Hagar: The God Who Sees

Genesis 16

Main Idea:
Even when we feel forgotten or mistreated, God sees us, cares for us, and gives our story purpose.

“The Plan”
Genesis 16:1-2: 1 Now Sarai, Abram’s wife, had borne him no children. But she had an Egyptian slave named Hagar; 2 so she said to Abram, “The Lord has kept me from having children. Go, sleep with my slave; perhaps I can build a family through her.”

ANE Cultural Background

Understanding the ancient world helps us see the motivations of the people and gives context for the story:

Hagar was Sarai’s Egyptian maidservant, likely acquired when Abram and Sarai were in Egypt (Genesis 12).
It was legal and even socially accepted for a barren wife to give her maid to her husband to bear a child.
The child would be considered the wife’s, not the servant’s.
Hagar may have appeared to “benefit” by becoming pregnant, but she had no voice, no choice, no power.
Cultural norms don’t always equate to justice & dignity.

The Aftermath (Genesis 16:4-6)

Tension between Hagar & Sarai.
Hagar flees but has no where to go, her family are in Egypt.
Her name in Hebrew means flight - her name matches her story, she is a woman on the run both physically and emotionally.
Hagar was used for someone else’s gain and discarded.

What can we learn about God from Hagar’s story?

1. God sees us and meets us in our pain (Genesis 16:7-8)

The Angel of the Lord finds Hagar alone and pregnant in the desert - this is the first appearance of an angel in the Bible.
God initiates the encounter—He seeks her out.
When God finds her in the wilderness, He asks her a question - HE GIVES HER A VOICE.
He doesn’t lecture or shame her—He meets her with compassion and a plan.

2. God gives purpose in the midst of suffering (Genesis 16:10–12)

God didn’t cause Hagar’s suffering—but He met her in it.
Hagar is given a promise (v. 10) and a prophecy (v. 11-12).
Her son’s name: Ishmael – “God hears.”
This is the first person to receive a pre-birth annpuncement AND naming from God in the Bible.
“Wild donkey of a man” - he will not be enslaved.
Her son would be independent and resilient—not owned, not silenced. But will also live in hostility.

3. God is the One who sees and hears the unseen (Genesis 16:13)

Hagar gives God a name: El Roi – “The God who sees me.”
She is the first person in the Bible to name God.
This moment shows us that God gives voice, dignity, and intimacy to the lowly and overlooked.

4. Return is not retreat when God sends you with His promise (Genesis 16:9; 21:8–21)

God told Hagar to return—not to endorse abuse, but because she was no longer powerless.
She returned with God’s promise, and later, when she and Ishmael were sent away again, God rescued them a second time.

Gospel Connection
Hagar’s story echoes an eternal reality that is later made known through Jesus:

He seeks out the rejected (Luke 19:10).
He knows suffering (Matthew 27:46).

Hagar met God by a well in the wilderness.
Years later, Jesus met a Samaritan woman at a well.
God still meets people in the dry, desolate places.

Our Response
Like Sarai—controlling and afraid?

Like Hagar—wounded and running?

Or will you trust the God who sees you, calls you, and restores you?

“El Roi” is not just Hagar’s revelation—it’s a truth for all of us.