Every year when I begin my Bible reading I come across the story of Sarah and Abraham. I love to read the Bible and make connections between the characters, going deeper than face value. Many times, I imagine what characters would have felt as they heard the voice of God or walked in obedience towards His promise.
Enter Sarah. Sarah's name wasn't always Sarah. It used to be Sarai until God changed it to Sarah in Genesis 17. God had spoken to Abraham that He was going to make his family into a great nation, one that rivaled the multitudes of stars in the sky. There was only one problem. Sarah was barren. She couldn't have children regardless of how hard they tried.
It was on their journey between God's promise and the provision for that promise that Abraham and Sarah stopped in Egypt. In Genesis 12, upon arriving, Abraham tells his wife to disguise her identity and their relationship as husband and wife. Sarah was beautiful and the minute Pharaoh's officials saw her beauty they took her to Pharaoh's household. Pharaoh blessed Abraham for Sarah's sake, but God plagued Pharaoh's household. Eventually the truth came out that Sarah was Abraham's wife and Pharaoh sent them away.
There's a few things I'm contemplating from this story in my own heart. As I imagine what it could have been like to walk in Sarah's shoes I may have thought these thoughts. The first would be a prayer really. God, help me to act in integrity and choose to believe You over what I see. I'm not dissing Abraham in any way. He is a shining example of believing and obeying God, yet in this moment he allows his fear to dictate his response and lies about his wife's true identity. Welcome to being human, we all make mistakes.
Because of his decision, Abraham and Sarah spend an extended season in the land of Egypt. The Bible says in Genesis 12 that during this time Abram acquired "flocks and herds, male and female donkeys, male and female slaves, and camels." To the naked eye God is blessing them, but there is something else I see here too.
I added the bold and italics above for a reason. Could this season in Egypt be where Sarah got her Egyptian slave Hagar? I think it could be. This is the same Egyptian slave she gave to Abraham as wife. The same slave Sarah planned to be the mother of God's promise that was meant for Sarah to carry. If they would have never ventured to Egypt, or lied about their true identity, perhaps Hagar wouldn't even be in the picture.
It's a sobering reminder to me to be careful what I carry out of seasons in life. Here's another thought as I imagine myself in their shoes: The blessing of God, if gained by the wrong means, may not be the purest form of blessing for my life. I don't know about you, but I don't want anything around me that will tempt me to compromise God's will for my life. Sarah gives Abraham Hagar as a wife and she conceives a child. The very thing Sarah had always longed for was birthed in another. Ugghh. I'm sure Sarah regretted her ill concocted plan, but there was no undoing what she had already done.
God is merciful. In the end, God allows Sarah to conceive in her old age. She has a son of her own. God is so gracious that way. His grace extends beyond our humanity. Always faithful to His word no matter how we try to twist and turn His promise to happen in our own timetable. I'm glad the characters in the Bible were fully human. There's so much we can learn from them—so much to think about.
This is just one of the stories I've been chewing on during this month of seeking Jesus. I pray that as you read the word God gives you tools to dig deeper than surface level and understanding beyond your years.
"One thing I am certain of: God is faithful. Despite our shortcomings, He can and will fulfill His promise, accomplish His purpose and work all things together for good to those who love Him."
Photo Credit: Mark Neal
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