Genesis 16 presents us with a family mess. It starts with anxiety, leads into pride, and ends in injustice. By verse 6, the family seems at the breaking point. Abraham abandons Hagar. Sarah treats Hagar harshly. Hagar runs away with Abraham’s child in her womb. The family now consists of a separted but complicated web of relationships. Can things turn around? If so, how?
God Meets Hagar
The answer? God shows up. But He showed up in an unlikely way. If we were to ask at the beginning of the story, “to whom would God appear to get them to turn things around?”, who would it be? Probably Abraham. Maybe Sarah. But here’s the surprise of the story. God showed up for the first time in the story, and He talked to . . . Hagar.
God asked Hagar, “Hagar, servant of Sarai, where have you come from and where are you going?” Let’s not miss the importance of this. As we noted in my past articles on this past (read part 1 on anxiety here, part 2 on pride here, and part 3 on injustice here), the anxiety of a slave is over the fact that they are unseen. Hagar seemed to be seen by Abraham, but then Abraham abandoned her to unjust abuse by Sarah. It seemed like she was unseen again. The Angel of the Lord, whom I believe is Jesus in a pre-incarnate form, the 2nd person of the Trinity, met her by the well and took an interest in her like He would in an unlikely woman at a wall a thousand plus years later (see John 4).
Hagar was honest with the angel. She said that she was running from her mistress Sarah.
Then, the angel of the Lord gave her a command, “Return to your mistress and submit to her” (Gen. 16:9).
By the end of the story, Hagar was encouraged and willing to go back.
What Motivates Hagar to Return
Why encouraged Hagar to go back to a tough situation?
1. She sees the God who sees her. She thought she was alone. She thought that no one saw her afflication. She thought that no one could hear her cries. Then, God showed up and took an interest in her. God told her to name her son Ishamael. This is important because this name means “God hears” because “the Lord has listened to your affliction” (16:11).
This clearly impressed Hagar because her response to God’s presence was, “Truly here I have seen him who looks after me” (16:13). She called God, “the God of seeing” and names the well “the well of seeing.” Note that “who looks after me” is the same word in the Hebrew as “to see.” Clearly, this truth moved her deeply. She felt seen by God, and this made all the difference.
2. She sees the hope God promises. In spite of her situation, God was going to do something amazing with her. He was going to bless her son and make her a mother of many nations. Think about it. We are still talking about her today!
One of the promises about Ishmael may make us scratch our heads. God said that Ishmael “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” (Gen. 16:11). This is probably not the sort of promise that would give us hope for our children! However, in this case, it meant that Ishmael would not be a slave to anyone. He would be like the free bedouin of the desert. That would have meant a lot to Hagar. She was not discouraged but encouraged by this promise.
3. She experiences the God who sees her. It is important to note here that it is not simply that she was intellectually aware of God. She experienced God. It was an encounter with God that encouraged her and empowered her.
We should schedule times where we will seek to focus on God. There, we will often experience God in wonderful and intimate ways. This was not one of those times for Hagar. She was not looking for this experience. God just showed up in a powerful way. When we experience that, we should note it and remember it. These are significant moments that can empower us for the rest of our lives.
The Difference God Showing up Makes
What difference did these three encouragements make? They empowered Hagar to go back to her family. Her anxiety was down, and so she had no need to exalt herself. As Bruce Waltke notes, “She no longer gloats that she is pregnant but marvels at the Lord’s care for her” (255). A vision and experience of God and His promises has changed her and empowered her to return and make a difference in her family.
And that’s what can empower us as well. If we can get a vision of the God who sees us, hears us, and looks after us, it will change our hearts. It will reduce our anxiety. It will humble our pride. It will empower justice. It will empower us to go back and make a difference in the lives of our families.
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Image by franck JUILLARD from Pixabay