Post 12: Revisiting the Thankful for the Many Names of God series!

So she [Hagar] called the name of the Lord who spoke to her, “You are a God of seeing,” for she said, “Truly here I have seen him who looks after me.”

Genesis 16:13 (Name inserted by me for context)

El Roi [el-roh-ee] is another name that appears only once in the Bible but is so packed with meaning that we simply must study it to know more about our amazing God and how much He loves us.

For context, before calling to God as “El Roi” Hagar had just been thrown out of her home by her mistress, Sarah, for conceiving her master’s, Abraham’s, child – a child conceived at the mutual agreement of Sarah and Abraham to try to hurry God’s covenant along. When Hagar conceived, her relationship with Sarah was altered for the worse and Sarah gave her the boot as Abraham basically threw his hands up in the air and said, “Woman, do what you want.” (Genesis 16).

Suddenly Hagar went from favored servant to pregnant and alone in the wilderness and no doubt believing she would die – BUT – and this is why this name of God is so important to us – BUT GOD – God saw Hagar – out there in the wilderness thrown out for a mix of Sarah and Abraham’s sins and her newfound contempt for Sarah. God sent an angel to speak with Hagar, to reassure her that her child would be great in his own right, and to tell her to lose the bad attitude toward Sarah and go home. Hagar, amazed, called out to the Lord saying two lines that mean so, so very much to you and me today:

“You are a God of seeing. Truly here I have seen him who looks out for me.”

Sweet friend, our God sees us. He sees us when we are safe and sound and He sees us when we are in distress and danger. BUT – He not only sees us – HE LOOKS OUT FOR US! God didn’t just see Hagar out in the wilderness with His all-seeing eye and go, “Well, looks like Hagar got a little big for her britches and Sarah had to chuck her out. Poor thing. She’ll probably die out there. I see a pack of wolves a mile off or so.”

No. No. No. That’s not what God did.

God saw her and He sent an angel to give her correction and reassurance and send her safely home. When the Israelites came up against the Red Sea, God saw them and He gave them a way through it (Exodus 14:21). When Peter began to drown, Jesus saw Him and He REACHED out His hand for Peter to grab (Matthew 14:31).

Dear heart, look at how the psalmist explains God’s watchful eyes:

But the eyes of the LORD are on those who fear him, on those whose hope is in his unfailing love, to deliver them from death and keep them alive in famine.

Psalm 33:18-19

Our God sees us all the time because He is El Olam, the Lord Everlasting! Our God sees our need and provides for us because He is Jehovah-Jireh, the Lord will provide. Our God sees our hurt and heals us because He is Yahweh-Rapha, the Lord Who Heals. Our God sees those who would oppress us, those who wish us ill, and He commands a host to defend us for He is Yahweh-Sabaoth, or He sends peace into the situation for He is Yahweh-Shalom, or He rallies allies to us for He is Yahweh-Nissi! He is all of this and so much more!

Beloved, our God is not passively watching over us – HE IS ACTIVELY LOOKING OUT FOR US!

Almighty God, you see us when we rise and when we sleep, when we are at our best and when we are at our worst. Lord, You see us and You watch over us, showing us Your many names faithfully again and again – providing for us, healing us, defending us, and so much more. Thank You God for the revealing of Your character through Your many names, for the depth of love You show us in each and every one! May we evermore be mindful of Who You are when we call on Your name of Whose we are because You have set us apart!

References:

1. Got Questions. 2022. What are the names of God and what do they mean? https://www.gotquestions.org/names-of-God.html