In Genesis 16, we read about a female Egyptian slave, Hagar, who encounters God in the wilderness and addresses Him as El Roi, “the God who sees me.”
The synopsis of the chapter goes like this: Sarai, the wife of Abram, was unable to have children, so she gives her female servant, Hagar, to her husband to bear a child. Hagar conceives, but then looks down on Sarai. Sarai complains to Abram, but he tells her to deal with the situation. Sarai treats Hagar harshly, and Hagar flees. In the wilderness, the angel of the Lord (a manifestation of God) tells Hagar to return, promising that her son, Ishmael, will have many descendants and be a man of conflict. Hagar names God “You are a God of seeing,” returns to her mistress, and gives birth to Ishmael.
When the angel of the Lord appears to Hagar by a spring of water in the wilderness (v. 7), He asks from where she has come and where she is going (v. 8). Hagar responds to the first part of the question only—that she is fleeing from her mistress. Perhaps she was unable to answer the latter part because, she herself did not know and was lost, which is what happens later in Genesis 21. The angel of the Lord instructs Hagar to return to her mistress with the promise of a multitude of offspring. This aligns with the covenant God makes with Abram in the previous chapter, when He promises him offspring as numerous as the stars in the sky (Gen. 15:5). The child she carries is Abram’s son, after all. In Genesis 17, the Lord God changes Abram’s name to Abraham.
Verse 11 shows that God cares for Hagar and that He has heard her affliction and knows of her suffering at Sarai’s hands. Even the name she is to give her baby son, Ishmael, means “God hears” or “God will hear.” Hagar’s response to this encounter with God is to name Him, El Roi and she commemorates this by naming the well Beer-lahai-roi, which means “the well of the Living One who sees me.”
The most striking and notable aspect is that Hagar is the only person in Scripture to give God a name—a servant, and a female at that! This was during a time when women were considered second-class citizens, and yet the Lord literally shows up to Hagar. In the midst of her difficulties, Hagar learned that El Roi was watching over her and that He had a plan to bless her and her son. As she obeys God and returns, her heart must have been filled with hope!
From this story, we see that our God is caring, merciful, and a keeper of His word and promises. God knows our circumstances—our past, present, and future. He sees us in our suffering, our wilderness, and deep valleys, and He hears our silent cries. Nothing can escape His notice. And He cares deeply for you and me.
So, what can stop us from trusting in El Roi and sharing about Him with those who are lost?
Chanhee Chin
February 9, 2025