Sarah: You are her daughters if you do not give way to fear!

How do we become beautiful in the eyes of the Lord?  Read on, and God will tell you what makes a beautiful woman!

Day 1:  Read Gen. 12:1-5

Now the Lord said to Abram, "Go from your country and your kindred and your father's house to the land that I will show you. And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed." So Abram went, as the Lord had told him, and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed from Haran. And Abram took Sarai his wife, and Lot his brother's son, and all their possessions that they had gathered, and the people that they had acquired in Haran, and they set out to go to the land of Canaan. (Genesis 12:1-5).

       Abram is 75 when he leaves to find a new home.  Sarai willingly goes with him (we find out later she is 10 years younger).  She is 65 when she leaves her home and all that she has known, yet she is willing to follow her husband even though they are not clear on where the Lord is leading them.  It is no easy task to be called to follow your family as they take risks to follow the Lord.  This could be evident in a number of ways. 

READ Gen. 12:10-20.  "Now there was a famine in the land, and Abram went down to Egypt to live there for a while because the famine was severe.  As he was about to enter Egypt, he said to his wife Sarai, 'I know what a beautiful woman you are.  When the Egyptians see you, they will say, 'This is his wife.' Then they will kill me but will let you live.  Say you are my sister, so that I will be treated well for your sake and my life will be spared because of you.  When Abram came to Egypt, the Egyptians saw that she was a very beautiful woman.  And when Pharaoh's officials saw her, they praised her to Pharaoh, and she was taken into his palace.  He treated Abram well for her sake, and Abram acquired sheep and cattle, male and female donkeys, menservants and maidservants, and camels.  But the Lord inflicted serious diseases on Pharaoh and his household because of Abram's wife Sarai.  So Pharaoh summoned Abram.  'What have you done to me?' he said.  'Why didn't you tell me she was your wife?  Why did you say, 'She is my sister,' so that I took her to be my wife?  Now then, here is your wife.  Take her and go!' Then Pharaoh gave orders about Abram to his men, and they sent him on his way, with his wife and everything he had."
   Abram says the Egyptians want Sarai because she is beautiful.  She is a beautiful woman even at the age of 65, and men still fall for her.  This will be important later.  
   Again we see Sarai following Abram and supporting his desires, but this time she is NOT in the right.  Taking someone else as your husband also means she has to give her body to another man, which is obviously not living in the way the Lord has planned for us to live.  This shows that although we should sacrifice many things for our families, and although we should do a good deal of things to show them we love them and support them, the line is drawn when our families ask us to do something God says is simply not allowed.  They are sinning in multiple ways here: dishonesty, breaking the "two become one" rule, and not trusting God to get them out of a difficult situation.  We will see Abram and Sarai struggle to truly trust God to do remarkable things throughout this study.  

     However, what we can certainly learn is that we are called to put our God first and our families second.  Is God calling your to sacrifice something for your family today?  Is God calling you to trust Him to do remarkable things that you don't think he can do?  

Day 2: John Piper calls this passage the "Isaac Factor" because God does what is humanly impossible so that we have to trust his power and he gets the glory. We usually try to make things happen for us by relying on our own human capabilities. 

Read Gen 15: 1-6.

"After this, the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision, 'Do not be afraid, Abram.  I am your shield, your very great reward.' But Abram said, 'O Sovereign Lord, what can you give me since I remain childless and the one who will inherit my estate is Elizer of Damascus?' and Abram said, 'You have given to me no children; so a servant in my household will be my heir.' Then the word of the Lord came to him: 'This man will not be your heir, but a son coming fro your own body will be your heir.' He took him outside and said, 'Look up at the heavens and count the stars--if indeed you can count them.' Then he said to him, 'So shall your offsprings be.' Abram believed the Lord, and he credited it to him as righteousness" (Gen 15:1-6).

Abram's main concern is that God is promises that he will be the great reward, but Abram is concerned because he has no heir.  Then, God tells him that he will have an heir FROM HIS OWN BODY.  Abram believes the Lord.  Even at the age of 75+ he believes God, and it is Abram's belief that makes him considered righteous.  God only requires us to believe Him.  Our righteousness does not come through our acts or through our service, but through our BELIEF.  

Abram thinks God could only do this through his slave. God sets him straight, God is going to fulfill his promise miraculously. The only thing God requires of Abram is trust. 

READ Gen 16

Now Sarai, Abram’s wife, had borne him no children. But she had an Egyptian slave named Hagar; ² so she said to Abram, “The Lord has kept me from having children. Go, sleep with my slave; perhaps I can build a family through her.”

Abram agreed to what Sarai said. ³ So after Abram had been living in Canaan ten years, Sarai his wife took her Egyptian slave Hagar and gave her to her husband to be his wife. ⁴ He slept with Hagar, and she conceived.

When she knew she was pregnant, she began to despise her mistress. ⁵ Then Sarai said to Abram, “You are responsible for the wrong I am suffering. I put my slave in your arms, and now that she knows she is pregnant, she despises me. May the Lord judge between you and me.”

⁶ “Your slave is in your hands,” Abram said. “Do with her whatever you think best.” Then Sarai mistreated Hagar; so she fled from her.

⁷ The angel of the Lord found Hagar near a spring in the desert; it was the spring that is beside the road to Shur.⁸ And he said, “Hagar, slave of Sarai, where have you come from, and where are you going?”

“I’m running away from my mistress Sarai,” she answered.

⁹ Then the angel of the Lord told her, “Go back to your mistress and submit to her.” ¹⁰ The angel added, “I will increase your descendants so much that they will be too numerous to count.”

¹¹ The angel of the Lord also said to her:

“You are now pregnant
    and you will give birth to a son.
You shall name him Ishmael,
    for the Lord has heard of your misery.
¹² He will be a wild donkey of a man;
    his hand will be against everyone
    and everyone’s hand against him,
and he will live in hostility
    toward all his brothers.”

¹³ She gave this name to the Lord who spoke to her: “You are the God who sees me,” for she said, “I have now seen the One who sees me.” ¹⁴ That is why the well was called Beer Lahai Roi; it is still there, between Kadesh and Bered.

¹⁵ So Hagar bore Abram a son, and Abram gave the name Ishmael to the son she had borne. ¹⁶ Abram was eighty-six years old when Hagar bore him Ishmael.  

v. 2 says God prevented Sarai from having children--why would he do that? Because God wants to do the impossible.  God is waiting for the right time to show that it is only by HIS power that these beautiful acts can be completed.  He is showing His power to His people for ages to come through this story.  Abraham and Sarai think they can still "help God out." They don't trust Him to do it all Himself. God's plan was to fulfill his plan defying human possibility. 

What do you need to trust God to do for you? What have you been holding back and hiding from Him that you may have been trying to handle yourself? 

DAY 3: Read Gen. 17:15-20

¹⁵ God also said to Abraham, “As for Sarai your wife, you are no longer to call her Sarai; her name will be Sarah. ¹⁶ 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.”

¹⁷ 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?” ¹⁸ And Abraham said to God, “If only Ishmael might live under your blessing!”

¹⁹ 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. ²⁰ 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. ²¹ But my covenant I will establish with Isaac, whom Sarah will bear to you by this time next year.” ²² When he had finished speaking with Abraham, God went up from him.

Notice in verse 16that God totally annihilates any doubt. Sarah can't doubt that it will be HER body along with Abraham's body that will give birth to an heir.  They doubted that God would do this for them, so they took matters into their own hands and used Haggar to "help God out" to perform his plan.

Notice in v. 20 that God hears Abraham's plea to bless Ishmael--he hears our prayers and responds!  God was simply going to bless Isaac, but Abraham is never afraid to ask God for things he really wants.  We should take this approach with God as well.  He is not a God who approaches our requests with frustration.  He is happy that we rely on Him and ask Him to do things for us.  

Matthew 7:7-12 says, “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. ⁸ For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. ⁹ “Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? ¹⁰ Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? ¹¹ If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him! ¹² So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets."  God will give us what we ask for when we are bold enough to ask.  

Also notice how long it took for God to finally bring forth the promise he made (25 years). When God makes a promise, he fulfills it, but he may not always answer prayers or fulfill promises when we expect it.  I'm sure Abraham would not have planned to have a child at 100 with his 90 year old wife.  However, life is not always as we want it to be.  

Read Gen. 18: 1-15

18 The Lord appeared to Abraham near the great trees of Mamre while he was sitting at the entrance to his tent in the heat of the day. ² Abraham looked up and saw three menstanding nearby. When he saw them, he hurried from the entrance of his tent to meet them and bowed low to the ground.

³ He said, “If I have found favor in your eyes, my lord, do not pass your servant by. ⁴ Let a little water be brought, and then you may all wash your feet and rest under this tree.⁵ Let me get you something to eat, so you can be refreshed and then go on your way—now that you have come to your servant.”

“Very well,” they answered, “do as you say.”

⁶ So Abraham hurried into the tent to Sarah. “Quick,” he said, “get three seahs of the finest flour and knead it and bake some bread.”

⁷ Then he ran to the herd and selected a choice, tender calfand gave it to a servant, who hurried to prepare it. ⁸ He then brought some curds and milk and the calf that had been prepared, and set these before them. While they ate, he stood near them under a tree.

⁹ “Where is your wife Sarah?” they asked him.

“There, in the tent,” he said.

¹⁰ Then one of them said, “I will surely return to you about this time next year, and Sarah your wife will have a son.”

Now Sarah was listening at the entrance to the tent, which was behind him. ¹¹ Abraham and Sarah were already very old, and Sarah was past the age of childbearing. ¹² So Sarah laughed to herself as she thought, “After I am worn out and my lord is old, will I now have this pleasure?”

¹³ Then the Lord said to Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh and say, ‘Will I really have a child, now that I am old?’ ¹⁴ Is anything too hard for the Lord? I will return to you at the appointed time next year, and Sarah will have a son.”

¹⁵ Sarah was afraid, so she lied and said, “I did not laugh.”

But he said, “Yes, you did laugh.”

Sarah's response to God's promise is laughter.  That seemed to make God pretty angry.  His response is awesome, though.  "Is anything too hard for the Lord?"  That is a golden nugget of Genesis that we need to remember.  Obviously, the answer is that there is absolutely nothing too hard for the Lord.  He can do anything and everything that He wants.  And He will do it in His timing.  But also notice here that after God calls Sarah out on her disbelief, she really does believe that He will do as He said He would.  She is ashamed that she laughed because she knew that it was not good.  She knew that she should have trusted Him at first, and after He reveals that she wasn't trusting Him, she decides to trust in Him.  

We also see a reflection of Eve in this passage.  Sarai tries to hide her struggle from the Lord.  She hides her disbelief.  She wants to pretend that she didn't really not believe the Lord.  Isn't it so funny that she lied to HIm?  She just lied to a person who can see through her thoughts.  He knows her motives and thoughts better than she does.  It kind of reminds me of the little kid who goes to the doctor because he ate a quarter, and he tells the doctor that he never did that, but the doctor is looking right at the x-ray of the quarter in the kid's stomach.  God just calls her straight out.  He doesn't ignore it, he doesn't pretend it didn't happen, and he certainly does not pretend that it is okay that she laughed.  He says, "Yes, you did!" 

In what ways are you needing to believe that nothing is too hard for the Lord? What do you believe is too hard for him today? 
In the same way that Abraham pleaded with God for Ishmael's favor, what prayers do you believe you need to continue to pray for God to answer? Who do you need to pray that God will bless?

DAY 4: Read Gen. 21: 1-7

Now the Lord was gracious to Sarah as he had said, and the Lord did for Sarah what he had promised. ² Sarah became pregnant and bore a son to Abraham in his old age, at the very time God had promised him. ³ Abraham gave the name Isaac to the son Sarah bore him. ⁴ When his son Isaac was eight days old, Abraham circumcised him, as God commanded him. ⁵ Abraham was a hundred years old when his son Isaac was born to him.

⁶ Sarah said, “God has brought me laughter, and everyone who hears about this will laugh with me.” ⁷ 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.”

⁸ The child grew and was weaned, and on the day Isaac was weaned Abraham held a great feast. ⁹ But Sarah saw that the son whom Hagar the Egyptian had borne to Abraham was mocking, ¹⁰ and she said to Abraham, “Get rid of that slave woman and her son, for that woman’s son will never share in the inheritance with my son Isaac.”

¹¹ The matter distressed Abraham greatly because it concerned his son. ¹² But God said to him, “Do not be so distressed about the boy and your slave woman. Listen to whatever Sarah tells you, because it is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned. ¹³ I will make the son of the slave into a nation also, because he is your offspring.”

¹⁴ Early the next morning Abraham took some food and a skin of water and gave them to Hagar. He set them on her shoulders and then sent her off with the boy. She went on her way and wandered in the Desert of Beersheba.

¹⁵ When the water in the skin was gone, she put the boy under one of the bushes. ¹⁶ Then she went off and sat down about a bowshot away, for she thought, “I cannot watch the boy die.” And as she sat there, she began to sob.

¹⁷ God heard the boy crying, and the angel of God called to Hagar from heaven and said to her, “What is the matter, Hagar? Do not be afraid; God has heard the boy crying as he lies there.¹⁸ Lift the boy up and take him by the hand, for I will make him into a great nation.”

¹⁹ Then God opened her eyes and she saw a well of water. So she went and filled the skin with water and gave the boy a drink.

Sarah laughs at the fact that God fulfilled her promise.  She is so full of joy that she laughs in celebration.  She is absolutely thrilled that God would do this for her.  Many times in my own personal walk with the Lord, I don't trust that he really will follow through with His promises.  Then when he does, I don't even recognize that it was the Lord.  Sarah could have credited herself with having the child and being a great pregnant woman.  However, she realized that the boy was a gift from the Lord, and she laughed with joy.  This has great implications for us about what God can do.  If he can give a 90 year old woman a baby, he can do numerous wonderful things for us. 

Things we can learn from Sarah and her story: 
1) We are God's children by His sovereign plan--not by human initiative
2) Nothing is too difficult for the Lord. 
3) We are called to believe and trust in His plan--then laugh in joy as it comes to fruition. 

DAY 5: Read Heb. 11: 11-16

¹¹ And by faith even Sarah, who was past childbearing age,was enabled to bear children because she considered him faithful who had made the promise. ¹² And so from this one man, and he as good as dead, came descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as countless as the sand on the seashore.

¹³ All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance, admitting that they were foreigners and strangers on earth. ¹⁴ People who say such things show that they are looking for a country of their own. ¹⁵ If they had been thinking of the country they had left, they would have had opportunity to return.¹⁶ Instead, they were longing for a better country—a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them.

Abraham and Sarah's promises were made true because "she considered him faithful who had made the promise."  After she laughed, she believed God would be faithful, and that is why he gave them the seemingly impossible gift of a son.  It is important for us to believe that God will give us our promises.  We sould consider him faithful.  

It is also important, as is evident in this passage, that we should be remember that we are "foreigners and strangers on earth."  This is not our home.  Our home is with the Lord in heaven.  Although Sarah and Abraham saw the beginning of their promise revealed, they didn't get to see their offspring multiply as the Lord said they would.  They only saw a glimpse from a distance of the beginning of the promise, but they did trust in the Lord.  They were not making earth their home.  It is so important for us to remember daily that our longing should not be for earthly things.  We shouldn't long for beauty, for riches, for praise, for fame, or for establishment.  We should remember that our longing is for heaven, for righteousness, for His glory, for people to know Him, to know Him more, and to trust in Him.  

Isn't it beautiful that God is not ashamed to be called their God?  Could you imagine God telling you that He isn't ashamed to be your God?  What can we do for God to say this about us?  We can remember the way Sarah and Abraham lived.  God called them to move, and they left.  God told them they would have a child, and they believed Him (even if sometimes they did try to make it happen in the way they thought it would.  Remember that Sarah is said to be "living by faith" when she died.  How glorious!  Let that be said of all of us!

READ 1 Peter 3: 1-6.  Man, I absolutely LOVE these verses.  I think every woman should have them on their bathroom mirror to remind them of what we should adorn ourselves with in the morning.  It certainly isn't makeup or jewelry.  We should adorn ourselves with hope in the Lord!  We certainly should adorn ourselves with the Lord before we adorn ourselves with anything else (but that doesn't mean don't put clothes on before you have a quiet time)!  :) 

3 Wives, in the same way submit yourselves to your own husbands so that, if any of them do not believe the word, they may be won over without words by the behavior of their wives, ² when they see the purity and reverence of your lives. ³ Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as elaborate hairstyles and the wearing of gold jewelry or fine clothes. ⁴ Rather, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight. ⁵ For this is the way the holy women of the past who put their hope in God used to adorn themselves. They submitted themselves to their own husbands, ⁶ like Sarah, who obeyed Abraham and called him her lord. You are her daughters if you do what is right and do not give way to fear.

When you read about husbands, also think about responding to fathers. We aren't called to submit to friends or boyfriends, but we are called to submit to our fathers. We are also called to love others sacrificially. Verse two should help us remember the goal of our beauty.  Our goal is that people would see the beauty of the Lord in us, and it would spread into all relationships.  That way, they will see purity and reverence for the Lord.  Our aim should be to be beautiful in purity (not sexy, not glamour) and to be beautiful in reverence for the Lord (not beauty in talent or in humor).  Isn't it also interesting that God is calling them to win their unbelieving husbands over by respecting and serving him?  Even if your husband is not perfect, or even a Christian, you are called to serve him and love him and respect him.  This is what wins over a nonbeliever.  Service.  Also, what is so interesting is that God is NOT calling the woman to preach at him.  He says women are called to win a man over by their actions, not by their words.  I think this also goes for men who are struggling with not believing God's promises.  Remind your family of God's promises by fulfilling yours.  Don't use your words to break your man down... that only would make him then submit to you and what you told him to do.  Pray without ceasing for him when he struggles, and continue to serve him while loving him and showing an example of service and promise-keeping.  

And then we see what God thinks makes a beautiful woman!  It is not outward appearances.  "Then comes verse 3 with its warning against making your adornment external instead of internal. So what I think Peter is doing is giving married women another warning about how not to win their husbands, namely, don't think that you can win him with trendy hairstyles, or a better tan, or delicate jewelry, or clinging robes. You might in this way attract him to the bedroom, but probably not to God. If you want to win him to God, your adornment is going to have to be a new woman within. The world can teach you how to win a man to yourself. But only the Scripture can teach you how to win him to God" (John Piper).  It is all about who you are getting ready to serve that day.  Will you serve man or will you serve God (Gal 1:10)?  Who are you adorning yourself for?  Who do you want to impress?

I do think many times what God really desires of me.  What does he see of worth in me?  He sees taht my worth comes from the inner self and the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit.  I have often wrestled with this verse because people would say I am everything but gentle and quiet.  I am loud, and I noisy, and I am usually pretty honest and rough around the edges.  However, a gentle and quiet spirit is a little bit different than a gentle and quiet person.  A gentle and quiet spirit has a calm through all the storms.  A gentle and quiet spirit has a rest in the Lord.  Someone who is gentle and quiet with the Lord listens to Him for guidance, they don't allow their hearts and souls to rattle on endlessly with questions and worry.  Gentle is the person who is tender and kind.  You can be tender and kind while also being firm in the faith.  Gentleness is not the same thing as being a pushover.  In the same way a quiet spirit listens to the Lord.  A quiet spirit trusts in Him and quiets her spirit to the world.  We do not listen to the world's rages and the world's lies.  We quiet our spirit and settle with prayers and hope in his promises.  The world is loud, and serving people is tough.  To allow people to become our masters, there are too many people speaking into our lives.  We can't please everyone, and when we try to, our spirit becomes loud.  However, when we serve the Lord, we hear only one voice.  

God tells us that Sarah HOPED in God.  She trusted that God would come through on His promises after He asks her if anything is too hard for Him to do.  Obviously, nothing is too hard for Him.  He can do anything he wants, and she believed it.  Hoping in God is of great worth in God's sight.  Hope allows the women of God to not give way to fear.  They don't allow anxiety to take over.  They hope.  They defeat fear with hope in His promises.  If you are struggling with anxiety or fear, find God's promises all throughout the Bible.  Fight fear with hope in his Word.  

Remember that her people, many kings who weren't believers, saw Sarah beautiful. She probably was physically beautiful as we previously noted, but she was also beautiful because of her hope in the Lord.  We see this when she follows his call into the search for a new land.  She follows Abraham willingly.  She trusts God and hopes in Him repeatedly.  Wouldn't it be nice to be called her daughter?  The daughter of a woman who God is not ashamed to say he is her God?  How do we do this?  We don't give way to fear!  Fear and anxiety absolutely PLAGUE women!  How many moms do you know who fear every single day for their children?  How many wives do you know who fear their husbands don't love them or will lose their love?  How many women do you know who fear they aren't good enough (intellectually, physically, etc.)?  How many single women do you know who fear that no one will ever love them?  GET RID OF YOUR FEAR!  You are only Sarah's daughters (whom God is not ashamed of) if you don't give way to the fear!  Fight it with scripture!  Fight it with hope!  Fight it with adorning yourselves with purity and reverence for God!  

What did you learn from Sarah?  First of all, we learn not to laugh at God!  We learn to follow the men who trust in the Lord.  We learn to find our hope in God and to believe Him and His promises.  We learn that God loves the beauty of a pure woman with reverence for him and with a gentle and quiet spirit.  We learn that nothing is too hard for God and that He will do great things.  We learn to ask for great things from Him.  This was a seriously powerful woman, and even Paul repeatedly refers to her beauty.  Do you want to be viewed as beautiful?  Stop looking at yourself and look at your creator.  The change in your focus will change the way people see you, and you will be viewed as much more desirable than a prideful person focused on themselves.  Women who value purity and revere God are much more beautiful than a self-absorbed, insecure, anxious woman.  

For more about Sarah: 

GEN 20--ANOTHER time that Abraham tells Sarah to pretend that he is his sister and someone takes her as his wife.  This time, God calls Abraham out on it.  
GEN 23--Sarah's death.  Abraham pays a good deal for a tumb for her, and he wants to bury her properly.  This also reveals that they were kind of nomads and didn't bury her in the family burial place.  He didn't even have his own home to bury her near.  This shows the trust they both had in the Lord to direct their steps.  

Reference for 1 Peter 3 and more information on submission:  
http://www.desiringgod.org/resource-library/sermons/holy-women-who-hoped-in-god

Day 1:  Read Gen. 12:1-5
       What do we infer about Sarai if Abram is 75? (we find out later she is 10 years younger)
   If you were being forced to leave all you have known for teh greatness of your husband/family, would this be an easy task? 
READ Gen. 12:10-20
   Why does Abram say the Egyptians will want Sarai? 
   Again, what does Sarai do to protect the life of Abram? Why is marrying pharaoh a major sacrifice? 
   Do you think Sarai and Abram did the right thing here? Should they hgave been more truthful? 
   How do we see Sarai's faith and trust begin to show? 
   How can you put your family first today? 

Day 2: John Piper calls this passage the "Isaac Factor" because God does what is humanly impossible so that we have to trust his power and he gets the glory. We usually try to make things happen for us by relying on our own human capabilities. 

Read Gen 15: 1-6

What was Abram's main concern about God's promise? What made Abram righteous? 

Abram thinks God could only do this through his slave. God sets him straight, God is going to fulfill hi promise miraculously. The only thing God requires of Abram is trust. 

READ Gen 16

v. 2 says God prevented her from having children--why would he do that? 

Now Abraham and Sarai think they can still "help God out." They don't trust Him to do it all Himself. God's plan was to fulfill his plan defying human possibility. 

What do you need to trust God to do for you? What have you been holding back and hiding from Him that you may have been trying to handle yourself? 

DAY 3: Read Gen. 17:15

Notice in verse 16that God totally annihilates any doubt. Notice in v. 20 that God hears Abraham's plea to bless Ishmael--he hears our prayers and responds!! Also notice how long it took for God to finally bring forth the promise he made (25 years). 

Read Gen. 18: 1-15

What is Sarah's response to God's promise to her? 
How does God respond to Sarah's disbelief? 
In what ways are you needing to believe that nothing is too hard for the Lord? What do you believe is too hard for him today? 
What prayers do you believe you need to continue to pray for God to answer? 

DAY 4: Read Gen. 21: 1-7

What does Sarah do in reaction to the fulfilled promise? 
What does this mean for us that God could give a 90 year old a son?
Things we can learn from Sarah and her story: 
1) We are God's children by His sovereign plan--not by human initiative
2) Nothing is too difficult for the Lord. 
3) We are called to believe and trust in His plan--then laugh in joy as it comes to fruition. 

DAY 5: Read Heb. 11: 11-16

How were Abraham and Sarah's promises made true? 
Why is it important for us to remember that we are aliens and strangers on earth? 
Why is it important that our longing NOT be for earth but for heaven? 
READ 1 Peter 3: 1-6
When you read about husbands, also think about responding to fathers and friends. We aren't called to submit to friends, but we are called to submit to our fathers. We are also called to love others sacrificially. 
How can v. 2 help you be a better friend and shed light on Christian relationships? 

What is of great worth in God's sight? 

Who are we called to dress and prepare ourselves for each day? Who are we called to try to impress? How do we impress him? 

Remember that her people, many kings who weren't believers, saw Sarah beautiful. How did she get to be this way?

How do we become her daughters? Where in previous stories about Sarah do we see her "not give way to fear"?

In what way are you trying to make yourself beautiful? Who are you making yourself beautiful for in the mornings? How can we make ourselves beautiful for God? 

For more about Sarah: 

GEN 20--wife of another
GEN 21: 8-21--sending Hagar away
GEN 23--her death

The Beginning of the Study and the Beginning of Sin: Eve

I've been thinking through what I know about the women of the Bible, and though I've studied them in depth, I always seem to study the same ones over and over again.  I feel like I know the main ones really well. We know Eve (that silly little apple eater), and then there's Mary and Martha (work-a-holic who I relate so well to). In a new challenge to myself, I am taking more time to dig deeper into the women of the Bible we know so well, and I am going to begin checking into the women mentioned but not studied in depth.  I'm not pretending like I know all of the answers; my strategy is to merely explore more deeply and answer questions as practically to my life as I can.  Also know that I am not avoiding any of the difficult topics.  Even though I didn't go to seminary, I still feel like I need to wrestle with these things.  So I am going to look through these women and struggle through what God means.  I will not allow myself to skip major passages. If you are curious about the women of the Bible, feel free to join me!

You can scroll down to the bottom of the page to find a study you could do with questions attached and a structure for each week.  Feel free to use the bottom with questions for a study with your own group.  OR you can just read my responses for each day, and you can decide to look into the women through my eyes.  Each week is broken up into a study focused on one specific woman of the Bible.  Each week is broken down into 5 days with a few verses each day.  

If we are going to take on the women of the Bible, we have to begin with Eve. She is the mother of all women, and she set the pattern for us to follow (good and bad). This also helps us to look at God's original intention for women before sin came into the world. I'd like for us to examine what we think about God's original plan for women, what her initial sin was, and how that sin had implications for the sin all women struggle with as a result.

Day 1: Read Genesis 1:26-28, 2: 15-25. 

26 Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”

27 So God created man in his own image,
    in the image of God he created him;
    male and female he created them.

28 And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”

My first reaction to this is to notice that God made us in His image, and he made us male AND female.  It was perfect for us to be different and to have different roles.  We weren't required to be complete equals and be the exact same.  There was no sin, and there still was a difference in the way we were created.  

My second reaction is that God commands us to be fruitful and multiply.  I do think we are called to reproduce (although I totally want to say that this is not what it actually means because I don't know if I want kids), but I also think this means more.  In each old testament story, we can see a glimpse of the future gospel.  I believe God is also calling us to multiply ourselves for Christ.  Multiply ourselves with disciples.  This could be in the classroom, in church, in the business place, or in the office.  This also could mean to meet with younger women in the church.  

15 The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it.16 And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, “You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, 17 but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.”

18 Then the Lord God said, “It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him.” 19 Now out of the ground the Lord God had formed every beast of the field and every bird of the heavens and brought them to the man to see what he would call them. And whatever the man called every living creature, that was its name. 20 The man gave names to all livestock and to the birds of the heavens and to every beast of the field. But for Adam there was not found a helper fit for him. 21 So the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and while he slept took one of his ribs and closed up its place with flesh. 22 And the rib that the Lord God had taken from the man he made into a woman and brought her to the man. 23 Then the man said,

“This at last is bone of my bones
    and flesh of my flesh;
she shall be called Woman,
    because she was taken out of Man.”

24 Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh. 25 And the man and his wife were both naked and were not ashamed.

When God created the world, the man was left alone.  God saw that this was the only thing about the world he made that wasn't good.  There are many times when I feel not needed.  But the truth is that the world with just men would NOT be good.  We have such a great value, and God saw that the world NEEDED us.  This should helps us feel loved and valued by our maker.  

We also notice that God made Eve as a helper for Adam.  I think this is key for women.  Many times we think that being a helper is not valuable or that it makes us the "lesser" being.  However, that just isn't true.  The world wasn't complete without us, and we are professional helpers.  Jesus came as a helper.  He came as a servant.  He is the most valued of all humans.  This means that it does not make us "lesser" to be a helper.  We can help children, we can help neighbors, we can help our husbands in love.  What a fantastic calling!

I also think that God making Eve out of Adam's flesh has to mean something significant.  Because woman was made from man, when they are joined together in marriage, they are complete again.  This also shows us the design for marriage before sin.  Before sin a man was called to leave his parents and join to the woman (who had been formed from the man).  

The other thing I realized and that was absolutely life changing is that when Eve was without sin she did not feel ashamed of her nakedness.  WOW!  How crazy is it to think about not picking apart every piece of your body in front of the mirror.  Or just fantasizing about how you will look after that diet or after that workout.  It is amazing to me that we are called to not be ashamed of our bodies (not to say we just get fat because we certainly aren't called to that either).  But, the point is that we are called to embrace us the way we were made--in God's image. So praise God for the body you have been given!

So, today I will remember that God made me as a helper and that he made me to not be ashamed of my nakedness (but I won't try to scare the neighbors with that)!

Day 2: Read Genesis 3: 1-13. 

3 Now the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field that the Lord God had made.

He said to the woman, “Did God actually say, ‘You shall not eat of any tree in the garden’?” 2 And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden, 3 but God said, ‘You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the midst of the garden, neither shall you touch it, lest you die.’” 4 But the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. 5 For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” 6 So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate. 7 Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked. And they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loincloths.

8 And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool[c] of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden. 9 But the Lord God called to the man and said to him, “Where are you?” 10 And he said, “I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked, and I hid myself.” 11 He said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten of the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?” 12 The man said, “The woman whom you gave to be with me, she gave me fruit of the tree, and I ate.” 13 Then the Lord God said to the woman, “What is this that you have done?” The woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.”

Do you notice how the serpent uses God's words and twists them to make Eve not believe God?  He moves Eve to unbelief.  What a battle we have set before us when the serpent tempts us daily to not believe the truth of God's Word.  Instead, he tempts her and reveals to her how pleasing it is to the eyes!  Isn't that interesting?  When I think about these things, I think about how I truly do struggle with things that are pleasing to my eyes.  A new dress?  Yes, please!  New pillows?  Yes!  They are pleasing to the eyes!  Sometimes, it is I who want to be pleasing to the eyes.  Sometimes I allow myself to become the apple for others!  

Eve gave the fruit to Adam.  This shows that Eve does not want to be alone in her sin. She wants to pull in other people who are closest to her.  When you are feeling jealous, do you try to get others gossip with you?  When you are sinning by analyzing your body fat, do you share your insecurities with others in hopes that they will share their insecurities with you?  This is like Eve.  We don't need to try to get others to join us in our sin.  We need to try to conquer it and protect others.  (This does not mean don't tell people about your sin.  There is a difference in confession and dragging others into your struggles.)

When Adam and Eve realized that they were caught in a bad situation, what was their reaction?  They hid from God!  Again, this has a great practical application for us today.  When we sin, don't we try to hide it from godly people or from God?  How much better would it have been for them to have just come out and said, "I ATE THE APPLE!" ? Don't you think they would have at least saved themselves some of the extra sin that came from hiding?  

Then, after God calls them out on their sin, they try to excuse it!  They blame one another.  Adam says, "The woman WHOM YOU GAVE TO BE WITH ME, she gave me fruit..."  It is partially God's fault because He made the girl for him.  It is the girl's fault because she gave him the apple.  Then, the woman blames the serpent.  How we love to blame God and blame others.  We need to remember to take ownership of our sin.  It is OUR fault when we sin, and we need to come straight to the LORD with it.  

What is the Biblical reaction we should have after we have sinned? (Read 1 John 1:9-10.)

9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.

We need to remember that biblical response to sin is to confess.  We should not say WE have not sinned.   

Are there any sins that you need to confess to God today? React to Him without hiding or blame. Reveal your sin to Him, and ask for forgiveness.

Day 3: Read Genesis 3: 16, 20-24. 

We are going to skip Adam's punishment because we are trying to focus on Eve.  This is her punishment: 

16 To the woman he said,

“I will surely multiply your pain in childbearing;
    in pain you shall bring forth children.
Your desire shall be for your husband,
    and he shall rule over you.”

There are two things here, and people usually overlook the second. First, childbearing is obviously a consequence of sin.  Imagine this: before sin nobody had to worry about the pain of having a baby!  That's how it will be in heaven!  Second, the desire a woman has for a man and his rule over her is a consequence of sin.  Remember: this is a result of sin. This means that the conflict between man and woman is a result of sin. It is a consequence. This is not a model for marriage. This reveals that men in sin desire to exploit and rule over women. "And sin distorted the woman's support and honor into manipulation or defiance or helplessness or some other distortion of true biblical submission" (John Piper).  Before sin, the woman and the man had different roles.  She was clearly made as a helper.  However, this did not put her husband OVER her.  That was a consequence of sin.  *Note: there are entire books about this, and it is really complicated.  Much of it I think we can't fully grasp until heaven.  But we can try, and this controversial topic is an effort I made to tackle the issue!

20 The man called his wife's name Eve, because she was the mother of all living. 21 And the Lord God made for Adam and for his wife garments of skins and clothed them.

22 Then the Lord God said, “Behold, the man has become like one of us in knowing good and evil. Now, lest he reach out his hand and take also of the tree of life and eat, and live forever—” 23 therefore the Lord God sent him out from the garden of Eden to work the ground from which he was taken. 24 He drove out the man, and at the east of the garden of Eden he placed the cherubim and a flaming sword that turned every way to guard the way to the tree of life.

Also, I think a key part of the passage is that God clothed them.  They were ashamed of being naked, and he clothed them.  In their sin, and in the ruin of his perfect world, he gave them love.  He wrapped them up in clothing.  Even though the consequence of their sin would be the separation of every human being from him (unless they believed in His son), he clothed them.  Even though their sin meant his son would have to die and suffer for all of the sin to come, he clothed them.   

Adam and Eve lose their close fellowship with God. They also lose their innocence. They now have more complications because of their sin. This reminds me that their are still consequences on earth of the sin we commit today.  It does not just disappear. We do see consequences in this world.  

What can we do to fight temptation so that we don't have these consequences that Eve faces as a result of her sin? (Read 1 Corinthians 10:13 and Hebrews 4:15-16)

13 No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.

God is faithful to allow us an opportunity to escape EACH and EVERY temptation we encounter.  We don't have the excuse to say, "Nope!  I'm stuck here!"  God has given us an escape so that we can remove ourselves from the temptation.  

15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. 16 Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

We also need to remember that we have a high priest (Jesus) who knows the weaknesses we encounter.  He has been tempted in EVERY way we have EVER been tempted, but he didn't fall into temptation.  This should give us hope that we, too, can follow his example.  Then, it tells us to draw close to the "throne of grace" (pray) so that we can find mercy.  

When we feel tempted, we need to know that there will be consequences.  We need to know that God will provide a way out, and that he will hear our prayers.  We also need to pray for God to help us through.  Follow the example of Christ who has never sinned.  

What are your biggest temptations right now? It could be a temptation to disbelief, a temptation to do a tangible sin, a temptation to think of yourself a certain way, or to think of others a certain way. How can you fight this sin?

Day 4: Read Genesis 4: 1-2, 25-26.

4 Now Adam knew Eve his wife, and she conceived and bore Cain, saying, “I have gotten a man with the help of the Lord.” 2 And again, she bore his brother Abel. Now Abel was a keeper of sheep, and Cain a worker of the ground.

Even though God cursed childbirth for Eve, she is still able to fulfill her call to multiply.  Although her calling is more difficult to achieve, she is able to fulfill God's purpose for her life. Also, notice that she shows that she is only able to do this with God's help.  

25 And Adam knew his wife again, and she bore a son and called his name Seth, for she said, “God has appointed[g] for me another offspring instead of Abel, for Cain killed him.”26 To Seth also a son was born, and he called his name Enosh. At that time people began to call upon the name of the Lord. 

At the end of Eve's life, even though it was a life of sin, she was able to start a generation who called upon the name of the LORD.  She multiplied the population, but she also multiplied her life and her love for God in others.  Even though many remember her for her sin, she should also be known as the woman who passed on the desire to "call upon the name of the LORD."

After reflecting on the life of Eve, we know that major sin has major consequences.  One major sin affected generations to come.  However, she was not cursed forever because of her sin.  She was given mercy.  God gave her a place to live, he gave her a purpose to live out, and she was able to begin generations who were able to love the LORD.  

In the end, I think about what we can take away from Eve's story.  What have we learned?  I think we learned that a perfect world would have us as helpers but not subordinates. We saw that Eve was not ashamed of her body when she was living in a perfect world. Also, we learned not to excuse, hide, or blame sin.  We learned that sin has great consequences, but that trust in Jesus allows us the mercy we need to allow us forgiveness for our sins.  He paid the ultimate price in his death, so that we can be with God again in perfect union.  No longer are we cast off away from Eden.  We have a hope to see God and fellowship with him without shame in our nakedness!

Day 5: Let's look at how Paul perceives Eve thousands of years later. Read 2 Corinthians 11: 2-6.

2 For I feel a divine jealousy for you, since I betrothed you to one husband, to present you as a pure virgin to Christ. 3 But I am afraid that as the serpent deceived Eve by his cunning, your thoughts will be led astray from a sincere and pure devotion to Christ. 4 For if someone comes and proclaims another Jesus than the one we proclaimed, or if you receive a different spirit from the one you received, or if you accept a different gospel from the one you accepted, you put up with it readily enough. 5 Indeed, I consider that I am not in the least inferior to these super-apostles. 6 Even if I am unskilled in speaking, I am not so in knowledge; indeed, in every way we have made this plain to you in all things.

First, I wonder what he means by "divine jealousy."  I think because we can look further in the verse, we can see that he wants them to only love their one God.  They have been lead away from that pure belief, and he wants to keep them based on the God they know.  

Just as Eve was deceived by CUNNING, we need to be sure that we are not lead away from Christ.  How was Eve lead away?  She was lead away by looking at things that seemed pleasing, and the serpent twisted God's word and made Eve not trust God and his Word.  This is what was happening to the Corinthians.  They were being lead away because someone was preaching a different gospel.  There is only one gospel: we were separated from God through our sin (thanks, Eve).  Then, Jesus came to live a perfect life and suffer the consequences of sin.  Because people don't live perfectly but then get consequences, he was able to basically pay our sentence.  We can now be in communion and fellowship with God again.  

What might be leading you away from Christ?  Think on this for a minute.  Does money look pleasing?  Do you spend your time making excuses for your sin?  Do you just simply not make time--is your busy schedule leading you away?  

How can we discover a false prophet like Paul is talking about? Read Matt 7:15-23.

15 “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. 16 You will recognize them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thorn bushes, or figs from thistles? 17 So, every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit. 18 A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit.19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 Thus you will recognize them by their fruits.

21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ 23 And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’

A false prophet can be told by their fruit.  If someone is telling you to believe the gospel in one way, but they are living a life without any righteous fruit, they can't be trusted.  The serpent and Eve are great metaphors for false prophets because they are people who twist the gospel and twist God's word.  They try to make it look pleasing, but the trees bear the fruit.  The serpents don't bear the fruit themselves.  And belief in a gospel other than the one God presents to us has GREAT consequences. 

What do you think the serpent is trying to use his cunning to get you to do? I know mine--he tries to make things look pleasing to my eye.  I can pray through this.  He also tries to twist God's words and make me feel not good enough for his kingdom, but I can fight that by reading and studying his word.  What is the serpent trying to get you to do? Pray against it, and try to find some scripture to support God's side.

Think back of what we have learned from Eve:

I think we learned that a perfect world would have us as helpers but not subordinates. We saw that Eve was not ashamed of her body when she was living in a perfect world. Also, we learned not to excuse, hide, or blame sin.  We learned that sin has great consequences, but that trust in Jesus allows us the mercy we need to allow us forgiveness for our sins.  He paid the ultimate price in his death, so that we can be with God again in perfect union.  No longer are we cast off away from Eden.  We have a hope to see God and fellowship with him without shame in our nakedness!

BIBLE STUDY WITHOUT ANSWERS:

Day 1: Read Genesis1:26-28, 2: 15-25. As you read, write down any questions you have about the text.

How has God made male and female? Why is it important that we are made in His image?

What is the first commandment God gives us?

Do you think being fruitful and multiplying means only having children?

Why do you think Moses (the author of Genesis) pays special attention to the fact that God created them male and female? Is one said to be better or to Lord over the other?

Note also that God created male and female differently in a perfect world. There was no sin, and there still was difference.

After God formed all of His creation, what was missing?

What is the purpose for which God made Eve?

Why do you think God made Eve out of Adam's flesh? What are the implications that this has on the man being joined with the woman in marriage?

Why is it important that a man and a woman become one flesh? Why do they both have to eventually leave their families to join together?

Why do you think they tell us that man and wife were naked and felt no shame? What does that tell us about the perfect design for a woman? How is that different than women today?

What practical application can you take forward today about how God originally designed us to be and what we have become? Remember your purpose for which God made you.

Day 2: Read Genesis 3: 1-13. As you read, write down any questions you have about the text.

How does the serpent use his cunning to get the woman to eat the fruit? How is he lying to her?

What was tempting about the fruit to Eve? Is this similar to something you struggle with today?

What is the major implication that Eve gives the apple to Adam?

Have you recently realized that you didn't want to sin alone too?

What did Adam and Eve do when they became aware of God's presence in the garden after they had sinned? What does this reveal about what our reaction is to God when we sin?

What are Adam and Eve's reactions when they are called out on their sin? This is the first time we see jealousy and blame in the Bible.

What is the Biblical reaction we should have after we have sinned? (Read 1 John 1:9-10.)

Are there any sins that you need to confess to God today? React to Him without hiding or blame. Reveal your sin to Him, and ask for forgiveness.

Day 3: Read Genesis 3: 16, 20-24. Write down any questions you have while you read.

What is the woman's punishment? There are two things here, and people usually overlook the second.

What do you think God meant that the woman's desire will be for her husband, but he will rule over her? How is that a punishment? Remember: this is a result of sin. This means that the conflict between man and woman is a result of sin. It is a consequence. This is not a model for marriage. This reveals that men in sin desire to exploit and rule over women. "And sin distorted the woman's support and honor into manipulation or defiance or helplessness or some other distortion of true biblical submission" (John Piper).

What did God do for them even though they had sinned against Him?

Adam and Eve lose their close fellowship with God. They also lose their innocence. They now have more complications because of their sin. What do you think are the consequences of sinning today?

What can we do to fight temptation so that we don't have these consequences that Eve faces as a result of her sin? (Read 1 Corinthians 10:13 and Hebrews 4:15-16)

What are your biggest temptations right now? It could be a temptation to disbelief, a temptation to do a tangible sin, a temptation to think of yourself a certain way, or to think of others a certain way. How can you fight this sin?

Day 4: Read Genesis 4: 1-2, 25-26.

Even though God cursed childbirth for Eve, what is she able to do?

How does Eve's life end? What has she done to be remembered?

Do you think this one major sin has produced major consequences for Eve? What does that tell us?

However, what comes from Eve other than the story of The Fall?

What can we take away from Eve's story? What can we learn from her?

Day 5: Let's look at how Paul perceives Eve thousands of years later. Read 2 Corinthians 11: 2-6.

What makes something a "godly jealousy"? What does he mean?

What is Paul talking about when he says that just as Eve was lead away, we might be led away from Christ?

What is leading the Corinthians away from Christ?

What might be leading you away from Christ?

How can we discover a false prophet? Read Matt 7:15-23.

How is a false prophet a good metaphor for Eve and the serpent?

What do you think the serpent is trying to use his cunning to get you to do? Pray against it, and try to find some scripture to support God's side.