Genesis 16:7

7             Now the angel of the Lord found by a spring of water in the wilderness, by the spring on the way to Shur.

Introducing Hagar

This whole series is about theophanies. You may ask, “What’s a theophany?” It’s a question that I asked before starting my research for this series.

A theophany is when God appears to people in a physical form.

There are six instances when this occurred in the Old Testament that I want to highlight and see what we can learn from their stories.

This interaction happened to Hagar, the slave woman from Sarai (commonly known as Sarah) and the one Abram (commonly known as Abraham) impregnated because of their impatience in waiting for God to gift them a child. Sarai got jealous that Hagar was able to conceive a child through Abram and treated Hagar poorly as a result, so Hagar fled. God found Hagar by this spring and they had this conversation in verses 8 through 12.

8             He said, “Hagar, Sarai’s slave woman, from where have you come, and where are you going?” And she said, “I am fleeing from the presence of my mistress Sarai.”

9             So the angel of the Lord said to her, “Return to your mistress, and submit to her authority.”

10          The angel of the Lord also said to her, “I will greatly multiply your descendants so that they will be too many to count.”

11          The angel of the Lord said to her further, “Behold, you are pregnant, And you will give to a son; And you shall name him Ishmael, Because the Lord heard your affliction.

12          But he will be a wild donkey of a man; His hand will be against everyone, And everyone will be against him; And he will live in defiance of all his brothers.”

Hagar run away from Sarai, and the angel of Yahweh said to go back and submit to her. Why? Why did the angel of the Lord provide her with the same blessing that Abram receives in Genesis 12? These are the questions we’re going to dive into today.

REFLECTION CHECKPOINT: What questions does this interaction arise in you? What’s your initial reaction to this story?

Return to the Initial Punishment

Hagar left Sarai due to harsh treatment. The command to return was major in the cultural context due to social hierarchies and household structures were rigidly maintained. This command was important to keep order and submission within the household. Submission here is not a general rule for all victims of abuse, but part of Hagar’s unique story, in which God sees her suffering and promises a future beyond her current oppression. The New Testament teaches that we’re to submit to one another out of respect of God. Hagar’s submission will be a test of faith, seeing if she will trust that God will fulfill his latter promises despite her circumstances.

This is a complicated situation. Not only did Sarai force her slave to have sex with her husband. Sarai started treating her harshly because of being able to have a child with Abram. Imagine if something like this happened in our world today. It most likely does through the harsh reality of human trafficking. People are pushed to be sold and used for others’ enjoyment. Rights are stripped away and people are viewed as objects. This was very much the situation that was happening to Hagar and a situation that we have strongly moved away from as civilization as moved on from. We don’t view people as objects of desire, but as the humans that God created them as. Because of that, God’s people are called to protect, free, and restore those who are exploited, not to send them back into harm. With the proper autonomy and self-control to manage their own life alongside their individualized guidance from God. When we overstep and trying to control or force people into living a lifestyle that is not designed for them, we strip away their control and their God-given design. We manipulate others at that point, and that’s not okay.

REFLECTION CHECKPOINT: Outside of Hagar’s conversation with God, how would you have responded in that situation? What would you have done if you were Hagar?

Blessing of the Multitudes

The words the angel of the Lord uses in verse 10 echoes the same language used with Abraham in Genesis 12:2 and Genesis 15:5:

12:2     And I will make you into a great nation, And I will bless you, And make your name great; And you shall be a blessing;

15:5     And He took him outside and said, “Now look toward the heavens and count the stars, if you are able to count them.” And He said to him, “So shall your descendants be.”

God’s faithfulness reaches beyond the chosen family to include outsiders like Hagar, showing that God’s purposes are larger than any one specific demographic. The multiplication is a common theme in the Bible that symbolized blessing, prosperity, and the continuation of a lineage that will play a major role in God’s overall plan. The innumerable offsprings preview the future nation of Israel and the many nations that would come from Abraham’s lineage, including the Ishmaelites.

This brings back the mindset that God uses all things for good. I’m not saying that God causes Hagar to have Abram’s son. This was far from the story gold in Genesis 16. However, God was still going to have something good come out of humanity’s sin. Hagar would be remembered in the story of the Israelite lineage. The Ishmaelites were the ones that bought Joseph from his brothers, instead of Joseph having to die at the hands of their brothers’ jealousy. Hagar would have her own massive family much like Abraham did, so would have had a positive impact on the societal and cultural practices of their land.

This is also not saying that God causes any bad things to happen. A lot of the harshness of the world is the result of the evil forces of the world, human decisions, and unfortunate circumstances. What I want us to walk away with is that God can bring good out of painful situations, even those situations are the result of sin and oppression. You will not be defined by them, but by who you become after them. God is there with you in those valleys, hurting and weeping that someone would harm His child. God wants you to dump all those hurts onto Him. And God also calls others to help carry that burden alongside you, through community, counseling, and justice. God’s justice will help you understand and work through those harms. He will also help you overcome those hurts through different forms of healing. It could be therapy, medication, exposure, journaling, different hobbies, and more. God will be at the center of it all and will help you overcome it, much like he did for Hagar.

REFLECTION CHECKPOINT: When you think back on your past hurts, how has something positive came from it?