Day Twenty-Eight

This week we are reflecting on songs that speak to some of the names by which we know God.

The name of God we’re sitting with today is one that only appears a single time in all of Scripture. It occurs in the book of Genesis, chapter 16, in the story of Hagar, the slave of Abram and Sarai.

The story of Hagar is tragic on many levels. Genesis 16 begins with Abram and Sarai doubting God’s promise to them of a child, and so Sarai suggests an alternate plan:

“The Lord has kept me from having children. Go, sleep with my slave; perhaps I can build a family through her.”—Genesis 16:2 (NIV)

Two verses in and the story is already heartbreaking. So many sermons have been preached on the lack of faith shown by Abram and Sarai, but for me that is not the most egregious of their actions. I know that the world and culture of the ancient near east is something that we can never fully understand, but the thought that a slave could be offered up like this is lamentable in ways that are too deep for words.

As agonizing as it is, Sarai’s plan has the desired outcome. Hagar becomes pregnant, and unsurprisingly this puts enmity between her and her mistress. Sarai, failing to see her own responsibility for the situation, complains to Abram, and he wants nothing to do with it:

“‘You are responsible for the wrong I am suffering. I put my slave in your arms, and now that she knows she is pregnant, she despises me. May the Lord judge between you and me.’

‘Your slave is in your hands,’ Abram said. ‘Do with her whatever you think best.’ Then Sarai mistreated Hagar; so she fled from her.”—Genesis 16:5-6 (NIV)

Many Biblical commentators have remarked that there is something notable in the way Abram and Sarai talk about Hagar: they never refer to her by name. She is “my slave” and “your slave” in their eyes. She has no identity beyond that. They do not see her as a person.

It’s in Hagar’s flight from Abram and Sarai that we hear today’s name for God, and even though it is only used once in Scripture, it is powerful and unforgettable:

The angel of the Lord found Hagar near a spring in the desert; it was the spring that is beside the road to Shur. And he said, ‘Hagar, slave of Sarai, where have you come from, and where are you going?’

‘I’m running away from my mistress Sarai,’ she answered.

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.’

The angel of the Lord also said to her:

‘You are now pregnant
and you will give birth to a son.
You shall name him Ishmael,
for the Lord has heard of your misery.
He will be a wild donkey of a man;
his hand will be against everyone
and everyone’s hand against him,
and he will live in hostility
toward all his brothers.’

She gave this name to the Lord who spoke to her: ‘You are the God who sees me,’ for she said, ‘I have now seen the One who sees me.’”—Genesis 16:7-13 (NIV)

There are so many things to think about in this encounter, things that have profound meaning for the history of Israel and the ways of God…questions about the angel’s command, God’s promise, the coming relationship between Ishmael and his brothers…significant, dense issues that deserve greater time and attention than we can give here.

For now we focus on Hagar’s response to her divine encounter: she gives a name to God, a name that is born out of the experience denied her by Abram and Sarai—she is seen. In fact, the first word out of the angel’s mouth is very telling: it’s her name.

She is seen. And she is known.

It is that experience that leads her to give a name to God: in Hebrew, El Roi, “the one who sees me.” The spring where she encountered God in this way is clearly familiar to the first readers of Genesis, known by then as a well that echoes this story: Beer Lahai Roi, which means “well of the living one who sees me.” Any Hebrew who drew water from that well would undoubtedly be reminded of Hagar and her encounter with the God who sees us.

Even though this name appears only once in Scripture, the idea that God sees us is found throughout the Bible. And like Hagar, it is especially powerful to note how God sees the ones who feel abandoned and forgotten, from widows in Moab to prophets in caves to Samaritan women by a different well…and more. This name for God is a much-needed reminder to us that we are never unseen, that our struggles, our fears, our despairs, and our loneliness do not disqualify us from God’s presence. Instead, they stir his heart of compassion. In our darkest moments we are not abandoned and we are not forgotten.

For he is the God who sees.

Today’s song is somewhat unique. It is longer than most, because it mixes storytelling with song. May it be an encouragement to you as you are reminded that God sees you, God knows you, and God has promised to never leave or forsake you.

I will be the Rock of your salvation
I'll hold you up by the strength of My right hand
And the power of My Spirit
Will free you from all fear
In the hour of your deepest need
You'll find that I am near
I am here

Read the rest of the lyrics here.

Learn more about this song and the short film made from it here.

Questions for Reflection

1) What does it mean for you to ponder the name El Roi? How has God shown himself to you in that way over the course of your spiritual journey?

2) What “desert places” have you encountered in your life? How do you pray through seasons like that? What practices can help you remember God sees you and has compassion for what you’re going through?

3) Today’s song describes encounters that different Biblical characters had with God in the midst of despair. What other Biblical encounters with God have shaped your understanding of who he is and how he cares for you? Spend some time meditating on those stories and what they’ve revealed to you.

4) Spend some time reading and reflecting on these lyrics from today’s song:

I'm the God who sees
I see you
I'm the God who sees you in the wilderness
Sees you in your brokenness
When your feeling lonely
I'm the God who sees
In the desert places, in your empty spaces
I'm the God who sees
I'm nearer than you dare believe
Here in the very air you breathe
I'm the God who sees you

5) Read and reflect on this passage of Scripture. Let it lead you into prayerful worship and gratitude:

“May all those who seek you be happy and rejoice in you.
May those who love to experience your deliverance say continually,
’May the Lord be praised!’
I am oppressed and needy.
May the Lord pay attention to me.
You are my helper and my deliverer.
O my God, do not delay.”—Psalm 40:16-17 (NET)