Sarah: Our Matriarch of Faith预览

A Faithful Partner

There are two "mothers" of the entire world. The first is Eve, the biological mother who gave life to every human being. The second is Sarah, the first of the Matriarchs, who gave spiritual life to humanity.

We often speak about how Abraham forged a connection with the One True God despite the idolatrous society in which he lived. According to Jewish tradition, Sarah, too, believed in God and developed a relationship of her own. In fact, when God told Abraham in Genesis 21:12, “Listen to whatever Sarah tells you,” Jewish scholars say that was because Sarah was an even greater prophet than Abraham!

When we first encounter Sarah in the Bible, her name is Sarai (Genesis 11:29). Abram called his wife Sarai, which means “my princess,” because he saw her not as an object of beauty, but as a woman to be honored and respected. In ancient times, women had no rights, little respect, and were largely perceived as less than their male counterparts. In this way, Sarah’s relationship with Abraham was completely revolutionary. The two were partners in every way—partners in faith and in teaching faith.

Scripture tells us that God instructed Abraham to leave his country and to go “to the land I will show you”(Genesis 12:1). Subsequently, we read: “He took his wife Sarai, his nephew Lot, all the possessions they had accumulated and the people they had acquired in Harran, and they set out for the land of Canaan, and they arrived there” (Genesis 12:5).

At first glance, it seems that Sarah is a passive player in this bold move. Yet a closer look reveals that Abraham and Sarah were on a joint mission. The verse mentions that the couple took with them “the people they had acquired in Harran.” A more literal translation of the original Hebrew reads “the souls they made in Harran,” prompting the Jewish sages to explain that these were the people that Abraham and Sarah brought close to God.

When God told Abraham to step out in faith with his followers, he did so together with his wife and partner who had played an equal role in acquiring those followers. Sarah and Abraham were a team, bound by love and mutual respect.

The words of Proverbs 12:4, “A wife of noble character is her husband’s crown,” are attributed to Sarah, implying that she played a major role in Abraham’s success.