HAGAR: A STORY OF A WOMAN AND WATER by Sarah Joseph

A story about value of water, the fundamental giver and preserver of life.

The story tells about Hagar and her son Ishmael and their miraculous survival in the hostile
desert after Abraham had abandoned them. On the verge of death, there appears a mysterious
bird. The bird dig the sand until water came out. Hagar dipped herself and her son in the water.
Their thirst and hunger came to an end.

The desert taught her the value of water. Hagar, thus, becomes the keeper and protector of that
water spring. Later nomads came in search of this water spring. She gives them water on the
agreement that they will never waste not even a drop of it and allowed them to cultivate the land
and build a community.

Part A

a) Why did Hagar's husband take her and their child to the wilderness?

Abraham was a Jewish patriarch. God promised him that he would raise Nations from Abraham,
but his wife Sarah was barren. When Sarah, Abraham's first wife had no children, she herself
persuaded Abraham to wed Hagar her servant. Ishmael was born by Hagar, but then Sarah also
became pregnant. She got jealous of Hagar. Abraham heard the words of his first wife Sarah and
decided to throw Hagar and Ishmael in the wilderness. He also thought that it was the will of
God.

b) What was the thought that led Hagar to struggle against hopelessness? The will to keep her
son, Ishmael alive gave her the courage to struggle against the hopelessness. She saved the few
drops of water and dates left for her son despite being parched and hungry until the last, and
protected him from the desert heat and cold using her body as a shield. The thought of burying
her firstborn was unbearable to her.

c) Whose voice did Hagar hear in the wilderness?

Hagar heard the voice of a mysterious bird in the wilderness. It was near a bush, flailing its
wings and its downy feathers lay all around. It thrashed about on the ground heedless of blood
that speckled its wings and found a hidden spring in the earth.

d) What did the mysterious bird reveal to Hagar?

The mysterious bird revealed a hidden spring to Hagar. The spring, that gushed forth from the
earth, saved Hagar and her son Ishmael from perishing in the desert.

e) What was Hagar's reaction on seeing the water spring in the desert?
Hagar screamed, scooped her son, rushed to the spring and immersed her son in water. She
poured a palm full of water in his mouth and dipped him in water again and again. Hagar's
breasts filled with milk as she soaked herself in the stream.

f) What was the water covenant between Hagar and the nomads?

Hagar becomes the keeper and protector of the stream that was gifted to her by God. Hearing
about the water source nomads and desert tribes asked her the permission to drink water from it.
Hagar agrees but puts forth a covenant that not a single drop of water to be wasted ,as she knows
the true meaning of that precious drop of water and she will act as the caretaker of the water for
the sake of her child and future generations. She stressed on the value of the first drop of water
and said that it had the value of the life of her firstborn. The nomads acknowledged her word and
agreed to gather food for her in return for the water.

Part B

a) Comment on the indifference of Abraham as he abandons Hagar and Ishmael in the

wilderness.

Abraham left his wife and child in the wilderness with just a few loaves of bread, a small
quantity of dates and goatskin full of water. He was well aware that there was no chance for their
survival as a sand storm was raging on their way to the wilderness. When pressed upon for the
reason for his action, he said that it was the will of God. The fact that he did not offer them any
further explanation and walked away from them leaving them to survive in a hostile desert shows
his indifference.

b) Briefly narrate how Hagar and her child managed to survive till the mysterious bird revealed
the water spring.

The will to keep her son, Ishmael alive gave her the courage to struggle against the hostile
conditions in the desert. Hagar sank to the ground and nested the baby under her to protect him
from the heavy sandstorm. At night, when the temperature dropped she hid her son within the
folds of her robe and pressed him to the warmth of her bosom. Hagar saved the few drops of
water and dates for her son despite being parched and hungry herself. When she heard the voice
in the desert she mustered all her strength and dashed here and there in hope of finding a savior.

C) Describe the anxiety of Hagar in the face of imminent death.

After a few days in the desert when her limited food supplies and water ran out, Hagar faced a
severe crisis. Her baby had become weak from hunger, thirst and continuous crying. Hagar
began to ponder whether she or her son would die first. The thought of burying her son or him
surviving after her death made her shudder. When her son, Ishmael became still one afternoon
she cried heartbroken. The anxiety that she was being abandoned by God Himself terrified her.
She prayed in desperation and pleaded to all the forces of nature. Her prayers were finally
answered only when a mysterious bird revealed a hidden spring to Hagar and her child.

d) What was the water covenant that was born in the desert?

The water covenant between Hagar and the nomads was that Hagar will act as the caretaker of
the water for the sake of her child and future generations. She insisted that the covenant was for
the sake of life and not ownership. Hagar said the nomads may not know the true value of water
as they saw only a source of ample water. She said to her the first drop of water had the value of
the life of her firstborn. The nomads sensed her earnestness and acknowledged her demands.
They agreed to gather food for her in return for the water.

e) How was the water spring instrumental in building a new community and civilization in the
desert?

The word about the water spring spread out and soon nomads and desert tribes arrived in search
of the water source. They soon established a water covenant with Hagar that they would use the
water wisely. The nomads settled near the spring. They fed Hagar and the child and used the
water well honoring the water covenant. They bathed and drank plenty of water. The availability
of water increased the scope of settled cultivation. The nomads eventually cultivated vegetables
near the lake and harvested them. The harvests hatched festivals. In due course, a new
community and civilization came into being.