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Elohim:
He is the Creator and did not create me by accident but to have purpose
and
meaning in my life - ultimately to give Him glory
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Isa 43:7 Everyone who
is called by My name and whom
I have
created for
My glory,
Whom I have formed, even whom I have made." |
Paul
reiterates that
Elohim
created us
for a definite purpose
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"We are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good
works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them"
(see notes
Ephesians 2:7-10) |
"Workmanship"
is Greek word "poiema" (our English "poem") - those who are now IN CHRIST
are God's "masterpieces". You may not feel like a poetic "masterpiece",
just like Gideon did not feel like a "valiant warrior" in (Judges
6:12) but
God sees us not for who we were in self but for who have become in Christ
and He will continue the good work He began in each of us (see notes
Philippians 1:6). So
take heart and praise Him as Elohim, Who has made you and given you great
worth.
El Elyon:
God Most High is sovereign and in total control which is why we can place
our confidence unhesitatingly in God's ability to cause "all things to
work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called
according to His purpose." (see notes
Romans 8:28)
(Spurgeon)
Abram
is 75yo and God Promised him that "in you
all the families of the
earth will be blessed."
(this is the the "GOSPEL" Paul refers below in
Gal 3:8)
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"The Scripture, foreseeing
that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel
beforehand" (to
Abraham) (see
Galatians 3) |
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"Now there was a
famine in the land; so
Abram went down to Egypt to sojourn there for the famine was severe in the
land." |
Instead of going "down" to Egypt Abe should have gone "down"
on his knees and "up" to God
Separation of Abram (stayed in
Canaan) and Lot (moved to Sodom)
Abram rescues
Lot, meets
Melchizedek who blesses "God
Most High (El Elyon)
Possessor of heaven and earth.
"Then he
believed in the
LORD; and He
reckoned it to
him as
righteousness."
(Ro
4:3-6,9,20-25 Gal 3:6-14 Heb 11:8 Ja 2:23) (see
Covenant: Abrahamic vs Old vs New)
A:
When life becomes too
painful to bear, we can find strength in remembering what Hagar
discovered. The Lord is “the God who sees me.” When we
understand that the Lord is aware of our pain and need, our strength will be renewed.
God not only sees us, He sees the future. He promised Hagar a
future for her unborn son Ishmael. We too have hope for tomorrow, whatever our
pain is today.
God sees all as El Roi
and so is never caught by
surprise. When He cannot rule, He overrules; and He always accomplishes
His purposes. (Study His attribute of "Sovereignty")
A:
Satan wants us to think
that our “disobedience detours” must become the permanent road for the
rest of our lives; but this is a lie. Like Abraham and Sarah, we can
confess our sins, accept God’s cleansing (1Jn 1:9), and then learn to live
with our mistakes. Yes, there will be pain and regret; but God’s grace
will overcome in the end.
George Morrison : “The
victorious Christian life is a series of new beginnings.”
A:
This symbol marks a comment related to application of the truth |
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How
does Sarai respond to God's delay in giving a child? |
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Ge 16:2 Sarai said to Abram "Now behold the LORD has prevented me
from bearing children. Please go in to my maid (Hagar)
perhaps I will
obtain children through her" and Abram listened to the voice of Sarai" |
Sarai
misinterpreted God's delay as denial (we all have this tendency when God
doesn't answer immediately in our timing) and took matters into her own
hands.
A:
God's delays are not God's denials
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What
occurred when Hagar
conceived? |
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Hagar...conceived and when
(Sarai) saw that she had conceived her mistress was despised in her
sight....May the wrong done me be upon you (Abram)." (Ge
16:4-5) |
So Sarai
despises Hagar and
Blames Abram
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How
did Sarai treat Hagar? |
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"Sarai treated her
harshly"
(Ge 16:6)
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Hebrew word "harshly"
means to afflict or oppress and describes the condition of the children of
Israel in slavery under the heavy hand of the Egyptian taskmasters. (Ex 1:11-12)
This gives us a good sense of how Hagar (whose name means "flight") felt
and
why "She fled from her presence." (Ge 16:6)
So keep
context
in mind:
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Hagar was in
despair, hopeless,
weary, alone, a woman in male dominated culture, pregnant, rejected,
cast out after being used, surely feeling no one cares for me, no one
understands |
A: Isn't it often in
the cauldron of adverse
circumstances like Hagar was experiencing that the
"flaming
arrows of the evil one" (See
notes Eph 6:15-16)
penetrate the defenses of our mind as "the serpent (who) was more
crafty than any beast of the field" whispers lies
like “God is
holding out on
you! If He loved you, things would be different! Blame Him!” (cf
Ge 3:1-5).
When those lies come we must chose to "take up the shield of faith" (Eph
6:15-16) remembering that
"faith comes from hearing and hearing by
the word of Christ" (see notes
Romans 10:17).
It follows then that as we meditate on the meaning of God's Names, like El
Roi and remember that El Roi sees and cares about all of our circumstances
(even if they are the result of our sin) the Spirit takes this truth and
renews the "defenses" of our mind. Then with our mind renewed by
the word of truth which fans the embers of
faith, we can now potentially "extinguish
all the flaming arrows"
(Eph
6:16)
of doubt and despair. (Look again - How many "arrows" can be extinguished?)
This process is a picture of what it means to run into the Strong Tower of
His Name and be set "safe" and secure above the swirling storm.
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The
"Two"
Abrams
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Genesis 15 |
Genesis 16 |
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man of faith |
man of unbelief |
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believed Lord |
listened to Sarai |
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walks after Spirit |
acts in flesh |
Ge 16:1-6 ends in total
disaster -- Hagar lost her home, Sarai her maid and Abram his 2nd wife
and child.
A: Maybe
like Hagar you're also running from a
difficult situation in which you were unjustly treated and maybe like Hagar
you were part of the problem. Take comfort in
the truth that El Roi sees your distress. He has heard how you've have
been spoken to.
A:
So first remember the truth about El Roi, as shown in (Ps 34:18)
(See "advantages of a broken heart
Spurgeon)
And then
after you remember the truth about God, make a choice to act upon that
truth for example according to
Ps 55:22: (see
Spurgeon)
You may say
wonder -- "Where was He when something bad happened to me? Why did He not stop it?"
At times like this make the choice to remember that He is still El Elyon
and He is in
control. He is causing it all things to work together for
good. Has someone you loved or cared for walked away from you and now shuns
you and you are "brokenhearted"?
As you study the columns to
the right, you will learn that you have a God
Who sees you and Who cares for you. He sees those who are
hurting you and they will not go free. He is ever "near
to the
brokenhearted"
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What do we do when find
ourselves in "Hagar" like circumstances?
Remember His promises like...
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Psalm 145:18-20 |
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18 The LORD is near to all who call upon Him, To all who call
upon Him in truth. 19 He will fulfill the desire of those who fear
Him; He will also hear their cry and will save them. 20 The LORD
keeps all who love Him, But all the wicked He will destroy. (Spurgeon
#1,
#2,
#3) (See related
story on "worry, anxiety" in Sermon on Mount comments
Matthew 6:25-26) |
Spurgeon writes...
Care, even though exercised upon
legitimate objects, if carried to excess, has in it the nature of sin. The
precept to avoid anxious care is earnestly inculcated by our Saviour,
again and again; it is reiterated by the apostles; and it is one which
cannot be neglected without involving transgression: for the very essence
of anxious care is the imagining that we are wiser than God, and the
thrusting ourselves into his place to do for him that which he has
undertaken to do for us. We attempt to think of that which we fancy he
will forget; we labour to take upon ourselves our weary burden, as if he
were unable or unwilling to take it for us. Now this disobedience to his
plain precept, this unbelief in his Word, this presumption in intruding
upon his province, is all sinful. Yet more than this, anxious care often
leads to acts of sin. He who cannot calmly leave his affairs in God's
hand, but will carry his own burden, is very likely to be tempted to use
wrong means to help himself. This sin leads to a forsaking of God as our
counselor, and resorting instead to human wisdom. This is going to the
"broken cistern" instead of to the "fountain;" a sin which was laid
against Israel of old. Anxiety makes us doubt God's lovingkindness, and
thus our love to him grows cold; we feel mistrust, and thus grieve the
Spirit of God, so that our prayers become hindered, our consistent example
marred, and our life one of self-seeking. Thus want of confidence in God
leads us to wander far from him; but if through simple faith in his
promise, we cast each burden as it comes upon him, and are "careful for
nothing" because he undertakes to care for us, it will keep us close to
him, and strengthen us against much temptation. "Thou wilt keep him in
perfect peace whose mind is stayed on thee, because he trusteth in thee."
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The Hebrew word for "found"
refers to “finding” someone or something that is lost or misplaced.
Certainly Hagar must have felt both "lost" and "misplaced".
Alone in a barren desert wilderness, pregnant with a child because of
another person's willful desire...but she was not alone and the "Angel"
found her. This is where He often finds many of us - alone and in the
wilderness. But rest assured He will find you. And He knows all about our
past as well as our future (Even though He asked Hagar where she had come
from and where she was going, He already knew the answers and yet He still
cared to comfort her in her affliction.
Ge 16:8)
"Shur"
means "wall' so in a sense Hagar had her "back against the wall" as we
commonly say when we find ourselves difficult, stressful circumstances.
There is no
wilderness we can flee to
and be out of the sight of God.
For the sinner this truth brings terror. For the saint walking in the
light this truth brings great peace from knowing He is there and that
he has seen
the wrong others have committed against us and that He will avenge the
wrong. Our call is to forgive those who have wronged us. We don't know
from the text if Hagar forgave Sarai, but we do know that this is God's
will for the righteous.
A:
Hagar
("flight")
ran
away from Sarai but ran into God. How many of us running away from some
oppressive situation, some bad memory, some unfair treatment, etc, have
"run into God"?
"The
LORD is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble and He knows those who take
refuge in Him." (Nahum 1:7)
Do you need to run to Him and take refuge in the Strong Tower of His name El
Roi right now?
Then run for you won't be disappointed. The adversity you
are experiencing may not necessarily be assuaged (even as Hagar had to
return to the setting of prior harsh treatment) but in your adversity you
can take confidence that El Roi sees and He will send comfort
IN
the affliction. Compare Paul's great encouragement in Ro 8:37...
A:
Do you see the significance
of the little preposition "IN"?
What a "precious and magnificent promise"
(see notes
2 Peter 1:4)
that sons and daughters of the Living God can experience victory IN the very
midst of tribulations, distresses or persecutions because He gives a
supernatural provision through Christ, our El Roi Who sees our need and
strengthens us to press on against all odds (cf notes
Philippians 4:13).
This scene marks the first OT
occurrence of the phrase
the "Angel of the LORD".
Although not everyone agrees, the evidence strongly supports that this
Angel is
(1) God.
Furthermore, the fact that He does not appear again after the incarnation
of Christ supports that
(2) He is the Lord Jesus Christ. He appears
often in the OT at times of great need or distress.
Note that He speaks
with authority (Ge 16:9),
promises He will multiply Hagar's descendants (something only God can do)
(Ge 16:10),
discerns supernaturally she is with child, specifies the child's name is
to be
Ishmael (meaning "God will hear")
for God had "given
heed (Hebrew =
shama = hear) to (Hagar's)
affliction. " (Ge 16:11).
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What did the "Angel" teach about God?
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A:
He hears when we are in distress and have been mistreated or despised. Hagar
would likely never forget how God had heard her cry of affliction
What grief are you
experiencing?
Recall God's comforting words to Hagar and remember that...
Grief has an
eloquent voice when
Mercy is the listener
and Woe has a plea
which
Goodness cannot
resist. (click above for more on His attributes mercy and goodness).
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Genesis
16:13 |
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Then she called the name of the LORD who spoke to her,
"You are (El Roi) a
God
who
sees
"; for she
said,
"Have I even remained alive here after
seeing Him?" |
Who had she just seen in
context? The
Angel of the LORD and she calls Him "God"
and specifically "El
Roi". The Lord Jesus Christ is El Roi.
A: Be encouraged by this "revelation" of God to Hagar
and
remember that in your most
painful trial you too may have your most
intimate and personal encounter with God. Hagar's wilderness experience
brought her face-to-face with God and taught her that "I AM" is the
living God who SEES our plight and HEARS our cry when we hurt. He is a
personal God, concerned about abused people and unborn babies. He knows our
past and our future and cares for those who will trust Him.
God's attributes
omniscience and
omnipresence are "inherent" in the Name "El Roi" God Who Sees
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What did Hagar name the well in Genesis 16:14? |
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"the well was called
Beer-lahai-roi;
behold, it is
between Kadesh
and Bered." |
Beer-Lahai-Roi
"well of Living One Who sees me"
i.e. of the ever living omnipresent Providence. Her specific description
seems to suggest that Hagar was now not a pagan worshiper of idols, but
had in some degree "turned to God from idols to serve (the) living
and
true God" (see notes
1Thessalonians 1:9)
of Abraham.
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What does El Roi watch over? |
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Jeremiah 1:12 |
Jehovah
assures Jeremiah...
"I am watching over My word to perform it." |
Because El Roi watches over
His Word, He is
able to perform what He promises. If we truly appropriate this truth,
there is nothing that can happen to us that we cannot be at absolute peace
about.
Is this not a clear
description of El Roi the God Who sees all and is therefore fully aware of
the suffering of His chosen ones? (See
Spurgeon's devotional)
Note also the interesting parallels: El Roi is derived from "ra'ah".
And "affliction"
is same word used to describe Hagar's affliction (Ge 16:11).
which El Roi saw. The point is that God sees your suffering saints. Be
consoled. Let us keep "fixing our eyes on Jesus, (our El Roi) the Author
and Perfecter of faith, " (see notes
Hebrews 12:2) (Spurgeon's
devotional)
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How MUCH does El Roi SEE?
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Proverbs 5:21 |
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For the ways of a man are
before the EYES of the LORD and He watches ALL his paths. |
There is no hiding from El Roi Who watches over you,
seeing and knowing all that happens, and "He is able to
come to the aid of those who are (being continuously) tempted (tested or tried)" (Heb
2:18).
Spurgeon writes...
"Our place of safety is the
bosom of the Saviour. Perhaps we are tempted just now, in order to drive
us nearer to Him. Blessed be any wind that blows us into the port of our
Saviour's love! Happy wounds, which make us seek the beloved Physician. Ye
tempted ones, come to your tempted Saviour, for He can be touched with a
feeling of your infirmities, and will succor every tried and tempted one."
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How
much does El Roi CARE? |
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