Saturday, October 19th

Through faith also Sara herself received strength to conceive seed, and was delivered of a child when she was past age, because she judged him faithful who had promised.

Hebrews 11:11

 

Today is the first day in our series on the Wall of Faith chapter, Hebrews 11, that a woman has been named as one of the Lord's most faithful servants.  Sarah was the wife of Abraham, and we covered him a little yesterday.  Sarah is known for doing what we would call the unthinkable---that is, she suggested to her husband that he and her maid, Haggar, have an intimate relationship in order to produce a child.  Sarah was not able to have children as yet and was called barren.  It is inconceivable to me to consider any woman actively promoting her husband being with another woman; however, we live in neither a time nor a culture that shames and demotes women who are unable to have children.  I know absolutely nothing of the embarrassment or disgrace of being childless in a society that hinges all of a woman's self-worth  on her ability to deliver children.  Sarah knew the heartbreak of being laughed at, ridiculed, and talked about.  Surely this cultural pressure, along with her own burning desire for a son, drove Sarah in her plan to use Haggar as a surrogate.  We can easily pass judgment upon Sarah, but we certainly don't know what we would have done in her place.  She knew that God had promised her a son, and perhaps she reasoned within herself that because she was so old (she was around 65 years old when God promised Abraham a son), God needed her help in working out His promise.  How often do we do the very same thing?  We try to help God along when He is not working as fast as we think He should be or in the manner we think is acceptable.  We become just like Sarah, don't we?  Instead of waiting for the Lord, we grow impatient and act on our own instincts.  Human reasoning will ALWAYS get us in trouble.  God does not operate on what our minds can comprehend, and His ways will not always make sense to us. 

 

Though Sarah was weak in the flesh, we know that Sarah was a faithful believer who followed the Lord.  Whatever her downfalls, she was counted worthy by the Lord to have a place in Hebrews 11.  She was faithful to her husband and her God, following wherever the Lord led.  Can we say the same thing for ourselves?



Scripture Reading for the Day:

Proverbs 19
Acts 28