Migration through the lives of Hagar and Ruth

Stories of migration are deeply woven into the Bible. Most notably in the Old Testament is the story of Abram, later renamed Abraham, who is called by God to leave his home and go into a new land (Genesis 12:1-3). God promises to go with him and establish him and his family as a great nation. "At the core of this journey lies the formation and transformation of faith" (Ahn, 2024, p. 7). It is the establishment of a covenant relationship between God and Abraham that becomes a blueprint for the covenant relationship we later inherit through the coming of Jesus and the invitation of new life to all (both Jews and Gentiles).

While Abraham’s story often takes center stage in the biblical narrative, Hagar’s story emerges from the margins, yet her experience — as a woman, a foreigner, and a migrant — reveals a different, yet equally profound, encounter with God.

Hagar, an Egyptian and enslaved woman, was forced to bear a child for Abram—Sarai and Abram believing that this would fulfill God’s promise of an heir (Genesis 16:1-6). Twice we find her in the desert. The first time Hagar flees Sarai's abuse, and the second time she's cast out by Sarai and Abraham with Sarai determined that Ishmael should not share in Isaac's inheritance.

Hagar's story highlights themes of marginalization, mistreatment, exile, and vulnerability. And yet—Hagar, an Egyptian, foreigner, and slave, lacking power and belonging, encounters the Living God who meets her not once, but twice in the desert. She names God El-Roi—the God who sees her (Genesis 16:13-14). Hagar's encounter with El-Roi sacred and the only one of its kind recorded where she has the privilege of giving God a name. She is also given a promise that mirrors God's promise to Abraham to make his descendants a great nation.

"But God heard the boy crying, and the angel of God called to Hagar from heaven, “Hagar, what’s wrong? Do not be afraid! God has heard the boy crying as he lies there. Go to him and comfort him, for I will make a great nation from his descendants"  (Genesis 21:17-18).

Hagar's encounter with God reflects once again God's heart for the marginalized, oppressed, and cast-out, the foreigners and the powerless, those without homes to return to.

If Hagar’s story is one of rejection and exile, Ruth’s is one of surprising welcome. Both defy the expectations placed on them by the dominant society — one, a cast-out slave; the other, a foreign widow. Hagar becomes the matriarch of a nation while Ruth is woven into the very lineage of King David and, ultimately, Christ.

Ruth is a Moabite woman and widow. Moabites were despised by the Israelites and yet, Ruth chooses to return with her mother-in-law Naomi, to Bethlehem. The story of Ruth highlights her faithfulness to Naomi, sacrifice, and integrity. In spite of her status as a widow and a foreigner, and in the midst of her impoverishment, she becomes woven into the very genealogy of Christ. In this way, the reception, welcome, and redemption that Ruth is offered by the Israelites become an integral piece of God's overarching plan for redemption. Her story is not just a story of inclusion; it is central to God's plan. When we look at today’s migration crises — at borders, refugee camps, detention centers, and deserts — we remember that Scripture has always told stories of those on the move. And God has always been near. Hagar and Ruth remind us: God sees. God goes with. And God's plan of redemption has always included the migrant. The stories of Hagar and Ruth remind us that God’s redemptive work often begins on the margins — through the overlooked, the displaced, and the foreigner. If these women are central to the unfolding of salvation history, perhaps we, too, are invited to look again at who we consider central to God’s work today.

For further reading I'd recommend looking into the articles below:

Sources Cited:

• Ahn, I. (2024). Migration and Christian theology. In B. N. Wolfe et al. (Eds.), St Andrews Encyclopaedia of Theology. University of St Andrews. https://www.saet.ac.uk/Christianity/MigrationandChristianTheology
  

• Olofinjana, I. O. (2022, April 21). What can the story of Ruth teach us about asylum seekers? Evangelical Alliance. https://www.eauk.org/news-and-views/what-can-the-story-of-ruth-teach-us-about-asylum-seekers
  

• Sherwood, Y. (2018). Migration as Foundation: Hagar, the ‘Resident Alien’, as Euro-America’s Surrogate Self *. Biblical Interpretation, 26(4-5), 439-468. https://doi.org/10.1163/15685152-02645P02