Twleve Extraordinary Women: Sarah

I'm really enjoying this study and I'm finding things within the Biblical account that I hadn't noticed before. I'm also enjoying reading Ehart's posts. Ehart's post on this particular chapter can be found here.

The chapter on Sarah was a bit more difficult for me than the one on Eve. I can see things about Sarah that aren't always what one would expect from a woman of faith.

Yet, Hebrews 11:11 states within the Hall of Faith that "By faith Sarah herself also received strength to conceive seed, and she bore a child when she was past the age, because she judged Him faithful who had promised."

Sarah did exhibit her lack of faith when she gave Haggar, her maid, to Abraham to secure herself a child that she could call her own. Perhaps Sarah reasoned that since Haggar was owned by herself, then any children she may have by Abraham would belong to her also. Interestingly, this is the first recorded case of polygamy in Scripture involving a righteous man.

If I'm really honest with myself, I have to admit that there have been times in my life where my faith has been weak. And, yes, just like Sarah, I have tried to 'help' things along in my life to assure myself that certain things might transpire to my satisfaction. In other words, I've manipulated certain aspects of my life, and it truly does illustrate my lack of faith. Maybe I haven't gone to the extreme that Sarah did, but I have done it. I think most people can admit to that, if they are truly honest with themselves.

At this point, Sarah was 75 years old. She had remained barren throughout her entire marriage, and she was becoming desperate. MacArthur points out that she was most likely post-menopausal.

But then God once again reveals to Abraham in Genesis 17 His covenant with Abraham, but this time, God includes Sarah. Up to this point, Sarah had never been mentioned. Scripture mentions that God promised Abraham that he would be the father of a great nation (Genesis 12:3). It also mentions in Genesis 13:16 , 'so that if a man could number the dust of the earth, then your descendants also could be numbered.' God later promised in Genesis 15 that Abraham's seed would be as numerous as the stars in the heavens. But not until Genesis 17 does God include Sarah in the covenant.

"I will bless her and also give you a son by her; then I will bless her, and she shall be a mother of nations; kings of peoples shall be from her." Genesis 17:16 (NKJV)

Upon further reflection of Sarah's life, we realize that indeed she was faithful and indeed she was a proper role for women. She was nearing the century mark, yet she would become a mother to Isaac.

When Sarah had heard the angels conversing with Abraham (she was inside the tent listening), she laughed. Genesis 18:12-15 explains how the Lord had told Abraham that Sarah would bear a child within the year and Sarah laughed. The Lord then asked why had Sarah laughed, and she denied it. Verse 12 says that Sarah laughed 'within herself' which means she didn't laugh out loud. Sarah didn't want to admit that she had laughed, perhaps due to the fact that she was in fear. She probably came to the realization that this stranger was indeed the Lord, since He seemed to know that she had laughed, even though she hadn't laughed out loud.

Sarah was a fine example of submission to her husband. She was near 65 years old and she followed Abraham out of the land that she was born in. God had commanded Abraham to leave the land of his fathers and to travel to a land 'not knowing where he was going.' (Hebrews 11:8). Sarah followed her husband to the unknown.

In fact, Sarah is noted for her submissive behavior in 1 Peter 3:5,6 - "For in this manner, in former times, the holy women who trusted in God also adorned themselves, being submissive to their own husbands, as Sarah obeyed Abraham, calling him lord, whose daughters you are if you do good and are not afraid with any terror."

While at first, I had a hard time finding Sarah to be the role model that any woman could follow, I slowly tried to envision what her barrenness meant to her. I finally realized that she was indeed a faithful person and submissive woman.