Looking At The Life Of Sarah

Series: People in the Word

Everything God has promised will be fulfilled - but we must stay faithful and keep trusting.

(This talk was given by Keith Trout)

Abraham marries Sarai

Bible:Genesis 11:29

Abram and Nahor both married. The name of Abram's wife was Sarai, and the name of Nahor's wife was Milcah; she was the daughter of Haran, the father of both Milcah and Iscah.

• She is Abraham's half sister - Nahor is their father, they have different mothers'

Sarai can't have children

Bible:Genesis 11:30

Now Sarai was barren; she had no children.

With all the implications of this in the culture of the day:

• Status in the community
• Children = the blessing of God
• Continuation of the family/tribe

Terah takes them from Ur to Haran

Bible:Genesis 11:31

Terah took his son Abram, his grandson Lot son of Haran, and his daughter-in-law Sarai, the wife of his son Abram, and together they set out from Ur of the Chaldeans to go to Canaan. But when they came to Haran, they settled there.

Abraham takes Sarai, Lot and household to Canaan

Bible:Genesis 12:5

He took his wife Sarai, his nephew Lot, all the possessions they had accumulated and the people they had acquired in Haran, and they set out for the land of Canaan, and they arrived there.

Abraham & Sarai travel to Egypt

Bible:Genesis 12:10

Now there was a famine in the land, and Abram went down to Egypt to live there for a while because the famine was severe. 11 As he was about to enter Egypt, he said to his wife Sarai,

• Sarai is a beautiful woman: "I know what a beautiful woman you are.

• Abraham encourages Sarai to lie

Bible:Genesis 12:12

When the Egyptians see you, they will say, 'This is his wife.' Then they will kill me but will let you live. 13 Say you are my sister, so that I will be treated well for your sake and my life will be spared because of you

• This is one way both of them deal with fear
• When afraid they lie to protect themselves

• How do we handle fear?
• How important is the truth to us?
• Jesus IS the truth! It matters.

Sarah tries to 'work out' God's promise of a child

Bible:Genesis 16:1

Now Sarai, Abram's wife, had borne him no children. But she had an Egyptian maidservant named Hagar;

• Sarai takes Hagar (her servant girl) and gives her to Abraham

Bible:Genesis 16:5

Then Sarai said to Abram, "You are responsible for the wrong I am suffering. I put my servant in your arms, and now that she knows she is pregnant, she despises me. May the LORD judge between you and me."

• Hagar becomes pregnant but then treats Sarai with contempt
• Sarai blames Abraham
• Abraham gives her authority to do whatever she wants
• Sarah oppresses Hagar

It ends in blame, hurt, and oppression

When we try to work out God's will using our wisdom, and our strength it always ends in tears!

Bible:Genesis 16:6

"Your servant is in your hands," Abram said. "Do with her whatever you think best." Then Sarai mistreated Hagar; so she fled from her.

• Hagar runs away
• An Angel sends her back with a promise
• God's promised blessing to Abraham & Sarah spills over onto Hagar, Ishmael
• God's Blessings to His people are always to big to be contained they should overflow to
• Persons
• Neighbourhoods
• Cities
• Nations

God speaks to Sarah

Genesis 17:15 God also said to Abraham, "As for Sarai your wife, you are no longer to call her Sarai; her name will be Sarah. 16 I will bless her and will surely give you a son by her. I will bless her so that she will be the mother of nations; kings of peoples will come from her."

• Sarai is re-named Sarah - Princess
• God says - I will bless her richly
• Make her the Mother of many nations
• Kings will be among her descendants

The hollow laugh

• Sarah laughs, not a laugh of Joy, but a hollow laugh

Bible:Genesis 18:10

Then the LORD said, "I will surely return to you about this time next year, and Sarah your wife will have a son." Now Sarah was listening at the entrance to the tent, which was behind him. 11 Abraham and Sarah were already old and well advanced in years, and Sarah was past the age of childbearing. 12 So Sarah laughed to herself as she thought, "After I am worn out and my master is old, will I now have this pleasure?"

13 Then the LORD said to Abraham, "Why did Sarah laugh and say, 'Will I really have a child, now that I am old?' 14 Is anything too hard for the LORD? I will return to you at the appointed time next year and Sarah will have a son."

• Years of waiting had resulted in her hope growing dim
• Ishmael is now 14 years old - another 14 years have passed since the promise of an heir
• They feel 'past it'
• Abraham is 99 years old, she is 89!!!
• Her expectation had almost disappeared

Bible:Proverbs 13:12

Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life.

• YET - God's promise was going to be fulfilled in a matter of months!

Are we waiting for God's promise to be fulfilled? Are we praying for Him to move, act, and answer? Has it been a long, long time (or just seem that way)?

Don't give up! God never does. He is working.

Sarah is afraid so she lies

Bible:Genesis 15

Sarah was afraid, so she lied and said, "I did not laugh." But he said, "Yes, you did laugh."

• God is gracious and still blesses her.
• The lesson here: Be honest, God really does know our thoughts. Trust in His mercy and Grace.
• God will keep His promises but patience is needed
• How He fulfils them may surprise us
• A baby at 90 qualifies for a bit of a surprise!!!
• It has to be His ways not ours

Bible:Isaiah 55:8

"For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways," declares the LORD. 9 "As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts

The promised child (Hebrew:Isaac=Laughter) is born

; Bible:Genesis 21:1 Now the LORD was gracious to Sarah as he had said, and the LORD did for Sarah what he had promised. 2 Sarah became pregnant and bore a son to Abraham in his old age, at the very time God had promised him. 3 Abraham gave the name Isaac to the son Sarah bore him. 4 When his son Isaac was eight days old, Abraham circumcised him, as God commanded him. 5 Abraham was a hundred years old when his son Isaac was born to him.

6 Sarah said, "God has brought me laughter, and everyone who hears about this will laugh with me." 7 And she added, "Who would have said to Abraham that Sarah would nurse children? Yet I have borne him a son in his old age."

Isaac means Laughter

The Hollow laugh is replace with one of with Joy

• God has brought Sarah laughter
• It is contagious
  • 'Every one who hears will laugh with me'
• There is birth, life, joy
• Sarah has been pregnant with promise
  • Now it is birthed.

So it will be with us. Everything God has promised will be fulfilled. All we have to do is stay faithful and keep trusting.

If our hope is growing dim, or our heart has grown sick with deferred hope, seek help today. Ask for prayer, or talk it through with another Christian. Bring it back to God, and be honest - tell Him today how you feel. Throw yourself upon His mercy of which there is an immeasurable supply.

Keith Trout, Sermons And Talks