The life of Sarah in the Bible is one to study to learn valuable lessons of trust and faith in God. She is one of the great matriarchs of the bible and her love of God never wavered. Read more to find out what we can learn from Sarah, the wife of Abraham!
Story of Sarah In The Bible Summary
Sarah (formerly known as Sarai) was the wife of Abraham. We know from the bible that she was very beautiful! She had longed for children for many years, but she never had any.
Until in her very old age, the Lord told her she would have a son and he would have offspring that would fill a nation one day!
This is the lineage of Isaac, and his offspring is what we know as the modern-day Jews. Jesus came from this family line.
At first, Sarah laughed at the thought of becoming a mother in her old age– but it was all a part of God’s plan. Before Sarah ever conceived a child, she wanted to make sure Abraham had his dream fulfilled of becoming a father.
She told Abraham to sleep with one of their servants, Hagar. Hagar became pregnant with a son– Ishmael. God too promised that Ishmael would have many descendants.
As Isaac and Ishmael grew up, Sarah couldn’t bear watching the two of them and watching Hagar around her household. She sent (with permission from Abraham and God) Hagar and Ishmael away.
Sarah died in her old age, and is known as one of the great matriarchs and women of the bible!
Lessons From the Life of Sarah In the Bible
1. Sarah Laughed
When Sarah first heard that she was going to have a baby in her old age –her first reaction was to laugh! She questioned God.
“Now? Now that I’m old I’m going to have a baby?”
I actually admire that about her. She wasn’t angry, she wasn’t bitter–she laughed!
She wasn’t in disbelief–she just thought it was comical how the Lord was going to do this.
How can you approach life with an attitude of “laughter” like Sarah?
Genesis 21:6Sarah said, “God has brought me laughter, and everyone who hears about this will laugh with me.” And she added, “Who would have said to Abraham that Sarah would nurse children? Yet I have borne him a son in his old age.”
2. Sarah Trusted God’s Plan
Sarah trusted God when he told her that she would give birth to a son. She trusted that even though she was old, his plan was still good. She gave birth to Isaac and knew that one day, he would have many offspring and be the “leader” of many nations.
3. Sarah Loved with Sacrifice
When you look at the why behind Sarah’s decisions, it’s easy to see that she chose so from a place of love. Her agenda wasn’t on herself but on her husband.
If I approached every day in my marriage that way, things would go much smoother! What about you? How can you love your husband in such a sacrificial way?
4. Sarah Was Not Afraid to Stand Up For Herself
Sarah was human, and things eventually got to her. And she did NOT like seeing Hagar and Ishamel hanging around her homestead. She spoke up to her husband, Abraham. And you know what, the Lord told Abraham to listen to her!
Hagar and Ishmael were sent away. (But you can also read how the Lord took care of them, too).
5. Sarah Was Beautiful – Inside and Out
While I don’t believe your outward appearance has any effects on the trajectory of your life or God’s will for your life, I personally, found it interesting to read this as I was studying the life of Sarah.
Sarah was so beautiful, that Abraham had her lie to the Egyptians and tell them that Abraham was her brother! Pharaoh wanted her for his wife, and so she took him. Long story short, this happened again at another place— Abraham ended up getting a lot of land and animals because of her beauty.
Abraham didn’t lie — she was his sister–from another mother.
6. Weaknesses of Sarah In The Bible
Now that you’ve learned many great lessons and strengths from Sarah, let’s look at some of her weaknesses. We all have weaknesses.
One thing I love about the Bible is that we can see the humanity in everyone mentioned.
Sarah was jealous
Sarah was jealous of Hagar and the relationship between Ishmael and Abraham.
Sarah took matters into her own hands
She decided to give Abraham her slave girl instead of waiting on God’s timing.
All along he was going to give her a son, but Sarah chose the harder route instead.
Sarah was slightly dishonest
As they journeyed to the different nations and she allowed Abraham to tell people she was his sister, I feel like she was not being 100 percent truthful. Yes, technically she was his sister in a way, but not his full-blood sister. They were married!
7. From Sarai to Sarah Meaning and Significance
Genesis 17:16God also said to Abraham, “As for Sarai your wife, you are no longer to call her Sarai; her name will be Sarah. I will bless her and will surely give you a son by her. I will bless her so that she will be the mother of nations; kings of peoples will come from her.
Why did God change her name from Sarai to Sarah?
To us, it’s one letter in the English language. But in ancient Hebrew, it was a very big deal. Sarai means princess, but Sarah means noble princess.
God was calling Sarah not just any princess, but a royal noble princess of his people!
When we look at the lessons from the life of Sarah in the bible, it is evident that she was a great woman of her God! Sarah teaches us to trust God, honor our spouse, and look at the future without fear. Sarah shows us how we can be a “princess” to mankind, but in God’s eyes–we are all noble princesses- worthy of walking in and growing His Kingdom!
Resources on Sarah In The Bible
To learn more lessons from the life of Sarah, check out this great resource!
The Women of The Bible Speak – The Wisdom of 16 Women and their Lessons today.
