Read Hagar’s story in Genesis 16; 21:8–21.
When a famine hit Canaan, Abram and Sarai traveled to Egypt. Genesis 12:10–20 tells the story. Sarai was a beautiful woman. Abram feared that when the Egyptian men saw Sarai, they’d kill him so they could have her. Abram told Sarai to tell them she was his sister so they’d spare his life and treat them well.
Sarai was taken to Pharaoh’s palace. And because of Sarai, Pharaoh treated Abram well. He gave Abram sheep, cattle, donkeys, camels, and servants. That’s probably when Hagar stepped into the family picture. She was an Egyptian girl who became a maidservant to Sarai. Slavery is no longer legal, but at that time, slavery was acceptable and common.
Because Hagar was Sarai’s servant, when Sarai decided Hagar could have a baby for her, Hagar didn’t have much say in the matter. The Bible doesn’t tell us what Hagar’s feelings were at that point, but it does say that after Hagar became pregnant, she began to hate Sarai.
Not a good thing. Hagar became proud that she could have Abram’s child and Sarai couldn’t. But Hagar’s bad attitude caught up with her. Sarai mistreated her. Pregnant and alone, Hagar ran away from Abram and Sarai’s home.
An angel of the Lord found Hagar near a spring in the desert. “Hagar, servant of Sarai,” he said, “where have you come from and where are you going?”
“I’m running away from Sarai,” Hagar said.
“Go back and obey her,” the angel of the Lord said. “I’ll increase your offspring. There will be too many to count. You’ll have a son. Name him Ishmael, for the Lord has heard of your suffering.”
Then Hagar said, “You’re the God who sees me. Now I’ve seen the one who sees me.”
Hagar returned to Abram and Sarai’s home and had a son. She named him Ishmael, just as the Lord had said.
Fourteen years later, Sarai, whose name had been changed to Sarah, gave birth to Isaac. Ishmael was a teenager and Isaac a toddler when Ishmael teased Isaac. Sarah became angry and again wanted Hagar and Ishmael to leave her home.
God told Abram, now known as Abraham, to let Hagar and Ishmael go as part of God’s plan. Early the next morning, Abraham gave Hagar food, an animal-skin canteen full of water, and then sent them back into the desert. When the water ran out, Hagar left her son under a bush, sat nearby, and cried.
God called to Hagar from heaven. “What’s the matter, Hagar? Don’t be afraid. God hears the boy crying. Lift the boy and take his hand. I’ll make him into a great nation.”
Hagar and Ishmael were out in the middle of nowhere, and God heard their cries, just as he hears your cries and sees your tears today.
When God opened Hagar’s eyes, she saw a well of water. She filled the skin with water and gave Ishmael a drink.
God was with the boy as he grew. God kept his promise to Hagar too. Ishmael became the father of a great nation. His twelve sons became the rulers of twelve tribes—a people called the Ishmaelites.
The first time the Lord spoke to Hagar in the desert, he told her to go back home to Sarai. The next time she was in the desert, she and her son were near death. But God came to her and provided a well of water for them to drink. God took care of them.
As God said to Hagar, he says to you, “Don’t be afraid. I hear your cries. I see your troubles. And though life will be hard sometimes, I am with you and I will take care of you.”
O LORD, you have searched me and you know me. You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar.
— Psalm 139:1–2
I will remember that God is always with me, and I can always talk to him about my life.
Dear heavenly father, thank you for knowing me and loving me. Thank you for being a friend who is always with me. Amen.
Giving God a new name was unusual in the Old Testament, but Hagar did it when she called God, “the God who sees me.”
Mount Sinai is the place where God gave Moses the Ten Commandments. Did you know that the Arabic name for Mount Sinai is Mount Hagar?
The Egyptian name Pharaoh isn’t a personal name. It’s a royal title that means “great house.” Pharaohs lived in fancy palaces.
Since many of our Bible girls spent a lot of time in the desert, if they were here, they’d probably give you some desert tips.
1. Wear shoes when you go outside to protect your feet from rough rocks, plant spines, and crawly critters.
2. Carry water with you and drink plenty of it to guard against dehydration in the dry desert climate.
3. Wear sunscreen to protect your skin from overexposure to the sun.
4. Always have a walking or hiking partner with you so that if you have any problems, you have someone with you to help you or to go for help.
5. Only walk on trails so that you have a clear view of your immediate surroundings. That will help protect you from spiny plants and surprises like snakes and coyotes.
6. Stay alert while hiking or camping so that you’re aware of the presence of other people and any desert critters.
7. Keep your hands and feet where you can see them. You don’t want to be surprised by any critters that might want to sting or bite you.
8. When you hike, wear heavy shoes or boots to protect your feet from rocks, scorpions, and snakes.
9. Shake out clothing, shoes, towels, blankets, and other things that have been left outside to make sure no desert critters have nested in them.
10. Give insects and animals plenty of room to get away from you.