Bible character overview - Sarah

Written by: My Store Admin

June 3, 2024

Time to read 3 min

Introduction:

Welcome to an insightful character overview of Sarah. Here you'll learn about who Sarah was, what she did, and her strengths and weaknesses. Also, we have provided questions related to the story of Sarah to provoke thought. They can also be used for personal/small-group studies.

Who was Sarah from the Bible?

Key facts

When: roughly around 2200-2100 B.C
Where: land of Ur
Name meaning: 'Princess'

Glimpse: She was described as beautiful (Genesis 12:11), yet was barren and so was not able to have children. Despite this, in Genesis 12, God promises that Abram (later renamed Abraham) was to be a father of many nations and will be made into a great nation and that this child will come through Sarah. Her story is told from Genesis 17-23.

Impatience

Abram and Sarai (later renamed Abraham and Sarah) received a divine promise of descendants, yet Sarah remained barren. In their impatience and doubt, Sarah made a misguided decision. She offered her maidservant, Hagar, to Abram to bear a child on her behalf. Genesis 16:2-3 recounts:

“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. 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.”

As a result, Hagar conceived and bore Abram’s first son, Ishmael. The Bible describes Ishmael as a wild and contentious individual: “His hand will be against everyone and everyone’s hand against him” (Genesis 16:12). Ishmael is traditionally associated with the Arabian people and is considered a significant figure in Islamic heritage.

Questions

→ How important is it to have a supporting wife to a husband?

→ Have you ever felt impatient with God's timing?

"Yes, but your wife Sarah will bear you a son, and you will call him Isaac"

Genesis 17:19

Promise fulfilled

Later, Sarah and Abraham were visited by three angels, one of whom was the Angel of the Lord. Despite Abraham being 100 years old and Sarah 90, the angel announced that they would have a son within a year. Sarah, overhearing the conversation from the entrance of the tent, laughed to herself in disbelief. Nevertheless, the promise was fulfilled, and a year later, Sarah gave birth to Isaac. Genesis 21:6 records her reaction:

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

Sarah lived to be 127 years old and died in Kirjath Arba (Hebron).

Questions

→ Have you ever doubted God?

→ How have you grown in your faith in God's promises?

"Sarah became pregnant and bore a son to Abraham in his old age, at the very time God had promised him''

Genesis 21:2

Strengths:

Faithful: Sarah was faithful to her husband through all things
Fearless: 1 Peter 3:6 says ‘ 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

Weaknesses:

Impatient: She didn't wait for God's promise to come to pass but tried to push for it to happen herself
Doubt: She doubted the word of the Lord in regard to her giving birth

Conclusion

Sarah was a strong woman of courage who greatly supported her husband in all that she did. Although she struggles with doubt, she ends up seeing the fulfillment of all God's plans in her life and becomes the mother of a great nation.

''For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life''

John 3:16

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The Author: OluKoye Williams

Koye Williams is the creator of the international game biblebumps. His mission is to see the people of the Bible brought to life in a new and exciting way whilst also providing opportunities to spend quality time with the family.

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