7-Day Bible Study: “The God Who Sees: Encounters with El Roi”

Day 1: Hagar — Seen in the Wilderness (Genesis 16)

Welcome to our 7 day mini study on El Roi - the God Who Sees. We will walk through six biblical encounters where God saw His people in their pride, pain, and shame, and concludes with a day of reflection on how God sees you.

Overview

Anchor Verse: Genesis 16:13 — “She gave this name to the Lord who spoke to her: ‘You are the God who sees me,’ for she said, ‘I have now seen the One who sees me.’”

Theme: God reveals Himself as El Roi… the God who sees. This 7-day Bible study

How to Use This Study:

• Grab your Bible, a journal, and your favorite coffee or tea.

• Read the passage slowly, letting the words sink in.

• Work through the teaching notes and pause to write down what God shows you.

• Use the questions to reflect deeply and personally.

• End with prayer, speaking honestly with the God who sees you.

Key Truth: God sees us not just when we are hurting, but also when we are hurting others. He sees the whole messy truth.

Scripture Reading: Genesis 16:1–16

Teaching:
Let’s be honest… Genesis 16 reads like a soap opera. Sarah is desperate for a child and decides to “help” God by giving Hagar, her servant, to Abraham. Hagar conceives, and suddenly the power dynamic shifts. Verse 4 says, “When she knew she was pregnant, she began to despise her mistress.”

The Hebrew word here is qalal, which means to treat lightly, to disdain, to mock. Hagar wasn’t an innocent victim, she rubbed her pregnancy in Sarah’s face. And Sarah? She lashes out in jealousy and anger, mistreating Hagar until she runs away.

It’s messy. Both women are wronged, and both women ARE wrong. Can you relate? Have you ever been both the wounded one AND the one doing the wounding?

Now here’s the beautiful part. Verse 7: “The angel of the Lord found Hagar near a spring in the desert.” Don’t miss that… God went after her. He didn’t wait for her to get her act together. He met her in her pride, her pain, her running. He calls her by name, asks her to face the truth of where she’s been and where she’s going, and gives her a hard word…return and submit…but also a hopeful promise: a son who would become a great nation.

And Hagar? She names God El Roi, “the God who sees me.” The Hebrew ra’ah means more than to glance; it’s to look with intention, to perceive fully. God didn’t just notice her. He saw her completely…her sin, her suffering, her future…and still gave her mercy.

Reflection Questions:

1. Can you think of a time when you were both hurt and also hurting someone else? How might God have seen you in that situation?
   

2. Where do you need to accept both God’s correction and His compassion?
   

Journal Prompt: Write about a time you ran away: physically, emotionally, or spiritually. How did God meet you there?

Prayer Prompt: Lord, You see all of me; the good, the bad, the ugly. Thank You for not turning away. Help me to receive both Your correction and Your mercy.

Memory Verse: Genesis 16:13

Related Reading From Our Blog:

El Roi, The Lord Who Sees and 6 Ways He Sees You Today

The Meaning of El Roi – Discover the God Who Truly Sees You

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