Genesis 16:12: “He will be a wild donkey of a man; his hand will be against everyone and everyone’s hand against him, and he will live in hostility toward all his brothers.”
“We are on our own now”, Hagar said to her son Ishmael. She stated the obvious. After Abraham had seen them off, mother and son were aimlessly hiking the rocky trails of the Negev Desert. There were dusty mountains as far as the eye could see. They traversed dry riverbeds and passed through deep craters. Not a single soul in sight! How could her master treat her like this? How could he let go of his firstborn son?
Hagar assumed that Abraham’s wife Sarah was behind all of this. She had hated her, especially after Ishmael was born. Her son had been the glaring reminder that Sarah underperformed where it mattered most: bearing children – until recently. Hagar stopped and sighed. “How can a 90-year-old woman become pregnant?” she muttered. “This is against the laws of nature.” Ishmael looked exhausted from the heat. “Can I have more water, please?” he asked his mother and she gave him a drink.
Initially the water had weighed heavily on Hagar’s shoulders; but as the day wore on her burden became lighter and lighter. Finally, Hagar served Ishmael their last drop of water. It was in the dead of summer with pivotal temperatures in the desert. With no cloud in the sky, the sun had been relentless.
In the late afternoon her son collapsed. Hagar helped him up and guided him to a scraggly bush that offered poor shade. “Try to rest”, she said and her voice broke as she realized that Ishmael wouldn’t survive much longer. She couldn’t bring herself to sit by his side and watch him die, so she left him there. A stone’s throw away she broke down and cried. All of her hope was gone.
Suddenly someone addressed her: “What is the matter Hagar?” was the question. Startled, she recognized the heavenly being she had encountered a long time ago, when she was pregnant with her son and running away from her mistress. Hagar prostrated herself before the angel, but he stopped her: “No need to worship me, I’m just the messenger”, he said. “My son is dying”, Hagar sobbed. Gently the angel spoke with her and said, “Don’t be afraid, Hagar. God has heard the boy’s cry.”
And Hagar remembered. In the past God had named her unborn son “Ishmael” – “The Lord hears” – and prophesied that his offspring would become a great nation. “God saw us way back then and He sees us right now”, Hagar thought. She was amazed; and when the angel reached out and touched her she felt instantly revived. The Lord encouraged her and said [Genesis 21:18]:
“Lift the boy up and take him by the hand, for I will make him into a great nation.”
Hagar sobbed again, but this time tears of relief trickled down her face. Then, as quickly as he had appeared, the angel was gone. Looking around, she suddenly realized that they were only minutes away from a popular rest stop. With renewed energy she ran all the way to the local well. A tribe of nomads had stopped there for water. Never had she been so happy to see a human face. They were kind to Hagar, assisting her at the well while she briefly told them her story. “Stay with us”, they offered. She accepted their invitation before she rushed back to take care of her son.
And so Hagar and Ishmael joined the desert nomads. Time passed and God was with Ishmael. He became a skilled archer who knew the Desert of Paran like the back of his hand. When the time came for him to get married, Hagar went to Egypt to get in touch with her family and chose a beautiful bride for her son.
Like a desert donkey Ishmael grew up, untamed and free; neither he nor his mother would ever be slaves again.