Sarah and Her Daughters

Sarah is another woman of the Bible in whom I have a great interest. She is the prototype for women of faith, standing almost alone in the Scripture’s “Hall of Faith” (chapter 11 of Hebrews). She is a held up as stellar example of another characteristic as well: submission. The Apostle Peter writes that the holy women of the past put their hope in God and were submissive to their husbands, “like Sarah, who obeyed Abraham and called him her master. You are her daughters if you do what is right and do not give way to fear.” (I Peter 3:6 NIV, emphasis mine)

Sarah, in her submission to her husband, was reflecting the culture surrounding her, both religious and secular: Women, even several wives, were part of a man’s possessions. Sarah was submissive to the point of risking her own integrity, cooperating twice with her husband’s deceit in calling her his “sister” (technically, his half-sister, so a half-truth) rather than acknowledging that she was his wife. There is no record of her objections. She was submissive because she was owned by him.

Even given these facts, I cannot imagine that Sarah sounded very submissive when she learned that Abraham was taking Isaac, the long-awaited promised son, off to Mt. Moriah to sacrifice him. Perhaps something like this:

“You’re going to do what? Are you out of your mind?”

“Not Isaac! Ishmael maybe. But not my baby!”

“Well, you’re not taking him. It’ll be over my dead body!”

And finally, “You will not be coming into my tent again for the rest of your life!”

Abraham was not to be deterred. He insisted. Loudly.

I can imagine that at last, weary with weeping and pleading, Sarah gave in. What else could she do? She couldn’t very well bite and claw until she got her way. And what if her husband had indeed heard from God? She did not want to rebel against the Almighty. She was more afraid of offending God than she was of her husband’s actions. That is why the Scripture says, “You are her daughters when you do what is right without fear of what your husbands might do. (1 Peter 3:6 NLT, emphasis mine). The MaryMartha version is “Do what is right, regardless.”

Things may not have gone smoothly for Abraham when he returned home either, even though Isaac came back safely with him. There must have been some pretty vigorous discussion! Still, most couples go through times of disagreement and have to negotiate a solution, even sometimes with a mediator. Unfortunately, some women that you and I know, and many that we do not, are in terrible, nonnegotiable circumstances. What can they do?

I personally believe there are some absolutes:

(1) Submission is not an imperative for women only. The Apostle Paul is often quoted on the subject, but before he addresses husbands and wives separately, he says to all his readers, “Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.” (Ephesians 5:21 NLT) Not even learned Bible scholars agree on how far wifely submission should go when there is not the mutual submission clearly taught by the Scripture. It would be very difficult for those outside the situation to determine exactly what the answer is for someone else. We are Sarah’s daughters. We will “do what is right without giving way to fear.”

(2) The key feature of submission, as I understand it, is humility. One contemporary writer cautioned that an outwardly meek and dutiful wife could nonetheless be harboring a bitter and rebellious spirit. While that is true, I offer the counter suggestion that an inwardly gentle and submissive wife might very well speak unequivocal words and take decisive action. We are Sarah’s daughters. We will “do what is right without giving way to fear.”

(3) God’s original intention for marriage was companionship. All the while Adam was naming the animals, he must have seen that they were in pairs, yet he himself had no one. God saw this, and He said, “It's not good for the Man to be alone; I'll make him a helper, a companion." (Genesis 2:18 The Message) Taking one of Adam’s ribs, He made woman and presented her to the Man. Adam saw immediately, “This beautiful creature is like me! But different too. What a great idea!” And this, the Scripture explains, is why “a man leaves his father and mother and is joined to his wife, and the two are united into one.” God really did have a great plan! It is we who have managed to make, in many cases, a mockery of His intention with our marriage hierarchies of master-servant or parent-child or advisor-learner or controller-subordinate. We are Sarah’s daughters. We will “do what is right without giving way to fear.”

(4) We love and serve the God of hope. He is absolutely aware of the situation; He is in it with the sufferers. He will certainly make a way, although it is not the same for everyone. Most women will need wise counsel; some will need legal advice or intervention by the law; some will need a safe place for awhile. God will give hope to some in their situation; He will give hope to others out of theirs. But we are Sarah’s daughters, and we will do what is right without giving way to fear.”

MaryMartha
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Scripture quotation marked NIV is taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®. NIV®. Copyright©1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved. Scripture quotations marked NLT are taken from The Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. United States of America. All rights reserved. Scripture taken from The Message. Copyright © 2003 by Eugene H. Peterson. Used by permission of NavPress Publishing Group.

Email: mrymrtha@gmail.com