Comments on: God and Sarah

By: Hubert Edgar

Hubert Edgar — Thu, 07 Aug 2008 21:02:09 +0000

Thanks Liz and JLP for the kind words!

Francine, that was an interesting speculation about why Abraham asked Sarah what he did and what he had hoped to accomplish. How many times we mess things up when we think we know what’s better for someone than what they know. It can be a problem for anyone in leadership and is, I think, a common problem in complementarian marriages.

Complementarianism is very like the often disasterous doctrine of the divine right of kings. In the Kingdom of God, at least as I understand it, there are teachers but there are no rulers as such except to the extent that we are all rulers by being heirs of God. I think that disappointed the disciples and the mother of James and John particularly. What we have is God ordained servants. The divine right of servants is to serve. A Christian leader, in my opinion, best serves by serving up Godly, Biblical suggestions and advice. That is, I think, the difference between judgment and judgmentalness.

By: Francine

Francine — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 13:01:37 +0000

Tiro
Yes, Sarah was a very strong woman and she did challenge Abraham. What the church often calls obedience on Sarah part was really submission out of love and respect. It was also following customs of those days. If we’d look at the passage in Genesis 12 Abraham is asking, not demanding, her to save his life by telling a half truth. Since, she knew the customs she knew that if she didn’t say she was his sister, they might kill the husband she loved. I don’t believe that Abraham thought they would break custom and take her. I truly think that he was going to bargain with them until it was time to leave Eygpt. Pharoah had other plans. Then in Genesis 20 when Abraham had the same problem with King Abimeleck, the king asked what the reason for the lie. Verse 13 “And when God had me wander for my father’s household, I said to her, ‘This is how you can show your love to me: Everywhere we go, say of me, ‘he is my brother.’”. How many time has a man said to a woman If you love me you’d do such and such, like go to bed with me or if you loved me you will obey me?
She must have been a really beautiful woman. Also, they must not have worn veils in those days, otherwise they would not have know what she looked like. There is so much I could say about their relationship, but that would take a book or at least an article.

By: Mary

Mary — Sun, 03 Aug 2008 03:56:37 +0000

I think about all the speculations that various people make concerning naming = authority over another. God renamed Sarai, and Hagar named God. Hmmm…

This was an excellent article, JLP. Thank you very much for posting it.

By: tiro

tiro — Sat, 02 Aug 2008 19:00:00 +0000

I read that Psalm you posted a couple days ago. It is a great thought that God is with us every second of every day. I talk to God all the time, but you know that sometimes we think He might not be listening as intently as at other times.

I wish we knew more about Sarah. I think she was a very strong woman and that she challenged Abraham. In fact I think that is part of why Moses used the word ezer in Gen. 2 regarding woman. In being equals, we challenge one another. Woman can challenge man in ways that man cannot challenge man. In that way we strengthen them.

By: jlp

jlp — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 02:22:14 +0000

Hubert,

One time God told me that he keeps his mind on every person in the world every second of every minute of everyday. God has each person on his mind constantly.

Psalm 121
A song of ascents.
1 I lift up my eyes to the hills—
where does my help come from?
2 My help comes from the LORD,
the Maker of heaven and earth.

3 He will not let your foot slip—
he who watches over you will not slumber;

4 indeed, he who watches over Israel
will neither slumber nor sleep.

5 The LORD watches over you—
the LORD is your shade at your right hand;

6 the sun will not harm you by day,
nor the moon by night.

7 The LORD will keep you from all harm—
he will watch over your life;

8 the LORD will watch over your coming and going
both now and forevermore.

By: Liz

Liz — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 00:48:16 +0000

Yes Hubert – it is a great comfort to know that God sees each one of us and of special comfort to those who at times can feel insignificant. Many women feel like that as well….thanks for sharing your ‘human-ness’- it shows again that we are all made of the same ‘stuff’.

By: Hubert Edgar

Hubert Edgar — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 19:26:42 +0000

Sarah is an inspiration. She probably was suffering because of not having a child and now being past the age of child birth. Abraham could produce children, just not by her. Abraham had heirs. Sarah did not. Yet, she believed. She believed in something only slightly less likely, in my eyes, than the virgin birth.

I particularly like what JLP pointed out about what Hagar called God: “the God who sees me.” As a depressive, that’s a great, great name! I’m very happy to have it pointed out to me. Here was a person in real trouble who knew God was seeing her. That’s a very hard thing to do.

By: Pam

Pam — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 14:47:29 +0000

JLP –
Thank you for the comments on Sarah and her share in the formation of the nation of Israel through whom would come the Messiah. She is often greatly overshadowed by our sharing of Abraham’s role.
I am also always struck by the similarity of Martha’s profession of faith in John 11:17-27 to Peter’s in Matthew 16:13-20.
Martha declares,”Yes, Lord, I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who was to come into the world.”
Peter declares, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” We hear Jesus declare that “on this rock I will build my church.” I am always deeply moved that Martha made the same declaration of faith to the Lord.