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Submission & Faith
By Noni McVey
Hebrews 11 is probably one of the best-known chapters in the Bible because it is God’s Hall of Faith. Of the seventeen great people of God listed in this chapter only two are women. While both Sarah, Abraham’s wife and Rahab, the Jericho prostitute are distinctly different they have something very much in common. They are both women of faith.
Sarah
There is no greater example of true submission and complete faithfulness in God’s promises than the story of Sarah. Through time, God transformed Sarah into a woman of courage, loyalty and faithful submissiveness to her husband. God changed her doubt into believing in His promises. Sarah was faithful to His promise when it mattered most.
In Genesis 3:16, God said to Eve, “Yet your desire shall be for your husband, and he shall rule over you.” Submission to one’s husband is part of the burden brought upon every married woman due to Eve’s sin. Sarah’s story illustrates how submission to one’s husband is a monitor of one’s faith in and submission to God. A submissive wife is one who has complete faith God is working through her husband to do what is best for her.
Story of Faith Begins in Ur
While Sarah isn’t mentioned in Genesis 12:1-3, her story of faith certainly begins there. God said to Abraham, “Leave your country, your people and your father’s household and go to the land I will show you. I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.” Abraham, with his Father Terah, wife Sarah and nephew Lot left the city of Ur, a thriving city on the banks of the Euphrates River not knowing where God intended for them to go.
Do you think it is fun to move? Certainly not. The move for Sarah could not have been an easy one. While Sarah packed up the household, and prepared to leave family and friends, she didn’t know where she was moving to, or how long the journey would be.
As will be illustrated later in Sarah’s story, she certainly was not an empty headed, spineless woman. Names had meaning in ancient times and the name Sari means princess. Sarah was a beautiful woman, as we will read and I believe she was gracious, cultured and well educated. So while Sarah willingly submitted to Abraham’s decision to move, she did so because it was the right thing to do, not because she had no opinion.
The first stop of their journey was Haran (Genesis 11;31). After Terah died, Abraham, at the age of 75, left Haran with his entire household for the land of Canaan. It is another move to another unknown place. In spite of the unfamiliar, Sarah took the ultimate step of trusting in God’s faithfulness. She believed God would guide her husband to the place He had chosen for them. What is a woman’s ultimate step of faith? I believe it is the ability to willingly submit to the judgment of one’s husband whether it is sound or unsound. As women we must trust in His faithfulness to take care of us in spite of our husbands’ decisions.
Arrive in Canaan
Once they entered Canaan, it seemed the land of “milk and honey” was becoming barren due to a famine. At times, have you found yourself doing what you believe God has instructed with all your heart, and doors open for you to only feel He has left you alone? While Abraham doesn’t say it, I wonder if he questioned why God sent him to a promised land that was heading into a famine.
Due to this severe famine, Abraham moved his household once again to Egypt (Genesis 12:10). How do you think Sarah felt about a third move? If Abraham had consulted Sarah, what do you think she would have said? She may have pointed out his lack of faith to stay in the place God had sent them to. Where was Abraham’s submission to do what God instructed him to do?
There are many times in a marriage when a wife can find a hole in her husband’s plan. Unfortunately there are many husbands that do not find it important to consult with their wives on major decisions. Moving forward with such ill thought out plans can, in the end, hurt the entire family. But once again, Sarah willingly went along with Abraham’s plan to leave Canaan and go to Egypt.
Can’t Sink Much Lower
As Abraham and Sarah were about to enter Egypt, Abraham said to his wife, “See now, I know that you are a beautiful woman; and it will come about when the Egyptians see you, that they will say, ‘This is his wife’; and they will kill me, but they will let you live. Please say that you are my sister so that it may go well with me because of you, and that I may live on account of you” (Genesis 12:11-13). This was a partial truth since Sarah was Abraham’s half sister.
This is certainly a tribute to Sarah’s beauty as she was sixty-five years old when this event took place. Her beauty was not just in the eyes of Abraham, “And it came about when Abram came into Egypt, the Egyptians saw that the woman was very beautiful. And Pharaoh’s officials saw her and praised her to Pharaoh; and the woman was taken into Pharaoh’s house” (Genesis 12:14,15). I can’t begin to imagine what was going through Sarah’s mind. It seems this would have been the time to say, “We must obey God rather than men” (Acts 5:29).
Sarah knew God’s promise. She knew a great nation was to come from Abraham’s seed. Did she willingly do what Abraham requested because she felt expendable? Since she was barren, did she believe Abraham, at any cost, needed to live and have children even if it was with another woman? Whatever was going through her mind, Sarah obviously believed God would make Abraham the father of a great nation and God would deliver her. God intervened and revealed to Pharaoh that Sarah was Abraham’s wife. Pharaoh, the pagan king, rebuked Abraham for being dishonest to him and sent him on his way.
Sarah’s Turn
After living in Canaan for ten years, Sarah had borne Abraham no children (Genesis 16:1). Sarah decided to “help” God out by devising a plan to be sure Abraham would be the father of a multitude. Sarah knew the promise God made to Abraham, but she didn’t know whom the mother of the promised descendants would be. Sarah convinced Abraham to take Hagar, the Egyptian servant and have a child through her.
How many times do we become impatient waiting on God to answer a prayer? Giving one’s husband to another woman was a sacrificial thing for Sarah to do. But the act of giving Abraham to her servant was an impulsive sin, which had a huge effect on Abraham and Sarah’s relationship. When Hagar became pregnant with Ishmael and then unmanageable, Sarah blamed Abraham for everything, even though it was her idea to begin with.
Where was Abraham’s faith God would provide a son? While Abraham should have rejected Sarah’s plan to begin with, he dodged his responsibility when he told Sarah, “Your servant is in your hands, do whatever you think best” (Genesis 16:6). Whether in ancient or current times, it’s tough for any woman to follow a man who is incapable of making decisions, runs from responsibilities and is a wimp.
Do you know what your husband’s aspirations and goals in life are? Are you working together to achieve those goals? Does your husband know your short and long term goals? It’s hard to submit to a man who doesn’t know where he is going. Go to God in prayer and ask Him for guidance and wisdom. Ask Him to help you help your husband fulfill God’s plan for his life and yours.
They Laughed
Here is a fact that helps us all; even great men and women of faith have their moments of faithlessness. There is no greater example of this than when Abraham and Sarah both laughed at God. Yes, while much emphasis has always been put on Sarah laughing at God, Abraham laughed at God as well. “Abraham fell facedown; he laughed and said to himself, ‘Will a son be born to a man a hundred years old? Will Sarah bear a child at the age of ninety?’” (Genesis 17:17). Abraham not only laughed, but he tried to convince God to accept Ishmael (Genesis 17:18).
But God said, “No, but Sarah your wife shall bear you a son, and you shall call his name Isaac; and I will establish My covenant with him for an everlasting covenant for his descendants after him” (Genesis 17:19). This is the moment God made a promise to Sarah through Abraham. God made three specific promises to Sarah; (1) He would bless Sarah, (2) make her a mother of nations and (3) kings of peoples would come from her.
Then Lord appeared to Abraham in the person of a visitor to his tent, and Sarah overheard him say, “I will surely return to you at this time next year; and behold, Sarah you wife shall have a son” (Genesis 18:10). Sarah was listening at the tent door and laughed to herself, saying, “After I have become old, shall I have pleasure, my lord being so old also?” (Genesis 18:12).
Have you ever laughed at God? Maybe you haven’t laughed, but have you ever doubted His ability to solve your most difficult problems? Do not think for a moment the walk of faith is easy. The struggles of faith are real. Just as real in Abraham and Sarah’s time as they are for us today. Staying true and focused to God’s plan will allow faith to triumph. I believe the turning point in Abraham and Sarah’s faithful walk occurred when they both laughed at God. “Why did Sarah laugh?” God asked quickly, “Is anything too difficult for the Lord?” (Genesis 18:13, 14). God challenged and pierced their wavering hearts with this statement.
Paul said this about Abraham, “And without becoming weak in faith he contemplated his own body, now as good as dead since he was about a hundred years old, and the deadness of Sarah’s womb; yet, with respect to the promise of God, he did not waver in unbelief, but grew strong in faith, giving glory to God, and being fully assured that what He had promised, He was able also to perform” (Romans 4:19-21). The writer to the Hebrews said this of Sarah, “By faith even Sarah herself received ability to conceive, even beyond the proper time of life, since she considered Him faithful who had promised” (Hebrews 11:11).
Abraham and Sarah’s faith had been rewarded. They had a son and he was called Isaac, which means “laughter.” Sarah said, “God has made laughter for me; everyone who hears will laugh with me” (Genesis 21:6).
Doing it Again
Just when one thinks, “never will I do that sin again,” watch out because Satan is there waiting for the opportunity. After compromising his wife 20 years earlier, one would think Abraham would never do it again. But, he did. Abraham offered Sarah to Abimelech, King of Gerar for the same reason he offered her to Pharaoh. Once again, God intervened. Amazingly, Sarah agreed to Abraham’s plan. God delivered again and this example is continued evidence of Sarah’s faith and God’s faithfulness.
Obstacles are Always in the Way
After Isaac had been weaned, Abraham made a great feast. During the feast, Sarah noticed Ishmael poking fun at Isaac. Sarah went to Abraham and said, “Get rid of that slave woman and her son, for that slave woman’s son will never share in the inheritance with my son Isaac” (Genesis 21:10).
This is submissive Sarah talking to Abraham. This is the same woman Peter commends in I Peter 3:5, 6, saying that she “obeyed Abraham, calling him lord.” When it was important, Sarah wasn’t afraid to speak up. Healthy submission doesn’t mean you never articulate your opinion. If you don’t communicate what is on your mind, it could be a sign of low self-esteem, fear of a disagreeable situation or you are trying to avoid responsibility. Never be guilty of saying, “no one cares what my opinion is,” “All I want is peace, and I don’t care what I must do to have it,” “You make the decision, I don’t want to be blamed for making the wrong decision.” Sarah said what was on her mind and she was right.
God told Abraham to listen to Sarah and to do what she said (Genesis 21:12). Here is an example of how God wants a wife to help her husband solve a problem. Women are “helpers” and should be advising, correcting and praying for their husbands.
The Ultimate Test
“Now it came about after these things, that God tested Abraham. Take now your son, your only son, whom you love, Isaac, and go to the land of Moriah; and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I will tell you” (Genesis 22:1, 2). As in the beginning it is true to the end, Sarah is not mentioned in this chapter. But I believe she must have known what was going on.
Abraham and Sarah are the only husband and wife mentioned in God’s Hall of Faith. They had a close relationship with one another and the Lord. Their faith walk was done together. The ultimate test for Abraham and the moment of true submissiveness for Sarah was next. Scripture says Abraham believed God could raise Isaac from the dead (Hebrews 11:19). Do you think Sarah believed as well? Do you think Sarah watched as Abraham and Isaac prepared for the journey to make a sacrifice?
Was every challenge Sarah faced a preparation for the true test of faith, which was watching Abraham and Isaac leaving to make a sacrifice without an animal? Is this final test the reason Sarah is in God’s Hall of Faith? The wife of noble character is described in Proverbs 31. “She brings him good, not harm, all the days of her life” (Proverbs 31:12). A woman can only be this kind of wife when she believes nothing is too difficult for God.
Sarah believed in and worked for the fulfillment of God’s promises. Abraham and Sarah did not always have confidence in their faith. As individuals and a married couple they went through challenging times. Abraham and Sarah had a growing faith in God’s promises. Our God is faithful to His promises and this should give us tremendous comfort. i
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