The Obedient Wife

I have some questions, ladies. What kind of woman was Sarah? Was she a devoted wife? Did she obey her husband, Abraham? Did she obey God? Are we following Sarah’s example of being an obedient wife as God would have us to be toward our husbands?

In Genesis 12:1, God told Abram to take Sarai (and his nephew, Lot) and go to a land away from his family; God would show him the way to go. Now, let us suppose that Abram came home and told Sarai to pack up their belongings so they can move. Sarai might have asked, “Where are we going?” His answer might have been, “I do not know.” Then, maybe, Sarai asked, “How long will we be gone?” Again, he may have answered, “I do not know.” Her next question could have been, “Well, who told you for us to move?” Abram may have replied, “God did.” Then, she may have said something like this, “Well, okay, then!” She immediately went to prepare for their journey. What would we have done?

Would we have been as willing wives to go on a journey, not knowing where we were going and how long we would be gone? I really doubt this would happen today without many more questions and answers. It seems to me that Sarai was more obedient and submissive than most of us today would have been. What do you think?

Later in life Abram and his family lived in Palestine. Genesis 12:10-20 records that at some time afterward, there was a severe famine in the land. That prompted Abram to proceed to Egypt, whereupon he asked Sarai to tell the Egyptians she was his sister. This was a half-truth, and so it was a lie. Sarai did as he asked. Many years in the future, Abraham and Sarah’s (God changed their names from Abram and Sarai, Genesis 17:5, 17) son Isaac told the same lie, with similar results relative to the Philistines. King Abimelech saw Isaac sporting with his wife Rebekah (Genesis 26:8) and realized that they lied to him. The sins of one generation can encourage following generations to do the same sins.

Resuming references to Abram and Sarai in Egypt, Sarai telling Pharoah she was Abram’s sister led him to think things that though it was not totally a lie were still deceptive. Sarai did as asked by Abram, although that was not right with God. Do we knowingly do things today that God disapproves?

Do we disobey God, for instance, to do what our husbands’ ask of us? I understand that our love for our husbands is great, but our love for God should be greater. Acts 5:29 says, “…We ought to obey God rather than men” (NKJV). I understand the situations into which we sometimes get ourselves by marrying non-Christians or sometimes because a husband has fallen away from the church, but no matter what, God should and must come first (Matthew 6:33; 22:37-38). By putting God as a priority in our lives, we may win our husbands to the Lord. “Wives, likewise, be submissive to your own husbands, that even if some do not obey the word, they, without a word, may be won by the conduct of their wives” (1 Peter 3:1). Remember, actions speak louder than words.

I know I wrote this lesson for us – married ladies. Yet,  those of you – young ladies – that have boyfriends or fiancés need to practice this principle also. It is time to put Christ first in your lives, and if you do this at the beginning of any relationship, your boyfriend will know what to expect if your love for one another grows to the point of marriage. If your boyfriend is not a Christian, you may also win him to the Lord by your actions.