Bible Reading Plan | Devotion for the week of October 10, 2021

WEEKLY READING: GENESIS 16-20; PSALM 55-56 PASSAGES REFERENCED: GENESIS 16 & 21

I’m a bit of a reader. I love to get lost in a good story. But you don’t have to be a reader to love a good story – that can happen with movies and shows too. While there are many things to love about stories, one of the main things I like is getting to know all the characters. I enjoy the little things they add that don’t really do anything to move the plot forward. I like just getting to know them. They add such richness to the story. And you can keep all the main characters. The minor characters are where it’s at for me. You can have Harry, Ron, and Hermione. I’ll take the Weasley twins, Lupin, and Sirius. You can have Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy too. And I’ll take Mr. Bennet, Mary Bennet, and Lady Catherine.

The thing about minor characters is that they add depth to the narrative. And any time they interact with the main characters, you end up learning more about those main characters. This happens in books, movies, and tv shows. And it occurs in the Bible as well. In this week’s reading, we see this take place in the story of Hagar.

I’m not going to take the time to summarize her story much, so if you haven’t read it yet, take a few minutes to do that now. You can find the first part of her story in Genesis 16. You might even want to look at the chapters before 16 to refresh yourself on Abraham’s story and how we got to the mess in chapter 16. Hagar will also show up next week in Genesis 21. But to make a long story short, we know that God promises Abraham descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky, Abraham and Sarah struggle with infertility, Sarah gives their slave Hagar to Abraham to try to conceive a child, Hagar gets pregnant, and then things get even messier.

In verse six, we read, “‘Your slave is in your hands,’ Abram said. ‘Do with her whatever you think best.’ Then Sarai mistreated Hagar; so she fled from her.” Hagar encounters an angel of the Lord who tells her what will happen to her son. And in verse 13, we see Hagar’s response: “She gave this name to the Lord who spoke to her: ‘You are the God who sees me,’ for she said, ‘I have now seen the One who sees me.’” She names God. El Roi. The God who sees.

Based on my research (i.e., some light Googling), Hagar is the only person in scripture to give God a new name. God has many names in scripture. And lots of people called God by those names. But it was Hagar who saw a quality of God and responded by calling God El Roi. Hagar. Not a king or prophet. A foreigner, woman, and slave.

In Hagar’s story, this is a major plot point. Our exposure to Hagar is limited to Genesis 16 and 21. But in both chapters, Hagar interacts with God. We could say that God is a main character in Hagar’s story. But when we look at God’s story, the whole of scripture, Hagar is a minor character in the story. But like I mentioned at the start, it’s the minor characters that I love. It’s their interactions with the main characters that reveal so much about those main characters.

God makes promises to Abraham. That’s what’s going on between the main characters in this section of Genesis. But God also makes promises to Hagar amid the main storyline. And through this minor storyline, we learn about God. Yes, God cares about Abraham and fulfilling promises. But we see that God also cares about Hagar. God reaches through the mess that Abraham and Sarah made and sees Hagar. El Roi. The God who sees.

God is the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. God is the God of Sarah, Rebekah, and Rachel too. But what this story reminds us is that God is also the God of Hagar, Keturah, Leah, Bilhah, Zilpah, and the countless other women the text never mentions.

God sees the main characters. And God sees the minor characters too. And God sees you and me today. As you read scripture, start paying attention to the minor characters. They add depth and richness to the story. They help to reveal more of the character and qualities of God, the ultimate main character. Remember, ours is a God who sees. – Sarah Neel

Do you have questions about this week’s Bible reading? We’d love to help! Rather than relying on the first thing, you find on the internet, email us at biblequestions@warsaw.cc. We are more than happy to answer that nagging question you have, provide you with some clarity, or point you in the right direction for further study.