El Roi, The God Who Sees
“Then (Hagar) called the name of the LORD who spoke to her, “You are a God who sees…””
Day One
The name El Roi only appears once in the Bible. It is unique because unlike many of God’s names, this name was revealed to a woman. The woman’s name was Hagar and she was a slave. As such, she had few rights or resources.
Genesis 16:1-3 tells us that Abram and Sarah decided to use Hagar to fulfill the desire they had for a child. Additionally, Sarah mistreated Hagar and was very harsh to her. We call this abuse. Hagar, pregnant with Abram’s child, ran away to escape the use and abuse she was receiving. Can you imagine being alone and without anyone to help you? Hagar certainly must have felt hopeless and helpless to run away from the home she had.
It is this mistreated slave woman that God revealed Himself to as El Roi, the God who sees. Why do you think this is so significant?
El Roi teaches us that God sees and knows all things. There is nothing hidden from His sight. The Bible says that even the dark is light to Him, so He sees everything, all the time. He is also omnipresent, which means He is everywhere at the same time. He can see you jumping rope at school and also see a Chinese girl sleeping in her bed in China.
He is not limited by time, space, or matter. He even sees things that aren’t tangible, things like fear, humility, bitterness, improper desires, etc. He sees the unseen things of the heart (I Samuel 16:7b)
Hagar’s encounter with El Roi was so powerful that she returned home to Abram and Sarah and submitted herself to whatever they chose for her. {They eventually sent her and her son Ishmael away- “cast them out”- to live in the desert.}
El Roi is a meaningful name for those who are suffering. It is powerful enough to strengthen one who is undergoing sustained hardship. El Roi shows us that it is not important that we see or understand why difficult things happen to us; It is important that we see and understand El Roi, the One who does know why. Through trust, we can allow El Roi to be our eyes for us!
We have treasures to unlock this week as we explore this name: El Roi, the God who sees!
Activity:
Use chairs and blankets to make a “tunnel.” Take turns standing outside of the tunnel and asking “What toy am I holding up?” “What color shirt am I wearing?” etc. Explain “Tunnel vision” and describe how Hagar had tunnel vision. Talk about how we can have tunnel vision in our circumstances.
By meditating on El Roi and trusting Him, we can learn to see with our heart. This is an important skill to learn as a Christian, especially living in a culture that elevates knowledge and facts and learning and problem solving. We must remember that our understanding is limited and our eyes can’t see everything. We can, like Hagar, learn to trust the One who sees and knows all things.
Day Two
If God sees everything, why does He let bad things happen? Why does He just stand there watching while people hurt other people? Does He not care?
A careful look at El Roi helps give us some insight into these troubling questions. Genesis 16:10-11 says, “The angel of the Lord said to (Hagar),”I will greatly multiply your descendants so that they will be too many to count.” The angel of the Lord said to her further, “Behold, you are with child, and you will bear a son; and you shall call his name Ishmael, because the Lord has given heed to your affliction.”
El Roi was not blind to Hagar’s ill treatment. He was not standing by, watching but distant and uncaring. Instead, He saw not only the present pain that Hagar was experiencing but also the future of what was going to happen.
This is why God allows “bad” things to happen. He sees the full, entire picture. We only see our past and our present. He sees the past, present and future. He knows the outcome is secure and there is no difficult circumstance that can stop His good plan. Look up and read Romans 8:28 and Jeremiah 29:11.
God told Hagar a bit of the future to help sustain her in her present. What future things did He tell her in verses 10-11?
God may not tell us specifically how our lives are going to turn out but He does tell us that the future is secure! He tells us He is working out a good plan for us and nothing can thwart it. These are great promises we can hold to when we are experience hard things in life. For even when others mean evil against us, God intends for good, in order to bring about a future result that we can't see (see Genesis 50:20).
Activity:
Flower Markings
Visit a nursery or the outdoor section of your local Walmart; look at different flowers and notice the color on them. Talk about the unseen markings that birds and insects see on the flowers that we cannot see with our human eye. Creatures are drawn to these markings because they see beauty where the human eye cannot. Talk about how God sees beauty that we can’t see apart from the eyes of faith.
Day Three:
Have you ever heard of flight or fight syndrome? It happens when our bodies sense danger or alarm. It is a natural tendency for us to either flee from pain and difficulty or to fight for survival. Knowing and understanding El Roi gives us a third option.
Read Genesis 16:9 and notice how El Roi told Hagar to deal with her affliction.
This is El Roi, the God who revealed Himself to an afflicted woman, the God who saw everything about her life. It is this God who told her to stop running from it and go back to it! He told her to submit herself to whatever Sarah imposed on her.
This is an important word of instruction for our lives. Although our natural tendency is to run from difficult situations and look for a way out, El Roi tells us that when we are His child, He is always up to something important in our lives. El Roi is not only the God who sees our suffering but the God who is sovereign over it. It is only when we understand El Roi that we have the capacity to joyfully endure the hardships of life.
Read Isaiah 50:10-11 and discuss how it relates to our fight or flight tendency.
(Parents, please use your discernment in discussing what children should not submit to, i.e. a dangerous situation, a bully or stranger that wants to abuse them, etc. Point out the difference between submitting to a God ordained hardship such as an illness and letting others take advantage of you.)
Activity:
Good things come through pressure. Today’s project is to work on leaf imprinting. As a family, create a masterpiece by adding pressure! Go for a walk and collect leaves, flowers, for your imprinting art project. Afterwards, Frame and hang it; Use your creation to remind you that by letting God apply pressure to our lives, we are becoming something beautiful! Visit one of these sites for instructions on how to do leaf imprinting: or something more simple:
Day Four:
The word “submit” in Gen. 16:9 means “to be afflicted.” It is a word that denotes to lower, weaken, or humble one’s self.
This word is used in Deut. 8:16 when God says, “I humbled you…to do good for you in the end.”
When God asks us to submit to hardship, it is because He has a promised land ahead for us and He is preparing us for it through submission. Humbling ourselves in submission to the affliction God sends us is important for the development of greatness in our lives.
As we get to know El Roi, our limited eyesight turns to an eternal perspective which enables us to joyfully embrace and bear up under trying times.
At this point in the lesson, I’d like to refer you to two blog posts I’ve written on this subject. (You can read them as time permits.) The first is “When you feel like quitting” and can be found here: The second is “Disarming Fear” and can be found here:
Activity:
Tickle torture; the rules are Don’t run and Don’t fight. Discuss our tendencies to run or kick back. Discuss how God wants us to bear patiently under trials.
Day Five
“Like a sheep before its shearers is silent….” Is. 53:4,7 Jesus shows us what submission to affliction looks like. He was afflicted and models submission as an example for us to follow.
Jesus’s submission was likened to a sheep when it goes to have its wool cut off. Most of the time, sheep are amazingly still while they are being sheared! They generally do not fight or struggle but will submit themselves to the shearing process. Occasionally, however, a sheep has trouble calming down and this only prolongs the shearing process.
El Roi is a God who is intimately acquainted with all our ways. If He asks us to submit to a difficult circumstance (and He will), He also asks that we trust Him to know the future and the best way to accomplish the most good. When we know and trust God as El Roi, we are enabled to “go back and submit” to whatever God ordains in our lives.
When we are tempted to run away, we can remember Hagar. We can also look at Jesus’ example of being like a sheep and calmly submit to the work He is doing in our lives.
Honoring El Roi through submission enables us to thrive under difficult and trying circumstances.
Read this Scripture compilation on El Roi, the God who Sees:
The Lord looks down from heaven and sees the whole human race. From His throne He observes all who live on the earth. Nothing in all creation can hide from Him.
Everything is naked and exposed before His eyes. He sees everything I do…and every step I take. I know the Lord is always with me. I will not be shaken. For He is right beside me.
Where can I go from Your Spirit? Where can I flee from Your presence? If I go up to the heavens, You are there. If I make my bed in the depths, You are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there Your hand will guide me, Your right hand will hold me fast.
If I say, “Surely the darkness will hide me and the light become night around me,” even the darkness is light to You, The night will shine like the day, for darkness is as light to You. You will show me the way of life, granting me the joy of Your presence and the pleasures of living with You forevermore.
The Lord your God is with you, wherever you go. Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit lives in you? The Lord Himself goes before you and will be with you. Do not be afraid. Do not be discouraged. For in Him we live and move and have our being.
God has promised, “Never will I leave you. Never will I forsake you. I’m holding you by your right hand…I, the Lord your God! And I say to you: “Do not be afraid. I’m here to help you.”
I will guide you along the best pathway for your life. I will advise you on where to go. And be sure of this, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
Activity:
Watch this video clip together on teaching a horse how to submit or “give” to pressure: about how watching a horse learn submission can help you learn it in your own life.