IMITATE THEIR FAITJH /SARAH - "JEHOVAH HAS PREVENTED ME"

 

The family recently returned from Egypt.  (Genesis 13:1-4) They were encamped in the highlands east of Bethel, or Luz, as the Canaanites called it.  From this lofty plateau, Sarah could see a great deal of the Promised :Land.  There were Canaanite villages and reads that led travelers so far-off lands.  In all that panorama, though, there was nothing like Sarah's hometown. She had grown up in U, a Mesopotamian city that was a 1,200-mile (1,900 km) journey away. There she had left behind one of her many relatives, the conveniences of a thriving  city with markets and bazaars, and her comfortable home with a solid roof and walls, perhaps even with running water!  Yet, if we imagine Sarah gazing sadly to the east, pinning for the comforts of her childhood home, we do no know this godly woman.

Note what the apostle Paul was inspired to write some 2,000 years later.  Speaking of the faith of Sarah and Abraham, he said: "If they had kept remembering the place from which they had departed, they would had opportunity to return." (Hebrews 11:8, 11, 15)  Neither Sarah nor Abraham  looked longingly to the past. Had they indulged in such  thinking, they might well have decided to return home. Back in Ur, though, they  would have missed out on the remarkable privilege Jehovah was offering them.  And they would surely have faded from human memory instead of becoming inspiring examples  of faith that have touched millions of hearts. 

Rather than looking behind, Sarah looked ahead. So she kept supporting her husband in his sojourn in the land, helping to pack up the tents, move with the herds, and set up camp again.  She endured further challenges and changes. Jehovah renewed his promise to Abraham-but still no mention of Sarah! - GENESIS 13:14-17, 15:5-7.

Next time: IMITATE THEIR FAITH / SARAH -"JEHOVAH HAS PREVENTED ME" Conclusion

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