Human Trafficking in the 21st century

A report for the Mission and Social Responsibility Committee of the Church of Christ the Cornerstone

Glynne Gordon-Carter

January 2014

History

In preparing this paper it would be remiss of me not to refer to the History of the Atlantic Slave Trade which was carried out from 1518-1865. Western European nations were actively involved in this slave trade and countless fortunes were made at all levels. The system became well established and slaves were sold to slavers mainly by African kings and chiefs. During this period no less than 20 million Africans were sold out of West Africa. This figure does not include those who were killed during collection in Africa, or who died on the long and hazardous trans- atlantic crossing, as they were crammed into slave ships like books on a shelf.

This was a massive movement of people who were wrenched from their homelands, families, communities, ancestors and their history. This horror should never be forgotten as long as the world lasts- a monstrous example of human trafficking. Many did not survive the long sea voyage as they died and those who caught diseases were thrown overboard. On arrival in the West Indies or in the Americas, slaves were auctioned off, people from the same tribe were separated, slaves were given sub standard housing, names were changed, once bought they were branded as they were counted as stock on the estate like the cattle, they had to work extremely long hours on plantations without wages, could be sold to another planter, suffered cruel punishments, rapes etc. A slave and his family were bought for life. The planter had absolute control over the person and liberty of the slave. In the case of the British, one island in the West Indies was used to breed slaves.

Today

I have deliberately stated these facts because although on a different scale in terms of numbers and other aspects, one can identify similarities in the human trafficking which is being carried out in the 21st century across the globe, as people are trafficked within their countries, as well as across borders. The question might be asked where is it happening? In fact there are not too many places where it is not happening. ILO figures show that 4.5 million people across the world are sex slaves. Every minute- 2 children are trafficked, and 2.5 million women are trafficked per year.

In Cambodia for instance there are many examples of parental complicity where girls are regarded as blessings as they can be sold to provide money for parents and the girls feel that they have to honour their parents. Girls are sold for items such as cell phones, TV sets and other consumables. They are sold at a young, tender age and men fly in half way around the world to buy children for sex. If the parents traffic the child in the country then it shows that they love the child, if trafficked out of the country then they do not love the child. They are often picked from a lineup with numbers on their chests. Thousands of girls are sold in this way and once bought they are expected to have encounters with from 5-40 men per day, seven days per week for up to possibly seven years. Some die, contract diseases, or end up so broken psychologically that they consider themselves worthless. This also happens to older victims as well. Buyers can pay for services with credit cards and the receipt given could read: Beer-US$4.00, Grapes- US$5.00, Girl-US$3.00 (whatever you want). One victim remarked ‘I would pray day and night to God that he would help me escape’. UNICEF has reported that in Cambodia, 19,250 children are trapped in trafficking. Cambodia is not an isolated example, there is well established human trafficking in Thailand and several other countries in that region.

In Moldova, Eastern Europe-400,000 women have been trafficked in the past 20 years as criminal gangs recognise how much money they can make. It is alleged that Spain has a high incidence of human trafficking.

What is Human Trafficking?

HOPE FOR JUSTICE UK defines it as ‘modern day slavery. It is serious organised crime and it is big business. Criminals can only profit from the sale of drugs and guns once but they can sell a victim’s services again and again.

The Act

What is done? Recruitment, Transportation, Harbouring or receipt of persons

The Means

How it is done? Threat or use of force, coercion, abduction, fraud, deception, abuse of power or position- vulnerability.

The Purpose - Why is it done?

In order to exploit victims e.g. prostitution and other forms of sexual exploitation e.g. pornography films, forced labour or services, slavery, servitude, or removal of organs. (When the victim is a child only act and purpose need to occur for human trafficking to exist). Information correct as of September 2012’.

Initiatives to counteract Human Trafficking

One of the main organisations is the INTERNATIONAL ORGANISATION FOR MIGRATION (IOM) which includes a counter trafficking unit. In Europe there is the ORGANISATION FOR SECURITY AND CO-OPERATION. These agencies have websites which provide very helpful information on how they are working to counter human trafficking. People are becoming more aware of this scourge and so support is growing against human trafficking.

In January 2014, the God TV Channel held a campaign in order to educate viewers worldwide and encourage people to speak out against this horror.

EXODUS CRY, USA has produced an excellent film entitled ‘Nefarious :Merchant of Souls’. The film focuses on redemption, reference to Psalm 10, in which the wicked are in the shadows looking for the vulnerable and weak to entrap them. There is no nudity and the film is suitable for a Christian audience. EXODUS CRY, USA is a major foundation which employs full-time staff, and they intervene where there is trafficking. They recognise trafficking as a spiritual matter and hold prayer vigils as part of their awareness raising programmes. They recognise that orphans, marginalised, stateless, sexually abused, poverty stricken, weak and vulnerable persons are preyed upon by traffickers. In order to bring victims under control they use systematised ways of breaking them down through violence, rape, gang rape, drugs, also threats to harm their families if they do not submit. Once the victim’s spirit is broken, in order to survive psychologically the victim begins to identify with the pimp or trafficker (Stockholm syndrome) as the only source of life.

In Sweden, men are arrested for buying sex and are given a serious penalty. So sex buyers are criminalised, not the women. They are victims and are offered protective services. The last murder of a prostitute was in 1989. Sweden is protecting the sanctitiy of human life. This has resulted in a low rate of human trafficking.

In Cambodia, safe houses have been set up by some individuals and NGOs in order to rescue victims. Counselling services are included in the rehabilitation of victims. It is interesting to note that an ex pimp and an ex trafficker have devoted their lives to helping children get out of the sex industry.

In December 2012, I had the opportunity to attend a Conference on ‘Toward Tier One- Preventing Human Trafficking in Jamaica’. This was organised by Soroptomist International of Jamaica and the College of Health Sciences- University of Technology Jamaica. It was stated that in 2000, the UNITED NATIONS had set up a protocol on human trafficking and arms trafficking. Jamaica was working towards achieving Tier 1, which would indicate full compliance.

Conference participants regarded human trafficking as violence against the soul. Churches, schools and civic organisations needed to be educated to the signs of trafficking. The main concentration was violence against women and girls. It was recognised that there was also violence against boys and men. Some governments in the region were still in denial about human trafficking, the Jamaican government had promised to set up a Task Force. Legislative changes were needed, and cases before the courts should be fast tracked. There was collaboration between the NGOs and the Police. There were 3 stages in the process of entrapping victims: Recruitment, Transportation, and Exploitation. The main types of exploitation were sexual exploitation, forced labour, servitude, and removal of organs. Persons were mainly young bright females e.g. University students who were recruited for so called modelling jobs; school drop outs, young single mothers and boys. Traffickers publicised offers of work and a better life through websites and newspapers. There was trafficking within Jamaica, and into Jamaica e.g. Filipino maids. Through the existing programme victims from Burma, Guyana, Panama and India have been rescued. Women were also used as ‘mules’ to bring drugs into Europe. Child Protection Officers were over burdened as parents sometimes sold their child to a man or to a family for a certain amount of money per month. Vacant houses were being used in some instances for trafficking. The Saxthorpe Methodist Church had set up a counselling centre to help victims. They were often traumatised to the point of not being able to speak, had mental issues, and found it difficult to reintegrate into the family.

HOPE FOR JUSTICE-UK

This organisation inspires people to rise up against human trafficking and slavery and see God restore people. Their Annual Report states ‘We believe Freedom is worth the fight. We believe Justice is non negotiable. We refuse to abandon the Least, the Last, and the Lost’.

In the case of Forced Labour, victims are told about good jobs which will provide them with an opportunity to improve their circumstances. Their ID is taken away, they are paid very low wages, kept in extremely poor conditions, and can be sold from person to person. In the case of one man, he was told that he was not worth even Three Hundred Pounds.

Sexual Exploitation involves being coerced physically, threatened verbally or ground down psychologically for sexual acts. This may be prostitution, the creation of pornography or involvement in ritual abuse. Trafficking for sexual exploitation does not just involve migrants brought into the UK but also victims who are moved from location to location in the UK. Children as young as 3yrs. have been trafficked into the UK for sexual exploitation. In 2003, it was estimated that there were 4,000 victims of trafficking for prostitution in the UK at any given time. Between 2011-2012, HOPE FOR JUSTICE, UK assisted 78 victims. In February 2013, the organisation opened the first Hub Investigators group-Emma’s Hub. They are appointed regionally and sent into communities to reach the most hidden victims. Also, the organisation has produced a Comprehensive Training Pack for frontline Police to boost Investigators and Prosecutors. The HOPE FOR JUSTICE UK team responds to intelligence received from NGOs and Community groups who have been trained to recognise the indicators of trafficking. This work enables them to assist in the rescue of victims from situations of exploitation who are transferred to after care providers. The following should be noted: 81% of victims referred to this organisation by those they trained were reached within 24 hours; 23% of victims rescued were children, the youngest 3 months old: 96% of victims made a direct report or submitted intelligence to Law Enforcement because of HOPE FOR JUSTICE, UK Involvement.

Top 5 Victim Nationalities

• Slovak
• Romanian
• Czech
• Hungarian
• Latvian

What Can We Do?

The God TV channel describes ‘Human Trafficking as one of the greatest evils of modern times’ and “At the heart of being a Christian there is a call to action. To shine a light into the darkest areas of the world and humanity”.

The Human Trafficking Search website states “No one size fits all solution—Eliminating human trafficking requires focused and serious action by countries of origin, transit or destination by international organisations, and by individuals within communities where slavery exists—We can each play a part directly or indirectly in our lives”.

1. Prayer is absolutely essential as this is a spiritual battle. Jesus came to set captives free. Pray for the victims and the traffickers.
2. Awareness and education- injustice thrives hidden in the shadows, shine a light on this evil. Become part of the abolition movement through the social media
3. Make a one off gift towards helping to rebuild lives.
4. Regular financial giving to help abolitionist organisations rescue victims, and help them through restoration programmes.
5. Corporate Social Responsibility- partner with HOPE FOR JUSTICE, UK- hear stories, receive updates, join campaigns.
6. Invite a Guest Speaker so that we can become better informed.
7. STAND UP FOR THE LITTLE ONES- ‘Kids as Commodities? Child trafficking and what you can do about it’.

“YOU MAY CHOOSE TO LOOK THE OTHER WAY BUT YOU CAN NEVER AGAIN SAY YOU DID NOT KNOW”.
William Wilberforc

“IF SLAVERY IS NOT WRONG THEN NOTHING IS”.
Abraham Lincoln

Bibliography

• 2012 Annual Report-HOPE FOR JUSTICE, UK.
• “The Making of the West Indies” Augier, Gordon, Hall and Reckord,1960 Longmans.
• “Black Cargoes, A History of the Atlantic Slave Trade (1518-1865)”
• Mannix & Cowley,1962 Longmans.

Genesis Study Group Presentation

Presented at the 10.30 am Service on 1 September 2013

The Relevance of Genesis for Today

The Genesis Study Group:
Hannah Akibo Betts (Tutor), Krou Assoua, Marie Kingham, Pat Kyd and Glynne Gordon-Carter

A group of us have been pursuing an Open Learning Programme designed by Trinity College Bristol. We started with the book of Genesis. The main aim of this course has been ‘to give an overview of the content and themes of Genesis and to enable us to interpret this book by using various methods of study’. Despite the title of the course, ‘Genesis the ancient story’, this book has a great deal of relevance for us today. We thank Brenda and Ernesto for willingly allowing us to lead part of today’s worship service. This group presentation is our final assignment for Genesis. Our tutor is Hannah Akibo Betts, to whom we are immensely grateful for her skilful leadership.

Today we have selected the topic of ‘Forgiveness’, which is a significant theme in the book of Genesis. God created the heavens and the earth with great care and created man in his own image. Human beings are central to God’s divine purpose, and so from the very beginning God lovingly provided humanity with an abundance and variety of food (Genesis 1: 24–31). He expressed his satisfaction at the end of each day’s creation, ‘and God saw that it was good’.

God does not distance himself from his creation, He is an involved God. He is the covenant God – the God of the three great patriarchs: Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Their significance is not based on their personal characters, but on the character of God. Abraham was one of a handful of people who really tried to follow God and so God appeared to him and promised to make him into a great nation (Genesis chapter 12: 1–9). These men were wealthy and powerful, yet they were capable of lying, deceit and selfishness, none more so than Jacob. Original sin had entered the world due to the disobedience of Adam and Eve. Notice, however, that God never withdrew the Covenant which he promised, despite their brokenness. He reaffirmed the Covenant time after time, and showed forgiveness to his chosen people repeatedly.

Let us consider the life of Jacob, the grandson of Abraham, who from before he was born struggled with Esau his twin in Rebekah’s womb. The younger son was named Jacob, which means ‘he grasps the heel’ (deceiver), and throughout his life Jacob often lied, was deceitful and selfish. He grabbed Esau’s birthright, and with his mother’s cunning plan deceived Isaac, his father, into giving him the blessings which should have been Esau’s. Jacob had to flee from home because Esau would have killed him. In fact, he never saw his mother again. While he was living in his Uncle Laban’s house, Jacob was tricked by his uncle. In the meantime he became wealthy and that incited the jealousy of Laban and his sons.

Then the Lord said to Jacob, ‘Return to the land of your father and grandfather and to your relatives there and I will be with you.’ (Genesis 31:3) While he was on his way, Jacob sent gifts to Esau. We see Esau running to meet Jacob after twenty years of separation, hugging and kissing his brother; they both wept. Esau too has been changed, his embrace expressed his forgiveness. Jacob brought many gifts to ensure Esau’s friendship. However, Esau explained that he was prosperous and did not need those gifts. Jacob addressed his brother as lord, said that it was a relief to see his friendly smile, and it was like seeing the face of God. Here we see total reconciliation.

It must be noted that this reconciliation took place after Jacob had wrestled with a man (angel) who had wrenched Jacob’s hip out of socket. Jacob called the place Peniel, ‘For I have seen God face to face and my life is preserved.’ God changed his name from Jacob to Israel (meaning ‘he struggles with God’). It seemed that Jacob (Israel) realised his dependence on God, who had continued to bless him, and so his relationship with God became essential to his life. So here we see a changed man. It is important to note that God condemned Jacob’s deceitfulness, yet he never took his eyes off him. In fact, years before, while Jacob was fleeing from Esau, God revealed himself to him in a dream and told him that, ‘he would inherit the promises first made to Abraham, of land, descendants and blessings to the nations’. God also said, ‘What’s more I am with you and will protect you wherever you go. One day I will bring you back to this land. I will not leave you until I have finished giving you everything that I have promised you,’ and so Jacob went to Shechem in Canaan, despite his brother’s invitation to settle in Seir.

It is noteworthy that God achieved a firm hold on Jacob, to the extent that when Joseph (Jacob’s son and Pharaoh’s adviser) invited his father, his brothers and all their families to live in Egypt, in order to be saved from famine, Jacob was unwilling to make the move without God’s approval (Genesis 46:1–3).

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Notice also the humility that Joseph showed in forgiving and being reconciled to his brothers, who had sold him into slavery twenty years before. ‘Don’t be afraid of me. Am I a God that I can punish you? You intended to harm me, but God intended it all for good. He brought me to this position so I could save the lives of many people.’ (Genesis 50:19). Throughout we see God protecting his chosen people in remarkable ways.

On reflection, some may say that God showed undeserved favour and grace to Jacob, despite his constant deception: remember, Jacob was meant to fulfil a divine purpose, and God was moulding him towards that end. The writer C.S. Lewis states, ‘To be a Christian means to forgive the inexcusable, because God has forgiven the inexcusable in you.’ Philip Yancey, in his book What’s So Amazing About Grace?, said that he ‘came to know a God who is in the words of the Psalmist “a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness”’. Yancey reminds us that grace comes free of charge to people who do not deserve it. ‘… I know more surely than I know anything that any pang of healing or forgiveness or goodness I have ever felt comes solely from the Grace of God. I yearn for the church to become a nourishing culture of that Grace.’

Church family, the good news for us is that forgiveness and eternal life are available to all, and are gifts of God’s grace through faith in Christ.

Bibliography

C.S. Lewis, ‘On Forgiveness’, in The Weight of Glory and other Addresses, New York Collier Books/ Macmillan, 1980,  p. 125.

Philip Yancey, What’s so Amazing about Grace?, Zondervan 1997, p. 42.

Glynne Gordon-Carter

Genesis and the New Testament

We probably all remember the stories in Genesis: the early chapters of the Creation, Adam and Eve, Noah and the Flood. This followed by the story of God’s covenant with Abraham, and stories of the patriarchs Isaac and Jacob.

In studying Genesis, as we did over the last six months, I learnt a great deal, especially from discussions in our tutorial groups, which were fun. I also learnt something I wasn’t expecting: how important this first book of the Bible is to our understanding of Jesus and his ministry, and the spread of early Christianity.

The opening chapters of Genesis are the foundation of the theology of the New Testament writers. They wanted to give evidence of Jesus’s divinity. So, where Genesis begins, ‘In the beginning God created heaven and earth’, John’s gospel begins, ‘In the beginning the Word already was. The Word was in God’s presence and what God was, the Word was.’ Matthew begins his gospel by tracing Jesus’s line back through Abraham, to Adam, to show that Jesus is the Son of God.

When St Paul was explaining the basis of their faith to the newly emerging Christian churches, he referred to Genesis, especially to Abraham and God’s promise. Although the new churches were mainly Gentile rather than Jewish, Paul saw the churches as part of the continuing story of Israel, ‘an olive tree on to which branches of gentile believers have been grafted’.

He tells them that Adam, Noah and the patriarchs of Genesis were early members of the Christian Church and their stories demonstrate how God wants us to live. Paul tells the Galatians, ‘It is through faith that you are all sons of God in union with Christ Jesus. If you belong to Christ you are the issue of Abraham and heirs by virtue of God’s promise.’

In his letter to the Romans, Paul emphasises the central importance of faith by quoting Genesis: ‘Abram put his faith in the Lord, who counted him as righteous.’ Paul tells the Christians that their faith too is to be ‘counted’, a faith in God who raised Jesus up from the dead, after he had died, so that their sins might be forgiven.

Paul sees Christ as a second Adam. Whereas Adam’s disobedience to God in the Garden of Eden brought death to humanity, it is Jesus’s obedience to God which saves mankind. In his letter to the Romans Paul says, ‘Adam foreshadows the man who was to come. For if the wrongdoing of that one man brought death upon so many, its effect is vastly exceeded by the grace of God and the gift that came to so many by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ.’

The Bible is the story of how God reaches out to show his love and forgiveness to mankind. Genesis promotes the importance of forgiveness and reconciliation. We have already heard several stories of forgiveness from Genesis: Esau forgives Jacob for stealing his birthright, and Joseph forgives his brothers for selling him into slavery.

Jesus himself taught the Parable of the Prodigal Son, which illustrates redemption, love and forgiveness. And for Christians, Jesus is the source of their forgiveness. On the cross, Jesus forgave his executioners: ‘Father forgive them, they do not know what they are doing’.

So finally, let us all respond to Paul’s letter to the church at Ephesus. In reminding them of the grounds for their own forgiveness he urged them, ‘Be generous to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving one another as God in Christ forgave you.’

Pat Kyd

Can God use me?

Today, I am going to talk about the theme, ‘Can God use me?’ You may be wondering, ‘Why should I want God to use me anyway?’ Let’s take a look at the picture for this message; it’s a picture of interlocking gears. Those gears represent you and me. God created you and fitted you together in a far more intricate pattern than any complex machine that man has ever made. When people make a machine with gears, they always make it with a purpose in mind. When God fitted you and me together, he made us with a purpose in mind. God wants to use you and me to accomplish something wonderful with our lives.

Many people use their lives to do things that God never intended. The Bible calls that a sin and the results are always tragic. However, when you let God use you for his purpose – brothers and sisters – the results are wonderful. They will make you happier and more fulfilled in life than you could ever possibly imagine. The problem for many people is that they don’t think they are of much use to God. They believe that they have too many imperfections, that they have done too many wrongs and sins for God to use them. However, the fact of the matter is that everyone has weaknesses and God chooses to use weak, imperfect, wrong and sinful people to accomplish great things. God has designed you and me with imperfections and weaknesses that make you and me prime candidate for him to use and work through. So – brothers and sisters – don’t count yourselves out. God wants to use you and me to do great things for him on this earth.

Let’s look at how we can cooperate with God to change the world.

Can God use me?

In Genesis 12:10–20 Abraham our father in faith put the promise of God in danger. He left the land of Canaan that God promised to give to him and to his offspring and went to the Land of Egypt. When there he also put God’s promise of offspring in danger. Seeing the beauty of Sarah his wife he fears for his life and said, ‘She is my sister.’ The promise of great nations that the Lord promised him was in serious danger. The same thing happens also in Genesis 20: Abraham at Gerar put God’s promise in danger again: King Abimelech would have slept with Sarah, had God warned him not to. Still God forgives and uses Abraham as much as he wants. In Genesis 14, when Abraham went to rescue his nephew Lot, some say he killed many people. Again God forgives him and uses him mightily.

Can God use me?

In Genesis 25 Jacob bought his brother Esau’s birthright with a bread and lentil stew. In Genesis 27 he also deceitfully took away his brother’s blessing; we all know the story. When God told Jacob to return to the land he had promised to his forefathers, to him and to his descendants, and that he would be with him, in Genesis 31–32, Jacob was afraid of what Esau might do when they met. He sent messengers to Esau, who returned to report that Esau was already coming with four hundred men. Jacob, fearing for his life, split his people and flocks into two camps, so that if one was attacked by Esau, the other might escape. Then he sent ahead servants with gifts of livestock for Esau. Again God uses him abundantly as he wants.

There are so many stories in the Bible where God uses those who are imperfect and sinful. God can also use you and me, if only we allow him to do so. Brethren, we are all candidates for God’s use. Remember, the Word said that we have all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. He is a gracious and merciful God, who cleanses us and forgives our sin. Regardless of what we have done, God love us. He really does love us no matter how wrong are our sins. He can forgive us and cleanse us, and use us when and where he wants. Can God use me? God can use me! Amen.

Let us pray:

Father almighty, you know the future for each one of us. May your spirit abide in us to enable us to fulfil your purpose, which you have assigned to us on earth in your son Jesus Christ’s name. Amen.

Krou Assoua

The Story of Hagar

Hagar was an Egyptian slave girl. Some said that she was given to Abraham by the Pharaoh of Egypt. She worked in service for Abraham and his wife Sarah. She was Sarah’s maid, but was never fully accepted into their tribe. It is believed that the name Hagar meant ‘Stranger’.

Instead of waiting on God to fulfil his promise, Sarah took matters into her own hands and used Hagar to be a surrogate mother. Hagar did not have any say in the matter, like many slave women in the ancient world. She was simply a possession, an object and a womb that Sarah gave to Abraham.

Hagar fell pregnant almost immediately and her attitude towards Sarah changed for the worse. She became insolent, smugness showing in her looks and actions. Being pregnant, Hagar felt she was a woman of worth and value and looked on Sarah with contempt. Maybe Hagar saw this as her chance for a promotion, to go from lowly maiden to being a full-fledged wife and mother of Abraham’s child. Sarah may have felt humiliated by the news of Hagar’s immediate pregnancy because of her own barrenness. She complained to Abraham of Hagar’s attitude. Abraham was saddened by Sarah’s jealousy, as Hagar was carrying his child. He was in a difficult position and did not know what to do. Abraham left it to Sarah to deal with Hagar as she felt appropriate. In a moment of rage, Sarah had Hagar thrown out into the desert.

The angel of God was looking after Hagar, called her by name and told her astounding things. She would have descendants too numerous to count, the same promise made to Abraham and Sarah. Hagar realised that the angel was really God. She was the first woman in the Bible to talk directly to God since Eve. Her baby Ishmael became the first person in the Bible to be named by God while still in the womb. The encounter must have been a profound spiritual experience. Hence she came to know the Lord as ‘The Living One who sees me’. Hagar was invited into a relationship with the God whom she had previously assumed to be only interested in Abraham and Sarah. In tender grace God met her immediate needs and allowed her to experience his presence. The Angel of the Lord encouraged Hagar to go back to her mistress, Sarah, and submit to her. God promised Hagar that he would multiply her descendants exceedingly. God was not asking Hagar to return to an abusive situation for the sake of it. He knew of the difficulty that lay ahead of her if she was to continue to travel on her own. Even if it was to her homeland of Egypt, being pregnant would not be well received. God guided her to choose ‘life’, albeit under Sarah’s roof.

The angel of the Lord appears to Hagar

Hagar returned to Abraham and Sarah and served Sarah for thirteen more years, during which time life was not easy for her. When Hagar’s son was born, the baby was named Ishmael by Abraham. Several years later Sarah gave birth to her son, Isaac. On an occasion when Sarah saw Isaac and Ishmael playing, her old anger at her slave returned. Sarah demanded that Abraham got rid of Hagar and Ishmael. This again saddened Abraham, as Ishmael was his son, but God told Abraham to go ahead and do what Sarah wanted. Hagar and Ishmael were sent out into the wilderness with only a little food and an animal skin of water. Soon they ran out of water, Hagar did not know what to do and left Ishmael under a bush to die. God called from heaven to remind Hagar that he was going to make Ishmael into a great nation and then showed her a well. That was enough for them to survive and they prospered. God’s relationship with Hagar was resealed with her son.

Abraham banishes Hagar and Ishmael from his home

Although God reassured Abraham that Isaac was the one with whom he would establish his covenant, he told Abraham that he would bless Ishmael to be fruitful and greatly increase his numbers. Ishmael’s descendants became a great nation as God had promised.

On many occasions the Lord came to Hagar’s aid. In the way he responded to Hagar, she said, ‘You are the God who sees me.’ In her plight, Hagar found favour with God and turned to him more and more. Throughout Hagar’s life she experienced estrangement and prejudice as a foreigner, hardship and abuse as a servant, grief and abandonment as an unwed pregnant woman. She also felt hopeless despair on a couple of occasions as she faced imminent death. Yet despite all these difficulties, Hagar responded to the God who spoke to her, the Lord God was her reward. For her, God was the one who heard her cries and who saw her afflictions. In the all-seeing God, Hagar found refuge and life. Hagar got to live out her days in the presence of God knowing that he was listening.

Hagar and Ishmael banished into the desert

Throughout this part of the Bible, people lived in ungodly ways and took matters into their own hands, and Hagar was no exception. But God is gracious and forgave their wrong doings, redeemed them to be in relationship with him and to fulfil the plans he had for mankind. He continues to be with us today, even though we still fall short of his expectations. He forgives us and welcomes us back to himself and uses us for his purposes.

Marie Kingham