect because of the envy against her. When Sarai recognizes this, she blames Abram and he tells her "It's your servant, do what you wish." Sarai did what any fleshy girl does and treated her poorly back. Since she's over Hagar, I couldn't imagine how much worse Hagar was treated.
If we put ourselves in Hagar's shoes, she was a servant who did everything she was told. As a servant of big leaders, she probably felt; worthless, used, just a servant and nothing else, no hope for her life other than to be a servant, feeling unloved, and unseen.
Have you ever felt used? Worthless? Hopeless? Unloved? Not seen? Unappreciated?
This is how Hagar felt. Adding on top of those feelings that she already had, she felt even more used. I mean, she was literally tricked with a mask of love but intentions of usage.
So as Hagar ran away from Sarai and Abram, she went to a spring of water in the wilderness that was on the way to where she was going.
This is where she had an encounter with God that changed her life.
An angel came to her and asked her where she was going. Hagar told the angel that she was running away from her mistress. The angel commanded her to go back and attend to her mistress with excellence and told her that he would multiply her offspring.
Genesis 16: 11-12, NLT
"And the angel also said, “You are now pregnant and will give birth to a son. You are to name him Ishmael (which means ‘God hears’), for the LORD has heard your cry of distress. This son of yours will be a wild man, as untamed as a wild donkey! He will raise his fist against everyone, and everyone will be against him. Yes, he will live in open hostility against all his relatives.”
After this, Hagar calls God a name that means "You are a God of seeing."
El-Roi.
Genesis 16:13, NLT
"Thereafter, Hagar used another name to refer to the LORD, who had spoken to her. She said, “You are the God who sees me.” She also said, “Have I truly seen the One who sees me?”
Hagar, a servant who's felt unseen her whole life met El-Roi. The God who sees.
That same God that sees Hagar, sees you. He encountered her and in the same way, wants to encounter you. El-Roi has seen you in the hard times, He's seen you even if you felt unworthy, or not righteous. El-Roi has seen you when you felt lonely.
El-Roi sees you.
God sees you. Even if you're hidden or purposely hide yourself. He sees you still.
Even if you sit in the back of the class or if you turn off your camera on Zoom calls, He sees you.
He sees you in the wilderness of your bedroom when you're crying by yourself.
El-Roi
"The God who sees me."
God is good because He sees you.
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