Sarah is introduced to us in the New Testament
as a woman of faith. She was a friend and sister of Abraham but more his wife.
Her conduct in marital life is the example exalted for all woman of faith to
emulate as she obeyed Abraham, adorning herself with a gentle and quiet spirit,
which in God’s sight is very precious. Who Sarah was as a sister, a friend, a
daughter, we do not know but we do know her as the wife of Abraham, a woman
whose name God changes from Sarai (my princess) to Sarah (Princess), a princess
not merely of Abraham but of all the families of the earth.
The first introduction of Sarah to us in the
Old Testament is an introduction that causes a jubilation and pitiful
lamentation. Jubilation because Abraham found a wife for it is written “whoever
finds a wife finds a good thing and obtains favour from the LORD”. And what a
good thing Abraham acquired, for Sarah became to him an excellent wife who did
not bring shame like rottenness to his bones. Abraham loved Sarah to the end,
He loved her so much that despite his wealth, he would have her as his only
wife until after her timeworn comely death where he took another woman to be
his wife. Hagar was not his choice but a yielding to Sarah’s good but
unbelieving intension to not let him die childless. A Pitiful lamentation
because she is described as childless and barren. Was it not this stigma which
brought Hannah to hammer on heaven’s door and caused Hagar to look upon Sarah
her mistress with contempt. It was this ignominy which caused Rachel to envy
her sister and say to Jacob, “Give me Children or I shall die”. This barren
fruitlessness accompanied Sarah to her old age that when the news of a child
was to be sown in her aged womb, she laughed as almost to consider it silly and
an unknown thing on the face of the earth.
It was on this cursed ground that she allowed
the ugly head of polygamy to enter into her marriage. The bitter fruit of
watching other seeds grow except that of her own caused wanting Sarah to make a
firm decision that Abraham was not to depart from this earth childless. She had
forgotten the promise of God, she had lost faith that the promise made to
Abraham would be accomplished through her seed. Poor Sarah, being ever so
beautiful and desired by kings and nobles was accompanied with a dear sorrow of
barrenness. Hagar was handed over to Abraham and Hagar bore a child according
to the flesh and not of promise. Hagar then looked upon her mistress with
contempt and Sarah treated her harshly that Hagar fled from her as Moses fled from
Pharaoh when Pharaoh sought to kill him. Sarah had her stroke of weaknesses but
she is described as a woman of faith, who received power to conceive, even when
she was past the age, since she considered him faithful who had promised.
This faith we must say was given to her by
grace, for was it not Sarah who laughed and muttered to herself that ‘Shall I
have pleasure in my old age?’ and when confronted for her unbelief she denied
it. The life of Sarah are painted to us with the colours of reality. No blackness
was painted over but yet she was a woman of faith and her, the daughters of
faith are to emulate. This grace given to her enabled her to conduct herself in
her ordinary capacity as a wife according to the ordinances of God. Unlike Adah
and Zillah, she was submissive to her husband’s will even in the hour when her
feminine honour was sacrificed because of her husband’s cowardice. She
submitted in gentleness and quietness. When Abraham began his pilgrim journey
forsaking his familiar dwelling, we do not read of a complaining Sarah but we
read of a following Sarah. She followed her master and readied her sandals to
follow the footsteps of her blessed husband.
Sarah’s obedience to Abraham was rewarded for
as his name was changed, so was hers. He was to become the Father of many
nations and she shall become nations, kings of peoples shall come from her.
Sarah’s womb was opened by a divine act of kindness. She believed in him who
was faithful and what she first disbelieved of having pleasure in her old age
became to her a sweet delight. She, staring at this miracle said with all of
her feminine beauty “God has made laughter for me; everyone who hears will
laugh over me”. Should we not also laugh with Sarah and rejoice with her as
Elizabeth’s relatives and friends rejoiced with her when they heard that the
Lord had shown her great mercy in allowing her to conceive John the Baptist.
Yes. We should celebrate, for from this child of promise was the Messiah to be
born who is to be the Saviour of the world as to redeem Eve’s children from
their oppression.
K.Oni
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