July 23rd, 2022

Our ‘journey’ continues this Sunday through that central and significant portion of the Gospel according to Luke [11:1-13], this time with an emphasis on prayer, although the more general emphasis on words still continues. Last week Mary was sitting at Jesus’ feet and listening to his words, and this week the disciples want hear some words from Jesus about prayer. And he responds by putting some words into their mouths. Either way there is an emphasis on words.

This week in the Old Testament text, the words also continue, essentially from where we left off last week. The text is Genesis 18:20-33, with the optional addition of the verses 17 through 19 before the text, and this addition is just a little while after the optional ending for last Sunday. I hope it is obvious that Genesis is an important book with some important words.

Last week there was an emphasis on the words in Genesis which described the times that the LORD God would also appear basically as a man as well. They were, in a sense, somewhat confusing texts, and many people have written many things about them.

Last week there were summarized appearances from Genesis 16, 18-19, 24, and 32. And this might be a good place to point out that these significant appearances may have some significant connections to the four gospel accounts. We think of the four gospel accounts being connected to the four living creatures of the LORD’s throne in Ezekiel or in Revelation, but having them connected to his various actions in Genesis is a step in a slightly different but important direction. This emphasis may help us to understand that God’s gracious help is quite multi-faceted. The Bible is not necessarily a boring lesson in history but the wonderful story of salvation.

This occasion might be good for looking at the first appearance of those four, when the angel of the LORD comes to Hagar in Genesis 16, and we may see some connections to a gospel account, in this case, the Gospel according to Matthew. This text does not appear in any Old Testament text in any year of any series.

Here is the text as it appears in Genesis 16:7-13, and it is given in a somewhat-literal translation:

And he found her, angel of Yahweh, upon a spring of water, in the wilderness, upon the spring on the road of Shur. And he said, “Hagar, servant of Sarai, where from this you came? And where, now, you go?”

And she said, “From the face of Sarai, my mistress, I myself am running.”

And he said to her, angel of Yahweh, “Return to your mistress and submit yourself under her hands.” And he said to her, angel of Yahweh, “To increase, I will increase your seed, and not it will be counted from many.” And he said to her, angel of Yahweh, “See, you, with child, and you will beget a son, and you will call his name Ishmael, for he heard, Yahweh, to your affliction. And he himself will be a wild donkey of man, his hand against all, and hand of all against him, and against faces of all his brothers he will dwell.”

And she called, name of Yahweh, the One speaking to her, “You, God of sight.” For she said, “Now, here, I saw the back of the One seeing me.”

This is a lot of detail for someone who is not going to be mentioned a lot more times in the Bible. And this is probably why this text has not been designated for any Sunday in the church year.
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The name Hagar happens to be mentioned in Galatians 4:24 & 25, when comparing Sarah and Hagar and the old and new covenants, and the name is also mentioned in a genealogy in Genesis 25:12, and the only other place is a time in Genesis 21, where this time Hagar and her son are SENT away (rather than her running away), and this time an angel of GOD calls from heaven—instead of just showing up. And this time it is said that God (and not the LORD) was with Ishmael.

It hopefully is obvious that the angel of Yahweh showing up to Hagar is an important thing. He did not have to do that. And obviously, since the angel is just doing some teaching, he did not need to show up or be seen. In the second account, when Hagar and her son were sent away, they needed some help, and the text says that God opened Hagar’s eyes (see 21:19). That seems to have been done by ‘long distance’.

The angel basically gives commands only at the beginning of his talk with Hagar. It is interesting that he starts the conversation with a couple of questions—although he probably already knew the answers. But the point was that this was going to be his focus. The angel, after giving the commands, gives a promise, that he would essentially GREATLY increase Hagar’s descendants. And he predicts several other things which only God would know. 

The angel of the LORD seems to be a teacher in this appearance, and within the Gospel according to Matthew, Jesus also seems to be a teacher. As Hagar’s eyes were opened, so may our eyes be opened to the LORD’s teachings—but especially his promises.