Sarah judged God faithful. She judged God as trustworthy. It isn't clear if she understood and saw the evidence of God's special love for Abram. She saw Abram's various victories. It isn't clear if she had insight enough to understand that God had been with Abram all during the journey in tents. It isn't clear if she had heard testimonies or witnesses about God. She must have heard Abram talking about God. And she probably had heard Hagar talking about God. She weighed the evidences God had given her about Himself and decided to believe that He was not a man that should lie; she believed that God was willing and able to keep His promise.
Whether this was the promise made to Abram or the promise made by God directly to Sarah at her tent is unclear. It is always good to get a specific promise from God and not depend on a promise given to one's spouse. If Paul means the promise that God made directly to Sarah, we must remember that this was the very promise that Sarah laughed at because she didn't believe God. She memorialized this promise by naming her son "Isaac."
Sarah is the first woman listed in the hall of faithful heroes and it must have seemed good to Paul to list a woman. By doing that, he shows that God is an enabler, empowerer and strengthener of women. Here, and later in this chapter, Paul shows that God cares about the plight of women and that women's faith is as important as men's. A woman's faith is not necessarily dependent on her husband's; she has her own relationship with God. Women can judge the evidence for God's power and truthfulness as well as any man can.
By judging God as "faithful" she received an answer to faith. That answer was strength and power. God healed and repaired her womb, but Sarah -- who would've had strength in her younger days to have children-- had to receive strength to have a child at such an old age.
And by faith even Sarah, who was past childbearing age, was enabled to bear children because she considered him faithful who had made the promise.
Through faith even Sarah herself received strength to become a mother--although she was past the time of life for this--because she judged Him faithful who had given the promise.
By faith also Sarah herself did receive power to conceive seed, and she bare after the time of life, seeing she did judge Him faithful who did promise;
Whether this was the promise made to Abram or the promise made by God directly to Sarah at her tent is unclear. It is always good to get a specific promise from God and not depend on a promise given to one's spouse. If Paul means the promise that God made directly to Sarah, we must remember that this was the very promise that Sarah laughed at because she didn't believe God. She memorialized this promise by naming her son "Isaac."
Sarah is the first woman listed in the hall of faithful heroes and it must have seemed good to Paul to list a woman. By doing that, he shows that God is an enabler, empowerer and strengthener of women. Here, and later in this chapter, Paul shows that God cares about the plight of women and that women's faith is as important as men's. A woman's faith is not necessarily dependent on her husband's; she has her own relationship with God. Women can judge the evidence for God's power and truthfulness as well as any man can.
By judging God as "faithful" she received an answer to faith. That answer was strength and power. God healed and repaired her womb, but Sarah -- who would've had strength in her younger days to have children-- had to receive strength to have a child at such an old age.
And by faith even Sarah, who was past childbearing age, was enabled to bear children because she considered him faithful who had made the promise.
Through faith even Sarah herself received strength to become a mother--although she was past the time of life for this--because she judged Him faithful who had given the promise.
By faith also Sarah herself did receive power to conceive seed, and she bare after the time of life, seeing she did judge Him faithful who did promise;
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