sermon notesA collection of resources, background information, and periodic reflections on the scripture readings in worship from Pr Josh Ehrler. Archives
July 2018
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Strong Women of Scripture: Hagar5/30/2018 During the summer of 2018, Trinity Lutheran will be meeting and interacting with a variety of strong women found in scripture. Some will be familiar, other will be new acquaintances. This reflection is meant to introduce a new woman each week and provide thoughts on how we might be inspired by her strength and faith in God.
Our reflection is for Genesis 16.6-14 Hagar’s presence is borne out of impatience with the circumstances of life and she continues bearing disappointment throughout her life with her fortitude. We’re introduced to Hagar because Abram and Sarai have not been able to conceive a child. Since God’s promise to Abram in chapter 15 is dependent on childbirth, the couple reaches beyond their tent and Sarai brings forth Hagar, whom the narrator identifies by name, ethnicity and job title. She is an “Egyptian slave-girl” given over to Abram to alleviate his anxiety and, her very existence is fraught with pain and lack of power. We can’t go far into her story without spending time with her identity. As with many women characters of the Bible, her very being is not hers to claim. Hagar is owned by Sarai; she has no say over how she will be used and in what ways she must serve her master. Naturally our gut reaction to start making arguments of history and culture and different times and people and yet, it is unavoidable for us, especially us American Christians of the 21st C, to make direct parallels between Hagar and the countless unnamed African women who were enslaved across the US and forced to surrender their bodies to their owners. Hagar’s lot was wrapped in shame and utter disregard for her humanness bearing the image of God. Sarai shows no care for her life, only that she is of an age to produce children and is readily available. This abuse has played out across time and space and must be noted somehow as part of our not-so-distant American history, as well as the not-so-secret realm of human trafficking that continues along our interstate system today. Hagar is no simple prop to help Abram and Sarai get what they want, though that is clearly their expectation. She is a powerful Egyptian woman who makes her own mind up, after the deed is done, that she’s done with these two characters. It doesn’t matter to her what God told Abram. In verse 6, after one last tirade from Sarai, Hagar takes her life in her hands and runs for the wilderness. As Terrence Fretheim points out in his commentary in New Interpreter’s Bible Volume 1, Hagar would prefer freedom in a violent, unsafe landscape over a life of oppression in the tribe (pg 452). Finally on her own and able to speak for herself, Hagar finds herself in the presence of an angel of the LORD. Some commentators prefer to downplay this interaction, noting that it’s a messenger of God and not God’s true form being revealed to Hagar. That’s a fine attempt at diminishing Hagar and it doesn’t fit the text, or the experiences of others in scripture who are encountered by God in various forms. Moses sees clouds (and a mysterious backside of God), Job is met by a tornado, Ezekiel witnesses all sorts of whacky visions, and Jacob wrestles a human form. All of these people are changed forever by their experiences. Being in the presence of God is transformative, an act of re-Creation on God’s part for the sake of the individual. Also, all of these examples are men, because it is incredibly rare in all of scripture for a woman to be met by, to interact with, and to name God. Hagar, who is never named by Sarai or Abram by the way (Women in Scripture, pg 86), uses her voice and her words to give God a name. And once again we are tempted to downplay this act in verse 13, since we know that God’s name is YHWH. No one can name God who’s name is already known. That’s true and Hagar knows this. In the Hebrew, where our English is translated “the LORD,” we find God’s true name, YHWH. She names YHWH ‘El-roi,’ a reference to how she came to know that God was with her. She has been seen by God. She has spent her adult life as a check box on a supply ledger in Sarai’s books. She has been carted around from place to place by a couple who cannot even bother to speak her name, let alone treat her with human dignity. She has been hauled into Abram’s bed and when she did everything she was told, she was verbally berated by her owner. Hagar has gone unnoticed, disregarded and tossed aside without anyone caring for her. No wonder our God of mercy and steadfast love shows up and makes her presence known in the wilderness. God sees Hagar. God loves Hagar. God provides Hagar with nearly the same promise God gave Abram in chapter 15. Tikva Frymer-Kensky, contributor to Women in Scripture, says, “Hagar is Abram’s counterpart.” (pg 87) Hagar receives a promise of life beyond her own, she is warned of suffering to come, she is assured of God’s care, and later in Genesis both her son and Abram’s will be rescued from death. Wilda Gafney, contributor to The People’s Bible gives God’s promise of life to Hagar a powerful name, “dynasty.” (pg 146) God will not allow Hagar to continue feeling unrecognized by the LORD. God has heard her cries, not unlike God hearing the cries of the people enslaved by the Egyptians in Exodus. Fretheim helps us firm up this parallel by drawing us to verse 11, noting that God’s word use is nearly identical to God’s description of the suffering Israelites (NIB, pg 452). God is establishing a pattern of liberation and compassion in the earliest chapters of the Bible, and God does it here for a woman easily ignored by everyone but God. Her name is Hagar. She is an Egyptian. She will bear a son, one who will not be hindered by the constraints that bind her. Ishmael will be bold, powerful and unkempt. He will push back against those who try to oppress him and he will be an instigator of change. It is tragic that Hagar must return to live with Sarai and endure her abuse and in Genesis chapter 21, Hagar will be free of them again. Her hope, then, is grounded in God’s Word spoken directly to her by our LORD who sees the suffering ones of this world and acts on their behalf.
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