God is the God Who Sees

Good day to all! Let us examine Genesis chapter 16. This chapter is particularly edifying. It is edifying not because Abraham took a concubine, nor because of the grand display of festivity, but because it speaks of the God who sees. The God who sees – this phrase is deeply etched in my mind to this day. When I was at my wit's end, I did not know God, I was completely ignorant of Him, yet I encountered the God who sees me. I tell you: it is not about what you have done for God, but that God desires to see man. How many have earned God's favour because they have done something for Him? Is there such a thing? No, and they are often the most incorrigible.

One day, I walked into a church where the service was in English. I understood only bits and pieces, but something stirred within me, and I began to weep. Partly because I was at my wit's end, and partly because, for reasons unknown, I felt like a wandering child returning to its parents, suddenly discovering that there is a God who sees me. At the time, I did not fully comprehend, understanding only fragments, but I could grasp a few words. I felt inexplicably as if I had come before God with years of grievances.

From that day on, I began to seek this God, to trust in Him wholeheartedly. You may ask what I could offer God? I had nothing to give Him, except to dedicate my life to Him, for giving to Him is infinitely good. How easy it is to experience God when one is at their wit's end! Because that is our God, that is God's attribute – God is the God who sees. Today, brothers and sisters, do not doubt. You may be a very incorrigible person, or even a degenerate, and perhaps not even a descendant of Abraham, but you suddenly find yourself in dire straits. I tell you: God sees man.

From the day I began to know God, I felt it was so good to know this God. If you have heard this passage of Scripture, then listen as I share with you: the God who sees will make you deeply feel how wonderful He is. My theme is that God is the God who sees. I do not know how others interpret this passage of Scripture. Can you share how others online have interpreted it? There are many interpretations: Ishmael later became the ancestor of the Arabs, and in Southeast Asia, the Arabs are called Malays and Indonesians. All this is because of the mistake Abraham made. If Abraham had not taken Hagar back then, would these stories have occurred?

Listening to this, I felt something was amiss, because I read the Bible in detail. I thought: what nonsense is this? Now you want to go back four thousand years? Impossible! Just because he fathered Ishmael, go back! Return to Hagar's womb and do not come out! It is not like that! Wouldn't it be better to go back six thousand years? Wouldn't it be better to go back to the beginning? Isn't that pure fabrication? Either shift the blame to Abraham four thousand years ago, or shift the blame to Hagar four thousand years ago. In fact, it is not necessarily the fault of Abraham and Hagar; it is the sin of Sarai. There are also interpretations saying: this is because of polygamy, the first wife and the concubine quarreling. They all focus on this, forgetting that God is the God who sees.

Brothers and sisters, when you were baptised, you may have cried uncontrollably, like a newborn baby just arriving in the arms of its parents. Perhaps you had inexplicable emotions like I did, but today, do you want to make a covenant with God? Do you want to make a covenant with this God who sees? Many say: no, how can we live by trusting in Him? I tell you, it is those who have experienced earth-shattering miracles who often say to me: how can you live by believing in the Lord like this? Fellow pastors say to me: can you build a church like this? I find it a bit strange. We must know: God is the God who sees.

Man's Origin Cannot Hinder God's Care

You may be born in the countryside, it does not matter; you may be born in the city, it does not matter; perhaps you have attended university, it does not matter; perhaps you have not attended university, it does not matter. Everyone must know: our God is such a wonderful God. Hagar was an Egyptian, with a less than stellar background. The descendants of Abraham are the Arabs, which means that the Arabs, Egyptians, and Abraham have an inseparable relationship. It turns out that the affairs in the Middle East are all tied to Abraham. It is either the affairs of Abraham's family or the affairs of the Egyptians.

Hagar was not only an Egyptian but also a slave under Sarai. Everyone must know what she did; she was a slave. We do not know when this child came in. There are two speculations: one speculation is that she followed Sarai all the way. The other speculation is that she was bought at some stage, perhaps brought back when Abraham and Sarai went down to Egypt, or perhaps given by Pharaoh. In any case, we can understand Sarai following Abraham all the way. There is no problem with God caring for Sarai. But why does God care for Hagar? Her origin is not good, and she is still a slave. Now it is all over, she has encountered difficulties. She went to a spring, with no village in front and no shop behind, and she is pregnant with Abraham's child.

Everyone must know what Hagar was thinking, and must know that slaves have a slave mentality. If you treat her as a slave when she is a slave, she is very obedient. Once she suddenly becomes the master, it is over; her tail will be raised high. Have you seen people with a slave mentality? The slave mentality is that before anything happens, the tail is already raised high. Either one lives with their tail between their legs, or one raises their tail high. People just do not know the immensity of heaven and earth, and never know their place. Abraham had previously said to her: believe in the Lord with me! God is the God who made a covenant with me. Hagar thought: believe in that thing with you? I am just a slave. You are Abraham; it is normal for God to care for you. I am nothing; what is the point of making a covenant with God? Can that thing be eaten? Her starting point is very low.

Among us, are there any who have a strong small-peasant consciousness from the countryside or a strong mentality of small business owners and peddlers from the city? The people I meet often say to me: that is you; how many Jesuses are there? There is only one Jesus. How many Abrahams are there? There is only one Abraham. This is called a slave mentality. Even if you suddenly become rich or suddenly get promoted, from a slave to a steward, you still have this slave mentality. When you are at your wit's end, with no village in front and no shop behind, completely desperate, you think: am I finished? I will give it a try. Why does she want to give it a try? Because Hagar has travelled north and south with Abraham for at least ten years, if not twenty.

In these ten years, she saw Lot leave, saw her master take three hundred and eighteen servants to fight and defeat the four kings, Chedorlaomer. After her master returned, she thought: wow! My master is so amazing. Hagar was in Abraham's house and felt very reliant, worshipping her master to death. She did not worship this God; she did not know that the God we believe in is the God who sees.

This God does not care much whether you are a slave, a concubine, a mistress, the fourth, fifth, or even a prostitute. No matter what kind of person, our God is the God who sees. This can also be seen in the New Testament. Brothers and sisters, do not look down on this one or that one. You may not even be qualified to look down on them. Do not think I am speaking harshly. In my bones, I do not look down on anyone; I respect everyone. I respect everyone. I have always honoured these cleaning ladies, toilet-cleaning ladies, and the old men cleaning in the restaurant. Because they are people, and that is remarkable. Not to mention superiors. God is the God who sees. If you shed human blood, God will surely demand an accounting for the shedding of human blood, because man is very precious.

And surely your blood of your lives will I require; at the hand of every beast will I require it, and at the hand of man, even at the hand of every man's brother, will I require the life of man. Whoso sheddeth man's blood, by man shall his blood be shed: for in the image of God made he man. (Genesis 9:5-6)

When Noah came out of the ark, God made a covenant with him: whoever sheds human blood, God will surely demand an accounting for his sin. This sin is terrible, because man has the image of God. No matter who you are, you can experience God. After experiencing God, what do you do? You raise your tail high and say: who is God? Recently, there have been many cases of desertion. Who is David? This is not knowing the immensity of heaven and earth. Do not think that I sometimes scold you; I really treat you as a person. I am not exaggerating at all. I serve everyone with my heart. Because you are precious in God's eyes. Do not say that God is the God of teachers; God is the God of Abraham; who am I? Then you are wrong. This Egyptian slave, Hagar, did she bring the sin upon herself? Did she bring the suffering upon herself? Yes.

Why raise your tail so high when you have nothing to do? Now there is trouble; you have caused trouble yourself. Which disaster is not caused by you and me? Today, look at how you have become. Every single one is. But God still sees you and cleans up your mess. The reason I love my God is because I feel that my God is so good. Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. Sometimes when I say I love the Lord my God, my eyes will get wet. Without God, how can I live? I do not know how to live. I need my God so much.

If you know that God is the God who sees, you should receive great grace today. Do not treat God as a joke. God is the Lord of heaven and earth. Do not treat God as a servant. You say to God: come here! Get my shoes. Come here! Wash my feet. If you use Jesus as a maid: come here! Wash my feet. Will Jesus wash them for you? It would be good if He did not chop off your feet. You cannot do that; that is provoking God's anger.

Although He took on the form of a servant, He is indeed not a servant; He is the Lord of heaven and earth. Hagar remembered the things that Abraham had personally experienced. She was beside him. God cannot be mocked, but Hagar never knew this. She saw Abraham looking at the stars outside. She followed him out. Abraham looked around and saw the dust on the ground and the stars in the sky. She was also nearby. Abram and Sarai discussed how God made a covenant with them and discussed some family matters. Hagar heard everything.

But she did not take it to heart! Did this hinder God from caring for her? No. God still cared for her. This is very miraculous! The most miraculous thing is here, so God's love is here. Today, if you do not regard God Jesus Christ as the most precious treasure, I will worry for you. In fact, you really need God, and I really need God. Your birth cannot hinder it, and your past cannot hinder it.

Starting today, you must call upon God. In what situation should you start? Perhaps when you are about to be at your wit's end, perhaps you will jump off a building if you go any further. Living is suffering; it is meaningless! Today, are there any of us who have not experienced God? No. There are some people I have served, and I know very well in my heart that they are evil people in their bones. Even right before they died, it was effective when I led them in prayer. Someone had cancer, and the oxygen content in his blood increased when I prayed. I prayed for three hours at a time, and I prayed for five hours at a time.

The patient woke up and said: oh, the current technology is really good! He thought it was the oxygen in the blood that increased the oxygen content. Later, he felt pain again, and even morphine could not stop the pain. He came to me again, and the pain was relieved after I prayed. Do you think he deserves God's care? He really does not deserve it. We must all know that none of us deserve it. It is because God is the God who sees. Today, after God cares for us, we must all become people who make a covenant with God. Do not say that your background is not good or anything like that. Clear out those foul reasons. It has nothing to do with whether you are worthy or not. God is the God who sees.

God wants to make a covenant with what kind of people, and we will become what kind of people. As a result, after Hagar met the God who sees, she was very surprised! I have also experienced the God who sees. I used to think that I was always a slave, an Egyptian, and always thought that I was not worthy. Today, God actually cares for me! She could not believe it and was surprised! There is nothing to be surprised about.

Man's Mistakes Cannot Hinder God's Care

Man's mistakes cannot hinder God's care. God is too good. You must know that we often offend God. When we finally get a little better, we raise our tails and do not know who God is. Recently, there have been many people who have come out to build churches, many who preach heresies, and they talk about everything. After finally experiencing God, do not mess around. Let us be people who please God. It is not about whether we are worthy or not.

Sarai idly made up a story: God promised that our descendants would be as numerous as the stars in the sky and the sand on the seashore. Why does it not look like it the more I look at it? Now there is not even one, and I am quite old. At that time, Abraham was in his eighties, and Sarai was in her seventies. Can people in their eighties and seventies have children? Sarai was very anxious. Abraham was in his eighties, rich, capable, and handsome. What would happen? He would attract the envious eyes of many young girls. Sarai was very powerful and said to these young girls: what are you looking at? This is my husband. Do not even think about it! Do not dream; a toad wants to eat swan meat.

These young girls said: Abram is the one we look up to. He is our dream lover, the Prince Charming we think about day and night! Oh! Sarai was chasing away flies all day long. Did I speak to the sisters' hearts? I know the sisters' hearts. As a result, after chasing them away, she sent Hagar to her husband, thinking that I would borrow Hagar's womb and have a child with Abram. But can that thing be borrowed? Abram also felt very good and thought, how has my wife changed? She sent Hagar to me and was happily smiling there. Sarai said: I will give you a Hagar to make you beautiful. What are you smiling at? Do you think I am old? There are quite a lot of foul things going on.

Among us, are there any sisters in this situation? Walking forward with their husbands, passing places with many beautiful women, and seeing their husbands turn their heads. Would they say: what are you looking at? Sarai was actually not much different. Do you think she was not a woman? She was also a woman, but she made a mistake and borrowed a womb to have a child. If you borrow a womb to have a child, can the child born be yours? I think if you go to the hospital for an examination, it will definitely not be Abraham's problem. Perhaps Sarai wanted to use Hagar to test whether it was Abraham's problem, because not being able to have children was either Abraham's fault or Sarai's fault.

With this test, Hagar became powerful. Hagar's feeling at this time was like a pig growing wings. Although she did not grow hair on her face or horns on her head, it was as if she had grown wings. Hagar thought, I am the mother of all nations! Because God promised that my master's descendants would be as numerous as the sand on the seashore and the stars in the sky. That is me! In the future, my descendants and my master Abraham's descendants will be as numerous as the stars in the sky and the sand on the seashore. Because when God spoke to Abram, Abraham also told God that Ishmael was before you. In fact, Hagar and Abraham both thought so, because Hagar was pregnant.

But Sarai did not feel good. The more she looked at Hagar, the more she raised her tail. Hagar sat there, closed her eyes, and thought: my descendants will be as numerous as the sand on the seashore and the stars on the ground. Then she showed a small expression, squinted her eyes, and grinned her small mouth, so sweet. As a result, Sarai could not stand seeing Hagar's appearance and got angry! When will it be your turn? On the one hand, she was angry, and on the other hand, she wondered how she could get pregnant so quickly. Who told my stomach not to live up to expectations? This relationship was not handled well. Hagar's way of walking was also different, and her way of speaking was also different, showing off. As a result, Sarai's mind was also very small, and she was not happy. She said to Abraham: I am suffering because of you.

And when she saw that she had conceived, she despised her mistress. And Sarai said unto Abram, My wrong be upon thee: I have given my maid into thy bosom; and when she saw that she had conceived, I was despised in her eyes: the Lord judge between me and thee. (Genesis 16:4-5)

In fact, what grievance did she suffer? It was all a grievance that you found yourself. May the Lord judge between you and me. What is there to judge? In fact, there is nothing to judge. So, Abram said to Sarai:

But Abram said unto Sarai, Behold, thy maid is in thy hand; do to her as it pleaseth thee. And when Sarai dealt hardly with her, she fled from her face. (Genesis 16:6)

The maid is in your hand. Do not look for me about the matters between the two of you. It has nothing to do with me. Do not look for me about the matters between you two women. Didn't you give me the maid? The maid is pregnant, and that is your responsibility. You did not manage it well. Why are you looking for me if you cannot manage it well? Abram shirked responsibility. In fact, there is nothing to deal with. It is Sarai's problem.

The maid is in your hand. You can do whatever you want to her. So, Sarai dealt harshly with Hagar. Was Sarai dealing harshly with Hagar a good thing? No, but it is actually a good thing. Because man's mistakes cannot hinder God's great plan, nor can they hinder God from caring for man. Hagar fled from Sarai's face, carrying a big belly. Can you imagine it? How can you live in the wilderness? The result is one mistake on top of another. I think after Hagar suffered, she would definitely go to Abraham and say: I am pregnant with your child, but your wife is treating me harshly... But Abraham said: I do not care.

This is a bolt from the blue. In fact, nothing happened. It is like thunder in the air. As a result, Hagar ran to the wilderness, originally wanting to die. She saw a spring. As long as she put her head into the water, she would be finished if she could not catch her breath. She was running and crying. It was hard! When people are suffering, the first thing they think of is God! There is a saying that when you are in pain, you call for your mother, and when you are suffering, you call for your father. Hagar experienced God, but she brought this suffering upon herself. Is it so difficult to have a good relationship with Sarai? The child in my belly is mine and yours. Our bellies are connected. Wouldn't that be okay? Who told you to dream all day long? As a result, Sarai got angry and drove you out. You deserve all the suffering.

Not only does she deserve the suffering, but I deserve the suffering, and you deserve the suffering. I am just telling the truth. Someone said: look at how people are suffering. Why are you still saying that they deserve it? You are gloating. Isn't that what they deserve? But deserving it or not, this matter is deeply imprinted in my mind. People love the world so much, and God still cares for them. This person is so considerate of the flesh, and God still cares for them. That person identifies good and evil so seriously, and God still cares for them. Is there such a thing? But do people change? Not much. But God still cares for them. This is God's nature. God cares for man, even if he is an evil person. If he is killed by you, the sin of shedding human blood will also be on you! Can you understand?

Man's mistakes are piled up one after another, but they cannot hinder God from caring for man. Even if you are Yang Bailao, God cares for you. If you are the White-Haired Girl, God also cares for you. As long as you turn around and call upon God, God will take care of many things. But some people, after experiencing God, become vessels of God's wrath again and again, and then there is tragedy. When faith rises, you must call upon the God who sees. In fact, Hagar also called upon God when she was in disaster.

Experiencing God in Times of Trouble

Then the angel of the Lord told her, “Go back to your mistress and submit to her.” The angel added, “I will increase your descendants so much that they will be too numerous to count.” The angel of the Lord also said to her: “You are now pregnant and will give birth to a son. You shall name him Ishmael, for the Lord has heard of your misery.” (Genesis 16:9-11)

It is especially evident that people experience God when they are suffering. Although you may not have seen God clearly, you must have experienced Him. Hagar was crying in a place where there was no village in front and no shop in the back. If you think about it carefully, wouldn't it have been fine if she, a small woman, hadn't stirred up that trouble at home? Why did she have to stir up this trouble and make it like this? Now that it's like this, how can she clean it up? She suddenly thought of her master Abraham, whose God is a good God. She wondered, can I experience Abraham's God? It seems there's no other way; she has to drink the consequences she brewed herself. As a result, she experienced God. How much faith do you think she had? Her whole life was full of nonsense because she was just a maid and a slave. This was a time of complete despair, so she experienced God. People! They have a bad habit. Someone said: The end of man is the beginning of God. I was thinking: Does it have to be the end? Wouldn't it be better to start a new beginning before reaching the end?

The first thing is that you may experience God. After experiencing Him, what do you do? You will find that God is very concerned about one thing: Hagar's identity and who her master is. Going against her master is not what God likes. God said: Hagar, maid of Sarai, where have you come from? It doesn't say: Hagar, where have you come from? You must know that you are Sarai's maid. Where have you come from, and where are you going? Hagar thought: If I knew where I was going, I wouldn't be crying here. I don't know where I'm going.

She took three steps and looked back, thinking Abraham would chase after her. She said to Abraham: I'm leaving, I'm really leaving, I'm running away from home. After walking a hundred meters and finding that Abraham was not behind her, she walked another hundred meters, and Abraham was still not behind her. Oh, this is so sad. I'm carrying your flesh and blood in my belly, and you're so cruel. Oh, I'm telling you, it's so uncomfortable. At this time, Hagar called out to God, and God appeared to her: Where have you come from, and where are you going? You must know that you have no way to go; you are Sarai's maid. Then Hagar said: I ran away from my mistress Sarai.

“Hagar, servant of Sarai, where have you come from, and where are you going?” “I’m running away from my mistress Sarai,” she replied. (Genesis 16:8)

Look at what she said; she knows everything. How could she not know? A foolish person doesn't know how to seek God, and even if they seek God, they don't listen to God's words. What's the result?

Then the angel of the Lord told her, “Go back to your mistress and submit to her.” (Genesis 16:9)

You improve the relationship; does it have to be like this? You correct your attitude, correct your position, can God not take care of you? What are you running here for? Are you running here on purpose to experience me? If you do well under your mistress, wouldn't it be good to experience me there? Wouldn't it be good to experience God's care more there? You have to make it to the end of your rope, and then it's like you want to jump into a well or jump into a river. The water in the river is too shallow, and there's no well to jump into.

As a result, the idea that God gave her is also the idea given to you and me. Do you want to experience God's care more? Learn to correct your position. You may have worked several jobs in your twenties, and you have never had a good relationship with your boss. Correct it today. You may be in your thirties or fifties and have worked for many years. In the past, your interpersonal relationships were extremely chaotic, your relationship with your husband was bad, your relationship with others was bad, your relationship with your parents was also bad, and your relationship with no one was good. I think you really need to experience God more. There is more to this than meets the eye. Experiencing God more means suffering more.

You really need to suffer more. If you don't correct these things, isn't that what God hates? Go back to your mistress and submit to her. I am the God who sees. If you are under her, I will still take care of you. Not only did I take care of you when you fled to the well, but when you return to your mistress Sarai, don't talk nonsense, and I will take care of you. This child can not only be born, but also grow up in Abraham's house, and I will make him a great nation.

Then the angel of the Lord told her, “Go back to your mistress and submit to her.” The angel added, “I will increase your descendants so much that they will be too numerous to count.” (Genesis 16:9-10)

Does everyone know Hagar's thoughts? Putting aside everything else, Hagar did this right. Didn't you say that my master Abraham's descendants are extremely numerous? God, may you make my descendants also extremely numerous. May all the promises you made to my master Abraham be fulfilled in me. At least she touched on the same aspirations as Abraham in making a covenant with God.

Our brothers and sisters are beginning to know that in this kind of suffering situation, it is the disaster you created yourself, the trouble you stirred up, and God helps you clean it up and wipe your backside. But God wants you to go back and experience God's prosperity. Learn to experience God's prosperity because you will also become a great nation. God likes prosperity; God doesn't like living a shriveled life like Yang Bailao. God likes you to prosper; God doesn't like you to be poor. What's the result?

The angel of the Lord also said to her: “You are now pregnant and will give birth to a son. You shall name him Ishmael, for the Lord has heard of your misery.” (Genesis 16:11)

Ishmael means that God can hear, God has heard your voice, and God will accomplish for you according to what you believe. Your descendants will be extremely numerous, even countless. Because the Lord has seen your misery, the Lord is the God who sees you. I encourage everyone to look to this God from now on. If possible, listen to my advice: Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and strength. You will experience many graces in this life!

The angel of the Lord also said to her: “You are now pregnant and will give birth to a son. You shall name him Ishmael, for the Lord has heard of your misery. 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.” 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.” (Genesis 16:11-13)

From then on, Hagar's thoughts and intentions changed. After Hagar's thoughts and intentions changed, she returned to her mistress Sarai to admit her mistake and repair the relationship. She began to learn to be a smart person and stop wagging her tail all day long. As soon as she did, she thought she was great and made the relationship a mess. Hagar later had a good relationship with her mistress Sarai. How do I know? Because Ishmael grew up in this house to be seventeen, eighteen, or nineteen years old. Can you understand? This child was not only born, but he really called Sarai "Mom." There was no problem calling her "Mom," and that was also very honorable.

Hagar deeply learned a lesson: how the God who sees takes care of people. After the child was born, did Sarai want to kill the child, like a palace drama? Not at all, it was all because Hagar corrected her attitude from then on. Today, if you are suffering some troubles at work, it is almost closely related to your behavior and dealings with others. It has little to do with others. You must know that experiencing the God who sees is not because you are fighting for your own rights. If you fight for your own rights, you will end up extremely tired. If you completely look to the God who sees you, things become extremely simple.

Am I saying something wrong? People just don't know that God takes care of people. So when do people rely on their own hands and their own swords to protect themselves? In the end, they suffer a lot of tribulations, which is a curse. When do we look to God and trust Him well? He will definitely take care of me and take care of my children. Isn't it simple? Originally, you couldn't take care of it, and originally, you couldn't do it. At this time, here I also saw the God who sees me. Wasn't it all God's care all the way? It was all God's care. At this time, Hagar remembered that it was all God's care all the way. How come she only knew it when she reached this dead end? Isn't this very emotional? Then she named the well Beer Lahai Roi. At this time, Abram was eighty-six years old.

That is why the well was called Beer Lahai Roi; it is still there, between Kadesh and Bered. So Hagar bore Abram a son, and Abram gave the name Ishmael to the son she had borne. Abram was eighty-six years old when Hagar bore him Ishmael. (Genesis 16:14-16)

Brothers and sisters, you must remember that it is not because of people's mistakes that God is hindered from taking care of us, but because of people's attitudes. When do we turn back to God? When does God take care of us? When do we look to Him? When does He take care of us? He is always the God who takes care of us.

Man's Mistakes Cannot Change God's Plan of Salvation

If you read the Old Testament and the New Testament, God has determined a will to save us. God is determined to save us and deliver us from this passive situation. Jesus has already died on the cross for you and me and has risen from the dead. The power of Jesus' resurrection has been clearly manifested among us. Do we still look to those useless things?

Brothers and sisters, begin to look to God. God's salvation will save you. But you must learn to make a covenant with God and value the status of God's children. You must know God's great plan. Some time ago, I talked to you about God's plan. I remind you again, you must know God's plan. When we know God's plan, we walk in God's plan and do not walk in God's wrath.

May God bless everyone!

Genesis Chapter 16 Scripture

16:1 Now Sarai, Abram’s wife, had borne him no children. But she had an Egyptian slave girl named Hagar;
16:2 so she said to Abram, “The Lord has kept me from having children. Go, sleep with my slave girl; perhaps I can build a family through her.” Abram agreed to what Sarai said.
16:3 So after Abram had been living in Canaan ten years, Sarai his wife took her Egyptian slave girl Hagar and gave her to her husband to be his wife.
16:4 He slept with Hagar, and she conceived. When she knew she was pregnant, she began to despise her mistress.
16:5 Then Sarai said to Abram, “You are responsible for the wrong I am suffering. I put my slave girl in your arms, and now that she knows she is pregnant, she despises me. May the Lord judge between you and me.”
16:6 “Your slave girl is in your hands,” Abram said. “Do with her whatever you think best.” Then Sarai mistreated Hagar; so she fled from her.
16:7 The angel of the Lord found Hagar near a spring in the desert; it was the spring that is beside the road to Shur.
16:8 And he said, “Hagar, servant of Sarai, where have you come from, and where are you going?” “I’m running away from my mistress Sarai,” she replied.
16:9 Then the angel of the Lord told her, “Go back to your mistress and submit to her.”
16:10 The angel added, “I will increase your descendants so much that they will be too numerous to count.”
16:11 The angel of the Lord also said to her: “You are now pregnant and will give birth to a son. You shall name him Ishmael, for the Lord has heard of your misery.
16:12 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.”
16:13 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.”
16:14 That is why the well was called Beer Lahai Roi; it is still there, between Kadesh and Bered.
16:15 So Hagar bore Abram a son, and Abram gave the name Ishmael to the son she had borne.
16:16 Abram was eighty-six years old when Hagar bore him Ishmael.