Word of the Week -- El Roi

El Roi – The God who Sees.

Check it out for yourself: Gen. 16, 21:8-21; 2 Chronicles 16:9, Ps. 33:13-15, 18-19, 139; Mt. 6:3-4

Interestingly, while the idea of God watching over us is found throughout the Bible, the Name “El Roi” is found only once. I suggest you read the story, found in Genesis 16. Here are some interesting tidbits that you might not get from the text:
Hagar was an Egyptian slave. She was brought up in a culture that worshipped Egyptian idols – gods that could be seen but that could not see. The idea of a God who takes a personal interest in His creatures may have been completely unfamiliar to her. Or, perhaps she would have known of Abram and Sarai’s God, but would not have considered herself a part of His providence.
Note in the story that blame can be placed everywhere: Sarai and Abram weren’t able to wait for God to fulfill His promise to them, so they involved Hagar. Hagar was haughty to Sarai after she conceived. Abram encouraged Sarai to do whatever she wanted to her slave. Sarai mistreated Hagar.
When The Angel finds Hagar, He not only knows her name, who she is, and where she is, but has a plan for her, a promise for her and her child, and knows her future.
The Angel of the Lord is probably God Himself – most likely the Person of Jesus taking on human form even before the incarnation. In the Old Testament an angel of the Lord is simply one of the angels, but THE angel of the Lord is God Himself. Take a closer look: Gen. 16:13 says, “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.”
After this encounter, it’s no wonder Hagar is willing to return and submit to her mistress. This is a GOOD God, one who is powerful, interested, gentle, and caring.

El Roi, “the God who sees,” bears the connotation of One who sees everything and loves anyway. This is not the cruel God who watches, waiting with thunderbolts to destroy anyone who steps out of line. FB Meyer in Our Daily Walk, says “Wherever we go He precedes and brings up the rear; we are beset by His care behind and before.” He also notes that in Ps. 139, a Psalm all about how God sees and knows us, the tone is one of rapturous gladness. Meyer says, “It is the prerogative of friendship to love the presence and thought of a friend….”

But there’s still a naggling question, isn’t there? If God sees and God is good, why is life so hard?? Even Hagar and Ishmael were sent away from Abraham’s camp again – this time to nearly die of thirst, despite the promise spoken directly to her by El Roi (see Genesis 21).

Sometimes God allows us to bear the weight of persecution or to face a particular trial. And yet Jesus set the example: we are to “take His yoke, and bear it as He did; remain where God has put us, till He shows us another place; and bear what He ordains and permits.” How?? By believing that “what God permits is as much His will as what He appoints. Behind Sarah's hard dealings we must behold His permissive providence. Through all the discipline of life we must believe that God has a purpose of unfailing love and wisdom” (Meyer).

R.C. Sproul in “The Character of God” writes, “God knows that even in all of these afflictions there is the potential to bring Him glory. Remember that because God is sovereign, if what occurred in our lives (or is occurring right now) did not have the potential to conform us to the image of His Son, then He would not have allowed it to occur but He would have intervened. This should give you great peace in the midst of the storm, an inner peace that comes from the fact that He is the God Who sees and that He has not missed any of the events in our lives…the peace is that He knows.”

Praise God!! He knows YOUR whole story and is working something GOOD in YOU.

(References ESV Study Bible, FB Meyer,“Our Daily Word”; R.C. Sproul “The Character of God”; Anne Spangler, Praying the Names of God.)