Hagar's God: El-Ro'i and Ishmael's Destiny

Genesis 16:10–15 describes God’s remarkable promise to Hagar and its fulfillment. The angel of the Lord declares that her descendants will be too numerous to count and tells her she will bear a son named Ishmael (“God hears”), because the Lord has heard her misery. He also explains Ishmael’s future: he will live in conflict with others, a man of fierce independence. Hagar, overwhelmed by this encounter, gives God a new name—“the God who sees me”—testifying that in her pain she has been noticed by Him. She bears Ishmael, and Abram, now 86 years old, names the boy as the angel directed. In short: these verses transform a runaway servant’s despair into a story of divine attention and promise. Even as Abram and Sarai’s impatience created turmoil, God shows up for Hagar, proving that He sees and hears those overlooked by others. The birth of Ishmael becomes both a blessing and a foreshadowing of future tension—but above all, a testament that no one is invisible to God.