From the Heartland

In the fifteenth chapter of

Genesis

Abram has a dream in which the

Lord reaffirms His pledge to make Abram the father of a great nation whose descendants will be more than the stars of the heaven. Unfortunately, as the chapter comes to an end his wife, Sarai, is still barren. In chapter sixteen Sarai suggests to Abram that they take matters into their own hands. She suggested that Abram father a child by her Egyptian slave-girl Hagar. When Hagar saw that she had conceived, “she looked with contempt on her mistress. (Genesis 16:4b).” When Sarai responded by dealing harshly with Hagar, the slave-girl ran away. An angel encouraged her return where she gives birth to a son, Ishmael.

Sarah finally did give birth to a son Isaac. When it came time for him to be weaned and Sarah saw him playing with Ishmael, she told Abraham, “Cast out this slave woman with her son; for the son of this slave woman shall not inherit along with my son Isaac (Genesis 21:10b).” Even though Abraham found the request very distressing, he carried it out when the Lord told him to. Abraham did provide Hagar and Ishmael with something to eat and drink when he sent her away. Nevertheless, these provisions soon ran out. “And as she sat opposite him (Ishmael), she lifted up her voice and wept (Genesis 21:16c).”

Tragically on Mother’s Day 2023 illustrations of Hagar’s story can be found daily in our news media. There are the mothers who are weeping for their children who have died on their way to seek sanctuary in the United States. One of the primary victims of civil wars around the globe is mothers. The mothers in Ukraine have suffered as a result of the indiscriminate bombing of the Russians. In our country there are far too many mothers who still suffer from abuse and struggle to provide for the basic necessities of their children.

An angel of God calls to Hagar in the midst of her distress. “What troubles you, Hagar? Do not be afraid; for God has heard the voice of the boy where he is. Come, lift up the boy and hold him fast with your hand, for I will make a great nation of him.’ Then God opened her eyes and she saw a well of water. She went, and filled the skin with water, and gave the boy to drink (Genesis 21:17c-19).”

This Mother’s Day it is important that we remember the cries of the Hagars of our day just as God remember Hagar in Genesis. There are many ways that we can respond to their needs. We can support an organization that works with today’s Hagar’s. This can be done through financial gifts, volunteering, or giving leadership. We can be on the lookout for Hagars in our midst. We can offer a special prayer for today’s Hagar on Sunday, May 14.

Evidently, Ishmael and Isaac kept in touch after Ishmael left for when Abraham dies both sons bury him “buried him in the cave of Machpelah in the field of Ephron son of Zohar the Hittite, east of Mamre, the field that Abraham purchased from the Hittites (Genesis 25:910a).” Ishmael would seem to have done well for Genesis 25 also lists the descendants of Ismael. God had heard the cries of Hagar and had richly blessed her and her son.