S3 E3: Portraits of the Old Testament, Hagar
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Content warning- discussion of rape and consent
Reminder to check judgements at the door- reminder that there’s not a good girl/bad girl dichotomy
HAGAR
Hagar’s story really bothered me this time.
Some of the titles of texts about Hagar: Biblical Battle of the Wombs, the Rape of Hagar,
Also, IT’S NOT FAIR!
Who was Hagar? -
1 Now Sarai Abram’s wife bare him no children: and she had an handmaid, an aEgyptian, whose name was bHagar.
Egyptian born, may have been raised in Sarai and Abram’s household or might have come back with them from Egypt.
2 And Sarai said unto Abram, Behold now, the Lord hath restrained me from bearing: I pray thee, go in unto my amaid; 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.
It’s the whole “took Hagar her maid and gave her to Abram to be his wife”
Did Hagar have a choice or voice in this? At first I judged the whole situation very harshly because of personal prejudice.
Genesis 16:4 ¶ And he went in unto Hagar, and she conceived: and when she saw that she had conceived, her mistress was despised in her eyes.
Imagine your mistress “gave” you to a man and had you no choice. Would you despise your mistress?
Yeah, I would despise her too.
6 But Abram said unto Sarai, Behold, thy maid is in thy hand; do to her aas it pleaseth thee. And when Sarai dealt hardly with her, she fled from her face.
Sarah deals hardly with her. Rabbinical tradition says she made her do lots of heavy lifting and hard labor while pregnant and even hit her.
But the Lord was mindful of her:
7 ¶ And the angel of the Lord found her by a fountain of water in the wilderness, by the fountain in the way to aShur.
It is likely Hagar was trying to return to Egypt. She was at a fountain in the desert, probably stopped there afraid to go further without water.
This is the first appearance of the Angel of the LORD in the Bible. He didn’t first appear to Noah or Enoch or Abram. The Angel of the LORD first appeared to a single mother-to-be who had a pride problem and was mistreated by the woman who put her into the whole mess.
8 And he said, Hagar, Sarai’s maid, whence camest thou? and whither wilt thou go?
Hagar’s perspective: I came from an awful place and I have nowhere to go.
God’s perspective: You’ve been through some difficult unfair things, but I have a plan for you.
And she said, I flee from the face of my mistress Sarai.
9 And the aangel of the Lord said unto her, Return to thy mistress, and bsubmit thyself under her hands.
I have a REALLY hard time with this. But sometimes the Lord asks us to do things that are not easy or not even fair, but will turn out the best in the end. Hagar and Ishmael needed to survive and they couldn’t do that in the desert.
Also, remember the Lord wasn’t just with her in the desert. He was with her THE WHOLE TIME. With whatever happened.
10 And the angel of the Lord said unto her, I will multiply thy aseed exceedingly, that it shall not be numbered for multitude.
Similar promise to the one Sarah and Abraham are given.
Who are the descendents of Hagar? Ishmael became the ancestor of the Arab people, just as his later half-brother Isaac would become the ancestor of the Jewish people.
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 aIshmael; because the Lord hath heard thy affliction.
The name Ishmael means God will hear.
Given the knowledge that the Lord hears her prayers. He has heard her VOICE.
12 And he will be a awild 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?
If God could see her out in the desert, He was with her before and He will be with her when she returned to Sarah and Abraham.
14 Wherefore the awell was called bBeer-lahai-roi; behold, it is between Kadesh and Bered.
Beer-lahai-roi, “The well of Him who liveth and seeth me”
AND He is giving her a CHOICE. He’s not forcing her to return.
ComeUntoChrist.org’s daily verse: “Is it possible to be happy when life is hard? To feel peace amid uncertainty and hope in the midst of cynicism? Is it possible to change, to shake off old habits and become new again? … Yes. The answer is yes because of Jesus Christ, whose Atonement ensures that we need not bear the burdens of mortality alone.”
—Sister Sheri L. Dew
Alma 31:
31 O Lord, my heart is exceedingly sorrowful; wilt thou comfort my soul ain Christ. O Lord, wilt thou grant unto me that I may have strength, that I may suffer with patience these bafflictions which shall come upon me, because of the iniquity of this people.
Alma 33:
Words of Zenos
4 For he said: Thou art merciful, O God, for thou hast heard my prayer, even when I was ain the wilderness; yea, thou wast merciful when I prayed concerning those who were mine benemies, and thou didst turn them to me.
8 Yea, thou art merciful unto thy children when they cry unto thee, to be heard of thee and not of men, and thou awilt hear them.
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11 And thou didst hear me because of mine afflictions and my asincerity; and it is because of thy Son that thou hast been thus merciful unto me, therefore I will cry unto thee in all mine bafflictions, for in thee is my joy;
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15 ¶ And Hagar abare Abram a son: and Abram called his son’s name, which Hagar bare, bIshmael.
The fact that Abram called his son’s name Ishmael means that Hagar told him the story and he believed her.
16 And Abram was fourscore and six years old, when Hagar bare Ishmael to Abram.
God see us. AND He always gives us a choice and a voice.
Sending Hagar and Ishmael Away
Fast forward to Genesis 21: 8 And the child grew, and was weaned: and Abraham made a great feast the same day that Isaac was weaned.
This is a traditional ceremonial event that is still celebrated in some parts of the Middle East today. Because of the high infant mortality rate, it was a cause for celebration when a child survived to be weaned. This usually happens around 3 years of age, which seems old to us- but it's possible children nursed for that long to keep them safe from disease which would kill an infant.
They’re ready to party and then Sarah sees Ishmael making fun of Isaac.
Genesis 21:9 ¶ And Sarah saw the son of aHagar the Egyptian, which she had bborn unto Abraham, cmocking.
Isaac is 3, Ishmael is likely 16/17
Paul says in Galatians 4 that Ishmael “persecuted” Isaac.
Josephus claimed that Sarah loved Ishmael with an affection not inferior to that of her own son until she feared that due to the significant difference in the two boy’s ages, Ishmael should “do Isaac injuries when their father should be dead”.
Sarah wants them cast out. Abraham doesn’t like it, but God agrees.
10 Wherefore she said unto Abraham, aCast out this bondwoman and her son: for the son of this bondwoman shall not be bheir with my son, even with Isaac.
11 And the thing was very grievous in Abraham’s sight because of his ason.
12 ¶ And God said unto Abraham, Let it not be grievous in thy sight because of the lad, and because of thy bondwoman; in all that Sarah hath said unto thee, hearken unto her voice; for in aIsaac shall thy bseed be called.
What were Sarah’s options for Hagar? CFO- Ancient law suggested three different options were available to a chief wife who saw cause to reprimand her servant who was elevated to concubine status. She could free the concubine and send her away, brand her a slave and return her to servitude, or punish her. Sarah chose the first and most generous option. Hagar was likely given a legal document verifying her emancipation status.
Hagar is cast out:
14 And Abraham rose up early in the morning, and took bread, and a bottle of water, and gave it unto Hagar, putting it on her shoulder, and the child, and asent her away: and she departed, and wandered in the wilderness of bBeer-sheba.
15 And the water was spent in the bottle, and she cast the child under one of the shrubs.
16 And she went, and sat her down over against him a good way off, as it were a bowshot: for she said, Let me not see the death of the child. And she sat over against him, and lift up her voice, and wept.
17 And God heard the voice of the lad; and the aangel of God called to Hagar out of heaven, and said unto her, What aileth thee, Hagar? fear not; for God hath heard the voice of the lad where he is.
She was weeping, but God was answering the cries of the boy. God hears the prayers of our children as well as our own.
18 Arise, lift up the lad, and hold him in thine hand; for I will make him a great anation.
19 And God aopened her eyes, and she saw a well of water; and she went, and filled the bottle with water, and gave the lad drink.
20 And God was with the lad; and he grew, and dwelt in the wilderness, and became an aarcher.
21 And he dwelt in the wilderness of Paran: and his mother took him a awife out of the land of bEgypt.
We see that Hagar retained her freed status and even had some sort of power as she was able to find a wife for Ishmael from her home country.
Maybe the Lord’s happy ever after isn’t our ideal, but it is still ideal
CFO- One possible meaning for Hagar’s name is “flight”, reflecting in her desire to run away from problems. But God allowed her to turn around and receive His power that enabled endless “flight” to the highest heavens. As her blessing indicates, Hagar’s inheritance included the covenant’s promise of eternal life. Though an outsider to Abraham’s community, Hagar was not outside the saving grace of Jesus Christ.
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Art, process of making the two paintings
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