Genesis 21.8-21

When God Opens Your Eyes

By Lindsey Bell

Have you ever been at a place of complete desperation? Maybe it was after a job loss or during a difficult health situation. Maybe it was after the death of a friend or family member. Or maybe it was after you came home to find your spouse and children gone. Divorce was something you thought would never happen to you, but here you stand. Alone. 

In the text we’re going to look at today, Hagar experienced a similar feeling of desperation. Let’s go ahead and read through Genesis 21:8-21. I can’t wait to share with you what happened when she thought all hope was gone.

Genesis 21:8-21 (NIV):

“The child grew and was weaned, and on the day Isaac was weaned Abraham held a great feast. But Sarah saw that the son whom Hagar the Egyptian had borne to Abraham was mocking, and she said to Abraham, ‘Get rid of that slave woman and her son, for that woman’s son will never share in the inheritance with my son Isaac.’ 

The matter distressed Abraham greatly because it concerned his son. But God said to him, ‘Do not be so distressed about the boy and your slave woman. Listen to whatever Sarah tells you, because it is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned. I will make the son of the slave into a nation also, because he is your offspring.’ 

Early the next morning Abraham took some food and a skin of water and gave them to Hagar. He set them on her shoulders and then sent her off with the boy. She went on her way and wandered in the Desert of Beersheba. 

When the water in the skin was gone, she put the boy under one of the bushes. Then she went off and sat down about a bowshot away, for she thought, ‘I cannot watch the boy die.’ And as she sat there, 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? Do not be afraid; God has heard the boy crying as he lies there. Lift the boy up 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 water. So she went and filled the skin with water and gave the boy a drink. 

God was with the boy as he grew up. He lived in the desert and became an archer. While he was living in the Desert of Paran, his mother got a wife for him from Egypt.” 

If you’ve been following the previous Eat Your Bible posts, you’re familiar with the history of Abraham and Sarah. But just in case you’re new to this blog, let me provide a short review. 

God promised Abraham and Sarah that they would have a child. Unfortunately, God didn’t rush to fulfill his promise, and Abraham and Sarah grew impatient. They took matters into their own hands. Sarah gave her servant, Hagar, to Abraham to sleep with in hopes that they could have a child through her. This, of course, was never God’s plan for Abraham and Sarah. Later, after Hagar delivered Ishmael, Sarah had Isaac. And here is where our story begins today. 

Abraham and Sarah sent Hagar and Ishmael into the desert to fend for themselves. When all of their food and water were gone, Hagar lost all hope. It’s bad enough to deal with hunger yourself, but it’s quite another thing to watch your child starve to death. Hagar couldn’t stand the idea of watching her son die, so she went off by herself to cry. 

Look at what the text says happened next: “Then God opened her eyes and she saw a well of water.” I don’t know if the well was there all along or if God miraculously brought one to her. Either way, one thing is certain: Hagar’s life was changed because God opened her eyes. 

As I read this story, I’m reminded of another instance in which God opened someone’s eyes. In 2 Kings 6, enemy armies surrounded the prophet Elisha. Elisha’s servant feared for his life and cried out for help. In that moment, God opened the servant’s eyes to see the armies of the Lord protecting Elisha. You can bet that Elisha’s servant was never the same from that day forward. 

When God opens your eyes, you change. 

I’m not saying God is going to magically fix all of your problems. He didn’t do that for Hagar or for Elisha’s servant, and he might not do it for you either. 

What I am saying is this: keep your eyes open. Don’t focus so much on your problems that you fail to see God in the midst of them. Who knows what God might be trying to show you? And who knows how your life might be changed once He opens your eyes?