Week 2 Genesis 21
Hagar’s two-part story is told in chapter 16 & chapter 21. It’s a pretty selective story – only 30 verses all together – so quite a bit of her life is missing.
But there are similarities between the stories.
In both stories Hagar leaves home – voluntarily the first time but forcibly the second.
In both stories she ends up alone in the desert.
In both stories the angel of the Lord appears.
In both stories the Lord promises that her family line will thrive and succeed.
Anyway what jumped out at me – in the second story – was the Lord’s timing.
Abraham banished Hagar. Exiled her and Ishmael from the safety and security of the family settlement.
Alone and with nowhere to go Hagar just wandered.
She used up all her food. Drank the skin of water.
She and her son were dehydrated and famished and finally just gave up.
With the Grim Reaper vulturing around her Hagar left her boy in the shade of a bush and walked away to let him die.
During all that time the Lord was silent & out of sight.
It was only at the very very end that the Lord finally appeared and saved them. So it ended ok.
I wondered why the Lord didn’t act more quickly but I couldn’t figure out why so I filed the story away. But I’ll keep it in mind: the Lord could have acted more quickly. But he waited and waited ‘til it was almost too late.