The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him today and what came to my heart and mind in Genesis 16:2,
"The Lord has kept me from having children. Go, sleep with my slave; perhaps I can build a family through her."
Listen to the recognition the Lord gave Sarah through Peter in his first letter, "Wives, in the same way submit yourselves to your own husbands so that, if any of them do not believe the word, they may be won over without words by the behavior of their wives, when they see the purity and reverence of your lives. Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as elaborate hairstyles and the wearing of gold jewelry or fine clothes. Rather, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God's sight. For this is the way the holy women of the past who put their hope in God used to adorn themselves. They submitted themselves to their own husbands, like Sarah, who obeyed Abraham and called him her lord. You are her daughters if you do what is right and do not give way to fear." 1 Peter 3:1-6.
Scripture recognizes that Sarah (Sarai, who's name was changed) was physically a very beautiful woman, "When Abram came to Egypt, the Egyptians saw that Sarai was a very beautiful woman." Genesis 12:14. It is this "very beautiful woman" that Peter holds up as the example of "purity and reverence" that believing women should display, as opposed to their physical beauty, "the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God's sight."
However, in the passage of Genesis 16 Sarah is caught displaying something else altogether. Note Genesis 16:2, Sarah recognized the Lord kept her from having children. The Lord's purpose in doing so is obvious. He desired to create the opportunity of Abraham's faith to be manifested to us all - the Lord has provided us Abraham as our example of what the faith he looks for in each of us is like. The Lord provided a miracle by having Abraham and Sarah, of triple-digit age, have a child, proving Abraham's faith in God's ability to do what he promised (see Romans 4:18-25).
Nonetheless, Sarah chose to do an end-run on the conditions God provided the couple. She devised a plan, despite the Lord's intentions, to have a family in her own way. How often we are tempted: we want "X", the Lord hasn't provided it, and maybe prevented it (in Sarah's case), and so we pursue "X" anyway.
It appears those kinds of choices often do not turn out well. We read in Proverbs 30:21-23, "Under three things the earth trembles, under four it cannot bear up: ... a servant who displaces her mistress." I'm not sure if that represents what we read in Genesis 16 exactly, but it comes pretty close. Trouble came of it, an enduring trouble.
Obviously, the episode we read of in Genesis 16 cannot define Sarah. Peter makes clear she was not just physically beautiful, but also had that inner beauty, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit. What this episode teaches me, as well as episodes we read of about her husband Abraham, of David, Moses, and so many of the heroes of faith is that faith does not make any of us "perfect." We are perfected by our faith, but we still have our moments. All people of faith do. I know I do.
John tells us, "My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have an advocate with the Father—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world." 1 John 2:1-2.
Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!
If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just reply and let me know.
"The Lord has kept me from having children. Go, sleep with my slave; perhaps I can build a family through her."
Listen to the recognition the Lord gave Sarah through Peter in his first letter, "Wives, in the same way submit yourselves to your own husbands so that, if any of them do not believe the word, they may be won over without words by the behavior of their wives, when they see the purity and reverence of your lives. Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as elaborate hairstyles and the wearing of gold jewelry or fine clothes. Rather, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God's sight. For this is the way the holy women of the past who put their hope in God used to adorn themselves. They submitted themselves to their own husbands, like Sarah, who obeyed Abraham and called him her lord. You are her daughters if you do what is right and do not give way to fear." 1 Peter 3:1-6.
Scripture recognizes that Sarah (Sarai, who's name was changed) was physically a very beautiful woman, "When Abram came to Egypt, the Egyptians saw that Sarai was a very beautiful woman." Genesis 12:14. It is this "very beautiful woman" that Peter holds up as the example of "purity and reverence" that believing women should display, as opposed to their physical beauty, "the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God's sight."
However, in the passage of Genesis 16 Sarah is caught displaying something else altogether. Note Genesis 16:2, Sarah recognized the Lord kept her from having children. The Lord's purpose in doing so is obvious. He desired to create the opportunity of Abraham's faith to be manifested to us all - the Lord has provided us Abraham as our example of what the faith he looks for in each of us is like. The Lord provided a miracle by having Abraham and Sarah, of triple-digit age, have a child, proving Abraham's faith in God's ability to do what he promised (see Romans 4:18-25).
Nonetheless, Sarah chose to do an end-run on the conditions God provided the couple. She devised a plan, despite the Lord's intentions, to have a family in her own way. How often we are tempted: we want "X", the Lord hasn't provided it, and maybe prevented it (in Sarah's case), and so we pursue "X" anyway.
It appears those kinds of choices often do not turn out well. We read in Proverbs 30:21-23, "Under three things the earth trembles, under four it cannot bear up: ... a servant who displaces her mistress." I'm not sure if that represents what we read in Genesis 16 exactly, but it comes pretty close. Trouble came of it, an enduring trouble.
Obviously, the episode we read of in Genesis 16 cannot define Sarah. Peter makes clear she was not just physically beautiful, but also had that inner beauty, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit. What this episode teaches me, as well as episodes we read of about her husband Abraham, of David, Moses, and so many of the heroes of faith is that faith does not make any of us "perfect." We are perfected by our faith, but we still have our moments. All people of faith do. I know I do.
John tells us, "My dear children, I write this to you so that you will not sin. But if anybody does sin, we have an advocate with the Father—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One. He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world." 1 John 2:1-2.
Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!
If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just reply and let me know.
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