“When the water in the skin was gone, she cast the child under one of the bushes. Then she went and sat down opposite him a good way off, about the distance of a bowshot, for she said, “Do not let me look on the death of the child.” And as she sat opposite him, she lifted up her voice and wept. And God heard the voice of the boy, and the angel of God called to Hagar from heaven and said to her, “What troubles you, Hagar? Do not be afraid, for God has heard the voice of the boy where he is. Come, lift up the boy and hold him fast with your hand, for I will make a great nation of him.” Then God opened her eyes, and she saw a well of water. She went and filled the skin with water and gave the boy a drink.” (Gen 21:15-19 NRSV)
One of my favorite stories in the Bible is the story of Hagar. Her story is a tragedy. She is thrown into a situation where Abraham and Sarah have tried to make their own plan for a future rather than trust the Lord. They have her be a surrogate mother for Abraham and then throw her out of their home several times. Abraham and Sarah, ancestors of the people of faith, are flawed and are not always faithful. They too need forgiveness and the grace of a God of promise. What makes it a story I love is that Hagar is not left alone in the wilderness. The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob is the God also of Hagar and Ishmael. God is faithful even when his people are not.
God finds her and her son Ishmael in exile twice. The first time is in Gen. 16 where Hagar amazingly becomes the first person to give a name of sorts to this God who is involved in the world and cares for the slave in the wilderness. She gives God the name, El Roi, roughly translated, “The God who sees me” (Gen. 16:13). She returns to Abraham and Sarah, but is later exiled again! Things look bleak this time for her and Ishmael. They are out of water, and she fears they will not make it. She does not want to see her son die. In Gen. 21, the God who saw her before, now hears her child’s cry and reassures her that El Roi is still watching over her. God points out a nearby well of water and opens the door to a future of promise.
The good news of this passage is that God is faithful, even when people are not! God is faithful to the so-called “insiders” even when they are not themselves acting faithfully. Abraham and Sarah are supposed to bless the nations, not throw them out! But God continues to love them, correct them, and repeat the commands and promises given. God does this also for us. There unfortunately many examples of the Church being unfaithful and hurting people in the process. God does not stoop to our level of unfaithfulness but continues to call us to holiness. I often see a quote going around that says, “If you were hurt by the church, that was people and not God.” While this is correct, it does not give an excuse for the Church to ignore its participation in hurt and exclusion. We must answer the call of God for the Church to own up to its failings and seek to reflect the God of promise, who seeks to bless the whole world with love and grace.
What is more, God is faithful to the “outsiders.” God sees Hagar and does not abandon her or cast her out. Hagar’s story is so important for today because it reminds us that God’s faithfulness endures even in a wicked world. The God who sees the hurt in the wilderness opens the eyes of the outcast to see how God has provided life. God does this today, finding people through the Church and even despite the Church when it fails to live into the holiness it is called toward. God is watching over us and calling us to a future filled with hope and faithfulness.
In Christ, there is not a stark line of insiders and outsiders, but a way and life to which we are called to believe and live into. Because God is the faithful one in this story, we are directed to try to reflect the nature of God. This is how we participate in God’s promises. When we see someone who is in despair, giving up on their future and all hope, we are the people of the God who sees the outcast and hears the cries of people in need. So, we cannot ignore the pains of the people around us. As people of faith, we are called to open our eyes to the hurt around us, even the hurt which we have caused and point people to the water. Hagar, who is dying of thirst in the wilderness, needs a drink and the God who sees and hears the suffering of the outcasts points it out to her and gives her a life and future.
The Church, by grace, sees a world in need and points people to the resources of life around them. The Church should feed the hungry, clothe the needy, shelter the stranger, give water to the thirsty, visit the prisoner and call on the sick (Matt. 25:31-46). We should extend forgiveness and seek reconciliation for all. In doing this, we also point people to the Living Water, Jesus Christ, whose death and resurrection fulfill God’s promise of blessing for all nations, that all of the outcasts may be given water that will not run dry and a hope-filled future.