El Ro’i: (God Who Sees Me)

Ten years had passed since God called Abram and promised him many descendants. After such, Sarai, being unable to bear children to Abram, gives her Egyptian servant, Hagar, to him as a wife. Hagar conceives with Abram, yet Sarai begins to look on Hagar with contempt and treat her harshly, so much so that Hagar flees to the wilderness - alone, scared, and pregnant. The angel of the LORD finds Hagar by a spring of water and calls her by name; He tells her to return to Sarai and be submissive to her…promising that He will greatly multiply her offspring. The angel of the LORD gives a gender reveal and names her unborn child “Ishmael,” meaning God hears. This Egyptian maidservant then calls the name of the LORD who spoke to her, “You are El Ro’i “a God who sees me.” She exclaims: “Have I also seen here the One who sees me?” The well there is called: Beer Lahai Ro’i “the well of the Living One who sees me.” This is the only occurrence of El Ro’i in Scripture. In the midst of difficulties, Hagar encounters the God who sees her. This same God sees Nathaniel and says, “Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you,” to which Nathaniel confesses, “Rabbi, You are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!” (cf. Ps 33:18; 1 Peter 3:12)