Sarah: An Example to Every Generation

Chayei Sarah, Genesis 23:1-25:18

 Mary Haller, Tikvat Israel, Richmond, VA

Our parasha this week has impacted my soul in a way that no other portion has ever done. Each reading cycle I read through and process these words with the expectation of learning something new. This year the words of Chayei Sarah have resonated deeply within me in a way I am not sure I can describe.

Chayei Sarah touches my heart. It is a story of a woman’s life told in a way that reveals that Sarah was truly a normal human being and grew stronger and wiser over time. She eventually came to know, love, and trust God. The way her life changed over the years shows she invested herself in her life with Abraham and honored God by doing her best to honor Abraham. Living as she did also speaks to her trusting in what God was doing in, on, and through them as a couple.  

The parasha begins in Genesis 23 with the story of Sarah’s passing.  Abraham’s planning and purchasing of her burial place shows her value to him as well as to their community, to their legacy, and to God. Women were not typically honored in this way in our written scriptures.  

I can understand Sarah and relate to her as if I know her. There are times I think that if Sarah were alive today, we could have some great conversations regarding life, faith, and surrender. Perhaps we could discuss how consequences from poor decisions can be problematic. We might share how personal doubts and fears creep into the earthly journeys of women of every generation. I believe Sarah’s life in some way tells the story of every woman.  

Prior to this week’s portion we read about Sarah’s life struggles. Her life with Abraham didn’t appear to include a storybook-style romance or their equivalent of a luxury vacation. In Torah, Sarah was not considered property; she was a partner, a wife, although it appears Abraham treated Sarah as property, not once but twice. The first time in Genesis 12 during the famine in Egypt and again with King Abimelech in Gerar as recorded in Genesis 20. Both times Abraham was motivated by his own self-preservation. Thankfully, both times God intervened. As Paul reminds us, “Now we know that all things work together for good for those who love God, and are called according to His purpose” (Rom 8:28). 

They had no children in their early marriage. Time passed and still no children. When Abraham was about 75 (Genesis 12) and Sarah was about 65 God spoke to Abraham. God told Abraham to take his wife, his nephew Lot and some others along with a few things and leave his homeland for parts not yet known. God promised Abraham he would have many descendants.  

Sarah accompanied Abraham as a faithful wife and didn’t appear to protest when the suggestion of her being a sister not a wife was put into action. 

During her life time Sarah blossomed, going from a quiet woman to one who eventually spoke out and acted with strong conviction out of her own strength. This is evident when God spoke to Abraham saying “listen to her voice” when Sarah demanded that Abraham have Hagar and Ishmael leave their community (Gen 21:12). 

Many look and judge casting out Hagar and Ishmael as a harsh and unnecessary action. After all, it was Sarah’s idea for Abraham and Hagar to procreate. Well, as we now know, God knew Sarah’s heart. Sarah understood something deeper regarding the prophecy and where it would lead. Like Eve, Sarah was chosen to be Abraham’s helpmate.  

Imagine for a moment being told to hide your true identity because your husband is afraid he would be killed because your beauty. This request alone would challenge me to question the very God that had sent us on our trek. Then maybe this was part of what caused Sarah to grow closer to her God.  

After all, it definitely was the hardships and the challenges in my own life that caused me to cry out to God. My cries for wisdom, courage, and strength were met with mercy and grace. Perhaps it was the time with the Pharaoh and King Abimelech and how God protected Sarah during these times that helped her to know God and trust God.  

God honored His promise to Abraham and to Sarah in His time frame. The approximate 25-year wait for Sarah must have taken its toll on her entire life in ways we may never understand. The story reveals that Sarah was imperfect when she took matters into her own hands with Hagar. God still had His way for His people when the time was right, and when Sarah was ready Isaac was born. 

Sarah laughed because she knew having a child at 90 was unheard of, if not impossible.  That did not deter her God. The only way I understand it is our God, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob understands His human creation with a love no human can truly grasp. God knew Sarah’s heart and He knew it was in alignment with His plan.  

The Lord tells us, “For I am Adonai, I do not change” (Mal 3:6). The same God that protected Sarah, drew Sarah close and healed her barrenness, and knew every fiber of her being has not changed. Today God wants His plan for all of us.  

Sarah is a woman well worth remembering, one who continues to be an example to each generation. Sarah’s story is a picture of what it takes to journey through life as an imperfect human. All the while we seek God, He knows us, He knows our value to His plan.  

Sarah had to seek and surrender. Sarah’s life is a picture to be treasured and an example to be learned from and should be seen as valuable to every generation of God-seeking women, and men as well.

 Scripture references are from the Tree of Life Version, TLV.