So as I mentioned before, Hagar had not one, but two encounters with God!

The Bible recounts that: “And Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian, which she had born unto Abraham, mocking.  Wherefore she said unto Abraham, Cast out this bondwoman and her son: for the son of this bondwoman shall not be heir with my son, even with Isaac. And the thing was very grievous in Abraham’s sight because of his son” Gen. 21:9-11.

Here’s my take on Hagar’s story, again. It’s now 14 years later.  Sarah has since had a son called Isaac (Sarai’s name changed to Sarah, Abram’s name changed to Abraham, see Genesis 17).  One day Ishmael was mocking Isaac and Sarah demanded that Abraham send her away. Remember, his mother already had a horrible attitude towards Sarah. Sarah wanted Abraham to send her away and declare Isaac his only son and heir. Abraham did not want to do it, but God told him to listen to Sarah and assured him that his son would be great.  Abraham got up early one day and gave Hagar bread and water and sent her away with her son, his son. Hagar definitely did not see it coming!

After being evicted, Hagar and her son wandered in the wilderness of Beersheba.  When the water and bread were finished, Hagar not wanting to see her son die, put him under a bush and moved away from him crying,  depleted, dejected.  God heard her cries and the Angel of the Lord spoke from heaven and told her not to fear, and that God would make a great nation from her son. Then God opened her eyes! When she looked up with new God eyesight, she saw a well with water. So she quickly filled up her water bottle and gave Ishmael to drink. Hagar ultimately raised her child as a single mother (the bible does not mention whether she remarried). Ishmael grew up in the wilderness, became a skilled archer and married an Egyptian girl chosen by his mother.

In my estimation, Hagar was indeed a woman of faith. You and I can be women of faith too! Hagar found God in Abraham’s household, not simply through her relationship with Abraham and Sarah (which was flawed at best) but through her own personal encounters with God! After the seeing God for the second time, Hagar knew for certain that God was with her, and with her child, making her in my estimation, an unlikely woman and memorable woman of faith!