Saturday, May 20, 2023

Names of God: El Roi

WARNING:
This lesson may trigger some strong responses. We did use the first video, but you need to preview it first. I would strongly recommend letting the parents know the angle you take with bringing this Name of God into the modern world. The Matthew West song shows a child dealing with a drug abusing parent. The book The Names of God in the Old Testament there is a section in chapter about a trafficked person. What I can share is we had a former teen at our church who was trafficked and then groomed and became a trafficker, her child is safe and she is now in prison and has made a 180 in life and is witnessing to her captive audience. 

This picture is from 2011 from the neighborhood that I grew up in. Nearly everybody was flooded out. It was a job to drag everything out and drop it at the curb. DPW scooped it up with huge front end loaders and off to a local park for staging and then off to the dump. Even in the worst, God is still in control. My mom was able to recover many treasures unharmed. My dad got his desk back that was a family heirloom made by a grandfather on my mom's side. 



Scripture
Genesis 16:13-14
So she called the Lord who spoke to her: The God Who Sees,[a] for she said, “In this place, have I actually seen the One who sees me?”[b] 14 That is why she named the spring, “A Well of the Living One Who Sees Me.”[c] It is located between Kadesh and Bered.

Name
El Roi (EL raw-EE) - The God Who Sees Me

Understanding the Name
Hagar was Sarai slave and when Abram and Sarai tried to take God's promise into their own hands, they made a mess of things. Sarai was angry with Hagar and mistreated her, it was so bad, Hagar ran away. She had her son, who because God had blessed Abram's off-spring (even the "wrong" offspring). Hagar was Egyptian and had been with Abram and Sarai for many years. Since she was close to Sarai, probably was privy to much of Abram and Sarai's conversations. When the abuse became too great, she fled into the desert, with no hope, no water, no protection the angel of the Lord found her, she learned that this God she had probably heard so much about, was real, He did care, He sought her out, He provided care, He reiterated the promise that was given to Abram would be given to her son. Ishmael is the father of the Arabs, they are nearly as plentiful as the Israelites. 


God Reveals His Name
Hagar finally learned that "the God of Abram" sees her, a no one, a slave and a runaway slave at that, a sinner, a pagan, and a woman (no rights for women). It was at this well in the desert she met the "Lord who sees her". She finally understood with a personal intervention who God, El or Elohim really was, not a force, not an uninterested power, but a personal creator, sustainer who listens for the cries of the hopeless to lift them out of their woes and to set them on the right, to bind their wounds, heal their hearts and restore their life. 
Genesis 16:13 - Hagar gave God the name, "The God Who Sees Me"


Take It To The Bank
  1. God cares - Psalm 33:13-15,18-19;  He is listening for your cries. Hagar hadn't quite gotten the lesson the first time, so after Ismael was born and Isaac was born, she had difficulties with Abraham and Sarah, and was sent off. They went out in the desert and having run out of resources, she set Ishmael down in the shade and then sat down far enough away she could not hear him. God came near and spoke to her, and opened her eyes to see a well, and they had water to survive. 
  2. God always keeps His promises, even when we mess them up. Ishmael's line continues to grow just as Isaac's. 
  3. When we truly cry out, God will reveal Himself.  



WE ARE NOT GOING TO USE THE STORY ABOUT THE SEX TRAFFICKING SURVIVOR. 
I spoke with someone who has far too much first hand knowledge and they want to address it at some point, but not without prayer, much prayer and parental involvement. I talked to this person to see if they would address it, and it is being considered, but this ties into my parenting teen class and parents meeting. 
At this point I do not remember what the book says and I do not have the book handy. This story of trafficking hit close to home at the time I taught the lesson and even closer to home since then. 

Small Group Questions:
  1. What images come to mind when you hear the name "The God Who Sees Me"?
  2. Have you experienced a moment when you know God was right there and you know He saw you and He did something?
  3. Many have used Psalm 121:3, 5-8 as they went off to war as a promise they will return home safe and unscathed. Do you think this is what God had in mind? Does it work? What should we do with this verse? Are we always going to be uninjured? We will always be safe? How do we interpret this when bad things happen? Man can kill the body, but not the spirit. We also know that the promise can stretch, but God will not allow it to break. We will be made safe and that safe may be in heaven.

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