GENESIS 16: Hagar and Ishmael

Sarai’s decision to have a child through her servant complicated the circumstances instead of solving them. An internal conflict started at the heart of Abram’s family. The quarrel between Sarai and her servant Hagar became so unbearable that the servant decided to run away even while being pregnant with Abram’s child.

(Genesis 16:6)  But Abram said to Sarai, "Behold, your servant is in your power; do to her as you please." Then Sarai dealt harshly with her, and she fled from her.

Hagar started heading towards Egypt, the place where she was from.  But in order to get to Egypt she had to cross over a desert. It is very likely that she would not be able to survive such journey. Hagar would have died, if it was not for the intervention of the Angel of the Lord.

(Genesis 16:7-8)   The angel of the LORD found her by a spring of water in the wilderness, the spring on the way to Shur.  (8)  And he said, "Hagar, servant of Sarai, where have you come from and where are you going?" She said, "I am fleeing from my mistress Sarai." 

The Angel called her by name. God knew her. What was the message the Angel had for Hagar?

(Genesis 16:9)  The angel of the LORD said to her, "Return to your mistress and submit to her." 

It seemed unreasonable for the angel to request Hagar to return to the place where she was mistreated. Nevertheless, God had a plan for her and for the son she would bring forth:

(Genesis 16:10-12)   The angel of the LORD also said to her, "I will surely multiply your offspring so that they cannot be numbered for multitude."  (11)  And the angel of the LORD said to her, "Behold, you are pregnant and shall bear a son. You shall call his name Ishmael, because the LORD has listened to your affliction.  (12)  He shall be a wild donkey of a man, his hand against everyone and everyone's hand against him, and he shall dwell over against [literally. “before, on the face”] all his kinsmen."

ISHMAEL is the son Hagar bore for Abram.

His Hebrew name is: Yishmael, which means: God will hear.

The angel describes him as a “wild donkey”. This was not an insult, but an analogy. We find the description of this animal in the book of Job.

(Job 39:5-7)  Who has let the wild donkey go free? Who has loosed the bonds of the swift donkey, (6) to whom I have given the arid plain for his home and the salt land for his dwelling place?  (7)  He scorns the tumult of the city; he hears not the shouts of the driver.

The Lord prophesied that Ishmael as well as his descendants would be both indomitable and conflicting. Ishmael’s descendants are the desert Arabian tribes, which are mostly comprised of Muslims. Since that time there was an anticipation of the conflict between the descendants of Ishmael (the Arab nations) and the descendants of Isaac (the Israelites), which has lasted until today.

EL-ROI: THE GOD WHO SEES 

In this story, God presents himself as El-Roi, God who sees everything.

(Genesis 6:13)  So she called the name of the LORD who spoke to her, "You are a God of seeing," for she said, "Truly here I have seen him who looks after me." 

By the end of her conversation with the “Angel”, Hagar realizes that she was not speaking to a simple messenger, but to the Lord himself. This is one of the many times we see the Lord appear in person. This is known as a “theophany”, that is, an appearance of God.

After such an important encounter, Hagar decides to honor that place, naming it:

(Genesis 16:14)  Therefore the well was called Beer-lahai-roi; it lies between Kadesh and Bered. 

“Beer Lajai Roi” literally means “Well of the Living One that sees me”.

The Bible later mentions this place again. Curiously it is in relation to Isaac, Abram’s other son, and not in relation to Ishmael.

It was in this place that Isaac met with Rebecca, his fiancée. (Genesis 24:62-67)

(Genesis 24:62)  Now Isaac had returned from Beer-lahai-roi and was dwelling in the Negeb.

Later, in this same place Isaac settled after Abram had died.

(Genesis 25:11)  After the death of Abraham, God blessed Isaac his son. And Isaac settled at Beer-lahai-roi.

ISHMAEL IS BORN

After the Lord encountered Hagar, she returned to Abram and Sarai. There her son was born.

(Genesis 16:15)  And Hagar bore Abram a son, and Abram called the name of his son, whom Hagar bore, Ishmael. 

How old was Abram when Ishmael was born?

(Genesis 16:16)  Abram was eighty-six years old when Hagar bore Ishmael to Abram.

Abram finally had a son, a descendant.

However, to his surprise, thirteen years later, when Abram was 99 years old and Ishmael was 12 years old, God appeared to him again and revealed to him that Ishmael was not the son of the promise, but rather a son from Sarai.

This is the subject we will study in the following chapter…