A God who cares about women

Hagar’s story is surely one to be retold. In Genesis 12, Abram and Sarai were promised “descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky”. Yet Sarai remained childless and the pressure of this over decades would have weighed heavily.

So they took matters into their own hands. In Genesis 16, Sarai “gave Hagar to her husband to be his wife” and they used their slave to be a surrogate and she fell pregnant.

Don’t forget, Sarai too was a victim. When Pharaoh saw that Sarai was beautiful, Abram lied and said “please tell them you are my sister. Then they will spare my life and treat me well because of their interest in you.” In return, Pharaoh treated Abram well for her sake, and Abram acquired sheep and cattle, male and female donkeys, male and female servants, and camels, Hagar could well have been one of these.