Hagar, Treated Unjustly but Seen by Godಮಾದರಿ

Hagar, a peripheral figure?

“Now Sarai, Abram's wife, had borne him no children. She had a female Egyptian servant whose name was Hagar.” (Genesis 16:1)

In Genesis 16, we read about Hagar. The way she is introduced is telling. Hagar plays only a supporting role in the larger story of Abram and Sarai. She is Sarai's slave, native of Egypt. Nothing more is said about her; no family relationships, no precise birthplace, no past history. We do not read how Hagar came into Abram and Sarai's family. Possibly she was a gift from Pharaoh to Abraham after he had lived in Egypt for a while during a famine (see Genesis 12:16). It will most likely not have been Hagar's own decision to become Sarai's personal servant and move with this family to the land of Canaan. Her position as a slave gave her little freedom of choice and even less prestige.

Suppose you were mentioned in a history book. How would you be introduced? Do you have a respected position in society or are you a second-class citizen, relevant only because of the role you play in other people's lives? How does that affect you? More importantly, how do these relationships affect your relationship with God? What do you think, are you important to Him as a person, just because of who you are? Why or why not?