Message: Cry, Well, Promise

Genesis 21 begins with the birth of Isaac. The name Isaac means “laughter.” After Abraham welcomed the strangers, Sarah received the promise that she would bear a child. At the time, she laughed at the promise because it seemed impossible. She believed she was too old to have a child. But now she laughs with joy. As she experiences God's faithfulness, her laughter of doubt is transformed into laughter of gratitude and delight.

However, Isaac’s birth does not lead to a simple happy ending. Abraham already has a firstborn son, Ishmael, the son of Hagar. When Sarah thought she would never be able to have a child, she gave her Egyptian slave woman, Hagar, to Abraham so that he might have a child through her. What Sarah once saw as a solution now becomes a source of conflict and tension. 

When Isaac is weaned, Abraham holds a great feast. In the ancient world, it was never certain that a child would survive the early years of life. So, reaching this stage brought deep joy to the whole household.

At that feast, Sarah sees Hagar’s son playing with Isaac. Some understand this as Ishmael mocking Isaac. However, in the Hebrew Bible, the verb sahaq more often means “to laugh” or “to play,” and it is closely related to Isaac’s own name. For this reason, it can be read more as a moment of children laughing and playing together than as mockery.

But in Sarah’s eyes, Ishmael’s laughter looks like a threat, because she fears that the firstborn son may one day pose a danger to Isaac. So, she says to Abraham, “Cast out this slave woman with her son.” She does not call them by name. She calls them “this slave woman” and “her son.” In her eyes, they are no longer people with names, but a problem to remove.

Sarah is changed because of her love for her son. It is a mother’s love, but that love can also become self-centred. It is not morally innocent. There is no way to justify sending Hagar and Ishmael into the wilderness. The Bible tells the truth about human life. No one in the Bible is a perfect saint. Through Sarah, it shows us that even a love meant to protect a child can turn into fear, possession, discrimination, and harm toward others.

Abraham is troubled by Sarah’s demand. Ishmael is not only Hagar’s son. He is also his firstborn. Abraham is his father.

This story is set in an ancient patriarchal society. In that world, the survival and safety of a family depended on the father, who was the head of the household and expected to protect and provide. But this structure also meant that people with less power, especially women, children, foreigners, and slaves, could easily be harmed or pushed aside. 

In this context, Scripture teaches those who hold the role of father and head of household to limit harm and to care for the vulnerable with responsibility. Therefore, in the Bible, a good father is not a dictator. He is not someone who uses others for his own benefit. Rather, he is someone who protects the lives entrusted to him, pays attention to those who are weak, and leads with care and compassion.

As a father, Abraham cannot easily make this decision. Then God says to him, “Do not be distressed because of the boy and because of your slave woman. Whatever Sarah says to you, do as she tells you.” This does not mean that God approves of Sarah’s action as righteous. God does not side with those who oppress the vulnerable. At the same time, God does not ignore Sarah’s fear as the mother of a young child. God does not pretend that this complex family situation can be quickly resolved. Instead, God opens a new way of hope.

This story shows us how human love can sometimes become selfish and harmful. But it also reveals the wider mercy of God, a mercy that reaches beyond the wounds created by that love. God’s compassion holds not only the child inside the house, but also the child who has been pushed outside. God cares not only for one mother, but also for the mother who has been sent away.

Hagar and her child are sent into the wilderness with bread and a skin of water. It is a dry and barren land. Eventually, the water runs out, and it seems that all hope is gone. Hagar places her child under a bush because she cannot bear to watch him die. She loves him, but she has nothing left to give him. Few things are more tragic for a parent than watching a beloved child in such a situation and being unable to help.

Hagar weeps. There is nothing left but to lift up her voice and cry. Ishmael also cries. Their voices spread across the wilderness, but no one seems to hear them. Their cries do not reach Abraham’s tent.

Yet God hears the cry in the middle of the wilderness. The name Ishmael means “God hears.” In Hebrew, to hear means more than noticing a sound. It means to pay attention, to respond, and to act. When God hears, God cares.

The messenger of God says to Hagar, “What troubles you, Hagar? Do not be afraid.” Sarah called her “this slave woman,” but God calls her by name. Human beings may refer to others by status, but God calls them by name as they are.

The Korean poet Chun-Su Kim begins his poem “Flower” as follows: 

    Before I called her name,
    she was nothing
    more than a gesture.

    When I called her name,
    she came to me
    and became a flower.

Likewise, in Scripture, calling someone by name means more than using a label. God called Moses by name. God called Samuel by name. The risen Christ called Mary Magdalene by name. The God who calls names does not treat people as functions, roles, or social categories. God sees each person as having a face, a voice, and a story. Those who have lost their names in the eyes of others find their names again before God.

Then God opens Hagar’s eyes, and she sees a well of water. God does not suddenly create a new well. God helps her see what was already there. Despair can keep us from seeing what is near. Fear can hide the possibility of life. Sorrow can narrow our vision.

God promises, “I will make a great nation of him.” God opens her eyes not only to the well, but also to the future. Those who hold on to God’s promise are given strength to walk forward.

God is not only the God of Isaac, but also the God of Ishmael. God is with the child inside the house, and also with the child who has been pushed outside. Isaac will grow as the one who carries forward Abraham’s line, but that does not mean Ishmael is outside God’s love.

When Christians say, “We are God’s people,” it does not mean, “God is only on our side.” Rather, it is a confession of faith that the God we believe in is also the God of the people outside the church. As God’s people, we are called to hear the cries that God hears. We are called to name the people that God names.

God hears the cry. God opens our eyes to the well. God keeps the promise. May we be a church that calls by name those who have lost their names. May we be a community that listens to the cries that no one else hears. May we be God’s people who help those in despair find the well that is near.

Thanks be to God. Amen.

Rev. Min Hwang