SARAH
-Spiritual Mother Of All Christians-

Notable characteristics mark the life of Sarah, Abraham's wife, the spiritual mother of all believers. She is set apart as unique and also shared her husband's challenges.

Sarah is an example of a woman who loved her husband unconditionally. More is written about Sarah in The Bible than any other woman. She is also mentioned many times in The New Testament.

Sarah was a very beautiful, strong-willed woman who chose to be agreeable to her husband with common sense, which she used when she knew her husband was wrong. This type of woman God commended.

Though Sarah was barren, God had promised to give her a child. In ancient times, civilization looked upon barrenness as grief, as a sign of divine disfavour. She was to be a mother to nations, physically and spiritually.

God Himself changed her name Sarai, meaning 'princess' to Sarah meaning 'Chief or Commander' because of the association with particular promises and covenants. She illustrated the significance of her God-given name with forbearance and steadfast devotion from Abraham.

Sarah's name to rule fitted her personality. The line of kings descended from her one and only child, which God brought about by a miracle. Sarah remained childless until 90 years of age. The line of ancestry gave birth to God's Anointed One, Jesus Christ, also The King, with a Kingdom not of this world.

The daughter of Terah and half-sister to her husband, although both had different mothers, Sarah came from an honoured family that originally lived in Ur, (now Southern Iraq) a centre of culture and commerce which had provided a good living. Many citizens were prosperous, lived in spacious homes and worshipped the moon including other pagan idols. Sarah had lived in a society of civic laws and decrees; the city cultured in the arts contained many libraries of History and philosophy.

The family moved north to Haran whose inhabitants also worshipped the moon. Built on a tributary of the Euphrates River, the city was one of the main trade routes to the Mediterranean Sea and also a very civilized municipal centre.

God called the family to leave and go where He would guide them. Having a strong personality Sarah adjusted to becoming a nomad when God called her husband to leave the comfortable city of Haran. For months they travelled, slowly moving with all their animals, including their hired servants and their nephew, Lot.

The family lived in tents, that were temporary shelters made from black or brown goat's hair. Reeds and twigs woven together, hung as an inside wall s which made separate rooms. The ground under the tents was covered with woven matting. Sarah and her descendants lived most of their lives this way except when they lived in Egypt until the land of Canaan was given to them.

She was a faithful wife to the man who was 'a friend of God'. God led them to the land of Canaan and told them that to their descendants He would give that land.

She was a woman of great unusual beauty and stature as many rulers of nations attested to. Sarah, twice, because of her husband's persistence, lied about being his wife. Abraham feared for his own life so resorted to falsehood. Because of a lie and Sarah's beauty, she ended up in Pharaoh's harem and again later in another heathen king's home, King Abimelech of Gerar. This did not please God.

During the time of waiting for God's promise to pass, Sarah grew impatient, her faith wavered and she made a big mistake by allowing her maid to conceive an heir for her husband. This was the common custom of the day but Abraham, knowing of the covenant with God, should have refused to go along with Sarah's idea, for a son was born to the slave woman. It was only through Sarah that God's promised seed would come.

Letting her servant maid have a son for her husband led to great sacrifice on her part, that was not God's plan. However the maid developed a feeling of superiority and the results of this mistake became serious. Abraham was told to listen to his wife Sarah for she was right to insist that her servant maid and her child be sent away, because of the problems it was causing even though she knew it meant death for Hagar and Ishamel if God did not intervene.

Even though Sarah tried her own plan with her Egyptian maidservant, Hagar, God was not bound by what happened, He still can do the impossible.

The Lord Himself spoke to Sarah and confirmed His promise to her personally. Sarah and Abraham entertained the three special visitors, The Lord, plus two angels in the form of men, who gave assurance of the prophecy concerning Christ. She helped prepare their meal. She believed that nothing was too hard for God and had a son born of the covenant, and named Him Isaac as The Lord commanded. Sarah was the mother of Isaac at the age of 90 years, far beyond child-bearing years, making the birth of their son a miracle brought about by The Hand of God.

Sarah is the free woman, the mother of all believers, because she believed in the faithfulness of God.

Sarah called herself old at 87 years of age but was 127 years old when she died. Her son Isaac was 37 at the time of his mother's death. Sarah and Abraham had lived as nomads and breaking with ancient custom, Abraham purchased a cave in Canaan and buried Sarah in a more permanent resting-place.

During her life she experienced disappointments as well as times of greatness. As well as being of outward beauty she had an inner beauty that did not go unnoticed.

Sarah is the heroine of the Hebrew life and lineage, the most important female figure in the world's history, the woman through whom all nations would be blessed.

Sarah more than any other woman can, through her life teach others godly woman-hood.

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Managed by Stefan Kreslin, Last updated August 2017