FREE BIBLE STUDY! Women of the Word: January: Sarai
Hello and welcome to the Women of the Word Bible study! I apologize that I am starting late - but we have been dealing with the stomach flu in our house! I did put in extra study time though!
You'll have to forgive me because this is all new to me and I am just following God's nudging to share this information! I'll be learning technology as we go. I am happy to receive any advice! If you note anything that is incorrect or improper in any way - please let me know! This is a love in progress!
Each month we will be talking about a new woman from the Bible. The schedule is:
JANUARY: Sarai/Sarah
FEBRUARY: Rahab
MARCH: Mary Magdalene
APRIL: Tamar
MAY: Eve
JUNE: Ruth
JULY: Esther
AUGUST: Rachel and Leah
SEPTEMBER: Bathsheba
OCTOBER: The Samaritan Woman
NOVEMBER: Proverbs 31 Woman
DECEMBER: Mary, Mother of our Lord
Here is out plan for the rest of this month:
Now, onto the star of January, Sarai/Sarah!
She was born Sarai in approximately 1986 b.c. We first see her mentioned in the Bible when she is introduced in the genealogy of Terah, as his daughter-in-law, wife to his son Abram. (Gen 11:29) While it does not note how old Sarah was when she married Abram, it does explain that she was unable to get pregnant and had no children. (Gen 11:30)
Sarai leaves Ur (this would be near Basra in modern-day Iraq) for the Chaldeans (see map at the end of this post) following her husband and his father along with all of their family. The plan was to relocate to Canaan, but they ended up living in Haran. You'll see that they would have had to travel upstream along the Euphrates River to arrive in Haran. This was a journey of 600 miles! Imagine walking from Chicago, IL to Baltimore, MD? They would have had a painfully slow trip with hundreds of people, cattle, goats, all of their belongings. If they were even able to travel 2 miles an hour (which is generous!) 8 hours a day, it would have been a two-month trip.
They lived here until Terah dies. At this point, Abram is called by God to leave everything he knows and go to the land that God shows him. I love the faith shown here, not just Abram's, but Sarai's too. She follows her husband, most likely without question. She leaves behind all she is familiar and comfortable with. Her family and friends. She knows they are going somewhere that they will be considered foreigners. A place with different customs and beliefs. God tells Abram He will make him into a great nation (Gen 12:2) Now Sarai has been unable to have children. What do you think their conversations are like? Does Abram share all of what God has told him with his wife? Do they first assume that this nation will be mothered by someone other than she?
At this point, Abram is 75 and Sarai is 65. At this age, Sarai is still known for her great beauty. I LOVE this! I am sure 65 is not the same as it is today seeing as people lived much longer. However, she was not a young maiden either.
So, they packed up all of their wealth (Gen 12:5) along with their nephew, Lot, and headed to Canaan. There is no discussion in the Bible regarding their travel, but they were moving by foot with all of their belongings, cattle and servants. This trip is almost 400 miles. It would have taken them over a month of travel by foot - perhaps much longer depending on the circumstances.
When they arrive, Abram builds an altar and dedicates it to God. (Gen 12:7) They go further South where Abram worships.
I have to wonder how tired, achy, dirty and spent they must have felt. What Sarai must have been thinking. What her worries were. Was she hopeful? Did she know what was ahead for her? Did she go content in her faith?
This ends our first discussion. Please read Genesis 11:27 - 12:9. Choose a passage that speaks to your heart and copy it out into your Bible Study Notebook. (More on this tomorrow in a bonus post)
Below, see how Sarai/Sarah would have written her name. Copy this into your Notebook as well!
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| Source |
Below is our first printable! I followed directions from the web, so I hope it works. If not, let me know and I will go back to the drawing board! Remember, this is a work in progress. Thank you for giving me grace!
*Information gathered from the Bible, bible.org, Wikipedia and biblejourney.com
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