God Sees Me
There she was, the slave of a wealthy man named Abraham. He and Sarah had owned her for quite some time and she’d actually grown to love them. Her Master and his wife were given a promise by God that in their old age, God would give them a miracle - and not just any miracle of one child but the miracle of a thousand miracles - they’d have more grandchildren than there are sand on the shore. Off in the distance ringing out the clothes is a woman named Hagar. She’s an Egyptian slave and culturally, she’s there to serve. Though her status is low, her dreams could’ve been high. This is a woman who isn’t consulted or even considered.
Abraham was supposed to be this man of faith but this man of faith didn’t want to wait for the promise of this great nation of children. He thought he would help God and hurry it along. He told Hagar she would need to sleep with him. Can you imagine the fear in Hagar? The anger. To be used like that? Let’s call it like it is. She was abused for her body. She didn’t have a voice and there was a power dynamic and she was on the other side of power.
Remarkably, this wasn’t terribly uncommon in their culture to ensure their family name could continue. If the woman was barren, sometimes a maid-servant would bear the child so the legacy of their name could go on. But in this case, it was doubly wrong because God had a plan and they were unwilling to wait for it. But God used this failure to once again prove His love. As usual, God takes our mess and makes something beautiful out of it.
Hagar was feeling the anger and resentment coming from Sarah, Abraham’s wife. Imagine the looks coming from Sarah, the disdain and resentment! This young Egyptian woman who was able to give her husband what she could not - a son. Sarah had to be filled with jealousy and anger all at once.
After Hagar became pregnant and began to show - possibly in her 4th or 5th month, she began to fear for her life because she was getting treated so poorly by Sarah. So she ran. She ran into the wilderness and there, she was risking her life feeling it was better than living in the hatred of Sarah’s stare and the danger of possible death.
And there, there alone in the wilderness, God found her! God not only found her but called her by name. “Hagar.” God knew her name!
God speaks to her and begins with a question ...
Genesis 16:8–16 (ESV): And he said, “Hagar, servant of Sarai, where have you come from and where are you going?” She said, “I am fleeing from my mistress Sarai.” 9 The angel of the Lord said to her, “Return to your mistress and submit to her.” 10 The angel of the Lord also said to her, “I will surely multiply your offspring so that they cannot be numbered for multitude.” 11 And the angel of the Lord said to her, “Behold, you are pregnant and shall bear a son. You shall call his name Ishmael, because the Lord has listened to your affliction. 12 He 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.” 13 So she called the name of the Lord who spoke to her, El Roy “You are a God of seeing,” for she said, “Truly here I have seen him who looks after me. 14 Therefore the well was called Beer-lahai-roi; it lies between Kadesh and Bered. 15 And Hagar bore Abram a son, and Abram called the name of his son, whom Hagar bore, Ishmael. 16 Abram was eighty-six years old when Hagar bore Ishmael to Abram.”
Fourteen years later, Sarah became pregnant and God fulfilled His promise to them. But FIRST, God took the mess that Abraham made and made something beautiful out of it for Hagar.
Here she is with three strikes against her.
She’s a woman
She’s Egyptian
She’s a slave
There’s no logical reason for God to even name her. Culturally, she was rejected; she was of the very lowest social status as a woman and a slave and to the Jewish people, being an Egyptian was yet a third strike against her.
But in God’s rich love and mercy, He knows every name and loves each person the same. God came to visit her - there were she felt alone - God showed up!
Hagar named God “El Roy, God who sees me.”
God sees you and knows your name.
He knows you - The pain in you - The everyday life that you live that you think no one notices. God sees you and knows you.
You can’t escape the love of God. You can’t run from him. You can try. But wherever you run, He is there, waiting for you with arms wide open, waiting to love you. He knows your name and calls you by name! Maybe you too have felt left out or rejected. Maybe you were rejected in a relationship and honestly, it devastated you. These heartaches in our life brings us to our knees. They cause us to crumble and sense the weight of our humanity. When we are rejected and hurt - whether that’s in high school and you’re not included in the right crowd or you didn’t wear the “right” clothes - that rejection can stick with you unfortunately. Whether you’ve been divorced or maybe your marriage is near divorce as your spouse is getting more and more distant and the pain is deepening… hear me today - God knows you and the pain you’re in. Jesus is the visible image of the invisible God. He not only knows your name but is able to sustain you and satisfy your deepest needs. He goes then beyond the needs you have and blesses you with joy and abundance!
Did you notice too that Hagar received Jacob’s blessing! Hagar received the blessing given to Abraham! He passed on the blessing to this Egyptian slave woman!
God too wants to bless you despite the shame you feel. Despite the mistakes of your past, despite the way that others have hurt you or left you out, despite the pain they left you in. Despite the fears that keep you awake at night, God knows your name and wants to bless you! JESUS, the Son of God and Son of Man, really can bring you out of shame, despair and sadness and into a life of joy and peace! No matter how you feel, know this… God sees you.