Her Name Was Not Hagar

Her Name Was Not Hagar

(I owe much of these thoughts to the excellent book by Karen Gonzalez, "The God Who Sees".)

https://www.amazon.com/God-Who-Sees-Immigrants-Journey/dp/151380412X

Hagar appears to us early in the 16th chapter of Genesis. She is a slave in Abraham's household, Sarah's "handmaiden". We know that Abraham means "father of many nations" and "Sarah" means "princess" or "noblewoman." Names are important. They identify us within families and culture.

So, how about Hagar? Would it surprise you that Hagar is most likely not a proper name at all? Probably coming to live with Abraham and Sarah during their time in Egypt, she becomes Sarah's servant. Her "name" means, roughly

"Foreign Thing". Variously it may also mean "dragged off" or "pressed into service."

We have no idea her given name; all we have is the label probably put upon her by Abraham and Sarah, identifying her position as "other".

Think how many labels we use to dehumanize others. "Immigrant", "Undocumented Worker", "Snowflake", "Reactionary", "Communist", (you can add to the list at your leisure.)

Hagar, or "The Foreign One" is given to Abraham by Sarah because Sarah has not borne any children. Even Hagar's body and offspring are not her own...let alone not having her own "name". After this Sarah and Hagar have a falling out, Sarah treats her harshly, and pregnant, Hagar runs away to the desert. The "Foreign One" becomes a refugee.

But here is the amazing part of the story. "Firsts" in the Scriptures can be important clues to valuable stories about God.

Guess what: Hagar is the first human in the Bible to give God a name! Yup. This "Foreign One" (btw, not even described as a foreign "woman", further dehumanizing her.)

A messenger from God appears and encourages her to return to Sarah, telling her that she also will bear many children. The messenger tells her to name the child in her womb Ishmael, that is, "God hears".

Stop. Right. There!

She certainly felt devalued and UNheard by both Sarah and Abraham. But her child Ishmael will forever remind her that God has truly "heard" her. What an impact that must have made. Certainly, given her "label", she must have felt isolated, unwelcome, and separated within the Abrahamic household.

But God would have NONE of that! She was "seen" by the God who is not limited by cultural and religious biases. And so, she gives God the first name recorded in the Book of Genesis:

"El Roi (the God who sees)" (Genesis 13). She continues, "Have I really seen the God who sees me?"

The story should inform us about how "seen" we all are. It should also move us to stop using dehumanizing labels. Learn a person's name. Learn their background. Hear their stories.

I'm sure you wore certain labels at one time or another. Meditate on how that felt. And consider the God who

Sees you personally. And begin to "see" others...not with labels, but with names that point to their worth and humanity.