Sarai: The Matriarch

I don't actually like Sarah.  She's not the kind of woman I would expect to be the matriarch of an entire, godly nation.  She's too human for that.  While in most Sunday school classes, little attention is paid to her story; it is a story that demonstrates the different roles of women in the ancient Middle East, as well as God's view of women.

The first account in which Sarah, then Sarai, plays a role is the story of Abram in Egypt, where he deceived the Pharaoh to ensure his safety.  Sarai was, apparently, beautiful.  Now Abram knew that the Pharaoh would covet Sarai because of this beauty and he hypothesized that Pharaoh would take her (Gen. 12:12).  This assumption speaks volumes about the perception of women in the ancient Middle East area, showing that men, much as they do today, look at women as something to be attained and desired rather than respected.  In the next part, Abram does not defy this line of thought, knowing that God would view it as unholy; rather, he chooses to sin, deceiving the Pharaoh by saying that Sarai was his sister (Gen. 12:13).  This was a half-truth, for Sarai was his half-sister, but the intent was to deceive, which is a sin.

Sarai and Abram had no children, although God had promised that multitudes would spring from the loins of Abram (Gen. 15:5).  Sarai grew impatient and finally gave Abram permission to sleep with her Egyptian maidservant to produce an heir (Gen. 16:2).  In this moment, it should be noted that Hagar had no room to refuse this use of her body as a surrogate mother.  She had neither voice nor choice in the matter, illustrating the point that although women such as Sarai had considerable freedom, maidservants and slaves had nothing.  Sarai did not have the opportunity to support herself as women do today, but she did have the opportunity to own servants that were specifically hers.  In fact, the Scriptures refer to Sarai as Hagar’s mistress, and Hagar as the servant of Sarai, not of Abraham (Gen 16:8-9).  Hagar, after learning that she was pregnant began to hate Sarai, although it is not stated clearly why.  It can be inferred that Hagar was unhappy about the situation, that her son would be considered one of Sarai’s.  Hagar’s situation is a perfect example of female subordination, so much so that she didn’t even have a feasible claim on her son.

Sarah seems an unlikely candidate to be a holy matriarch.  She was unfaithful of God, she was deceptive, and she was petty in her treatment of Hagar.  But her story, along with Hagar’s, illustrates the gender dynamics and freedoms of this early age, showing differences even within the same gender.