The God Who Really Sees Series

Hagar fought herself just as hard as she fought Sarai. Her three negative attitudes hurt her more than it hurt Sarai. First, Hagar was understandably defiant. Her mentality at this point was: "I have something to do, I have somewhere to go, and I will make it on my own." However, she was doing nothing new, going nowhere fast, and pursuing nothing promising. All she did was to return to her pagan roots. Bible scholars tell us that Shur was a place between Beersheba to Egypt, and Hagar was on the way to Egypt (16:7), where she was regarded, treated, and sold as a slave.

Next, escaping was a poor way to handle her problems. No wonder the world’s longest running and most intense battles in history were fought between the Jewish people and the Arabs, the descendants of Ishmael, Hagar’s son. The two nations till today do not settle their differences well.

Blame, also, had never escaped Hagar’s mind. Note that when the angel asked Hagar a where question ?where she had come from, and where she was going, Hagar responded with a-who answer. "I’m running away from my mistress Sarai," Hagar answered, and dragged Sarai into the matter.

Have you fought senselessly against others and yourself? Have you prayed to God for guidance? Have you asked Him to help you correct the situation when you’d rather take flight, blame others, or strike back?

LIVING A LIFE IN GOD: FORGIVE MYSELF AND OTHERS

9 Then the angel of the LORD told her, "Go back to your mistress and submit to her." 10 The angel added, "I will so increase your descendants that they will be too numerous to count." 11 The angel of the LORD also said to her: "You are now with child and you will have a son. You shall name him Ishmael, for the LORD has heard of your misery. 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." 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." 14 That is why the well was called Beer Lahai Roi; it is still there, between Kadesh and Bered. 15 So Hagar bore Abram a son, and Abram gave the name Ishmael to the son she had borne. 16 Abram was eighty-six years old when Hagar bore him Ishmael. (Gen 16:9-16 NIV)

Han Xin was a military strategist who rendered outstanding service towards the founding of the Han Dynasty (207 B.C. - A.D. 221). When he was young his family was poor and he was looked down upon. Once a young man humiliated him in front of a crowd of people. He said to Han Xin, “Although you are strongly built and likes to carry a sword, you are inwardly a coward. If you are not afraid to die, come and try to stab me with your sword. If you are afraid to die, then crawl under my crotch.?

Han Xin looked at the man for a long while and then bent down and crawled through the man’s parted legs. All the people in the street laughed at him, thinking he was a coward. Later, when Han Xin became the Prince of Chu, he summoned to an interview the young man who had humiliated him, and appointed him to an official post. To all the civil and military officials, Han Xin said, “This man is a good fighter. I could have killed him when he humiliated me. But there nothing praise worthy in killing him. That was why I endured this humiliation and achieved what I’ve achieved today.?(Best Chinese Idioms Vol. 2, Situ, Tan 163-64 Hai Feng Pub. Co. Hong Kong, 1988)