EL ROI – THE GOD WHO SEES ME
Text: Gen. 16:1-16
16 Now Sarai Abram’s wife bare him no children: and she had an handmaid, an Egyptian, whose name was Hagar.
2 And Sarai said unto Abram, Behold now, the LORD hath restrained me from bearing: I pray thee, go in unto my maid; it may be that I may obtain children by her. And Abram hearkened to the voice of Sarai.
3 And Sarai Abram’s wife took Hagar her maid the Egyptian, after Abram had dwelt ten years in the land of Canaan, and gave her to her husband Abram to be his wife.
4 And he went in unto Hagar, and she conceived: and when she saw that she had conceived, her mistress was despised in her eyes.
5 And Sarai said unto Abram, My wrong be upon thee: I have given my maid into thy bosom; and when she saw that she had conceived, I was despised in her eyes: the LORD judge between me and thee.
6 But Abram said unto Sarai, Behold, thy maid is in thine hand; do to her as it pleaseth thee. And when Sarai dealt hardly (harshly) with her, she fled from her face.
7 And the angel of the LORD found her by a fountain of water in the wilderness, by the fountain in the way to Shur.
8 And he said, Hagar, Sarai’s maid, whence camest thou? and whither wilt thou go? And she said, I flee from the face of my mistress Sarai.
9 And the angel of the LORD said unto her, Return to thy mistress, and submit thyself under her hands.
10 And the angel of the LORD said unto her, I will multiply thy seed exceedingly, that it shall not be numbered for multitude.
11 And the angel of the LORD said unto her, Behold, thou art with child and shalt bear a son, and shalt call his name Ishmael; because the LORD hath heard thy affliction.
12 And he will be a wild man; his hand will be against every man, and every man’s hand against him; and he shall dwell in the presence of all his brethren.
13 And she called the name of the LORD that spake unto her, Thou God seest me: for she said, Have I also here looked after him that seeth me?
14 Wherefore the well was called Beer-la-hai-roi; behold, it is between Kadesh and Bered.
15 And Hagar bare Abram a son: and Abram called his son’s name, which Hagar bare, Ishmael.
16 And Abram was fourscore and six years old, when Hagar bare Ishmael to Abram.
Introduction:
- El Roi first appears in the Scriptures to Hagar, Sarai’s handmaiden, after Sarai became angry and ran Hagar off into the wilderness.
- When Hagar felt abandoned and alone by both God and man, El Roi came to her to meet her needs.
1. What Leads To Hagar Meeting El Roi?
1) A
- They know God has promised them a son, but they begin to question how God will fulfill that promise.
Instead of Abram waiting on the Lord, he gave heed to the suggestion of Sarai. He took Hagar as a second wife, and she conceived. (v. 3)
Because Sarai and Abram were old and time seemed to be running out, they perceived they were in a crisis, so they decided to act on their own to
- Their help led to a real crisis and some poor consequences.
2) An
- Abram tells Sarai to do to Hagar as it pleases her. (v. 6) As a result of Sarai’s jealousy, she dealt harshly with Hagar, and it caused Hagar to flee from her presence.
3) Collateral damage
- When we create a crisis, it will touch the lives of
- Hagar gets swept up in the crisis created by Abram and Sarai when they made the decision to help God fulfill His promises. She ends up in the wilderness. (vv. 7-9)
2. Hagar Meets El Roi (vv. 7-9)
God shows Hagar his
God’s compassion is for all people, especially those at the end of their rope. Here is Hagar, a woman, a slave with no status who has fled into the desert and will probably die in the desert, and yet God has his eye on her and her needs.
Most of us are more like Hagar than Abram. We don’t have status or greatness in any sense of the word in the world’s eyes. So isn’t it good to know that God’s eyes are upon us and his compassion is for us when we reach the end of our ropes?
1) Count on truth
- When you reach the end of your rope, count on this truth: God knows
2) Cast your cares
- The angel asked Hagar two questions: where have you come from, and where are you going? (v. 8)
- God wanted to give Hagar an opportunity to
3) Correct your course
- Do you see what God is doing here? He is seeking to
- El Roi seeks to direct the path of every believer. We can trust in His guiding because He sees even when we don’t or can’t. (Pr.3:5-6)
- When you reach the end of your rope, count on this truth: God knows
3. Hagar’s Crisis Resolved (vv. 10-16)
1) God
God tells Hagar to name her child Ishmael, because the LORD has heard your affliction. (v. 11)
The name Ishmael means “God hears.”
- By giving her son this name, Hagar was testifying to the fact that God hears the cry of those who are at the end of their rope.
2) God sees
Hagar called the name of the LORD (Thou God seest me) The God Who Sees. Have I also here seen Him who sees me? (v. 13)
God not only heard the cries of Hagar; He saw Hagar.
God not only hears our cries; He sees us.
1] Our
2] Our
3) God provides
Three things for Hagar:
1] God provides
2] God provides His
3] God provides for our
God understood her affliction.
God made provisions for Hagar to have her child and that her child would father a nation.
To commemorate her great spiritual experience Hagar called the well Beer Lahai Roi – the well of Him that lives and sees me.
That understanding – God lives and see and hears and provides – is the kind of understanding that gives us hope and direction when we come to the end of our rope.