We first meet Sister Sarah as she leaves her home in Ur of the Chaldeans to accompany her husband on a journey of unknown destination that will forever change her life - and her lifestyle. No Lincoln continental for Sarah. A one hump camel awaited. No four star hotels along the way. Tents hastily assembled on a desert floor would have to suffice. No four laned interstates. Just bumpy river routes and sandy deserts. Hmmm - doesn't exactly sound appealing, does it?Some of you have left home and family to follow a husband to another destination. I'll bet your travel accomodations and future living conditions held a little more certainty than Sarah's did.
I wonder what sister Sarah's attitude was like when she boarded a stinky, smelly, spitting camel and bid farewell to the only home she'd ever known. Do you think she might have pouted at least for a few days into the journey? Or, do you think perhaps she gave Abraham the silent treatment for awhile? Scripture doesn't tell us . . . and maybe that's a good thing . . . but, if it had been me, I can pretty well guarantee I'd have done one or the other. And possibly both!
We may not know sister Sarah's attitude for sure but we do know her actions. Sarah was submissive. Submissive to who? You see, God had spoken to her HUSBAND and said:
I don't believe God spoke these things to Abraham alone. Oh, yes, perhaps Abraham was by himself when God revealed His glory and made His covenental promises. BUT. God sanctions and blesses the marital bond. God sees husband and wife as "one flesh" (Genesis 2:24). When God told Abraham to "go" it was with the full imperative that Sarah also was called to "go." When God said to Abraham, "I will make of you a great nation" it was with the clear intent that Sarah would have a part in the process.So - when, in submission, sister Sarah packed her bags and climbed aboard her luxury camel, who was she being submissive to? Her husband? Yes. But, more importantly, to God. Sarah was an integral part of God's plan and her submission to His leading in her life was no little thing.
Ur, the only home Sarah had ever known, was a large metropolitan area. It was a bustling city that carried on extensive trade throughout the known world of its day. Archaeologists in modern times have found there the remains of what once represented a vast library. Sarah would have been accustomed to comfortable amenities and refined, intellectual acquaintances.
If you located ancient Ur on current world map today do you know where it would probably be? About 200 miles southeast of Baghdad in southeastern Iraq near the Persian Gulf!
Ur was also a center of the worship of many gods and idols. Nanna, the moon god, was the city patron. In fact, Sarah's name - spelled Sarai at that time - was a name popular with those who worshiped the moon god and his consorts. One commentary I read suggested that may be one reason God was so ready to change the spelling of her name from Sarai to Sarah.
Joshua 24:2 tells us that Sarah's family worshiped these gods. Sister Sarah's family tree grew from idolatrous roots. We have no biblical reason to believe Abraham and Sarah were looking for another god. But God undoubtedly was looking for them. Isn't that always the way it is? Doesn't God always take the initiative in reaching out to man? Jesus said: "You did not choose me, but I chose you ..." John 15:16.
God took the initiative in reaching out to Abraham and Sarah. He asked them to "go" from their country and all that was familiar follow Him to an unstated place He would show them. Today, Jesus says to you and me: "whoever serves me must follow me..." John 12:26
When Sarah submitted to God's call and left Ur it meant leaving
- the certainty of a secure life for uncertainty of an unknown future
- material possessions for chance - chance of poverty or chance of restored wealth
- acquaintances she'd known all her life for strangers she would encounter along the way
- the amenities of the city for the hardships of the desert
In "The Patriarchs" Bible study, Beth Moore uses Sarah's hometown, Ur, as an acrostic to represent God's call to leave our
- Usual
- Routine
Think about that for a minute. What UR - what "Usual Routine" might God be calling you to leave so that you can "go" to a place He wants to show you? What "Usual Routine" do you need to abandon today in order to follow God? Is there some rut in your familiar countryside that is keeping you from traveling the path God has chosen for you? Is there a comfort zone you can't quite bring yourself to leave? Is there a hint of mediocrity that God is asking you to forsake?
Look at the example of sister Sarah today and be willing to lay down everything you have and all that you are to follow God to the place of deeper intimacy He wants to lead you this year.
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