In this episode of In the Garden, we explore the story of Hagar in Genesis 16, one of the most difficult and powerful narratives in Scripture. Hagar, an Egyptian servant in the household of Abram and Sarai, is thrust into circumstances beyond her control. Sarai gives Hagar to Abram as a wife, hoping to obtain children through her (Gen 16:2–3). From our modern perspective, Hagar is powerless, and what happens to her is rape—she cannot consent, and her body becomes the arena of fear, oppression, and human sin.

Despite the injustice, God meets Hagar in the wilderness. When she flees her mistress, the Angel of the Lord finds her by a spring of water and speaks directly to her (Gen 16:7–9). God’s instructions are both practical and faithful: she is told to return to her mistress and submit (Gen 16:9), not as an endorsement of Sar ...