Page 32 - May 2026 - Truth & Tidings

t was a moment of rebellion, especially that He is more than just One who sees her.
for a slave. Genesis 16 records for us the He tells her what she knows about herself
Iplight and flight of a young slave. Anger and what she doesn’t know. He knows her
and attitudes in the home where she served past, her present troubles, and clearly sees
escalated to the point of her fleeing from the character and experiences of her unborn
her mistress into the wilderness. Hagar was son. In revealing all this, He also reveals
wrong, but she had also been used. She Himself. He is not just the living God watch-
was just a slave, and had few allies and little ing women and men from a distance, but
hope. We can imagine the consequences of also the loving God who reveals Himself to
a runaway slave, and wonder if these came running rebels with His love and grace. He
to her mind as she rested at a well. She could is the ultimate authority and the source of
run from her mistress, she could run from life and lasting joy. It is a wonder of grace
her master, but Who was this now appear- that God reveals Himself to save mankind
ing to her at the well? She will later name from a course of destruction and loss. While
the well Lahai-roi, meaning “the Living One creation and the Scriptures reveal God to us,
who sees me.” the full display of the living God is seen in
Since Eden, this scenario has been re- His Son Jesus Christ. The apostle John writes,
peated by all women and men as people of “In this was manifested [revealed] the love
all ages seek to flee the consequences and of God toward us, because that God sent
judgment of personal sin. “All have sinned,” his only begotten Son into the world, that
the ancient Scripture records, and all seem we might live through him” (1Jn 4:9). Christ
to forget the truth and reason of another and His cross reveal God and the means for
ancient text: “He that formed the eye, shall all to be reconciled to Him.
he not see?” (Psa 94:9). But what grace that, In His comprehensive knowledge and
1
among the billions, God sees this slave! He authority, God tells Hagar to return and
knows her name. He sees all people great submit to her mistress against whom she
or small, powerful and those in slavery. He had rebelled, and thus comes a moment of re-
even sees the son in Hagar’s womb whom sponse. How would you respond? As hard as
she herself could not see. He sees her af- it must have been, remarkably Hagar obeys
fliction. He sees her position. He sees her the God who revealed Himself to her. Today
condition. He is even now the living God El Roi, the Living God who sees me, requires
who sees everyone. a response from all, as Paul proclaimed in
Acts 17:30: “God … now commandeth all
This meeting at the well becomes a mo-
ment of revelation as she quickly understands men everywhere to repent.” God so loved
the world that He gave his only begotten
1 Bible quotations in this article are from the KJV. Son. How have you responded?