JUST FOR LADIES – By Camille Stahl
Today’s Passage – Genesis 17 – 19 (Click on the references to listen to the audio – Click here to view the passage from Blue Letter Bible)
(Second Milers also read – Matthew 11 – 12; Proverbs 6; Psalm 26 – 30
Listen to this morning’s Scripture Song – Psalm 25
Read the “0106 Evening and Morning“ devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon.
Read previous posts from this passage –”Don’t Look Back“, “Abraham Did a Little Walking With God, Too” and “The Prayer of a Friend”
THE STUDY OF SARAH
And they said unto him, Where is Sarah thy wife? And he said, Behold, in the tent. And he said, I will certainly return unto thee according to the time of life; and, lo, Sarah thy wife shall have a son. And Sarah heard it in the tent door, which was behind him. Now Abraham and Sarah were old and well stricken in age; and it ceased to be with Sarah after the manner of women. Therefore Sarah laughed within herself, saying, After I am waxed old shall I have pleasure, my lord being old also? And the LORD said unto Abraham, Wherefore did Sarah laugh, saying, Shall I of a surety bear a child, which am old? Is any thing too hard for the LORD? At the time appointed I will return unto thee, according to the time of life, and Sarah shall have a son. (Genesis 18:9-14)
Abraham and Sarah lived a secure life in Ur, with friends and family. One day God appeared to Abraham and told him to leave his land and go to a place which He would point out to him. Most women would find it hard to leave their home to face an unknown future, but Sarah got on board and stood behind her husband, obeyed God and went willingly. After moving over 600 miles away, God told Abraham to move again. All the while Sarah was waiting for the promise of God to bear a child.
Abraham and Sarah continued moving around, and because of a famine, they decided to move to Egypt. For the first time Sarah saw Abraham not take council from God. She must have really questioned her husband when he asked her to tell the people she was his sister. Here was a man who walked beside God now running ahead. Sarah honored her husband, and God honored Sarah by protecting her in Egypt. Sarah knew from experience that to live a life of faith she would need to be patient. Faith and patience go together. You can’t buy them, you have to experience them. But Sarah was growing older and now past her days of child bearing. She suggested to Abraham that he take a Hagar as his concubine. Although these things happened frequently back then, it was still wrong because of her lack of faith.
A year after God appeared to them again, Sarah conceived and gave birth to a child. Finally the promise from God.
Today, we have two nations from the loins of Abraham: the Arabs, the descendants of Ishmael; and the Jews, the descendants of Isaac. They are still at war with each other, all because Sarah ran ahead of God.
We too must follow by God’s side. Never running ahead or dragging behind. Move when God moves us, wait when He is working. Psalm 119:105 says, “Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.” If you ever walked in the woods at night with a flashlight, you know you must walk next to the one holding the light. Too far behind or ahead, you are in darkness. You might go down the wrong path, stumble or fall. So let’s take the Saviour’s hand and walk together by His side.
In conclusion, I do not want to leave Sarah on a sour note. Sarah’s had experienced many sacrifices. Her faith grew after the birth of her son Isaac. She experienced hardships and disappointments all without complaints. She was flexible with the changes that were made in her life. By her obedience to Abraham, she allowed him to obey God. In Hebrews 11, she was honored for the faith she did have, not because of her failures.
Just as I am, without one plea, But that Thy Blood was shed for me, And that Thou bid’st me come to Thee, O Lamb of God I come…
Thank You
1 John 5:13
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