Saved by the Well – Hagar
Saved by the Well – Hagar.
“The Angel of the Lord found Hagar near a well in the desert, a spring of water as she headed towards Egypt.” (Genesis 16:7).
SAVED: The Hebrew word for save is “Yasha,” which means to be set free into the wide open; to be delivered in a time of desperate need; to be saved from destruction and certain death. “Salvation” literally means to become spacious, and refers to “the sense of deliverance from an existence that had become confined, compressed, or cramped.” (Eugene Peterson). When Jesus delivers us from our inner spiritual confinement, we are liberated into a wide open, broad, expansive place. The word for “wide open space” is the opposite of a straitjacket. Without Jesus, our soul will never be freed from our spiritual straitjacket. There are three passages in Psalms that describe this freedom deliverance beautifully:
- “From my distress, I called upon the Lord. He answered me and set me on a large place. After being in a tight spot, the Lord placed me into a broad space. Because I was hemmed in, I called on Lord Yahweh. He answered me and gave me room.” (Ps. 118:5);
- “Lord, you have not given me over into the hands of the Enemy; You have liberated me and set my feet in a wide expanse, a good and spacious land. You have given me the freedom to roam at large, where I can freely move. You have given me room to breathe.” (Ps. 31:8);
- “The Lord rescued me because He delighted in me. He brought me out to freedom into a wide-open space. My soul has been delivered because of God’s love for me, and my soul finally has some elbow room!” (Ps. 18:19).
I’VE GOT A RIVER OF LIFE (SPRING UP O WELL) (youtube.com)
THE WELL: There are four Hebrew words used in the Jewish Bible to describe the different kinds of ancient wells. There was the traditional well that was a deep hole dug in the ground to tap into an underground source of water. Another type of well was a fountain spring that had naturally broken through the earth’s surface on its own without man’s help. The wellspring is another version of well in Scripture in which fresh water flowed out of the ground in any number of ways to become available for cleansing, nourishment, refreshment, for survival itself. Life-giving wells of water have always been a powerful picture of our dependence upon God for spiritual survival. Just as Creator God has designed the human body to completely depend on water to live, our spiritual life totally relies on His presence in us to not just survive but to flourish. God is our spiritual well of fresh water, the only stable source of nourishment and purity. He is our fountain of life that gushes forth to replenish and cleanse us. God is our eternal wellspring of living water that will never run dry. Each of us is born spiritually dehydrated, and God alone is the constant, reliable water source to bring us back to life.
HAGAR. Her story in Scripture reads like a novel… an Egyptian maidservant to Abraham and Sarah before Isaac was even born, who bore a child with Abraham after Sarah’s infertility, who ended up being the mother of a multitude, the beginnings of the most prominent Arab family with her son Ishmael. And Hagar was saved by the well not once but twice!
Hagar and the Well, Part 1. In Genesis 16, we see pregnant Hagar fleeing from a jealous and angry Sarai and a befuddled Abram. He conceived a child with Hagar, at Sarai’s request, and it brought nothing but trouble. So Hagar tried to escape this troublesome home and found herself in the wilderness at a wellspring of water. The Angel of the Lord appeared to her, comforted her, and directed her back to Sarai. If there was any doubt about this Messenger being the preincarnate Christ, this Angel of Yahweh told Hagar that she would have countless descendants, that she would bear a son named Ishmael. Ishmael means “God hears,” so her son’s name will serve to remind her that Yahweh has heard her affliction. Do other angels have the authority over life that this Angel did? No, only the Messenger Jesus has the authority or power to speak these divine words. Hagar had no doubt that she was talking directly with the Lord, for verse 13 states, “Then she called the name of Yahweh who spoke to her, El-Roi, You-are-God-who-sees.” And Hagar followed that up by exclaiming, “Have I truly seen the One who sees me?” That wellspring of water was named, “Well of the Living One who Sees Me.” Thereafter, Hagar used that name to refer to Yahweh… El-roi, ‘You are the God who sees me. God saw the humble Hagar and intervened. The Living One was indeed Jesus, who comforted the desperate and distraught Hagar, and cared for her, and sent her back to Abram and Sarai for God’s will to be accomplished. God made a special appearance on earth for someone who could easily have been overlooked. Yahweh had His eyes on the lowly, and Jesus brought His message.
Hagar and the Well, Part 2. Here we find Hagar sixteen years later, on the run once again from Abram’s household, this time with her teenage son Ishmael. She wandered into a desert wilderness later named Beersheba by Abraham. Ironically the name Beersheba means “Well of the Oath.” She and Ishmael ran out of the water provided by Abraham after he kicked her out of his tent, and realized they both were going to die soon from dehydration. So Hagar put her son under a bush nearby, because she did not want to see her son suffer and die. While sitting nearby at death’s door, Hagar began to weep in desperation and sorrow. “And as she sat there nearby, she began to sob. God heard the boy crying, and the Angel of God called to Hagar from heaven and said to her, ‘What is the matter, Hagar? What is troubling you? Do not be afraid; God has heard the boy crying as he lies there. Up! Lift up the boy and take him by the hand, for I will make him into a great nation.’ Then God opened her eyes and she saw a well of fresh water. So she went and filled the skin with water and gave the boy a drink. And God was with the boy as he grew up in the wilderness.” (Genesis 21:8-21).
A Prayer to El-roi (el raw-EE’):
We exalt your name, El-roi, God-who-sees-me. For you are the deeply personal Lord who sees us, day in and day out. We thank you that you neither slumber nor sleep as you watch over all those you have made. We praise your name, that you see and respond, that you daily bear our burdens. We know that in your watchfulness you will keep us from all spiritual harm. We are grateful that you are a God of Vision, that nothing can be hidden from your just and merciful attention. We trust in your perfect character and judgment, Lord, as you observe the events of our lives and those of this world. We thank you for being our Fountain of Life, our Well of Living Water, our Wellspring and only source of all that is nourishing, sustaining, cleansing, refreshing. You are a righteous and live-giving eyewitness, Yahweh, El-roi. We lift our eyes to you and worship your holy Name. Amen.
I’ve Got a River of Life Jeremy Riddle & Bethel Church January 15, 2012 (youtube.com)