She Refused to Look Back

SARAH was married to her beloved Abraham. They lived in Ur, in the land of Shinar, a bustling walled city on the banks of the great Euphrates River. The people of the city were steeped in idolatry, but Abraham was different. He worshipped the one true God, Jehovah. Sarah too put faith in the true God. One day, though, she faced a new test of her faith and courage.

Abraham told her that Jehovah had spoken to him! Sarah must have been thrilled. But the message itself may have been daunting. They were to leave their home and their relatives in Ur and move far away, to a distant land. They would travel by caravan, and they would live in tents. No longer within great city walls with guards. No longer with a solid roof overhead​—or a courtyard or running water or other conveniences that they may have enjoyed. And no marketplace! The challenges were many. Yet, Sarah agreed. She put faith in Jehovah, packed up her belongings, said goodbye to family and friends, and traveled with Abraham into the unknown.

Sarah showed courage in another way. The apostle Paul wrote this about her and her husband: “If they had kept remembering the place from which they had departed, they would have had opportunity to return.” (Heb. 11:15) Sarah could have reflected longingly on the home she had made in Ur and on the security she had enjoyed there. Instead, she courageously refused to look back.

When they finally reached the land of Canaan, Sarah soon learned that there was no great river there like the Euphrates that merchants could navigate, bringing goods from near and far. So when a famine struck Canaan, there was little choice but to move. Sarah did not use that misfortune to pressure her husband to take the family back east to Ur. Instead, she willingly traveled south to Egypt with Abraham.

Because Sarah was exceptionally beautiful, Abraham feared that someone might kill him in order to steal her. Sarah had to pretend that she was merely Abraham’s sister. But that did not help when the Pharaoh of Egypt learned about her beauty. He ordered that she be taken from Abraham and brought to his royal palace. Now, life in a palace might have seemed much safer and more comfortable than a nomadic life in tents. But did Sarah decide to abandon Abraham and enjoy a comfortable life with Pharaoh? No. She showed courage and remained loyal to her husband​—and Jehovah rescued her! Soon, she was back with her dear husband.a

Jehovah had promised that a great nation would come from Abraham. But Sarah had not been able to have a child. That was hard for her. After many years in Canaan, however, Jehovah rewarded Sarah. Though she was 90 years old, he blessed her by fulfilling her dearest wish. She bore a son! Jehovah directed that the boy be named Isaac because it meant “Laughter.” Abraham and Sarah had laughed with joy when they learned that they would have a son, and Sarah was convinced that people would laugh with her when they heard of the miracle Jehovah had performed for her.

Sarah lived long enough to raise her son and to see him become a fine man. She had to show courage in order to keep him safe as only a mother can. And to the very end, she refused to look back to a more comfortable life. Instead, she looked ahead to a wonderful future. That future still awaits her and her family​—and it is sure to come!

Read the Bible account:

• Genesis 12:1-20; 15:18; 16:1, 2; 17:3-8, 15-19; 18:9-15; 20:1-17; 21:1-13

• Acts 7:1-7

For discussion:

In what ways did Sarah show courage?

Dig Deeper

1. 1. Was it wrong for Sarah to marry Abraham even though he was her half brother? (wp17.3 12 ¶5, ftn.)

   Your answer

2. 2. Describe what Sarah may have left behind in Ur. (wp17.3 13 ¶3–14 ¶2) A

   Your answer

   

   Photograph taken by courtesy of the British Museum

3. 3. What evidence shows that Abraham acted wisely when he concealed Sarah’s identity as his wife? (wp17.3 14 ¶6–15 ¶2)

   Your answer

4. 4. Although Sarah was submissive to Abraham, does that mean that she never spoke up? Explain. (g 1/08 29 ¶4-5) B

   Your answer

   

Reflect on the Lessons

• Compare Sarah and Lot’s wife.

  • In what ways were they similar? (Gen. 12:1; 13:5-7; 19:12, 15)

    Your answer

  • In what ways were they different? (Gen. 19:17, 26; Luke 17:28-32)

    Your answer

  • What can we learn from the decisions they made and how things turned out for them?

    Your answer

• Sarah was very beautiful, and her husband was wealthy. What example does she set for us regarding our view of any physical or material advantages we may have? (Prov. 31:30; 1 Tim. 6:17-19)

  Your answer

• How might you imitate Sarah’s courage in your life? C

  Your answer

  

Meditate on the Bigger Picture

• What does this account teach me about Jehovah?

  Your answer

• How does this account tie in with Jehovah’s purposes?

  Your answer

• What would I like to ask Sarah in the resurrection?

  Your answer

Learn More

Is Sarah’s example for wives only? Or does her example teach husbands also?

Learn From Them​—Sarah (6:27)

Consider what Sarah and Abraham did to help each other feel respected.

“Keep ‘the Flame of Jah’ Alive” (w23.05 24-25 ¶15-17)