What does "El Roi" mean for us today?
Genesis 16:13 13 Then she called the name of the Lord who spoke to her, “1You are 2a God who sees”; for she said, “aHave I even 3remained alive here after seeing Him?”
Genesis 16:1 - 16
ESV - 1 Now Sarai, Abram's wife, had borne him no children. She had a female Egyptian servant whose name was Hagar. 2 And Sarai said to Abram, "Behold now, the Lord has prevented me from bearing children. Go in to my servant; it may be that I shall obtain children by her." And Abram listened to the voice of Sarai.
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Shirley H
Hagar is desperate. God heard her! In verse 16:11, God reveals to her that she shall have a son, he will be a wild boy. (verse 16:12) Sarai's scheme will only bring more conflict. But, Hagar names God, El-roi! It means the God who sees. Hagar named her boy Ishmael, (God told her to). Ishmael means "God hears." Hagar prayed to God, the true God. God heard and saw Hagar. Malachi 3:6: "For I am the Lord, I do not change." God is the same yesterday, today and forever. God does indeed see us and hear us, even today. Philippians 4:6,7: "Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God which surpasses all understanding, will guard your heart and minds through Christ Jesus." After all, the Angel of the Lord who appeared to Hagar was the Lord Jesus himself.
Jack Gutknecht
EL ROI ĕl rō’ ī (אֵ֣ל רֳאִ֑י; MT is defectively pointed ’ēl ro'ī). The name used for God in Genesis 16:13 by Hagar whose protection she experienced when fleeing from Sarai. An ambiguous phrase in Heb., “El Roi” has been rendered in two main ways: (1) “God who sees me” (cf. KJV, Gr., Vul.) and (2) “God of seeing” (RSV). Also favoring the latter interpretation is the Jerusalem Bible, and NEB using the title “El Roi” with “God of (a) Vision” in the footnote explanation. --Encyclopedia of the Bible This term, besides illustrating that God is a person who the human can relate to, illustrates the omniscience and omnipresence of God. When we talk about God's omniscience we are referring not just to the fact that He knows it all, but that He perceives all the things we have in our hearts. He knows when we are saddened or joyful. He knows when we are confident or frightened. He knows when we are cheerful or disheartened. He knows when we are optimistic or full of pessimism. He knows everything about us. He never forsakes us. He knows what we are going through at this moment and he is ready to reach out his hand just like he did to Hagar.--bibliatodo.com Jesus sees all, especially Christians, I think. Proverbs 15:3 says "The eyes of the Lord are in every place, keeping watch on the evil and the good." He saw the poor paralytic sitting for 38 years by the Pool of Bethesda (John 5 opening verses). And the reason He had his eyes on him was to heal him. "We can often take small blessings for granted. The fact that we’re breathing, our organs are functioning properly, and most of us had food to eat today and water to drink...are all blessings. We can see God’s daily blessings if we truly choose to look. “What I’ve found to be helpful is to keep a gratitude journal. I try to mark blessings, even small ones, that I see in each day. “God doesn’t always have to move mountains. He can provide shelter, food to eat, a family to love. Keep track of all the ways he sustains you. “Similar to the journaling mentioned above, look back over older entries. In our most desperate moments, similar to Hagar, we can see the fingerprints of God all over our past. We know he has the future in his hands. And he will never stop seeing us. “Not even for a second." --Hope Bolinger, author
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