Be encouraged to Read, Respond, and Share.
Introduction
Genesis 16 tells the story of Sarai, Abram, and Hagar. Impatience with God’s promise led Sarai to give her maid Hagar to Abram, and from that came Ishmael. Yet in this story, God reveals Himself as El Roi—the God who sees.
Verses with Explanation
Genesis 16:1
“Now Sarai, Abram’s wife, had borne him no children. But she had an Egyptian slave named Hagar;”
✔️ Sarai’s barrenness was a source of pain, and in her culture, a woman’s worth was tied to childbearing. Her Egyptian maid Hagar becomes central to the story.
Genesis 16:2
“So she said to Abram, ‘The Lord has kept me from having children. Go, sleep with my slave; perhaps I can build a family through her.’ Abram agreed to what Sarai said.”
✔️Instead of trusting God’s timing, Sarai tried to “help” God. Abram agreed, showing human weakness in waiting for God’s plan.
Genesis 16:3
“So after Abram had been living in Canaan ten years, Sarai his wife took her Egyptian slave Hagar and gave her to her husband to be his wife.”
✔️After years of waiting, they gave in to cultural solutions instead of God’s promise. This shows how long delays test our faith.
Genesis 16:4
“He slept with Hagar, and she conceived. When she knew she was pregnant, she began to despise her mistress.”
✔️Once Hagar conceived, pride and jealousy rose. Sin creates broken relationships, not solutions.
Genesis 16:5
“Then Sarai said to Abram, ‘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.’”
✔️Sarai shifted blame onto Abram, forgetting her own choice. Sin often leads to blame instead of repentance.
Genesis 16:6
”‘Your slave is in your hands,’ Abram said. ‘Do with her whatever you think best.’ Then Sarai mistreated Hagar; so she fled from her.”
✔️ Abram withdrew instead of leading, and Sarai mistreated Hagar. Hagar fled into the wilderness—alone, rejected, and hurting.
Genesis 16:7
“The angel of the Lord found Hagar near a spring in the desert; it was the spring that is beside the road to Shur.”
✔️God sought out Hagar in her lowest moment. This shows His compassion for the outcast and hurting.
Genesis 16:8
“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.”
✔️God addressed her by name, affirming her identity, even when society saw her only as a servant. He invited her to reflect on her situation.
Genesis 16:9
“Then the angel of the Lord told her, ‘Go back to your mistress and submit to her.’”
✔️ God directed her to return, not because He approved of Sarai’s actions, but because His greater plan required her to stay connected to Abram’s household.
Genesis 16:10
“The angel added, ‘I will increase your descendants so much that they will be too numerous to count.’”
✔️ God gave Hagar a promise—her son would also be blessed with descendants. Even the marginalized have a place in God’s plan.
Genesis 16:11
“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.’”
✔️Ishmael means “God hears.” God not only saw Hagar but also heard her cries.
Genesis 16:12
“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.”
✔️ Ishmael’s descendants would be strong and independent, but also in conflict. Choices outside God’s plan bring generational consequences.
Genesis 16:13
“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.’”
✔️ Hagar gave God a new name: El Roi (The God Who Sees). In her darkest place, she realized God’s eyes were on her.
Genesis 16:14
“That is why the well was called Beer Lahai Roi; it is still there, between Kadesh and Bered.”
✔️ Hagar’s encounter with God left a legacy—a well named after the God who sees and gives life.
Genesis 16:15–16
“So Hagar bore Abram a son, and Abram gave the name Ishmael to the son she had borne. Abram was eighty-six years old when Hagar bore him Ishmael.”
✔️The chapter closes with Ishmael’s birth. Though this was not the promised son, God still honored and blessed him.
Takeaway
Human impatience with God’s promises can cause pain, but His plan never fails.
God sees and hears us in our lowest moments (El Roi).
Even when we make mistakes, God redeems the broken pieces of our story.
Instead of rushing to make things happen in our strength, we need to pause, breathe, and trust that God sees us and will fulfill His promises in His perfect timing.
Personal Observation
Genesis 16 reminds me of how easy it is to grow impatient when God’s promises don’t come in my timing. Sarai and Abram, instead of waiting on God, tried to fix things their own way—and it only led to pain, tension, and brokenness. I see myself in their story because I often want to control outcomes, but this chapter shows me that stepping ahead of God creates consequences I may not anticipate.
At the same time, I find great comfort in how God responded to Hagar. Even though she was mistreated and felt unseen, God met her in her wilderness moment and gave her hope. The name El Roi—“the God who sees me”—is powerful. It reminds me that even when I feel overlooked, abandoned, or lost in my own struggles, God sees me clearly, hears my cries, and has a plan for me.
The reflection I carry from Genesis 16 is twofold:
Trust God’s timing — His promises never fail, even if the waiting is hard.
Rest in being seen — God notices me in the wilderness of life, and His care is personal and intentional.