How many of us women call our husbands 'lord' these days? (How many would
deserve the title, as Abraham did?) Maybe a few cultures promote it, but it is not
the norm. Out of those that do, is it out of respect, or is it a forced 'endearment'
based on man's interpretation of scripture-that the man has dominance over
the woman?
Genesis 18:12
Sarah called Abraham 'lord' in her heart, as a sign of respect, because he
followed God's direction. A man that consistently and wholeheartedly follows
God should be respected as such. A man that is power-hungry, proud,
controlling, and demanding, should not.
Genesis 12:5, 16
She had followed her husband from their homeland, and saw how God had
prospered him. She was a recipient of the blessings from her husband's
obedience. Do any of us have that confidence? Are we so sure that our husbands
are following the will of God that we don't question it? Are our husbands
Abrahams, and are we Sarahs?
Genesis 16:2
God had promised Abraham a son, through which He would provide the seed
that would lead to Jesus. But. like some of us, Sarah got impatient for God's
promise, and took matters into her own hands. Sarah was old-too old to have
children, and since the prophecy was given to Abraham, she obviously
concluded that she did not have to be the mother. So she gave her handmaid,
Hagar, to him to have a child by. Isn't it just like us to jump in front of God with
what we think is a good idea in order to bring about what He has told us,
instead of waiting for Him to bring it to pass?
Genesis 21:9
Sarah saw Ishmael mocking her son, and her anger rose against the child and his
mother, and as a result, they were cast out of the camp. How many times have
we made our lives difficult, having to contend with the result of our
impatience? The lesson here is to have patience with God, otherwise we will
grow resentful to the decision we made when not consulting with the Lord.
Genesis 23:1
Sarah was a 127 yrs old when she died-she had birthed Isaac when she was 90. As
the matriarch of God's chosen, she is the only woman in scripture whose death
is recorded in such detail. Even the death of Eve, the mother of us all, is not
recorded at all. This tells us that her willingness and obedience~not just to her
husband, but to God~gained her the position of respect that we, as women,
should strive for today. The lesson Sarah had to learn, as we today have to, is
that a woman can only be virtuous toward her husband when she believes that
nothing is too difficult for God.
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