Wednesday | 14 January 2026
A Christian woman honours and promotes the order of grace in the church and in her household. By this means, she cultivates fruitfulness in the family through offering. Paul instructed women who are maturing in their sonship, saying, ‘The older women likewise, that they be reverent in behaviour, not slanderers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things – that they admonish the young women to love their husbands, to love their children, to be discreet, chaste, homemakers, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be blasphemed.’ Tit 2:3‑5.
The carnal expression of a woman in a marriage and a household was exemplified by Sarai’s endeavour to obtain a child for herself by means of a surrogate. She instructed Abram, saying, ‘See now, the Lord has restrained me from bearing children. Please, go in to my maid; perhaps I shall obtain children by her.’ Gen 16:2. Abram doubted the Lord and His word by heeding the voice of Sarai. The fruit of this endeavour was a child who was born according to the flesh. Relational distress and disharmony flourished in the house. Gen 16:4,6.
There was a marked change in Sarah’s expression in the house after she received a new name through El Shaddai’s initiative towards Abraham, and they began to walk blamelessly together. Gen 17:1‑16. Notably, it was Sarah who initiated the removal of the carnal culture from their house, personified by Ishmael and Hagar. She said to Abraham, ‘Cast out this bondwoman and her son; for the son of this bondwoman shall not be heir with my son, namely with Isaac.’ Gen 21:10. This statement was very displeasing to Abraham; however, God said to him, ‘Do not let it be displeasing in your sight because of the lad or because of your bondwoman. Whatever Sarah has said to you, listen to her voice; for in Isaac your seed shall be called.’ Gen 21:12. We also note that Sarah freed Isaac to go with his father, Abraham, to Moriah to participate in the fellowship of offering.
Further Study:
Genesis 21
References:
Tit 2:3-5
The older women, likewise, that they be reverent in behaviour, not slanderers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things — that they admonish the young women to love their husbands, to love their children, to be discreet, chaste, homemakers, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be blasphemed.
Gen 16:2
So Sarai said to Abram, ‘See now, the LORD has restrained me from bearing children. Please, go in to my maid; perhaps I shall obtain children by her.’ And Abram heeded the voice of Sarai.
Gen 16:4
So he went in to Hagar, and she conceived. And when she saw that she had conceived, her mistress became despised in her eyes.
Gen 16:6
So Abram said to Sarai, ‘Indeed your maid is in your hand; do to her as you please.’ And when Sarai dealt harshly with her, she fled from her presence.
Gen 17:1-16
When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the LORD appeared to Abram and said to him, ‘I am Almighty God; walk before Me and be blameless. And I will make My Covenant between Me and you, and will multiply you exceedingly.’ Then Abram fell on his face, and God talked with him, saying, ‘As for Me, behold, My Covenant is with you, and you shall be a father of many nations. No longer shall your name be called Abram, but your name shall be Abraham; for I have made you a father of many nations. I will make you exceedingly fruitful; and I will make nations of you, and kings shall come from you. And I will establish My Covenant between Me and you and your descendants after you in their generations, for an Everlasting Covenant, to be God to you and your descendants after you. Also I give to you and your descendants after you the land in which you are a stranger, all the land of Canaan, as an everlasting possession; and I will be their God.’ And God said to Abraham, ‘As for you, you shall keep My Covenant, you and your descendants after you throughout their generations. This is My Covenant which you shall keep, between Me and you and your descendants after you: Every male child among you shall be circumcised; and you shall be circumcised in the flesh of your foreskins, and it shall be a sign of the Covenant between Me and you. He who is eight days old among you shall be circumcised, every male child in your generations, he who is born in your house or bought with money from any foreigner who is not your descendant. He who is born in your house and he who is bought with your money must be circumcised, and My Covenant shall be in your flesh for an Everlasting Covenant. And the uncircumcised male child, who is not circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin, that person shall be cut off from his people; he has broken My Covenant.’ Then God said to Abraham, ‘As for Sarai your wife, you shall not call her name Sarai, but Sarah shall be her name. And I will bless her and also give you a son by her; then I will bless her, and she shall be a mother of nations; kings of peoples shall be from her.’
Gen 21:10
Therefore, she said to Abraham, ‘Cast out this bondwoman and her son; for the son of this bondwoman shall not be heir with my son, namely with Isaac.’
Gen 21:12
But God said to Abraham, ‘Do not let it be displeasing in your sight because of the lad or because of your bondwoman. Whatever Sarah has said to you, listen to her voice; for in Isaac your seed shall be called.’