Sarah: Beauty

As he was about to enter Egypt, he said to his wife Sarai, “I know what a beautiful woman you are

Genesis 12:11 NIV

Beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder. That means what one perceives as beauty is an individual thing. You may deem something quite beautiful, while others may not. Do our eyes lie? Of course not. But, our idea of beauty has been shaped by many variables. Things like age, culture, socio-economic conditions, race, even religion impact our perception. Most of us have no trouble appreciating or identifying beauty. It seems that even Egypt’s Pharaoh knew beauty when he saw it. Here’s what happened when Abraham took Sarah down to Egypt, and Pharaoh beheld her fantastic beauty.

Shortly after Abraham’s call, a catastrophic famine came to Israel. Consequently, fear moved Abraham, and they fled to Egypt to escape starvation and death. Upon their arrival, and to preserve his life, Abraham convinced Sarah to lie about their relationship. As Abraham had predicted, when Pharaoh beheld Sarah’s beauty, he was compelled to add her to his harem. Although physical beauty fades, apparently, Sarah’s didn’t. That’s right! At the ripe age of 89, Sarah’s exquisite beauty was still turning heads, even that of a king. So, Abraham did the unthinkable and gave his beloved bride to Pharaoh. Thankfully, God intervened and protected Sarah and her virtue. If you’re wondering why she lied, it’s this. To protect Abraham’s seed, Sarah selflessly submitted and followed Abraham’s plan, concealing the truth about their marriage to save his life. Knowing regardless of what became of her, as long as Abraham lived, his seed could still bring forth children. As God had promised, “as many as the stars in the sky.” They were handsomely rewarded in the end because of her loving submission in obedience.

In today’s world, we celebrate and exalt beautiful people, but what does God say about beauty? The Bible says that Sarah was a beauty, quite stunning, according to the language. Tradition holds that Eve was the most beautiful creature that God ever made, and Sarah has been identified as a close second. It seems that their outward appearance far exceeded that of their peers. I find the Bible’s mention of Sarah’s beauty, or any beauty at all, quite fascinating, simply because God gives no particular regard or thought to our outward appearance. How do I know? The Bible says that God looks at the heart.

Prayer: Mighty and gracious Lord, help us to see the beauty in others as you do. Teach us to look beyond the outward and instead glorify and praise you for your mighty works in humanity! Amen and amen.