In that post we examined the scripture from Psalm 139 and mentioned one of the names of our Heavenly Father, which was
El Roi.
The so-called ‘names of God’ are not like we use our names simply for identity, they are descriptive attributes revealing His spiritual characteristics and can be found throughout the Bible.
These names were often given by the individuals who had an personal and life-changing encounter with the Living God. To understand what’s in a name we need to find the first time it was used and why.
Where did this nameEl Roioriginate?
Genesis 16:1-16 reveals the story of Abraham, Sarah and Hagar.
1Now Abram’s wife Sarai had borne him no children, but she had an Egyptian maidservant named Hagar 2 So Sarai said to Abram, “Look now, the LORD has prevented me from bearing children. Please go to my maidservant; perhaps I can build a family by her.” And Abram listened to the voice of Sarai. 3 So after he had lived in Canaan for ten years, his wife Sarai took her Egyptian maidservant Hagar and gave her to Abram to be his wife.4 And he slept with Hagar, and she conceived. But when Hagar realized that she was pregnant, she began to despise her mistress.5 Then Sarai said to Abram, “May the wrong done to me be upon you! I delivered my servant into your arms, and ever since she saw that she was pregnant, she has treated me with contempt. May the LORD judge between you and me.” 6“Here,” said Abram, “your servant is in your hands. Do whatever you want with her.” Then Sarai treated Hagar so harshly that she fled from her 7 Now the angel of the LORD found Hagar by a spring of water in the desert—the spring along the road to Shur. 8“Hagar, servant of Sarai,” he said, “where have you come from, and where are you going?” “I am running away from my mistress Sarai,” she replied. 9 So the angel of the LORD told her, “Return to your mistress and submit to her authority.” 10 Then the angel added, “I will greatly multiply your offspring so that they will be too numerous to count.” 11 The angel of the LORD proceeded: “Behold, you have conceived and will bear a son. And you shall name him Ishmael, for the LORD has heard your cry of affliction. 12 He will be a wild donkey of a man, and his hand will be against everyone, and everyone’s hand against him; he will live in hostility toward all his brothers.” 13 So Hagar gave this name to the LORD who had spoken to her: “You are the God who sees me,” for she said, “Here I have seen the One who sees me!14 Therefore the well was called Beer-lahai-roi. It is located between Kadesh and Bered.
It was not uncommon in biblical times for people of power or status to seek children through their servants. Sarah was becoming impatient for the promise of a child to be fulfilled and suggests that Abraham has relations with her Egyptian slave girl Hagar to secure an heir. Once Hagar conceives, Hagar looks down on Sarah, who later comes to regret the entire plan. Sarah complains bitterly to Abraham, and Abraham tells Sarah to deal with her. Hagar, not wanting to put up with Sarah’s cruelty, runs away from humiliation and oppression into the desert wilderness and certain death.
An angel of the Lord meets her in the wilderness, shows her a well which provides life giving water; and tells her to return and submit to Sarah, assuring her that she, too, will be the mother of a great nation.
In response, Hagar becomes the only individual in the Bible to name our Heavenly Father: El Roi, “the God who sees me” (Genesis 16:13), or the God of seeing.
The well has been called Be’er lachai- roi meaning: well of the one who lives and sees. Or, well of the Living One who sees me.
Genesis 16:13 Then she called the name of the LORD who spoke to her, “You are God Who Sees”; for she said, “Have I not even here [in the wilderness] remained alive after seeing Him [who sees me with understanding and compassion]?” Therefore the well was called Beer-lahai-roi. Amplified.
Have I really seen the One Who sees me and stayed alive?
So she named the LORD who spoke to her, “You are El-roi”; for she said, “Have I really seen God and remained alive after seeing him?”
Hagar, rejected and alone, realizes,“You are the God who sees me”. Her declaration is the earliest personal naming of the LORD since the patriarchal promises in scripture, and Roi – רֱאִי,conveys the comforting truth that there is no set of circumstances or situation that prevents our Father from seeing us right where we are. The image of the desert wilderness highlights the spiritual lesson for the reader: How and what our Heavenly Father sees everything, is not confined to covenant, land, certain ancestry, or favored lineage. As Hagar recognized the One Who “sees and looks after me,”she foreshadows the imagery of a shepherd, which was to be fulfilled in the future by Messiah Yeshua haMashiach/ Jesus Christ, Who assured His listeners that not one sparrow falls unnoticed in Matthew 10:29-31.
רֱאִיspeaks ofsight, appearance, or spectacle,
whether the focus is upon:
the Lord/Adonai Who beholds,
humans who observe,
or an object that becomes the focus of attention.
7210 roi: Seeing, vision, sight
Original Word: רֱאִי Part of Speech: Noun Masculine Transliteration: ro’iy Pronunciation: roh-ee Phonetic Spelling: (ro-ee’) KJV: gazingstock, look to, (that) see(-th) NASB: appearance, seeing, seen, sees, sight, spectacle, who Word Origin: [fromH7200 (רָאָה – see)]
1. sight 2. (abstractly) vision 3. (concretely) a spectacle.
There are other instances where we are reminded that our Heavenly Father is El Roi, that He sees us, and is ready to intervene in our situation. One instance we are familiar with, is in Luke 13:10-17. This is where our Savior saw a woman who was in great need:
Now He was teaching in one of the synagogues on the Sabbath. And behold, there was a woman who had a spirit of infirmity eighteen years, and was bent over and could in no way raise herself up. When Jesus saw her, he called to her and said, “Woman, you are set free of your infirmity.” He laid his hands on her, and she at once stood up straight and glorified God.
Unlike many others who were looking for healing and deliverance she did not come to Him, but she was there in the synagogue on the Sabbath listening to Him teaching. Yeshua/Jesus saw her and saw her physical condition and interrupted what He was doing to reach out to her and bring healing and restoration, changing her life and her whole future. He sees us and has great compassion for our circumstances.
He iszarith – carefully observing us…
He is never blind to our tears,
never deaf to our prayers,
and never silent to our pain.
He sees and hears our thoughts and intentions.
He sees and hears our fears and insecurities
He sees and hears our innermost being
He sees our path and desires to guide us.
He sees our needs and desires to provide for us.
He sees your eternal destiny
and He will deliver you out of your situation
and bring you into full victory.
Romans 8:28 assures us And we know that all thingsworktogether for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.
Be greatly encouraged as you read this because…
He sees you – He is El Roi.
Shalom, shalom mishpachah/family
and cheverim/friends!
It’s all about Life and Relationship,
NOT Religion.
You are greatly loved and precious in His sight.
NOT SURE?
YOU CAN BE..
SAY THE FOLLOWING FROM YOUR HEART RIGHT NOW…
Heavenly Father I come to you in the Name of Jesus/Yeshua asking for forgiveness of my sins for which I am truly sorry. I repent of them all and turn away from my past.
I believe with my heart and confess with my mouth that Jesus/Yeshua is your Son and that He died on the cross at calvary to pay the price for my sin, so that I might be forgiven and have eternal life in the kingdom of Heaven. Father I believe that Jesus/Yeshua rose from the dead and I ask you to come into my life right now and be my personal Savior and Lord and I will worship you all the days of my life. Because your word is truth I say that I am now forgiven and born again and by faith I am washed clean with the blood of Jesus/Yeshua. Thank you that you have accepted me into your family in Jesus’/Yeshua’s name. Amen.
Almost a year ago the post was titled 
