God’s Faithfulness in the Wilderness
Genesis 21:15–21 (NASB95)
15When the water in the skin was used up, she left the boy under one of the bushes. 16Then she went and sat down opposite him, about a bowshot away, for she said, “Do not let me see the boy die.” And she sat opposite him, and lifted up her voice and wept. 17God heard the lad crying; and the angel of God called to Hagar from heaven and said to her, “What is the matter with you, Hagar? Do not fear, for God has heard the voice of the lad where he is. 18“Arise, lift up the lad, and hold him by the hand, for I will make a great nation of him.” 19Then God opened her eyes and she saw a well of water; and she went and filled the skin with water and gave the lad a drink. 20God was with the lad, and he grew; and he lived in the wilderness and became an archer. 21He lived in the wilderness of Paran, and his mother took a wife for him from the land of Egypt.
Hagar and Ishmael faced death in the desert. Their water was gone. Hagar could not bear to watch her son die, so she set him under a bush and wept at a distance. At that moment, the angel of God called to Hagar. God heard Ishmael’s cries and assured Hagar that He would make Ishmael a great nation. God opened Hagar’s eyes to a well of water, saving both mother and son. This act of deliverance fulfilled the promise God made to Hagar years earlier. In Genesis 16, the angel told Hagar that Ishmael would survive, become a “wild man,” and live separated from his brothers.
Ishmael’s life in the wilderness and his skill as a bowman directly fulfill the angel’s words. He grew up in the desert, independent and combative. The text states that God was with Ishmael, underscoring again that God did not hate Ishmael. The wilderness, a place of danger and isolation, became the setting where God’s faithfulness was visible. God’s promise did not fail. He provided for Ishmael and secured his future.
Ishmael’s marriage to an Egyptian woman also stands out. Hagar, his mother, was Egyptian. She found a wife for Ishmael from her own people. This marriage marked a clear separation from Abraham’s family. While Isaac’s marriage would later reinforce his connection to the covenant people, Ishmael’s union with an Egyptian woman set him on a distinct path. It signaled both a physical and spiritual distance from God’s covenant people, yet it also affirmed that God’s care and promises extend beyond the boundaries of the covenant family.
The well in the desert is a powerful symbol of God’s provision. It echoes the earlier well at Beer Lahai Roi, where Hagar first encountered God as “the God who sees me.” In both stories, God meets Hagar in her distress, provides for her needs, and renews His promise. The movement from despair to hope, from exclusion to blessing, is a testimony to God’s unwavering faithfulness.
God’s faithfulness reaches beyond our expectations and boundaries. He hears the cries of the marginalized and provides for them in unexpected ways. The story of Hagar and Ishmael reminds us that God’s care is not limited to only some. He is present in the wilderness, attentive to suffering, and faithful to every word He has spoken. The church must reflect this same faithfulness. We are called to care for those on the margins, trust God’s promises even in hard times, and believe that His provision is always near.