Sarah's Life-November 3, 2021
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Sarah lived one hundred and twenty-seven years; these were the years of the life of Sarah.
Who is Sarah?
Then God said to Abraham, “As for Sarai your wife, you shall not call her name Sarai, but Sarah shall be her name.
And I will bless her and also give you a son by her; then I will bless her, and she shall be a mother of nations; kings of peoples shall be from her.”
· Sarai (8297) - Dominative (re: Hagar)
· Sarah (8283) - Princess, noble woman (Fem. of 8269)
· “Sar” - A head person, people “who clearly have responsibility over others,” a notable man, a leader, ruler, and judge. Such as in Exodus 18:21 where “able men, such as fear God, men of truth, hating covetousness” are qualified to hold such a position.
Hebrew character “hey” replacing “yod” - This is a picture, that God does not establish His covenant on the basis of the works of the law, but according to His grace, and we, having received His grace, then walk in His righteousness
For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin: He condemned sin in the flesh,
that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.
By faith Sarah herself also received strength to conceive seed, and she bore a child when she was past the age, because she judged Him faithful who had promised.
Do not let your adornment be merely outward—arranging the hair, wearing gold, or putting on fine apparel—
rather let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the incorruptible beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very precious in the sight of God.
Therefore from one man, and him as good as dead, were born as many as the stars of the sky in multitude—innumerable as the sand which is by the seashore.
Sarah lived one hundred and twenty-seven years; these were the years of the life of Sarah.
So Sarah died in Kirjath Arba (that is, Hebron) in the land of Canaan, and Abraham came to mourn for Sarah and to weep for her.
Then Abraham stood up from before his dead, and spoke to the sons of Heth, saying,
Where is Kirjath Arba, and who are the sons of Heth? The answers to these questions are significant to understand the impact of the grace of God in Abraham’s life
Kirjath Arba - city; four; is also the name of a man
And Joshua blessed him, and gave Hebron to Caleb the son of Jephunneh as an inheritance.
Hebron therefore became the inheritance of Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite to this day, because he wholly followed the Lord God of Israel.
And the name of Hebron formerly was Kirjath Arba (Arba was the greatest man among the Anakim). Then the land had rest from war.
Arba was the greatest of the Anakim
Now to Caleb the son of Jephunneh he gave a share among the children of Judah, according to the commandment of the Lord to Joshua, namely, Kirjath Arba, which is Hebron (Arba was the father of Anak).
Arba was the father of Anak
Numbers 13:21-22, 31-33
But the men who had gone up with him said, “We are not able to go up against the people, for they are stronger than we.”
And they gave the children of Israel a bad report of the land which they had spied out, saying, “The land through which we have gone as spies is a land that devours its inhabitants, and all the people whom we saw in it are men of great stature.
There we saw the giants (the descendants of Anak came from the giants); and we were like grasshoppers in our own sight, and so we were in their sight.”
Descendants of Anak came from giants, dwelt in Hebron
(The Emim had dwelt there in times past, a people as great and numerous and tall as the Anakim.
They were also regarded as giants, like the Anakim, but the Moabites call them Emim.
Now it came to pass, when men began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born to them,
that the sons of God saw the daughters of men, that they were beautiful; and they took wives for themselves of all whom they chose.
There were giants on the earth in those days, and also afterward, when the sons of God came in to the daughters of men and they bore children to them. Those were the mighty men who were of old, men of renown.
Giants offspring of Nephilim
The sons of Ham were Cush, Mizraim, Put, and Canaan.
Canaan begot Sidon his firstborn, and Heth;
Heth means “terror”
There are the princes of the north, All of them, and all the Sidonians, Who have gone down with the slain In shame at the terror which they caused by their might; They lie uncircumcised with those slain by the sword, And bear their shame with those who go down to the Pit.
And after this, Abraham buried Sarah his wife in the cave of the field of Machpelah, before Mamre (that is, Hebron) in the land of Canaan.
Kirjath Arba = Hebron; Hebron = Mamre
Then one who had escaped came and told Abram the Hebrew, for he dwelt by the terebinth trees of Mamre the Amorite, brother of Eshcol and brother of Aner; and they were allies with Abram.
“Allies with Abram” lit. translated “masters/possessors of covenant with Abram”
Now when Abram heard that his brother was taken captive, he armed his three hundred and eighteen trained servants who were born in his own house, and went in pursuit as far as Dan.
He divided his forces against them by night, and he and his servants attacked them and pursued them as far as Hobah, which is north of Damascus.
So he brought back all the goods, and also brought back his brother Lot and his goods, as well as the women and the people.
And the king of Sodom went out to meet him at the Valley of Shaveh (that is, the King’s Valley), after his return from the defeat of Chedorlaomer and the kings who were with him.
Then Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine; he was the priest of God Most High.
And he blessed him and said: “Blessed be Abram of God Most High, Possessor of heaven and earth;
And blessed be God Most High, Who has delivered your enemies into your hand.” And he gave him a tithe of all.
Now the king of Sodom said to Abram, “Give me the persons, and take the goods for yourself.”
But Abram said to the king of Sodom, “I have raised my hand to the Lord, God Most High, the Possessor of heaven and earth,
that I will take nothing, from a thread to a sandal strap, and that I will not take anything that is yours, lest you should say, ‘I have made Abram rich’—
except only what the young men have eaten, and the portion of the men who went with me: Aner, Eshcol, and Mamre; let them take their portion.”
Melchizedek discipling Abram
The ox knows its owner And the donkey its master’s crib; But Israel does not know, My people do not consider.”
· Baal: master, husband; god of fertility in Canaan
· Qanah - to erect, create, procure, esp. by purchase, by impl. to own
“Therefore, behold, I will allure her, Will bring her into the wilderness, And speak comfort to her.
I will give her her vineyards from there, And the Valley of Achor as a door of hope; She shall sing there, As in the days of her youth, As in the day when she came up from the land of Egypt.
“And it shall be, in that day,” Says the Lord, “That you will call Me ‘My Husband,’ And no longer call Me ‘My Master,’
For I will take from her mouth the names of the Baals, And they shall be remembered by their name no more.
In that day I will make a covenant for them With the beasts of the field, With the birds of the air, And with the creeping things of the ground. Bow and sword of battle I will shatter from the earth, To make them lie down safely.
“I will betroth you to Me forever; Yes, I will betroth you to Me In righteousness and justice, In lovingkindness and mercy;
I will betroth you to Me in faithfulness, And you shall know the Lord.
“It shall come to pass in that day That I will answer,” says the Lord; “I will answer the heavens, And they shall answer the earth.
The earth shall answer With grain, With new wine, And with oil; They shall answer Jezreel.
Then I will sow her for Myself in the earth, And I will have mercy on her who had not obtained mercy; Then I will say to those who were not My people, ‘You are My people!’ And they shall say, ‘You are my God!’ ”
· lovingkindness= “chesed”
· faithfulness = “emunah” (same root as “emeth,” which means truth)
“In the land of Canaan, the possession of land was limited to members or descendants of the original tribal members.”
The man Abram who was in covenant with the Anakim no longer existed.
Abraham was not bound to that which Abram bound himself to.
What made the difference is the grace of God.
Thus says the Lord: “Keep justice, and do righteousness, For My salvation is about to come, And My righteousness to be revealed.
Blessed is the man who does this, And the son of man who lays hold on it; Who keeps from defiling the Sabbath, And keeps his hand from doing any evil.”
Do not let the son of the foreigner Who has joined himself to the Lord Speak, saying, “The Lord has utterly separated me from His people”; Nor let the eunuch say, “Here I am, a dry tree.”
For thus says the Lord: “To the eunuchs who keep My Sabbaths, And choose what pleases Me, And hold fast My covenant,
Even to them I will give in My house And within My walls a place and a name Better than that of sons and daughters; I will give them an everlasting name That shall not be cut off.
“He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes I will give some of the hidden manna to eat. And I will give him a white stone, and on the stone a new name written which no one knows except him who receives it.” ’
He who overcomes, I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God, and he shall go out no more. I will write on him the name of My God and the name of the city of My God, the New Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven from My God. And I will write on him My new name.
For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome.
For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith.
Who is he who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?
Then I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, “Now salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren, who accused them before our God day and night, has been cast down.
And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death.
God giving Abram a new name does not take place outside the context of God revealing His character (names) to him, and Abraham learning to live accordingly, demonstratively trusting in Him as who He has revealed Himself to be.
And he moved from there to the mountain east of Bethel, and he pitched his tent with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east; there he built an altar to the Lord and called on the name of the Lord.
Abram calls on the name of the LORD
And he blessed him and said: “Blessed be Abram of God Most High, Possessor of heaven and earth;
“God Most High, Possessor of heaven and earth”
After these things the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision, saying, “Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your exceedingly great reward.”
“I am your shield, your exceedingly great reward”
Then she called the name of the Lord who spoke to her, You-Are-the-God-Who-Sees; for she said, “Have I also here seen Him who sees me?”
“You-Are-The-God-Who-Sees”
When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord appeared to Abram and said to him, “I am Almighty God; walk before Me and be blameless.
Almighty God
Far be it from You to do such a thing as this, to slay the righteous with the wicked, so that the righteous should be as the wicked; far be it from You! Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?”
The Judge of all the earth”
Then Abraham planted a tamarisk tree in Beersheba, and there called on the name of the Lord, the Everlasting God.
“The Everlasting God”
And Abraham called the name of the place, The-Lord-Will-Provide; as it is said to this day, “In the Mount of the Lord it shall be provided.”
“Jehovah Jireh”
“Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’
For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things.
But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.
But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.
Jesus answered, “You could have no power at all against Me unless it had been given you from above. Therefore the one who delivered Me to you has the greater sin.”
For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps:
“Who committed no sin, Nor was deceit found in His mouth”;
who, when He was reviled, did not revile in return; when He suffered, He did not threaten, but committed Himself to Him who judges righteously;
The way Jesus lived and the things He taught, the things the apostles wrote in the New Testament, we all on the basis of how God had revealed Himself in the Old Testament. The more we understand and appreciate the continuity throughout the Bible as a whole, and allow the whole counsel of God to shape our theology and world view, the less likely we are to wind up confused and following a Messiah that Scripture didn’t prophesy and Jesus didn’t reveal Himself to be
And the sons of Heth answered Abraham, saying to him,
“Hear us, my lord: You are a mighty prince among us; bury your dead in the choicest of our burial places. None of us will withhold from you his burial place, that you may bury your dead.”
They address him as “Nesi Elohiym”
· “Nasi” (5387) - Exalted one, I.e. a king. Means prince, chief, leader. Literally translated it means one who bears responsibility. “The ‘princes’ of Israel did not only participate in the civil leadership; they were also regarded as pillars in Israelite religious life, the upholders of the covenantal way of life.” Literally also means one who holds aloft an ensign.
· It is interesting to note that the Hebrew word “oth” (sign) also means an ensign, and is the word used both for the standards of the tribes in Numbers, and for the sign of the covenants God established (I.e. the rainbow; circumcision)
Like an apple tree among the trees of the woods, So is my beloved among the sons. I sat down in his shade with great delight, And his fruit was sweet to my taste.
He brought me to the banqueting house, And his banner over me was love.
Sustain me with cakes of raisins, Refresh me with apples, For I am lovesick.
His left hand is under my head, And his right hand embraces me.
I charge you, O daughters of Jerusalem, By the gazelles or by the does of the field, Do not stir up nor awaken love Until it pleases.
The voice of my beloved! Behold, he comes Leaping upon the mountains, Skipping upon the hills.
And he said: “The Lord came from Sinai, And dawned on them from Seir; He shone forth from Mount Paran, And He came with ten thousands of saints; From His right hand Came a fiery law for them.
Yes, He loves the people; All His saints are in Your hand; They sit down at Your feet; Everyone receives Your words.
Moses commanded a law for us, A heritage of the congregation of Jacob.
re: “His right hand embraces me”
Show Your marvelous lovingkindness by Your right hand, O You who save those who trust in You From those who rise up against them.
Showing lovingkindness by His right hand
Now Abraham was old, well advanced in age; and the Lord had blessed Abraham in all things.
So Abraham said to the oldest servant of his house, who ruled over all that he had, “Please, put your hand under my thigh,
and I will make you swear by the Lord, the God of heaven and the God of the earth, that you will not take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I dwell;
but you shall go to my country and to my family, and take a wife for my son Isaac.”
And the servant said to him, “Perhaps the woman will not be willing to follow me to this land. Must I take your son back to the land from which you came?”
But Abraham said to him, “Beware that you do not take my son back there.
“Beware” (8104) - ‘Shamar’
Then the Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to tend and keep it.
“tend and keep it”
“Take…back” (7725) - ‘Shuv’
And she said, “Look, your sister-in-law has gone back to her people and to her gods; return after your sister-in-law.”
And truly if they had called to mind that country from which they had come out, they would have had opportunity to return.
But now they desire a better, that is, a heavenly country. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He has prepared a city for them.
Isaac wasn’t the promise Abraham set his eyes on
Then he said, “O Lord God of my master Abraham, please give me success this day, and show kindness to my master Abraham.
Behold, here I stand by the well of water, and the daughters of the men of the city are coming out to draw water.
Now let it be that the young woman to whom I say, ‘Please let down your pitcher that I may drink,’ and she says, ‘Drink, and I will also give your camels a drink’—let her be the one You have appointed for Your servant Isaac. And by this I will know that You have shown kindness to my master.”
“Kindness” - ‘Chesed’
· Lovingkindness, steadfast love, grace, mercy, faithfulness, goodness, devotion… 3 basic meanings which always interact: “strength,” “steadfastness,” and “love.” Any understanding of the word that fails to suggest all three invariably loses some of its richness… The word refers primarily to reciprocal rights and obligations between parties… implies involvement and commitment in a relationship beyond the rule of law
And the man, wondering at her, remained silent so as to know whether the Lord had made his journey prosperous or not.
Then the man bowed down his head and worshiped the Lord.
And he said, “Blessed be the Lord God of my master Abraham, who has not forsaken His mercy and His truth toward my master. As for me, being on the way, the Lord led me to the house of my master’s brethren.”
Now my master made me swear, saying, ‘You shall not take a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, in whose land I dwell;
but you shall go to my father’s house and to my family, and take a wife for my son.’
And I said to my master, ‘Perhaps the woman will not follow me.’
But he said to me, ‘The Lord, before whom I walk, will send His angel with you and prosper your way; and you shall take a wife for my son from my family and from my father’s house.
“And this day I came to the well and said, ‘O Lord God of my master Abraham, if You will now prosper the way in which I go,
behold, I stand by the well of water; and it shall come to pass that when the virgin comes out to draw water, and I say to her, “Please give me a little water from your pitcher to drink,”
and she says to me, “Drink, and I will draw for your camels also,”—let her be the woman whom the Lord has appointed for my master’s son.’
Then I asked her, and said, ‘Whose daughter are you?’ And she said, ‘The daughter of Bethuel, Nahor’s son, whom Milcah bore to him.’ So I put the nose ring on her nose and the bracelets on her wrists.
And I bowed my head and worshiped the Lord, and blessed the Lord God of my master Abraham, who had led me in the way of truth to take the daughter of my master’s brother for his son.
Now if you will deal kindly and truly with my master, tell me. And if not, tell me, that I may turn to the right hand or to the left.”
Only be strong and very courageous, that you may observe to do according to all the law which Moses My servant commanded you; do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may prosper wherever you go.
This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.
Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”
The grace of God (chesed) and the truth of God are both revealed in His law, and both are essential for those in covenant relationship with Him to lay hold of
John 1:14,16-17
John 1:14 (NKJV)
And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.
And of His fullness we have all received, and grace for grace.
For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.
‘and,’ not ‘but’
“Emeth”
Good and upright is the Lord; Therefore He teaches sinners in the way.
The humble He guides in justice, And the humble He teaches His way.
All the paths of the Lord are mercy and truth, To such as keep His covenant and His testimonies.
For Your name’s sake, O Lord, Pardon my iniquity, for it is great.
Who is the man that fears the Lord? Him shall He teach in the way He chooses.
He himself shall dwell in prosperity, And his descendants shall inherit the earth.
The secret of the Lord is with those who fear Him, And He will show them His covenant.
Show us Your mercy, Lord, And grant us Your salvation.
I will hear what God the Lord will speak, For He will speak peace To His people and to His saints; But let them not turn back to folly.
Great peace have those who love Your law, And nothing causes them to stumble.
Surely His salvation is near to those who fear Him, That glory may dwell in our land.
Mercy and truth have met together; Righteousness and peace have kissed.
Truth shall spring out of the earth, And righteousness shall look down from heaven.
Yes, the Lord will give what is good; And our land will yield its increase.
Righteousness will go before Him, And shall make His footsteps our pathway.
Abraham’s servant rejoiced in the mercy and truth of God, in that the LORD directed his steps
“Berith”
“Therefore know that the Lord your God, He is God, the faithful God who keeps covenant and mercy for a thousand generations with those who love Him and keep His commandments;
We need His love to love Him; we need Him to obey Him
Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.
His Spirit, His grace - produce in us that loving obedience
and He repays those who hate Him to their face, to destroy them. He will not be slack with him who hates Him; He will repay him to his face.
Therefore you shall keep the commandment, the statutes, and the judgments which I command you today, to observe them.
“Then it shall come to pass, because you listen to these judgments, and keep and do them, that the Lord your God will keep with you the covenant and the mercy which He swore to your fathers.
As for man, his days are like grass; As a flower of the field, so he flourishes.
For the wind passes over it, and it is gone, And its place remembers it no more.
But the mercy of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting On those who fear Him, And His righteousness to children’s children,
To such as keep His covenant, And to those who remember His commandments to do them.
For I desire mercy and not sacrifice, And the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings.
“But like men they transgressed the covenant; There they dealt treacherously with Me.
“Yeshua”
“The Lord lives! Blessed be my Rock! Let God be exalted, The Rock of my salvation!
It is God who avenges me, And subdues the peoples under me;
He delivers me from my enemies. You also lift me up above those who rise against me; You have delivered me from the violent man.
Therefore I will give thanks to You, O Lord, among the Gentiles, And sing praises to Your name.
“He is the tower of salvation to His king, And shows mercy to His anointed, To David and his descendants forevermore.”
Tower is a stronghold
How long, O Lord? Will You forget me forever? How long will You hide Your face from me?
How long shall I take counsel in my soul, Having sorrow in my heart daily? How long will my enemy be exalted over me?
Consider and hear me, O Lord my God; Enlighten my eyes, Lest I sleep the sleep of death;
Lest my enemy say, “I have prevailed against him”; Lest those who trouble me rejoice when I am moved.
But I have trusted in Your mercy; My heart shall rejoice in Your salvation.
I will sing to the Lord, Because He has dealt bountifully with me.
He has remembered His mercy and His faithfulness to the house of Israel; All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God.
The heavens are Yours, the earth also is Yours; The world and all its fullness, You have founded them.
The north and the south, You have created them; Tabor and Hermon rejoice in Your name.
You have a mighty arm; Strong is Your hand, and high is Your right hand.
Righteousness and justice are the foundation of Your throne; Mercy and truth go before Your face.
Blessed are the people who know the joyful sound! They walk, O Lord, in the light of Your countenance.
In Your name they rejoice all day long, And in Your righteousness they are exalted.
For You are the glory of their strength, And in Your favor our horn is exalted.
For our shield belongs to the Lord, And our king to the Holy One of Israel.
He shall cry to Me, ‘You are my Father, My God, and the rock of my salvation.’
Also I will make him My firstborn, The highest of the kings of the earth.
My mercy I will keep for him forever, And My covenant shall stand firm with him.
His seed also I will make to endure forever, And his throne as the days of heaven.
“If his sons forsake My law And do not walk in My judgments,
If they break My statutes And do not keep My commandments,
Then I will punish their transgression with the rod, And their iniquity with stripes.
Nevertheless My lovingkindness I will not utterly take from him, Nor allow My faithfulness to fail.
My covenant I will not break, Nor alter the word that has gone out of My lips.
Once I have sworn by My holiness; I will not lie to David:
His seed shall endure forever, And his throne as the sun before Me;
It shall be established forever like the moon, Even like the faithful witness in the sky.” Selah
This is just a small window into the relationship between these words in Scripture
And he said, “Blessed be the Lord God of my master Abraham, who has not forsaken His mercy and His truth toward my master. As for me, being on the way, the Lord led me to the house of my master’s brethren.”
But he said to me, ‘The Lord, before whom I walk, will send His angel with you and prosper your way; and you shall take a wife for my son from my family and from my father’s house.
And I bowed my head and worshiped the Lord, and blessed the Lord God of my master Abraham, who had led me in the way of truth to take the daughter of my master’s brother for his son.
Now if you will deal kindly and truly with my master, tell me. And if not, tell me, that I may turn to the right hand or to the left.”
Now Isaac came from the way of Beer Lahai Roi, for he dwelt in the South.
And Isaac went out to meditate in the field in the evening; and he lifted his eyes and looked, and there, the camels were coming.
Then Rebekah lifted her eyes, and when she saw Isaac she dismounted from her camel;
for she had said to the servant, “Who is this man walking in the field to meet us?” The servant said, “It is my master.” So she took a veil and covered herself.
And the servant told Isaac all the things that he had done.
Then Isaac brought her into his mother Sarah’s tent; and he took Rebekah and she became his wife, and he loved her. So Isaac was comforted after his mother’s death.
“Lifted up his/her eyes”
“Comforted” - Heb. ‘nacham’ (5162) means “to repent, comfort”… to repent means to make a strong turning to a new course of action. The emphasis is on turning to a positive course of action, not turning from a less desirable course.
And he called his name Noah, saying, “This one will comfort us concerning our work and the toil of our hands, because of the ground which the Lord has cursed.”
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; For You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.
Let, I pray, Your merciful kindness be for my comfort, According to Your word to Your servant.
“The Spirit of the Lord God is upon Me, Because the Lord has anointed Me To preach good tidings to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives, And the opening of the prison to those who are bound;
To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord, And the day of vengeance of our God; To comfort all who mourn,
To console those who mourn in Zion, To give them beauty for ashes, The oil of joy for mourning, The garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; That they may be called trees of righteousness, The planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified.”