For Bible study at Kirk Women’s Fellowship – July 16th/ postponed to Aug 27th 2007 [Didn’t happen; Not used]

HAGAR AND THE GOD WHO SEES-

[FROM THE MARGINS TO MULTITUDES] Genesis 16: 1-15; Genesis 21: 8-20 Gen 16: 1-2- Statement of the problem: Sarah’s barrenness. In ancient society a woman’s self worth and social status were provided through her family- ie. Through her husband and more importantly through her offspring particularly males. A woman’s barrenness meant – loss of dignity, loss of self worth and heaps of shame regardless of social status. Childless woman lacked dignity and respect and were subject to disgrace and grievous wrong. The legitimate way to avoid such difficulties and shame for Sarah was to give her husband her own personal maid to bear her husband’s child. Female slaves of men always became concubines at the whim of their masters, but slaves of women could become the concubine of the husband only if the wife permitted this. Who was Hagar? Hagar was an Egyptian slave girl of the Hebrew ‘Princess’ Sarah. She was probably gifted to Sarah by Pharaoh to be her slave. So she was from a cultural background that was highly developed already at that time. The situation of Hagar was one of double disadvantage: - she was a foreigner and - she was a slave. In other words Hagar can be called one who lived in “the margin of margins” Traditional interpretations of the story: - focus on Abraham and Ishmael i.e. as this being the story of the

Annunciation of Ishmael or that it is the story of the child of the maid servant or that it is about the promise to Ishmael.

But actually the story is the story of Hagar primarily. It is a story that talks about the profound religious experiences Hagar had with God. She was the: 1st to encounter an angel 1st person to name God 1st woman who received the promise of descendants from god.

For Bible study at Kirk Women’s Fellowship – July 16th/ postponed to Aug 27th 2007 [Didn’t happen; Not used]

Some other interpretations of the story portray Sarah in a very unfavorable light – as an unfaithful servant of God, jealous wife and merciless mistress. Her positive side is missed – - she actively resolved her problems - she took charge of the issue of offspring at the cost of sharing her husband with another woman. - her important role in the furtherance of god’s promise in salvation history. The story of Gen 16 and 21 is not about Ishmael or Abraham or about 2 jealous women seeking approval from their husband or about 2 stubborn women of different classes locked in conflict. It is the story about 2 courageous women trying to reach self-realization within the patriarchal society they found themselves in – a structure that prevented them from realizing themselves. It is a story about 2 women who realized self-dignity and their importance in the wider picture of salvation history. Hagar receives purpose – dignity [angel of lord device is used to show God’s transmission of purpose to a human being] When the angel met her in the desert, Hagar felt a deep sense of purpose settle on her. She saw her role in the bigger picture of continuance of life. This story is about one woman – Hagar, who realized her dignity and insisted on her equality. Hagar receives a promise In the desert Hagar experienced God as the God who sees and hears the afflicted. Hagar received the promise that her son would be a wild ass of a man – that he would not be dominated, domesticated and most important, she knew he would not be a slave like she was. Hagar names God.- El Roi. Hagar names god from her own experience of God; from her experience of being given a future and a new hope. She names God, she renames her own place in life, she renames her own future and she renames her role in the future. Hagar in posterity

For Bible study at Kirk Women’s Fellowship – July 16th/ postponed to Aug 27th 2007 [Didn’t happen; Not used]

In Islamic tradition Hagar’s run in search of water between the two hills in the desert is still commemorated as part of the Hajj for 13 centuries and the place where God gave water to save her and Ishmael from thirst is the place where the Kabba of Mecca was later built. Rabbinic tradition says Hagar remained pure and chaste and that Abraham married her after Sarah died ie. Keturah meaning ‘deeds are beautiful because she remained chaste’ is considered a pseudonym for Hagar and so Hagar as Keturah had many children meaning she later emerged to be the female precursor to Joseph. Hagar’s story is one of the margins coming into the promise of becoming the multitude Lessons for us: - Hagar’s story is about the courageous struggle of people in the

margins and the profound religious struggles of these people of the margins

- It makes us stop to realize and cherish our own importance - It encourages us to name God’s place and future in and for our

own lives - This story causes critical social awareness about those on the

margins and encourages us to challenge status quo. It teaches us to respect other cultures, traditions and legends as well as our own cultural roots

- Highlights the importance of each person in the reign of God and in salvation history.

- Helps each of us see the importance of realizing personhood - Ultimate goal of the story is to help us rename our lives and our

world relative to a God whose hopes and dreams are ever unfolding and dynamic; not static and rigid. It is a story that challenges us to name things for ourselves instead of having things named for us. We need to reclaim this power of renaming ourselves, others and God.

-Jessica Prakash-Richard

For Bible study at Kirk Women’s Fellowship – July 16th/ postponed to Aug 27th 2007 [Didn’t happen; Not used]