The God Who Sees

I found this video at a time when I needed it the most. It touched me. It comforted me. I started my healing process because of the four stories told in this beautiful you tube video. They gave me the faith to go on. If you've ever felt alone, confused, deeply wounded, or broken...then please take the time to listen to this before you read any further.

The first story is about Hagar from the Bible. You will find her in book of Genesis in the 16th chapter, but her story will not end there.

The Background:

Genesis 16:1) Now Sarai (Sarah,) Abram’s (Abraham's) wife, had borne him no children. But she had an Egyptian slave named Hagar;

*If you don't know the background of Abram & Sarai, Abraham is considered the father of all nations...Judaism, Christian, and Islam. But he and Sarah were well beyond child-bearing age when God gave him that promise in Genesis 15, "Look now toward heaven, and tell the stars, if thou be able to number them: and he said unto him, so shall thy seed be."

*Even though Sarah must have known of God's promise to Abraham, and she believed, her faith seemed to falter as she waited for conception. (This is another story well-worth examining, but on to Hagar's story.)

Genesis 16:2) so she said to Abram, “The Lord has kept me from having children. Go, sleep with my slave; perhaps I can build a family through her.”

*But leave it to suffice, that when we take matters into our own hands and don't wait on God, it causes problems down the road.

*But consider also, that God knew all along how everything would unfold.

I was stopped in my tracks when I read the part that Sarah had an Egyptian slave. Why did she have a slave? Was it a common practice then? Why was she an Egyptian? Why wasn't Abraham rebuking Sarah's lack of patience in her faith-walk?

So, I did the research, and this site had all my answers. This easy-to-read article fills in many details about the culture and laws that we might otherwise miss, along with insight into what our characters might have been thinking/feeling:

One thing I love about the Bible is that throughout each chapter, you will find flawed, imperfect characters...like us! But the incredulous part about that is God still uses them (and us) for all of His plans.

Abraham was flawed, Sarah was flawed, Hagar was also flawed. But even today, we still are a part of their picture-imperfect lives and they each have lessons to teach us.

*If you took the time to read the above article, you noted Hagar's flaws. (I immediately thought that a lesson we might be wise to think about is to be very careful about whom we bring along with us when we've left our own personal Egypt, heading towards the promise of a better future. Sometimes, we shouldn't have even been in Egypt in the first place.)

Genesis 16:4) And he (Abraham) went in unto Hagar, and she conceived: and when she saw that she had conceived, her mistress was despised in her eyes.

5) And Sarai (Sarah) said unto Abram, My wrong be upon thee: I have given my maid into thy bosom; and when she saw that she had conceived, I was despised in her eyes: the Lord judge between me and thee.

6) But Abram said unto Sarai, Behold, thy maid is in thine hand; do to her as it pleaseth thee. And when Sarai dealt hardly (with force/severely) with her, she fled from her face.

*What a pickle these people have gotten themselves into! Hagar was wrong for her hatred and Sarah was wrong for the harsh treatment. But I have to admit, I can almost see Sarah's point of view. However, Hagar was young and impetuous, lacking good judgment. Sarah wasn't too wise or fair, either. Lesson: Two wrongs do not equal a right.

Hagar would almost make it back to her native country, alone and pregnant. And then:

Genesis 16:7) And the angel of the Lord found her by a fountain of water in the wilderness, by the fountain in the way to Shur (just East of Egypt in the wilderness/desert.)

8) And he said, Hagar, Sarai's maid, whence camest thou? and whither wilt thou go? And she said, I flee from the face of my mistress Sarai.

*I have to hand it to God...he knew that the women needed time and space from each other. And then, the question is posed to Hagar and at some point, in our lives, we must also answer: "Where did you come from?" and "Where are you going?" Those are truly deep questions we must consider!

What Hagar heard next was something she probably didn't want to hear:

Genesis 16:9) And the angel of the Lord said unto her, "return to thy mistress, and submit thyself under her hands."

*I know that none of us really like authority, but there are times in our lives that certain people are placed over us for our own protection or for God's purpose. Who knows what evil might have befallen Hagar or her unborn child, had she made it back to Egypt. And then Hagar is given a glimpse into her future and the future of the child she carried, which gave her the courage to go back and to submit:

Genesis 16:10) And the angel of the Lord said unto her, "I will multiply thy seed exceedingly, that it shall not be numbered for multitude."

11) And the angel of the Lord said unto her, "Behold, thou art with child and shalt bear a son, and shalt call his name Ishmael, because the Lord hath heard thy affliction."

*The word, affliction carries a lot of weight behind Hagar's young life. To me, she probably feels like the whole world has been against her, and surely, her heart is rebellious because of it. She has been in a foreign land with foreign people, alone and unloved, and angry. Can you imagine how much joy she felt when she realized that God Himself had "heard" the oppression of her soul? It gives me joy to know that God still works like that in our lives, too.

Genesis 16:13) 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 (back) the One who sees me.”

*All her life, Hagar had been virtually "invisible" to others. That's a horrible way to feel. But now she knows she is "seen" and how incredible she must have felt! Isn't it wonderful to know that God sees us?

We don't hear about Hagar again until her son, Ishmael is fourteen and Abraham is a hundred years old. Sarah's son, Isaac has been born that year. Much has happened in the lives of Abraham's tribe and family up until that time, and apparently there was relative peace between the two women.

*Ishmael was described as growing into a "wild donkey of a man," meaning that he was stubborn and couldn't get along with others as God had forewarned Hagar before his birth. (Sometimes the apple doesn't fall far from the tree. Maybe Ishmael was influenced by his mother's hurts and hatred?) This would prove to bring contention within Abraham's family once again at the celebration of Isaac's "weaning":

Genesis 21:9) But Sarah saw that the son whom Hagar the Egyptian had borne to Abraham was mocking, 10) and she said to Abraham, “Get rid of that slave woman and her son, for that woman’s son will never share in the inheritance with my son Isaac.”

Mocking in the Hebrew culture is a sign of high disrespect and arrogance. Sarah was within her rights to keep her son, Isaac away from the influence and cruelty of Ishmael. And so, Hagar and her son were sent away yet again.

11) The matter distressed Abraham greatly because it concerned his son. 12) But God said to him, “Do not be so distressed about the boy and your slave woman. Listen to whatever Sarah tells you, because it is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned. 13) I will make the son of the slave into a nation also, because he is your offspring.”

14) Early the next morning Abraham took some food and a skin of water and gave them to Hagar. He set them on her shoulders and then sent her off with the boy. She went on her way and wandered in the Desert of Beersheba. (meaning, son of the oath)

According to Hebrew culture, by giving Hagar food and water for travel, it was a sign that they were still under Abraham's protection, thus God's. Here we see Abraham's faith in God's Word to him.

15 When the water in the skin was gone, she put the boy under one of the bushes. 16 Then she went off and sat down about a bowshot away, for she thought, “I cannot watch the boy die.” And as she sat there, she began to sob.

*Hagar's faith in the God who sees has greatly diminished. All she can fathom is her current situation. She might have even been thinking, "Why save us once only to have us die in this desert now?" I think we all lose sight at times and forget how faithful God has been to honor His promises/oaths to us. It's important to understand that God honors faith. If you notice, God heard and answered "the boy's" cries this time, rather than Hagar's.

17 God heard the boy crying, and the angel of God called to Hagar from heaven and said to her, “What is the matter, Hagar? Do not be afraid; God has heard the boy crying as he lies there. 18 Lift the boy up and take him by the hand, for I will make him into a great nation.”

*Hagar obeyed but remained in the wilderness. It's interesting to note that she chose a spouse for Ishmael from Egypt rather than from his father's people.

*(Sometimes, an improper mindset or resentment/bitterness can keep us in a barren place, can't it? And it can also affect the generations to come.)

Genesis 21:20-21): “And God was with the lad; and he grew, and dwelt in the wilderness, and became an archer. And he dwelt in the wilderness of Paran: and his mother took him a wife out of the land of Egypt.”

You tube of the wilderness of Paran

The concept of the “Ring of Fire” in the Bible carries rich symbolism of God's protection and watchfulness in our lives.

Zechariah 2:5: In this verse, the Lord declares, “I will be a wall of fire around it.”

"God was with the lad..."

Ishmael became the Islamic nation