I'm going to skip a little bit to Genesis 16. This has actually been one of my favorite stories in the book of Genesis. Maybe it's just because of the message I interpreted from it that touched me so much, but I feel like this story is severely under rated. As a single mother, I have drawn so much comfort and strength from this story. I know how hard it is to carry the weight of the mother and the father. I don't believe God ever intended this for us. The Bible says the devil comes to steal, kill, and destroy. I believe the devil knows the importance of the family, and each person's role in the family, so he does everything he can to tear that apart, trying to leave mothers and children vulnerable without the father, provider and protector. But, we serve a God who steps in when the world steps out. We serve a God who will never leave us or forsake us. So, single moms, draw comfort today, knowing you are not alone.
See, we all know the story of Father Abraham and his many sons, but how many of you know Hagar?
I know there are many other interpretations of Hagar in this story. I have heard it preached that Hagar was representative of the law and Sarah was representative of grace. I've heard it said that Hagar got a little smug. There are many interpretations to all stories of the Bible, and I'm not saying I don't agree with these interpretations, I do. Just look at this with me from a different point of view right now. Come, let's put ourselves in Hagar's shoes.
You know the story, God had promised Abraham that he would be the father of many nations. But, Abraham's wife Sarah was looking at the circumstances and found that hard to believe. Sarah and Abraham were both very old, and they had no children. Sarah thought, this can't be right, I'm old, my childbearing days are over. So, she told Abraham to take her servant Hagar and conceive, and that's exactly what he did.
Hagar was pregnant, and the Bible says that she began to despise her mistress, Sarah. I can think of many reasons why Hagar would feel this way. First of all, Hagar didn't ask to be put in this situation. She was doing what she was told to do. And, now she has this physical connection with Abraham. She conceived a child with Abraham, it's possible she was feeling jealous of Sarah. Or, maybe she was a little smug that she was able to give Abraham a child and Sarah couldn't. Maybe she was angry with Sarah for putting her in this situation. Whatever the reason, in all honesty, I would have probably felt the same way. And, if you really put yourself in Hagar's shoes, wouldn't you feel that way too?
This upset Sarah, and Sarah went to Abraham about it. Abraham basically told her, this is your servant, you can do whatever you want with her, I don't care. So, Sarah mistreated Hagar, and Hagar ran away.
Have you ever felt like nothing you do is ever good enough? Have you ever felt like no one cares about you? Have you ever felt taken advantage of? I'm sure Hagar was feeling all of those emotions and more. Here she was, thrown into the middle of Sarah and Abraham's problems, she'd conceived a child with Abraham, and he didn't care about her enough to lift a finger to save her.
Hagar had run off into the desert, where she sat weeping, and the angel of the Lord came to her there. Genesis 16:9-10, "Then the angel of the Lord told her, 'Go back to your mistress and submit to her.' The angel added, 'I will increase your descendants so much that they will be too numerous to count.'"
I can imagine that Hagar was flooded with emotion at this point. Here she is, hurt, angry, heart broken, thrown away, yet the Lord still loved her enough to come to her and comfort her. She was so touched by this that she said in Genesis 16:13, "You are the God who sees me", "I have now seen the One who sees me."
How comforting it is to know that no matter where we are in life, no matter what we've done, God still sees us. He still loves us. Like Hagar, we are not just "extras", playing the small part in the background of the story of another person's life. Every one of us are important to God.
Hagar did go back, and she gave birth to a son named Ishmael. And, eventually, Abraham sent Hagar and Ishmael away for good. But, the good news is that God never left her or her son. Genesis 21:20 says, "God was with the boy as he grew up." He did not grow up fatherless, because he had the Heavenly Father, the greatest Father of all with him. Never once did God leave them. Never once did God forsake them.
No matter who you are, no matter where you are, I hope you can find peace and comfort today knowing that we serve a God who sees us. God sees you, He loves you, and He cares about what you're going through. He will never leave you nor forsake you.
