Mrs Molly Audiss
Author - Ready For the Day Volume 2 (Devotional Book)
Wife / Mom / 8th Grade Girls Sunday School Class
First Baptist Church
Hammond, IN
The Strength of Sarah
Sarah is, to me, undoubtedly the greatest woman in the Bible. Much is said of her in Genesis. She is one of the few Old Testament women to be mentioned in the New Testament. She is one of two women mentioned by name in Hebrews 11, and when teaching on submission, Peter uses Sarah as the role model of how a wife should respect her husband. Wow! We can surely learn many lessons from this godly woman.
What is it that made Sarah such a great woman? Let me point out something I noticed about her in the book of Genesis. (I highly encourage you to do a detailed study of your own on Sarah. Read Genesis 11:26- 23:20; Hebrews 11:8-22; and I Peter 3:1-6.)
Sarah was 65 years old when she and her husband set out in search of the place that God had for them. Abraham, whom God calls a prophet, was a man full of faith. He had been given the promise of God that he would become a great nation, and that the Lord would protect him and bless him. He had total confidence in God- well, almost. You see, as they were leaving their hometown, Abraham asked his wife for a favor. He said, “As we leave everything we have ever known, and go into a strange new land, I want you to do something for me. You are really beautiful, Sarah. I’m afraid that every man is going to want to have you. So, each time we enter a new place, I need you to pretend that we are not married. Just tell them that you’re my sister.”
What must she have thought to that request? Ladies, how would it feel if your husband said, “We are going out as missionaries. God has promised to protect us, and I trust him. Just follow me! Oh, by the way, I am going to pretend that we are not a couple each time a man asks me about you. Okay?”
That would not be a great confidence booster. “Thanks a lot, Pal! I love you, too! You have God’s promise of protection, but you don’t really think He can keep you safe?” But, Sarah’s greatness shows through here. She did not allow the weakness of a great man cause her to be bitter and lose faith in him. She was tested on this faith, twice.
On two separate occasions, in her late 60’s, and again at the age of 90, Abraham actually allowed Sarah to be taken away from him. He did not stand up for her and try to fight for her. God Himself had to step in and protect Sarah’s purity as she sat in the palace of Pharaoh, and in the house of Abimelech. On both occasions Abraham received gifts. After the second time she kept her mouth shut, Abraham received an apology from the king, and she received a scolding from the king!
Could these thoughts have gone through her mind?
-Why doesn’t my husband care about my well-being?
-Why doesn’t my husband defend me? He quickly ran to fight for his no-good
nephew, Lot, when he was in trouble. Why does he not fight for me?
-It hurts when he treats me that way.
She may have been justified in feeling ill-used, but, instead, she decided to continue honoring and respecting her husband as the great man of God he was. (I Peter 3:6a Even as Sara obeyed Abraham, calling him lord…) This lady was no wall-flower! Just read her interactions with Hagar! She had the love and respect of her husband. He could have had other wives and concubines, but he did not want any other woman than Sarah, even though she was childless. Abraham listened to her and had respect for her opinions (again consider the story of Hagar and Ishmael). Sarah was opinionated, but she followed her husband’s decisions and plans. Her trust was in the Lord.
How did the story end? Sarah received a miracle from God in the birth of her son, Isaac. Sarah lived out her days as the cherished wife of the richest, most-respected man of the day. Sarah became the mother of the Hebrew nation. Sarah is forever remembered in God’s Word as a woman of faith and an example of a godly wife. Sarah’s husband is the most famous man that ever lived. I would say that she made the right choice to overlook the humanities and weaknesses of her mate. She knew the importance of being the right kind of wife.
Ladies, we should view our husbands (and all of our leaders) in three separate ways.
Position- The day we married our mate, he took on the authoritative position of being our husband, and, therefore, our head. Every leader in our lives (pastor, father-while a child, President, police officer….and many others hold a position of authority in our lives.
Person- This is the human being with whom we fell in love. This is the personality and character of our spouse. This is the sense of humor, the integrity, the intellect of the man we married. Introvert/extrovert—all traits that are unique to the man.
Performance- These are the actions of our mate….decisions he makes. The way he treats others. His plans and how he executes them.
It is vital that we learn how to separate these three categories. God commands us to respect and to submit to the position our spouse holds as a husband. (Ephesians 5:22-24) God commands us to love the person of our husbands, as we are to love all human beings, for Christ’s sake. (I John 3:23) God neither commands or expects us to always love the performance of our husbands. It is when we cannot separate the position of our mate from the performance of our mate that we become frustrated and disillusioned.
Sarah obeyed Abraham and called him lord (Sir) because of the respect she had for his position as her husband. His performance was a totally separate matter, and had no affect on his position or his person. This Bible story helps us understand that, in every marriage, there will be times when a wife says to herself, “I love my husband, but I disagree with the decision he is making. I will submit to him because I respect his authority.” When a wife obeys God by submitting to her husband, she gains the Lord’s protection.
God is always for authority, and the only chance we have of staying inside His will for our lives, is to honor and respect the authority He places over us. (Romans 13:1-3) Actions do not alter the position of the authorities in our lives (husbands, employers, political leaders, pastors, etc), and should not alter the reverence we hold for the position.
In regards to performance, the Lord gave us the wonderful and powerful tool of prayer. Yes, we are allowed to pray that God will change the hearts or actions of our authorities. But even better, we have the privilege to pray that God will change us and help our leader’s weaknesses become diminished, yea, invisible in our eyes.
The humanity of our husband is a gift from God, as it draws us closer to Him and conforms us to His image. It is also a reminder of our own flaws and shortcomings, which should keep us humble and grateful for the love and grace shown us by our Lord and by our spouse. Aren’t we glad that our husbands are patient with all of our faults!
Let’s work on our respect, love, and acceptance, as we thank the Lord for giving us the gift of submission to authority. It is this tool that helps us grow to our full potential and conform to the image of Christ.
