The Power Of A Woman, Part III

“As he was about to enter Egypt, he said to his wife Sarai, ‘I know what a beautiful woman you are. When the Egyptians see you they will say, “This is his wife.”  Then they will kill me but let you live.’” Genesis 12:11-12 NIV

Sarai faced a difficult decision: fulfill her husband’s request and lie – a sin which would separate her from her God, or, obey her God and watch her husband live in fear.

Sarai’s power was not in what she did, or what she said, it was in how she looked. Scripture tells us she was a beautiful woman. Apparently just about everyone thought so. Pharaoh’s officers “praised her to Pharaoh.” Her beauty drew her attention from the ruler of the land.

Her beauty was a gift from God. What did she do with that gift? Did she use it to God’s glory? Did she harness the attention it commanded and seize the opportunity to witness for God?

No.

Sarai chose to follow her husband’s wishes and lie to potentially save his hide.

Her protector asked for her protection.

The end result could have been not only Sarai prostituting her body, but also her very soul.

By allowing this lie to linger on her husband’s lips, she was denying her marriage to Abram. Pharaoh thought she was fair game. Very fair indeed. He really liked the idea of this new prized addition to his harem and was anxious to exult his authority by claiming her as his wife.

Oh, what to do? Should she speak up now? Surely they would kill Abram for his deception. But, must she go through with what was expected?

Oh, if only to escape!

With no identifiable way out, Sarai sat, surrounded by other women who probably regarded her as beautiful, powerful, and enviable.

Yet I would bet, Sarai never once thought of herself in any of these terms.

But God did.

And, He came to her rescue.

He halted Pharaoh’s one-track mind by plaguing not only Pharaoh but all the men in his service with a skin disease. Pharaoh’s lustful appetite was lost, as were the appetites of all the other affected men.

The phenomenon was of so great a scale that Pharaoh questioned Abram and then learned the truth. An angry Pharaoh did not take Abram’s life or his wife. But he did evict him from his country and commanded Abram to carry his accumulated wealth off with him.

God saved Sarai from herself. He loved her as He loves us. He kept her from sin when she found herself between the proverbial rock and hard place.

I don’t know her heart but God did. And maybe, just maybe, God knew she didn’t yet know how to use the power she was given. Maybe she let others try to harness it for her. Maybe, she was afraid of it. Maybe, she just wanted to walk away from it.

Finding herself in a perilous quandary of her own making, she was forced to rely on the power of God.  And God did not disappoint.

He loved her.

He had plans for her.

And He knew those plans.

He intervened and saved her. He also taught Sarai just how powerful He is and that she could fully trust in Him.

 

Reflections:

 

What God-given gifts do I have that I don’t know how to use?

How can I train myself to rely on God’s power?

 

Thanks for reading! Please return by Monday, May 9 for the next post.