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Name of God #5 of 15 – El Roi – God who sees.

 

[Quote from Megan Allen Ministries – This is one of my favorite names of God, Jehovah Rohi. God sees into the depth of our hearts and minds. There is no emotion, thought, fear, or hurt that kept hidden from His eyes. The idea that there is a person who knows me this intimately can be an intimidating thought. Yet when we understand God’s character, we can take comfort in this comprehensive knowledge He has of us. As His children, He loves us deeply. Despite our dark and sinful nature. We are covered in the blood of Jesus. That is what He sees.

Then she called the name of the Lord who spoke to her, “You are a God who sees”; for she said, “Have I even remained alive here after seeing Him?” – Genesis 16:13 (see context) …end of quote.]

 

(Begin study) – We start by taking this verse in context from – Genesis 16:1-13…

Genesis 16:1-13 (ESV) Now Sarai, Abram’s wife, had borne him no children. She had a female Egyptian servant whose name was Hagar.  (2)  And Sarai said to Abram, “Behold now, the LORD has prevented me from bearing children. Go in to my servant; it may be that I shall obtain children by her.” And Abram listened to the voice of Sarai.  (3)  So, after Abram had lived ten years in the land of Canaan, Sarai, Abram’s wife, took Hagar the Egyptian, her servant, and gave her to Abram her husband as a wife.  (4)  And he went in to Hagar, and she conceived. And when she saw that she had conceived, she looked with contempt on her mistress.  (5)  And Sarai said to Abram, “May the wrong done to me be on you! I gave my servant to your embrace, and when she saw that she had conceived, she looked on me with contempt. May the LORD judge between you and me!”  (6)  But Abram said to Sarai, “Behold, your servant is in your power; do to her as you please.” Then Sarai dealt harshly with her, and she fled from her.  (7)  The angel of the LORD found her by a spring of water in the wilderness, the spring on the way to Shur.  (8)  And he said, “Hagar, servant of Sarai, where have you come from and where are you going?” She said, “I am fleeing from my mistress Sarai.”  (9)  The angel of the LORD said to her, “Return to your mistress and submit to her.”  (10)  The angel of the LORD also said to her, “I will surely multiply your offspring so that they cannot be numbered for multitude.”  (11)  And the angel of the LORD said to her, “Behold, you are pregnant and shall bear a son. You shall call his name Ishmael, because the LORD has listened to your affliction.  (12)  He shall be a wild donkey of a man, his hand against everyone and everyone’s hand against him, and he shall dwell over against all his kinsmen.”  (13)  So she 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.”

— It is hard to comprehend fully the value of God’s name as announced by Hagar, without reading the setting in which she finds herself when she calls God by this name to show her appreciation for the fact that God cares and watches.

So, let’s look at some interesting points found here: (For discussion)

Q1. What do you think of Sarai and Abram’s faith displayed in Vs.1-4? (Remember their ages.)

 

Q2. What about Hagar’s behaviour in Vs.4?

 

Q3. What do you think Sarai expects of Abram in Vs.5?

 

Name of God #5 of 15 – El Roi – God who sees  (Pg.#2)

Q4. How about Abram and Sarai’s dealings with the predicament of Hagar in Vs.6?

 

Q5. In Vs.7-12, we have an “angel of the Lord” speaking to Hagar. And yet he speaks of prophetic promises as from God Himself… Does the ‘person’ speaking really matter when they are carrying the Message of God Himself?

 

Now we get to the name Hagar uses to address God “El Roi”…

Dictionary definitions for the combined name :
El – A term used for Almighty (God)…
Rohi (pronounced: ro-ee’); means sight, whether abstractly (as in a vision) or concretely (on display).

Two Bible translations of Genesis 16:13…

(ERV)  The LORD talked to Hagar. She began to use a new name for God. She said to him, “You are ‘God Who Sees Me.'” She said this because she thought, “I see that even in this place God sees me and cares for me!”

(MKJV)  And she called the name of Jehovah who had spoken to her, You are a God of vision! For she said, Even here have I looked after Him that sees me?

Q6. What do we see in this response of Hagar in Vs.13? – (Mark the answer(s) you find there.)

O – Thankfulness.     O – Awe.     O – Respect.     O – Humility.     O – Anger.     O – Shame.

 

Q7. Do you find any of these in your own responses to your God? (Discuss)

O – Thankfulness.     O – Awe.     O – Respect.     O – Humility.     O – Anger.     O – Shame.

 

Q8. As we walk in the sight of God, how do we keep our lives pleasing to Him?

Answer found in Hebrews 4:12-13… (ESV) For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.  (13)  And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account.

— We need to ask ourselves, “Is there anything we try to hide or hold back from God?”

Let’s remember that a loving God sees you and me, in every situation and storm… (KRK)

See Hebrews 13:5 (MKJV) Let your way of life be without the love of money, and be content with such things as you have, for He has said, “Not at all will I leave you, not at all will I forsake you, never!”

— Our God who never leaves us, ALWAYS SEES US. (In every situation and struggle.)

— Let’s remember that fact whenever we pray for our needs and those of one another.