Many times, when reading Scripture, our eyes can be clouded by natural prejudice. The account of Hagar is one such passage. Hagar stands as a reminder of Abraham’s failure in faith, and her son Ishmael would become an adversary to the nation of Israel even unto this day. Yet, in spite of all this, God is no respecter of persons. He is rich in mercy and abundant in grace.
This passage should become precious in our eyes as we watch the Lord encounter and care for a woman who was unwanted, unnoticed, and despised by the world around her.
- God Finds.
“And the angel of the LORD found her by a fountain of water in the wilderness…” — Genesis 16:7
Hagar was a victim of painful circumstances. She had likely been taken from Egypt as a servant, and now she found herself pregnant, mistreated, and driven from her master’s house into the wilderness to perish. Yet God, in His grace, found her.
The Lord is still the God who seeks the lost. “For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.” — Luke 19:10
Like the woman at the well in John 4, Hagar was found beside a source of water where God revealed Himself to her. The Lord delights in finding those whom the world has forgotten.
II. God Hears.
“…thou shalt call his name Ishmael; because the LORD hath heard thy affliction.” — Genesis 16:11
God instructed Hagar to name her son Ishmael, meaning, “God hears.”
Hagar may have been ignored by Abraham and blamed by Sarah, but she was not ignored by God. The Lord hears the cries of the afflicted, the broken-hearted, and the forgotten.
Perhaps no human ear hears your burdens, but Heaven does.
III. God Sees.
“Thou God seest me…” — Genesis 16:13
Hagar was transformed by the realization that God was seeking her, hearing her, and seeing her. Strengthened by this encounter, she returned by faith and submitted herself under Sarah’s hand.
What a comfort to know that no matter how obscure, unwanted, or outcast a person may feel in the eyes of men, they are precious in the sight of God.
You are sought by God.
You are heard by God.
You are seen by God.
“Fear ye not therefore, ye are of more value than many sparrows.”
— Matthew 10:31