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THEME: THE GOD WHO SEES

SCRIPTURE: GENESIS 16

Sarai felt she was old and will not be able to give Abram a son so she gave her slave to Abram as a second wife so she could produce an offspring for Abram. Hagar after being pregnant became disrespectful towards Sarai, her mistress. Sarai was displeased with her and maltreatment her to the extent that Hagar had to flee from her. Hagar encountered an Angel from the Lord who directed her to go back to Sarai and humble herself. She was assured that she will give birth, and Ishmael was the name given to her son. The Lord promised to bless Ishmael the son of Abram and Hagar.

 REFLECTION

The theme for our reflection is ‘the God who sees’.  There are times we find ourselves in perilous situations and we ask ourselves whether or not God sees our predicaments. Today’s Scripture reading from Genesis 16 teaches us that we serve the God who sees and intervenes in our most turbulent moments. 

It is important to note that God has plans for each and everyone of His children and for the plans to unfold we must strictly follow His will for our lives. Having said that, we are all responsible and  answerable for our actions. The will of God for Abram is that “Now the LORD said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing.” (Genesis 12:1). However,  Abram and Sarai became impatient and went  beyond the will of God to do their own will by introducing Hagar their slave into the covenant picture. God was there and saw what they had planned yet in all this Abram and Sarai did not consult God. God sees all we plan and wish to do yet He expects us to acknowledge His presence and to engage Him as His covenant children.

Later Sarai who is the main architect of ensuring that Abram marries her slave Hagar in order to have offspring would face the consequences of her decision. “So, after Abram had lived ten years in the land of Canaan, Sarai, Abram’s wife, took Hagar the Egyptian, her servant, and gave her to Abram her husband as a wife. And he went in to Hagar, and she conceived. And when she saw that she had conceived, she looked with contempt on her mistress. And Sarai said to Abram, “May the wrong done to me be on you! I gave my servant to your embrace, and when she saw that she had conceived, she looked on me with contempt.” (Genesis 16:3-5) Hagar, was also going to be responsible for her action of being ungrateful. It was a blessing to be elevated from a slave to the status of a second wife yet like many of us we want to bite the hands that feeds us. “… 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.” (Genesis 16:6)

When all this drama was ongoing God was present and seeing all that transpired becuase He is the omnipresent God. Proverbs 15:3 says “The eyes of the Lord are in every place, Watching the evil and the good.” Once again, we learn about the grace of God which is available to His children and even to unbelievers. Hagar was an Egyptian and obviously not part of God’s covenant promise made to Abram but because she became connected to Abram, God intervened and sent His Angel to redirect her path home to Abram and Sarai. Again,  because she was carrying Ishmael, Abram’s son, God had to bless Ismael and His generation although he will become a force to reckon with. Again we see another lesson of we being responsible for our own actions, Hagar and Ishmael were not part of the covenant arrangement with Abram but Abram and Sarai chose to include them and would have to live with the consequences.

The key lesson for today is that, God has plans for our lives and He expects us to follow His will. When we misuse our free will to make selfish or self-serving decisions without consulting God or following His will we are bound to face the consequences of our actions. Regardless of the decision we make contrary to God’s will, He sees and appreciates our challenges and graciously intervenes or comes to our rescue. He is a compassionate God and will not allow His children to die in their sin and suffering. It was for this same purpose that He sent Jesus to save us. God sees even when we are blind and He acts like the Good Shepherd to bring us back into His sheepfold. That is why David having observed this about God said “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.(Psalm 23:4)” Shalom.

 PRAYER 

For thus says the One who is high and lifted up, who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: “I dwell in the high and holy place, and also with him who is of a contrite and lowly spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly, and to revive the heart of the contrite. Amen (Isaiah 57:15)

Jean-Paul Agidi (Rev)