El Roi (EL raw EE)
The name of God, El Roi, is found in only one place in all of Scripture!
In Genesis 16:13-14 we find Hagar, Sarai’s servant, pregnant with Ishmael in the desert.
Being advanced in years and failing to conceive herself, Sarai had given Hagar to Abram to conceive a son. After conceiving, Hagar began to look upon Sarai with contempt. Sarai, having received permission from Abram to deal with Hagar as she saw fit, eventually drove Hagar away.
Sarai had been unable to bear a son for Abram so she gave him Hagar, her Egyptian slave.
Hagar fled to the desert where was alone, pregnant and afraid. The Angel of the Lord (a theophany/OT appearance of Jesus) came to her and comforted her by telling her “Go back and submit to Sarai and I will bless you with descendants too numerous to count.” Hagar responded: “So she called the name of the LORD who spoke to her, ‘You are the God of seeing.’
This is the only occurrence of El Roi in the Bible, BUT we see evidence of the God Who Sees all through the Bible, including Psalm 33:13-14: “From heaven the Lord looks down and sees all mankind; from his dwelling place he watches all who live on earth.”
I am blessed and encouraged by El Roi, the God Who Sees and I respond in three primary ways:
I am Awed by God’s boundless ability. We have cameras and cell phones everywhere these days and a sense that there is no privacy but that’s not close to being true. Cameras don’t capture a fraction of what happens in life but God sees everything, absolutely everything. His power and His abilities are boundless! Knowing this…
I am Humbled that He still chooses to love me. He sees everything that I do – and don’t do. There is no sin in my life that escapes His attention. I cannot imagine the pain that I have caused God, the pain that I still cause God and yet… He chooses to love me. He loves me not because I am so lovable, but because He is God and He is the very definition of Agape Love. Knowing this…
I am Comforted that He sees everything. This allows me to be open and vulnerable with God. There are no surprises. This transforms my understanding of, and experience with, confession. Confession isn’t telling God something that He doesn’t know. It literally means to agree with the other’s view. When I confess, I am humbling myself before God who has already seen it all and I am agreeing with His view of my sin. This leads to a healthier relationship with God.
I am increasingly awed, humbled and comforted by El Roi and I pray that you are too!
- by Pastor Pete Shults of Cross Point Fellowship, Hurley, NY
pshults26@gmail.com