Sarah
Drama
Mothers Of The Bible
A Worship Service For Mother's Day Or Other Special Occasions
I am a beautiful woman, don't you think so? (Bows) I always have been. My name is Sarah. I have always been a woman of society and I have been pampered throughout my life. My husband is a wealthy man. He is Abraham. As his wife, I was devoted to him and our life together and I followed him from our home in Haran hundreds of miles to the land of Canaan. We left everything we had ever known to follow the instructions of the God who spoke to him. God did not speak to me and I did not understand why my husband did the things he did, but I was an obedient and respectful wife.
For some reason, we had no children. I am not sure who was to blame, but it seemed like it was my fault. I wanted to have a family. Children are important to me, but I became old and I had no child. God had told my husband that I would have a child, and I assumed that it would have to come from my personal maid, Hagar. She was an awful thing, but my husband bought her to have around for general purposes and she became my possession. I could do anything I wanted with her. Abraham always believed God when God spoke to him, and we wondered how we were going to have the child that God promised us. It was impossible for me to have a child and I was unhappy. I gave my maid to Abraham and she conceived. The child would be considered mine, of course, and Abraham's heir.
When I realized that the wretched creature really was going to have a child and I was not, I became jealous. It wasn't fair! I am the wife. I am the important one in the household and yet she, a slave, was going to have a baby! I didn't even consider her totally human by normal standards. She was just a slave with only slightly more value than an animal. The more I thought about the baby, the angrier I became toward the horrible slave. I became hostile toward her and despised her presence. I couldn't stand her near me and let her know it.
Hagar ran away and we didn't see her for awhile. When she returned, she was strangely quiet and kept far away from me. She had her baby and named it the horrid name of Ishmael. I hoped something would happen to the child but, instead, it seemed to grow up strong and healthy. I couldn't stand it near me. Since we had not come yet to our present home in Canaan, we kept on traveling. We had to pass through the land of the Negev. Abraham became afraid of the local king. He was concerned that we might not be allowed to pass through the land without problems. When King Abimelech saw me, he wanted to take me as part of his property, the way we had acquired Hagar. He thought I was beautiful, and my husband assured him that I was only his sister. I felt deep betrayal and humiliation. I had to follow King Abimelech into his home and I wondered if I would have to become one of his wives. I cannot tell you how I felt that night, being frightened and anxious about what would happen to me. I also felt so sad because my husband did not openly admit that I belonged to him. I loved Abraham and I thought I had always been a good wife. It was so totally unfair for me to be given away to another man like a piece of property and assume that I would be his wife.
Ironically, while I was scared and alone in my thoughts and problems, I realized that I had given Hagar to my husband in just the same manner. It had been unfair for me to have done that to her. Now, I knew how she felt. We had been treated equally by God. By some miracle, God intervened on my behalf, and the king of Gerar allowed me to return to my husband. It was difficult at first to go back to Abraham, but I had to forgive him and continue with our lives. After we settled on our land here in Canaan, for some unknown and impossible reason, I became pregnant. It was totally a surprise, but God had originally promised Abraham a son. I couldn't believe it and it was the joy of my life. The baby was the most precious, and the most beautiful child there ever was. I knew he would be intelligent and wealthy, just as Abraham was. He would be Abraham's heir, but then I realized the slave's child, Ishmael, would be his heir also. I couldn't stand the thought of it. It made me totally ill to think of someone else's child sharing my husband's estate, and affection, especially a child as worthless as hers. I could not physically harm the child or the slave, but I knew I had to get rid of them. With my child Isaac, I had everything I had ever wanted in life. I had a wonderful, devoted husband, a growing, strong, intelligent son and my privileged position on our estate. I could always get other slaves to help me with the baby. I didn't need Hagar at all. I forced them to leave, knowing full well that they would die in the desert. I pretended to be naive, but no one survives alone in the Arabian desert. I knew what I was doing. I never heard from them again. I assumed they both died, which is what I had planned.
I never believed in God before this time. I didn't really need to. I always was given everything I wanted and needed. Anyway, I was obedient to my husband and believed what God told him. I certainly thought it my right to do as I did to Hagar and her child. But life is very unpredictable. When my own son was older, Abraham announced that he was going to take him and sacrifice him on Mt. Moriah, which is in the wilderness. My son was everything to me. He is more important than anything. I would do anything for him; I would die for him. I didn't want my husband taking Isaac anywhere. He belonged home with me so he would be safe from any harm. I always took very good care of my son. Abraham told me that he was going to sacrifice Isaac on the mountain.
I could not believe what my husband said to me. I became silent. I could not believe his insane words and tried to pretend that he hadn't said them. He was going to kill my son. And then I pleaded with him. I was frantic, and became suicidal. If something happened to Isaac, there was no reason for me to live. Why would God have given me this wonderful child who had filled my life with overwhelming, daily joy to destroy him now and myself as well? This was a horrible nightmare. You cannot believe the strength I found inside myself to plead and argue against my husband, but God had told him to do this, and he obeyed God. God was more important to him than our son, or even me. I did everything I could to dissuade Abraham from taking Isaac to the mountain and threatened him with everything I could think of but his dedication to God went before everything. It was unbelievable. I watched him go, taking my only beloved son with him to his death.
At that time, my entire self was crushed and then numbed inside me. I felt as though my skull, my brain itself, and my thoughts and feelings were flying apart outside of me. I felt myself spinning unbelievably far away as though I were not on earth. I started seeing Abraham's knife plunge itself deep inside me, and then feeling the brutal pain of coming death. It was not possible for me to distinguish between Isaac and myself and who was being sacrificed. I knew then that God was real and powerful and he was not for me to put on my own level. The way of God is not mine. I remembered then that I had so eagerly sent Hagar and Ishmael out to their deaths. I wanted it and wished it. Now, God was reciprocating to me for what I had done. Hagar had been under my protection and she belonged to me. I belong to God and God is a God of justice. The tables were turned on me once again. I knew now how Hagar felt taking her son out into the desert wilderness to die. It was wrong and unfair of me to do that but I was blinded by my own selfish jealousy. I had always thought that I could do whatever I wanted because I was Sarah, wife of Abraham. Now, I know differently. Now I know that God is very real and all-powerful. He knows me personally and where I am. He knows my thoughts and motivations. Inwardly, I begged for mercy knowing I deserved none. I wondered if I would survive emotionally. I had nothing to cling to. I wondered if I should commit suicide and eliminate the pain I was going through. I was deluged in grief and nothing, not my beauty, my wealth or anything I ever had could help me with my situation. I just faced God and could do nothing but leave the entire situation with him.
While Abraham was gone with Isaac, I had to yield everything to God: my life, my mental faculties, my own dear son, and absolutely everything else to him. When Abraham returned from the sacrifice, he brought back with him my son, Isaac, alive. God had been merciful. I knew I did not deserve it. I would like to redo the past with Hagar and what I did to her and Ishmael, but I cannot. I would like to receive forgiveness from Hagar, but that is impossible. I am ashamed of what I was like, and what I have done, but I shall have to live with it. I have since dedicated my life and my son to God. More than Abraham's heir, I want him to know God intimately as a real, caring, merciful God. I said before that I was beautiful. I would like to clarify that now. I want to be beautiful in God's eyes and as his person. I want to be beautiful in my relationship to him and as a mother to my son. I am not the same Sarah I was before. I am Sarah, wife of Abraham and woman of God. (Bows and leaves)
For some reason, we had no children. I am not sure who was to blame, but it seemed like it was my fault. I wanted to have a family. Children are important to me, but I became old and I had no child. God had told my husband that I would have a child, and I assumed that it would have to come from my personal maid, Hagar. She was an awful thing, but my husband bought her to have around for general purposes and she became my possession. I could do anything I wanted with her. Abraham always believed God when God spoke to him, and we wondered how we were going to have the child that God promised us. It was impossible for me to have a child and I was unhappy. I gave my maid to Abraham and she conceived. The child would be considered mine, of course, and Abraham's heir.
When I realized that the wretched creature really was going to have a child and I was not, I became jealous. It wasn't fair! I am the wife. I am the important one in the household and yet she, a slave, was going to have a baby! I didn't even consider her totally human by normal standards. She was just a slave with only slightly more value than an animal. The more I thought about the baby, the angrier I became toward the horrible slave. I became hostile toward her and despised her presence. I couldn't stand her near me and let her know it.
Hagar ran away and we didn't see her for awhile. When she returned, she was strangely quiet and kept far away from me. She had her baby and named it the horrid name of Ishmael. I hoped something would happen to the child but, instead, it seemed to grow up strong and healthy. I couldn't stand it near me. Since we had not come yet to our present home in Canaan, we kept on traveling. We had to pass through the land of the Negev. Abraham became afraid of the local king. He was concerned that we might not be allowed to pass through the land without problems. When King Abimelech saw me, he wanted to take me as part of his property, the way we had acquired Hagar. He thought I was beautiful, and my husband assured him that I was only his sister. I felt deep betrayal and humiliation. I had to follow King Abimelech into his home and I wondered if I would have to become one of his wives. I cannot tell you how I felt that night, being frightened and anxious about what would happen to me. I also felt so sad because my husband did not openly admit that I belonged to him. I loved Abraham and I thought I had always been a good wife. It was so totally unfair for me to be given away to another man like a piece of property and assume that I would be his wife.
Ironically, while I was scared and alone in my thoughts and problems, I realized that I had given Hagar to my husband in just the same manner. It had been unfair for me to have done that to her. Now, I knew how she felt. We had been treated equally by God. By some miracle, God intervened on my behalf, and the king of Gerar allowed me to return to my husband. It was difficult at first to go back to Abraham, but I had to forgive him and continue with our lives. After we settled on our land here in Canaan, for some unknown and impossible reason, I became pregnant. It was totally a surprise, but God had originally promised Abraham a son. I couldn't believe it and it was the joy of my life. The baby was the most precious, and the most beautiful child there ever was. I knew he would be intelligent and wealthy, just as Abraham was. He would be Abraham's heir, but then I realized the slave's child, Ishmael, would be his heir also. I couldn't stand the thought of it. It made me totally ill to think of someone else's child sharing my husband's estate, and affection, especially a child as worthless as hers. I could not physically harm the child or the slave, but I knew I had to get rid of them. With my child Isaac, I had everything I had ever wanted in life. I had a wonderful, devoted husband, a growing, strong, intelligent son and my privileged position on our estate. I could always get other slaves to help me with the baby. I didn't need Hagar at all. I forced them to leave, knowing full well that they would die in the desert. I pretended to be naive, but no one survives alone in the Arabian desert. I knew what I was doing. I never heard from them again. I assumed they both died, which is what I had planned.
I never believed in God before this time. I didn't really need to. I always was given everything I wanted and needed. Anyway, I was obedient to my husband and believed what God told him. I certainly thought it my right to do as I did to Hagar and her child. But life is very unpredictable. When my own son was older, Abraham announced that he was going to take him and sacrifice him on Mt. Moriah, which is in the wilderness. My son was everything to me. He is more important than anything. I would do anything for him; I would die for him. I didn't want my husband taking Isaac anywhere. He belonged home with me so he would be safe from any harm. I always took very good care of my son. Abraham told me that he was going to sacrifice Isaac on the mountain.
I could not believe what my husband said to me. I became silent. I could not believe his insane words and tried to pretend that he hadn't said them. He was going to kill my son. And then I pleaded with him. I was frantic, and became suicidal. If something happened to Isaac, there was no reason for me to live. Why would God have given me this wonderful child who had filled my life with overwhelming, daily joy to destroy him now and myself as well? This was a horrible nightmare. You cannot believe the strength I found inside myself to plead and argue against my husband, but God had told him to do this, and he obeyed God. God was more important to him than our son, or even me. I did everything I could to dissuade Abraham from taking Isaac to the mountain and threatened him with everything I could think of but his dedication to God went before everything. It was unbelievable. I watched him go, taking my only beloved son with him to his death.
At that time, my entire self was crushed and then numbed inside me. I felt as though my skull, my brain itself, and my thoughts and feelings were flying apart outside of me. I felt myself spinning unbelievably far away as though I were not on earth. I started seeing Abraham's knife plunge itself deep inside me, and then feeling the brutal pain of coming death. It was not possible for me to distinguish between Isaac and myself and who was being sacrificed. I knew then that God was real and powerful and he was not for me to put on my own level. The way of God is not mine. I remembered then that I had so eagerly sent Hagar and Ishmael out to their deaths. I wanted it and wished it. Now, God was reciprocating to me for what I had done. Hagar had been under my protection and she belonged to me. I belong to God and God is a God of justice. The tables were turned on me once again. I knew now how Hagar felt taking her son out into the desert wilderness to die. It was wrong and unfair of me to do that but I was blinded by my own selfish jealousy. I had always thought that I could do whatever I wanted because I was Sarah, wife of Abraham. Now, I know differently. Now I know that God is very real and all-powerful. He knows me personally and where I am. He knows my thoughts and motivations. Inwardly, I begged for mercy knowing I deserved none. I wondered if I would survive emotionally. I had nothing to cling to. I wondered if I should commit suicide and eliminate the pain I was going through. I was deluged in grief and nothing, not my beauty, my wealth or anything I ever had could help me with my situation. I just faced God and could do nothing but leave the entire situation with him.
While Abraham was gone with Isaac, I had to yield everything to God: my life, my mental faculties, my own dear son, and absolutely everything else to him. When Abraham returned from the sacrifice, he brought back with him my son, Isaac, alive. God had been merciful. I knew I did not deserve it. I would like to redo the past with Hagar and what I did to her and Ishmael, but I cannot. I would like to receive forgiveness from Hagar, but that is impossible. I am ashamed of what I was like, and what I have done, but I shall have to live with it. I have since dedicated my life and my son to God. More than Abraham's heir, I want him to know God intimately as a real, caring, merciful God. I said before that I was beautiful. I would like to clarify that now. I want to be beautiful in God's eyes and as his person. I want to be beautiful in my relationship to him and as a mother to my son. I am not the same Sarah I was before. I am Sarah, wife of Abraham and woman of God. (Bows and leaves)
