Reading 8 • September 21
Today's Scripture
Genesis 16:1–16
Now Sarai, Abram’s wife, bore him no children. She had an Egyptian slave whose name was Hagar, and Sarai said to Abram, “You see that the Lord has prevented me from bearing children; go in to my slave; it may be that I shall obtain children by her.” And Abram listened to the voice of Sarai. So, after Abram had lived ten years in the land of Canaan, Sarai, Abram’s wife, took Hagar the Egyptian, her slave, and gave her to her husband Abram as a wife. He went in to Hagar, and she conceived, and when she saw that she had conceived, she looked with contempt on her mistress. Then Sarai said to Abram, “May the wrong done to me be on you! I gave my slave to your embrace, and when she saw that she had conceived, she looked on me with contempt. May the Lord judge between you and me!” But Abram said to Sarai, “Your slave is in your power; do to her as you please.” Then Sarai dealt harshly with her, and she ran away from her.
The angel of the Lord found her by a spring of water in the wilderness, the spring on the way to Shur. And he said, “Hagar, slave of Sarai, where have you come from and where are you going?” She said, “I am running away from my mistress Sarai.” The angel of the Lord said to her, “Return to your mistress, and submit to her.” The angel of the Lord also said to her, “I will so greatly multiply your offspring that they cannot be counted for multitude.” And the angel of the Lord said to her,
“Now you have conceived and shall bear a son;
you shall call him Ishmael,
for the Lord has given heed to your affliction.
He shall be a wild ass of a man,
with his hand against everyone,
and everyone’s hand against him,
and he shall live at odds with all his kin.”
So she named the Lord who spoke to her, “You are El-roi,” for she said, “Have I really seen God and remained alive after seeing him?” Therefore the well was called Beer-lahai-roi; it lies between Kadesh and Bered.
Hagar bore Abram a son, and Abram named his son, whom Hagar bore, Ishmael. Abram was eighty-six years old when Hagar bore him Ishmael. (NRSVUE)
Reflection
Humans are crafty creatures. Distinguished from our primate kin, we are adept at using tools. And we often use those technologies, if you will, to bend the world toward our own will. Scripture introduces us to many people who try to force the hand of fate to bend favorably in their direction.
The promise made to Abram and Sarai for an heir who will be a blessing is long in coming. Too long for their tastes, and so they hatch a plan to speed it up using the tools available to them, including the tools of a hierarchical household system. As the descendant of enslaved Africans, it grieves me to watch this predictable story between Sarai and Hagar unfold, knowing Hagar has few, if any, outlets for her anger or the panoply of emotions that come from being used in such ways. It is clear that Hagar has little freedom to shape her identity and is bound in body and spirit to her place in the household.
Even the messenger of God addresses her simply as slave girl of Sarai. How’s that for an introduction? Not Hagar, daughter of … Not Hagar the Egyptian or even Hagar, beloved child of God. Just slave girl of Sarai. To top it off, the prophecy offered her of the blessing of a child is laced with troubling fine print. “He will live at odds with his kin,” says the angel. I’m sure Hagar, like any one of us who’ve ever struggled with children, replied tongue in cheek, “I’m not sure how to thank you.”
But Hagar wins the day here. She looks through the messenger and their mixed message to the very God who sent them. And she has the privilege of being the first person in scripture to give a name, an accurate name, to God. She calls the divine presence El-Roi, the God who sees me. But I believe Hagar knew God not only as the One who saw her affliction, but also the One who saw her story, her resilience, and her promise.
Like with Hagar, I believe when we are distressed God sees us in our fullness, even when people around us do not. Yet if we claim to be those who walk in the way of God, how important is it for us to try to see others as God sees them?
Prayer
Holy One, you see to the very heart of things. Help us to begin to know one another and ourselves with the deep curiosity and affection with which you know and love us. Amen.
Written by Joseph L. Morrow, Associate Pastor
Reflection and Prayer © Fourth Presbyterian Church
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