Cycles of abuse in Genesis

(another reflection for class; it was on Genesis 7-22)

It’s funny how limited are the notions of Bible stories we acquire from the lectionary. I never realized that Abraham (twice) basically handed Sarah over to sexual servitude, and so I never saw that she visits the same oppression on Hagar by forcing Hagar to bear Abraham’s child. Abraham betrays Sarah in this way because he fears violence against himself, yes, but he puts himself and Sarah in harm’s way because he was following God’s promise of wealth and descendants. In fact, the animals Sarah’s prostitution brings in facilitate God’s covenant with Abraham (15:10 ff.) What would have happened if the couple had stayed home, or if Abraham had owned Sarah as his wife?

Despite these depressing themes, this section carried a beautiful surprise in the story of Hagar naming God (16:13). Although Hagar is forced to submit to abuse from both Abraham and Sarah, she sees the face of God and owns her faith by giving God a name. One translation—David Rosenberg’s in The Book of J—renders Hagar’s exclamation “You are the God I lived to see and lived after seeing,” showing the importance to her of this spiritual encounter and her unique status as God’s servant, outliving the encounter. Even in this problematic selection, full of God’s followers behaving badly, the seeker finds a story of the God of justice, who raises up the lowly.