Sarah

Sarah

Question of the day: What do you like to do in the rain?

Oops that was last week.... still relevant unfortunately, This rain is getting to be exhausting! 

Question of the day: What makes you insecure?  or  What makes you feel secure?

This morning we are going to be looking at Sarah.  What a woman she must have been.  She is on my list of "would love to meet" people.  What a story she has!  

We will be reading Genesis 20. 

In my bible the heading is Abraham and Abimelek, but I want us to look at this story all the while keeping Sarah in mind.  

It isn't very long so we will read Genesis 20 together.  

Abraham and Abimelek

20 Now Abraham moved on from there into the region of the Negev and lived between Kadesh and Shur. For a while he stayed in Gerar, 2 and there Abraham said of his wife Sarah, “She is my sister.” Then Abimelekking of Gerar sent for Sarah and took her.

3 But God came to Abimelek in a dream one night and said to him, “You are as good as dead because of the woman you have taken; she is a married woman.”

4 Now Abimelek had not gone near her, so he said, “Lord, will you destroy an innocent nation? 5 Did he not say to me, ‘She is my sister,’ and didn’t she also say, ‘He is my brother’? I have done this with a clear conscience and clean hands.”

6 Then God said to him in the dream, “Yes, I know you did this with a clear conscience, and so I have kept you from sinning against me. That is why I did not let you touch her. 7 Now return the man’s wife, for he is a prophet, and he will pray for you and you will live. But if you do not return her, you may be sure that you and all who belong to you will die.”

8 Early the next morning Abimelek summoned all his officials, and when he told them all that had happened, they were very much afraid. 9 Then Abimelek called Abraham in and said, “What have you done to us? How have I wronged you that you have brought such great guilt upon me and my kingdom? You have done things to me that should never be done.”10 And Abimelek asked Abraham, “What was your reason for doing this?”

11 Abraham replied, “I said to myself, ‘There is surely no fear of God in this place, and they will kill me because of my wife.’ 12 Besides, she really is my sister, the daughter of my father though not of my mother; and she became my wife. 13 And when God had me wander from my father’s household, I said to her, ‘This is how you can show your love to me: Everywhere we go, say of me, “He is my brother.”’”

14 Then Abimelek brought sheep and cattle and male and female slaves and gave them to Abraham, and he returned Sarah his wife to him.15 And Abimelek said, “My land is before you; live wherever you like.”

16 To Sarah he said, “I am giving your brother a thousand shekels[a] of silver. This is to cover the offense against you before all who are with you; you are completely vindicated.”

17 Then Abraham prayed to God, and God healed Abimelek, his wife and his female slaves so they could have children again, 18 for the Lord had kept all the women in Abimelek’s household from conceiving because of Abraham’s wife Sarah.

I wanted to title this lesson, "SERIOUSLY?"  I somehow had forgotten that Abraham did this a second time.  REALLY?  What the world.  Why? 

Why do you think? 

As I have studied this week, I have been saying that Sarah was ninety.  Actually we don't know her age, but in chapter 18 was described as being, "very old" and "past the age of childbearing."   So how old that is we don't know but she wasn't a spring chicken. Yet she was so beautiful, that Abraham once again feared for his life and because of that was willing for his, "very old, and past the age of childbearing wife," to be taken AGAIN by a king to be his wife! SERIOUSLY! 

I wish we had an actual picture of her.  What at that time was considered to be so beautiful that kings would choose her even at this age.  Remember that Kings could take anyone they wanted, and any age too.  So Sarah must have been really something! 

I remember wishing I could cut my eyelashes off when I was 4 years old, because people kept commenting about them when I was in public, and my mom was quick to say, "It doesn't matter how pretty she is, pretty is as pretty does."  Being a terribly stubborn child I was always in trouble so I felt like I was always being told I was ugly.  

Can you imagine how Sarah must have felt about her beauty?

What was really important was to have children, and she didn't have any.  Then, every time they moved, or went into another land, she may have to become some kings wife.... because of her beauty.  Wow.  What a cross to bear.  

Her beauty must not have felt like a gift, but a curse. 

She must have been weary at this point.  

We have to spend some time on the King Abimelek.  First he was a king of the Philistines.  He was polytheistic.  Meaning he believed in many gods.  I think that is important to note, because he didn't serve God, but believing in many god's would "believe" God who spoke to him in the dream. 

What do you find interesting about these dreams?

I am sure that this is one of those lessons that will be far more compelling if you are in class.  I am counting on an interesting discussion. 

Here is the bottom line.  

I don't think we can pick this story apart, because I don't think we know enough about the culture. 

Some of the questions I have....

Was there some cultural "gift" of a woman to the king, when a large family or tribe comes and stays in a kings land?  After all this is the second time Abraham has done this, and we will see Isaac doing the same thing with Rebecca.  

Why was making the entire household of King Abimelek "for Sarah?"  I think we must be missing something here culturally as well.

So with questions we can't understand, what can we take away from this lesson?

What do we know?

What did Abraham lack?

Yet he is held up as a man of great faith.

Why is this important?

Another thing we know about this story is that Sarah is redeemed!

A woman who has had great trials.

A woman taken from her family, who has wondered around with her husband.

A woman who in trying to help out has her husband sleep with her slave, to then have disharmony in the home.

A woman who was given to a foreign king as his wife.... twice!

A woman who despite being so beautiful has been unable to have children.  The mother of many nations, who has been promised by God would have children, is still childless at a "very old" age well after child bearing years.  

A woman with great sorrow,  is redeemed.  

I couldn't help but think about the fact that she wasn't protected in the same way the first time Abraham told her to marry a foreign king.  I see here a compassionate God here who wasn't going to make her go through this again!

He stepped in and protected her.  He stepped in and redeemed her. 

I know there are times when we go through hardships, disappointments often of our own making.  We are hurt and hurt others in the process.  God doesn't always step in.  He doesn't always protect us from the harm and hurt.  Yet sometimes he does and sometimes he does in a big way. 

I realize that perhaps that can make us uncomfortable with who God is, why sometimes and not others?  Why for some people and not other people?  

The why question is a difficult one for sure.  

I KNOW for sure that God has redeemed you and me!

Is there something that you are needing to have more faith about? 

Do you need to trust in God and stop trying to come up with the fix?

Are you an Abraham in this story?

Are you going through some unspeakable challenges?

Do you wonder where God is?

God says he will never leave us or forsake us!

God is with us, and he is mighty to save!

He has redeemed you!

I want to challenge us all to take a moment and reevaluate our lives.  Are you trusting him today?  Are you living as someone redeemed or someone in bondage?

KNOW LOVE.

LIVE LOVE.

SHARE LOVE.