Genesis 17:15-21
God 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.”
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?” And Abraham said to God, “If only Ishmael might live under your
blessing!”
Then God said, “Yes, but your wife Sarah will bear you a
son, and you will call him Isaac. I will establish my covenant with him as an
everlasting covenant for his descendants after him. And as for Ishmael, I have
heard you: I will surely bless him; I will make him fruitful and will greatly
increase his numbers. He will be the father of twelve rulers, and I will make
him into a great nation. But my covenant I will establish with Isaac, whom
Sarah will bear to you by this time next year.”
Comments
The change from Sarai (my princess) to Sarah (princess) is the
difference between perception and reality. The former says you are at least a
princess in my eyes if in no others; the latter says you are a princess in
reality.
The transformation from Sarai to Sarah is a study in God’s
patience and Sarai’s impatience. She had given her servant, Hagar, to Abraham
in order to have a child, and then had treated Hagar cruelly when her plans
bore fruit. By the time God gave her a new name, Sarai had been mistreating
Hagar and her son, Ishmael, for thirteen years. The honor and blessing given by
God to Sarai was certainly not based on any intrinsic righteousness on her part,
but entirely on the goodness of a loving God.
Reflections
God was exceedingly patient with Sarah even though she was
impatient with God. During what crises and challenging times in your life have
you been most impatient with God? In what ways have you sensed God’s patience
with you?
Prayer
Blessed are you, O Lord our God, King of the universe, whose
patience with us stands in stark contrast to our impatience with you.
"The honor and blessing given by God to Sarai was certainly not based on any intrinsic righteousness on her part, but entirely on the goodness of a loving God." So like the lessons of the Gospels - that God's love is GIFT. So easy to let the world's way of proving our worth and being proud distract us from this.
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