I have had this idea of picking some women characters from the Bible and study their stories to draw lessons one can use.

I would like to start with Hagar.  A woman slave, from Egypt. Historians infer that she joined Abraham’s family as a servant gifted along with other things (camels, sheep, other male and female servants …) by Pharaoh to Abram (Genesis 12). So as any slave, she from then onwards belonged to the couple, and they could decide on her fate.                                               

Disclaimer: I have no theological background; or any special skills in dissecting the Bible, however I will share my own insights from stories I have been reading.

El ROI is a Hebrew phrase that means “The God who sees me.’’ It is used in the Bible to describe God’s attribute of being aware of and attentive to individuals, particularly in times of need and suffering. The first person to attribute this name to God in the Bible is Hagar.                                

Hagar was the slave of Sarah, Abraham’s wife. She comes into the story because Sarah was unable to conceive, therefore she could not provide an heir. Abram concern was that one of his household servants would be his heir. However, as Sarah was getting old, she came up with a plan to preserve their posterity through surrogacy. She asked her husband to ‘go’ with Hagar, her servant and a child was conceived.

The story takes an interesting turn; there is a shift in power dynamics after Hagar became pregnant. Her attitude towards her mistress Sarah, changed, and this brought frictions and tensions between the two women. Sarah retaliated by giving Hagar a hard time, until she fled. I guess Hagar’s attitude towards her mistress was like “I am succeeding where you are failing so treat me with respect,” and this got her into trouble.

As she flees, she encounters an angel in the middle of the desert. The angel invites her to go back, submit to her mistress, and he gives her a promise. The Lord chose the name of her child ‘Ishmael’, as if to reassure her, “I hear you”. He goes ahead and promises her that the child she is bearing will become a great nation, and so she will be the mother of a great nation. I guess, since her destiny had just changed, she also gave a name to the Lord—the God who sees me. She is the first person mentioned in the Bible to name God.

After the previous episode, Hagar comes back in the story again when Isaac was born. From the previous interaction (14 years had passed), we do not see anywhere in the Bible the nature of the relationship between Hagar and Sarah. However, when baby Isaac comes on the scene, she refers to Hagar and Ishmael as “your servant and her son” when she is talking to Abraham, admonishing him to chase them away, for good. The relationship had grown to be very hostile. After Abraham had prayed, he finally released them.

While in the desert, Hagar and her son reach a place where they have no water left. She cries out to the God, fearing that they are going to die in the wilderness. There, she gets her second angel encounter. The messenger provides water and reminds her of God’s promise again. He brings water right when Hagar thought they were about to die.

Here are a few thoughts I had as I was reading through the story:

• God listens, God hears and God cares. It does not matter if it is a poor attitude or decision that got you into trouble. Sometimes the solution is not in running away, but in submission and repentance. 
• Separation is sometimes God’s plan for his purpose to come to life. Abraham received a ‘go ahead’ to release Ishmael. I guess Isaac and Ishmael could not be raised together. Separation was needed for what the Lord said about Ishmael to come to life, and for Isaac’s purpose to flourish.
• The second time Hagar was chased away, she could have praised the Lord, with assurance that they were safe in God’s hands. Indeed, she knew even the number of grandsons she would have through Ishmael. And yet, in the middle of desperation, she seemed to have forgotten the promise. But it did not matter, God reminded her ;).

These are my few insights from this specific character, feel free to share yours in the comments.