Sarah, Adorned with Beauty

The Verse:
Genesis 18:13-15 And the Lord said to Abraham, "Why did Sarah laugh, saying, "Shall I surely bear a child, since I am old?" Is anything too hard for the Lord? At the appointed time I will return to you, according to the time of life, and Sarah shall have a son."
But Sarah denied it saying, "I did not laugh," for she was afraid.
And He said, "No, but you did laugh!"
(NKJ version)
The Story:
Sarah was beautiful, even in her old age. And Abraham knew it. So he lied to king Abimelech when they arrived in his town called Gerar. He told king Abimelech Sarah was his sister.
So king Abimelech took Sarah. For he, too, thought Sarah was beautiful. God came to king Abimelech in a dream and told him Sarah was married to Abraham. God told Abimelech to return Sarah to Abraham. Then God told Abimelech to have Abraham pray for him or else he would die.
King Abimelech returned Sarah to Abraham. He asked Abraham why he lied to him. Abraham replied, "I thought you would kill me so you could take my wife." Abraham was afraid. So, he took matters into his own hands. And Sarah went along with it.
Now the lie Abraham and Sarah told was a half truth. Sarah was Abraham's half-sister. But Abraham and Sarah left out one important detail when they arrived in Gerar. Sarah was his wife. Their lie almost cost king Abimelech his life.
That wasn't the only time Abraham and Sarah took matters into their own hands. You see, God made a covenant with Abraham long before that. The Lord said, "Look now toward heaven, and count the stars if you are able to number them." And He said to him, "So shall your descendants be."
Sarah doubted that she could ever have a child. She was too old. So Sarah gave Abraham her Egyptian maidservant, Hagar. Abraham married Hagar and they had a son. They named him Ishmael.
Sarah became jealous of Hagar because she had Abraham's son. Sarah regretted taking matters into her own hands. And Abraham regretted going along with it.
Yet, surely Ishmael was the son of promise. But God said to Abraham, "No, Sarah your wife shall bear you a son, and you shall call his name Isaac; I will establish My covenant with him for an everlasting covenant, and with his descendants after him." Then God promised Abraham He would take care of Ishmael and bless him.
Sarah laughed at the thought of having a son in her old age. But in her spirit she believed that nothing was too hard for the Lord. And, just like the Lord promised before Sarah took matters into her own hands, she had a son. She and Abraham named him Isaac, which means laughter. Sarah became the mother of nations.
Abraham and king Abimelech both defined Sarah's beauty by her outward appearance. But that wasn't God's definition of her beauty. God defined her by the incorruptible beauty in the hidden person of her heart.
God defines beauty as a gentle and quiet spirit. The amazing thing is gentleness and quietness cannot be achieved apart from God. If you want to be beautiful, adorn your heart with God's gentleness and quietness. Because the definition of beauty belongs to God and not to the world.
It's okay to style your hair and wear nice things. But remember, beauty is in the hidden person of the heart.
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