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| Meet Hagar, The Mother of Ishmael |
Meet Hagar, The Mother of Ishmael
In Genesis 16, we meet a woman named Hagar. Hagar was a handmaiden of Sarai (later known as Sarah). Sarah had grown impatient while waiting on God to give her a child so she decided to wait no longer. She took matters into her own hands. She told her husband, Abram, to go to Hagar to sleep with her so that she could build a family through Hagar. This was a common practice in those times. Everything that belonged to the maidservants and/or slaves belonged also to their masters, even the children. Therefore, if Hagar had a baby, the baby would also be Sarai's baby. Abram did as he was told and Hagar conceived a baby.
When Hagar realized she was pregnant, she began to despise Sarai. When Sarai realized Hagar despised her, she blamed the whole thing on Abram. Then, she mistreated Hagar. She was so mean to Hagar that Hagar ran away.
An angel of the Lord found Hagar near a spring in the desert. The angel told Hagar to return to Sarai and then he made her a promise. He told Hagar that he would increase her descendants so much that there would be too many to count. Her son would be named Ishmael for God has heard Hagar's misery. Ishmael means "the God who hears."
Sarai called the Lord "The God Who Sees Me." The well where the Angel of the Lord spoke to Hagar is named Beer Bahai Roi which means "the well of Him who lives and sees me."
Hagar obeyed. I find this part interesting and inspiring. Hagar was pregnant by her mistress's husband. She had been badly mistreated. She had ran away. She's was probably exhausted, lonely, and afraid.
Yet she obeyed.
Life Lessons
1. Don't blame others for your bad decisions. Sarai blamed Abram for the soured relationship between herself and Hagar, but it was Sarai's idea for Abram to father a child by Hagar in the first place.
2. Be patient. Wait for the Lord. This all started because Sarai wasn't willing to wait on God. She took matters into her own hands and created a mess.
3. Remember that God is a God who hears.
4. Remember that God is a God who sees.
5. Be obedient. Hagar, in her condition, could have kept running, but she obeyed God and returned to the very place where she had been so badly treated.
Just as God heard and saw Hagar's misery, He hears and sees you too.
Right click and save this image as a free reminder that God sees you. Print it out and place it where you will see it often.
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| He sees me. Genesis 16:13 |
More Lessons for Learning the Story of Hagar
Teach the Kids About Hagar
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| Wicked Women of the Bible by Ann Spangler |
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| The Beautiful Word Coloring Bible |
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