Genesis Notes: Sarah's Resume

One of the things I love about Genesis is that when it focuses on a story you get the sense of "real" people, not someone who's made up to make a point. Sarah's resume shows us a woman I can relate to in a lot of ways, both good and bad. She's a mass of contradictions, because that is how real people are. Genesis shows us these people, warts and all, and so carries their stories into our lives today.

Domenico Fiasella, Abraham and three angels
[See Sarah? She's peeking out of the door. I like this view of her,
keeping an eye on things and also curious about the visitors.]

Strengths and accomplishments:

• Was intensely loyal to her own child
• Became the mother of a nation and an ancestor of Jesus
• Was a woman of faith, the first woman listed in the Hall of Faith in Hebrews 11

Weaknesses and mistakes:

• Had trouble believing God's promises to her
• Attempted to work problems out on her own, without consulting God
• Tried to cover her faults by blaming others

Lessons from her life:

• God responds to faith even in the midst of failure
• God is not bound by what usually happens; he can stretch the limits and cause unheard-of events to occur

Vital statistics:

• Where: Married Abram in Ur of the Chaldeans, then moved with him to Canaan
• Occupation: Wife, mother, household manager
• Relatives: Father - Terah. Husband - Abraham. Half brothers - Nahor and Haran. Nephew - Lot. Son - Isaac.

Key verse:
"By faith Abraham, even though he was past age -- and Sarah herself was barren -- was enabled to become a father because he considered him faithful who had made the promise" (Hebrews 11:11)

Sarah's story is told in Genesis 11-25. She also is mentioned in Isaiah 51:2, Romans 4:19; 9:9; Hebrews 11:11; 1 Peter 3:6.

All material quoted is from the Life Application Study Bible. This series first ran in 2004 and 2005. I'm refreshing it as I go. For links to the whole study, go to the Genesis Index. For more about the resources used, go here.