From abaptist.org:
Genesis 16:5-14
Monday, December 6
The God Who Sees
KEY VERSE: "And the angel of the LORD said unto her, Behold, thou art with child, and shalt bear a son, and shalt call his name Ishmael; because the LORD hath heard thy affliction," Genesis 16:11.
It is easy to feel sympathy for Hagar, feeling she was a victim of circumstances not of her doing. She was an Egyptian and had been purchased by Sarah to be her maidservant. She was suffering the consequences of a bad situation in Abraham's household. God had promised Abraham a son, but years passed, and the son did not come.
Sarah decided to take matters in her own hands. She decided to give Hagar to Abraham so she could have a son by him. However, this was a truly human solution. God's blessing toward Hagar had never been asked for and was not given.
All three parties had violated God's laws, but Sarah's mistreatment of Hagar does not make Hagar's humiliation any easier for us to accept. It became so brutal that the day came when Hagar said, "Enough!" and left camp, determined to find her way back to Egypt.
Finally, at an oasis on the Sinai peninsula, she cried out to the God of Abraham, the only One who could save her. He sent an angel to minister to her, who said, "The Lord hath heard thy affliction."
LIVING IT: Like Hagar, we can be sure God sees us and hears us and is ready to help us in our time of need.
Mary McCalister
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