Sarah: Hoping Against Hope

"By faith Sarah herself also received strength to coneive seed, and she bore a child when she was past the age, because she judged Him faithful who had promised." Hebrews 11:11

She new that God was faithful, but she didn't alway act like she knew it. I had never related myself so much to Sarah as in the first two and a half pages of this chapter: "impatient, temperamental, conniving, cantankerous, cruel, flighty, pouty, jealous, erratic, unreasonable, a whiner, a complainer, or a nag". Her episodes "of ill temper or strife" remind me of my own. And like Sarah's episodes mine are related to my frustrations. Sarah desperately wanted to be something, wanted God's promise to be fulfilled but couldn't wait. Instead "she concocted a scheme" and it "tore her life apart and seemed to leave a lasting scar on her personality." Think about what your own desires are, even if they are desires given by God. Is there something that you are so desperate for that you are anxious about waiting for God to fulfill that desire? As much as we know God and trust Him it is still hard to wait for Him.

"Delight yourself also in the Lord, and He will give you the desires and secret petitions of your heart." Psalm 37:4

"Do not fret or have any anxiety about anything, but in every circumstance and in everything, by prayer and petition (define requests) with thanksgiving, continue to make your wants known to God." Philippians 4:6

"Therefore Sarah laughed to herself, saying, After I have become aged shall I have pleasure and delight, my lord (husband), being old also?"

Genesis 18:12

P.S. There are countless verses about God delighting in us! So how do we delight in Him? Philippians 4:4, Nehemiah 1:11, Job 22:25-26, Psalm 1:2, Psalm 40:8, Psalm 94:19, Psalm 119:92 ...

Sarah had "important strengths" along with her weaknesses: "faith, steadfastness"..."humility, meekness, hospitality, faithfulness, deep affection for her husband, sincere love toward God, and hope that never died". Sarah sometimes struggled with holding onto her hope and faith, but she always unded up on the side of faith. Sarah went where God lead her without knowing where she was going. I think it is important that the author tells us that they were raised in an urban setting and were not nomadic by nature or nurture. They chose to follow God into a journey. He was their home, their anchor, the place that they returned. Oh, Lord that my dwelling place would be You. Send me out from You and bring me back to You.

How amazing that God went to the extent of putting Abraham into a deep sleep for us to understand the His promises are dependent on Him, not on us. He is faithful and just and does not rely on us. "If Sarah had simply realized that truth and embraced it, her whole burden would have been instantly lifted."

Eve: Mother of all living

(From Lorna)
“Adam called his wife’s name Eve, because she was the mother of all living” Genesis 3:20 NKJV

The scripture tells her story, almost in abbreviated fashion, which helps us focus more clearly on the aspects of her life that have the most significance.

Her creation

Gen 2:20 And Adam gave names to all cattle, and to the fowl of the air, and to every beast of the field; but for Adam there was not found a help meet for him.
Gen 2:21 And the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept: and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof;
Gen 2:22 And the rib, which the LORD God had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man.
Gen 2:23 And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.
Gen 2:24 Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.
Gen 2:25 And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed.

God carefully assembled a whole new creature with just the right set of attributes to make the ideal mate for Adam. She completed Adam in every way. She was “taken out of man” they shared the same essential nature, she was his spiritual counterpart, his intellectual coequal.
Eve’s creation contains some important biblical lessons about the divinely-designed role of women. Adam was created first; then Eve was made to fill a void in his existence. Adam was designed to be a father, provider, protector, and leader. Eve was designed to be a mother, comforter, nurturer, and helper.
Also look at 1 cor 11:14, Ehp 5:22-24, col 3:18 and 1 Peter 3:1-6

Something to think about? The way Eve was created speaks of her fundamental equality with Adam. What does this mean to you? How do you understand the duty and role of women

Her temptation

Genesis 3 then introduces the tempter, a serpent.

Gen 3:1 Now the serpent was more subtle than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?
Gen 3:2 And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden:
Gen 3:3 But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die.
Gen 3:4 And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die:
Gen 3:5 For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.
Gen 3:6 And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.
Gen 3:7 And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons.

Satan came to Eve in disguise. That epitomizes the subtle way he intended to deceive her. He appears to have singled her out for this cunning deception when she was not in the company of Adam.
”Has God indeed said….”Skepticism is implicit in the inquiry. This is the classic modus operandi. He questions the Word of God by suggesting uncertainty about the meaning of God’s statements, raising doubts in Eves mind. Eve ate and then gave to her husband to eat. By Adams act sin entered the world and death through sin…Romans 5:12

Her Humiliation

And in a moment, her innocence was gone. The result was agonizing shame.

Her Expectation

She was given hope, she would have “seed” and would still have the opportunity to become the mother of the human race. Even better, was the promise that her seed would bruise the serpents head. This was the guarantee that her race would not be hopelessly subordinated to the evil one’s domination forever. This is also shown in the name of her son Seth “appointed one”
Gen 4:25 It suggests the underlying hope that one day her seed would destroy the power of sin.

What life principles have your learnt from the study of Eves life? How would you apply these to your life?

Twelve Extraordinary Women - Introduction

I know I am supposed to be blogging chapter one, but - wow - the introduction was amazing, so that is as far as I have gotten! I loved being reminded of the value that Jesus places in women! It was really interesting to read about the place of women in society and have things that I have always thought put into words that really explain the position that the world gives us and the position that Jesus gives us.

Oh Lord, that "what makes me extraordinary would be a memorable, life-changing encounter with You"! That I could be a "trophy of your grace in spite of my failures". You are great, mighty, glorious, awesome! Refine me!"

Three words seemed to keep coming up in the intro - FAITH, FAITHFULNESS, LOVEIn evaluating our value and beauty the intro gives us two verses (plus tons that are associated with specific points - we could spend a whole semester just in the introduction - but we won't:>)

1 Peter 3:3-4 - Let not yours be the [merely] external adorning with [elaborate] interweaving and knotting of the hair, the wearing of jewelry, or changes of clothes; But let it be the inward adorning and beauty of the hidden person of the heart, with the incorruptible and unfading charm of a gentle and peaceful spirit, which [is not anxious or wrought up, but] is very precious in the sight of God.

I really want the "incorruptible and unfading charm of a gentle and peacefule spirit, not anxious.

Timothy 2:9-10 - Also [I desire] that women should adorn themselves modestly and appropriately and sensibly in seemly apparel, not with [elaborate] hair arrangement or gold or pearls or expensive clothing, But by doing good deeds (deeds in themselves good and for the good and advantage of those contacted by them), as befits women who profess reverential fear for and devotion to God.

I'll blog chapter one soon, but feel free to get started on posting that without me...