WEEK 5 SCRIPTURE READING

5778 / 2017-18

by Roly Buys

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 Parashah Sarah | ‫“ | חיי שרה‬Sarah’s Life”
Week 5

This weeks reading are taken from the portion described as Gen 23:1—Gen 25: 18;
Kings 1:1-31; Matt 8:19-22; and Luke 9: 57-62.

SERVANT-LEADERSHIP
This series intends to look at the concept of Godly1 leadership to identify the good, wise
and wonderful attributes that we would do well to emulate.

I will “repeat” the description of what I believe Godly leadership …“servant-leader”

is all about, I that way you can benchmark the attributes of the character that I have
selected to analyze for this week.

I submit that our actions, if they are restricted to only Bible study, or spirit worship, will not
please the FATHER.

YHVH wants us to reveal His Kingdom to the world and make an impact … our failure to
be obedient to this task, means that YHVH's Glory is limited and the opportunity to present
a meaningful alternative to the world model is lost.

OUR GOAL

1 Peter 4:10-11 “As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good
stewards of GOD’s varied Grace: whoever speaks, as one who speaks oracles of GOD;
whoever serves, as one who serves by the strength that GOD supplies—in order that in
everything GOD may be glorified through Jesus Christ. To Him belong glory and dominion
forever and ever. Amen.

Background

We read the Bible every week and study the story and
the content with a passion to get to know YHVH
better.

Paul tells us that the Bible has lessons for our every
day life.

As priests in the Living Stone Tabernacle, we are to

reveal the Glory of YHVH by the everyday actions that
we model in the community.

1 We use the Name YHVH instead of GOD, except where it appears in Scriptures.
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This calls for Sons / Daughters of Abraham to:

Have a clear vision of our purpose

Have a clear understanding of our place in the Body of Messiah
Have a sound value system that causes us to strive for JUSTICE, COMPASSION
AND HUMILITY

P U R POS
E

Paul tells us that we must study the lives of the fathers of our faith so that we can follow
those role-models where they reveal Godly leadership.

THE CHARACTERISTICS OF A GODLY FATHER-LEADER

The seminal verses that describe a father’s role speak to the fact that it is at 24 hour /365
day job … there is no “off” time, there is no holiday from the commitment.

This fact, therefore, implies that fathers will ROLE-MODEL the various behaviours /
attitudes / values that are acceptable over an extended period of time.

When the child is very small, these examples must be presented as simply as possible.

Over time the same lesson will take on far more complicated scenarios and interplay with
others.

Taking this forward in Biblical time means that the basic lessons must be in place, for all
possible events, by the age of 13, when other peer groups will begin to implant THEIR
VIEWS OF LIFE. When this happens, we need to have the Biblical BENCHMARK set
firmly into our character.

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(a) A father’s role-model of Justice / healing

One of the fundamental building blocks of any human-being value system, is a sound
understanding of the concept of justice.

Justice is not only the action to be fair in time of dispute, but rather the principle never to
do anything (business / sport / politics) that would give you an unfair advantage
over others.

This includes concepts such as:

Paying a fair wage

Opposing slavery
Opposing abuse

Since many people have suffered abuse at the hands of

others, and now carry wounds and hurts that preclude them
from a normal healthily life, one of the leadership roles is to
identify those hurt, and to facilitate a process of healing.

Once people have been made whole … the servant-leader should go about the process of
identifying their YHVH–given gifts / talents.

He should take steps to train people in their specific gifts, empower them to cover the
weaknesses of those gifts and then …

Release them into the appropriate position within the Body of Messiah where they can
grow / flourish AND make a difference in other people’s lives.

We will know that we cannot do things on our own. Even more surely, we are made for a
very specific part of the Body of Messiah.

This implies that we can really only function in that place that we were made for.

Healing / satisfaction comes when I take responsibility for that work / action that is required
of that part of the Body of Messiah.

(b) A father’s role-model of Compassion / empathy

In a world where the best receive the glory and those last in line are all but forgotten,
Biblical leaders should have the wherewithal to see the individual value and special
abilities in a person.

Not only should he see these, but he should be focused on further development and
training in these areas, and then he should be concerned with finding the right position for
that individual to thrive

Such a leader will value diverse opinion … he will seek to hear alternative views, and
he will not be putting people into stereotype boxes - based on the fact that these
people come from a different culture.
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Not only will he be able to understand diverse views, but also he will be able to work in a
community made up of strangers and still be able to reveal how YHVH expects us to love
our neighbour.

(c) A father’s role-model of Humility / trust / listening

i) The first thing that you will realise of a leader, who is humble, is that books,
articles and electronic media surround them. They are always searching for the
truth and openly express the opinion that they welcome investigation into their
thinking in order to test its credibility.

This principle of continuous learning is not only a wonderful means to remain humble;
it’s a prerequisite from YHVH (Deuteronomy 17:19 / Joshua 1:8).

ii) The second attribute of a servant-leader who is humble, is the ability to

create a culture of TRUST.

The modern world, with its performance-orientated goal creates a web of deceit and
mistrust. Simple said, how can I trust you with a secret or a better plan when both of us
want to be recognised as the best in the team?

Servant-leaders reject all forms of gossip, create opportunities for people with opposing
views to face one another and debate the matter, and actively work to ensure transparency
and sharing of all information.

iii) A third attribute of servant leaders is that they are good listeners. They will
seek clarity on what is said and felt.

They will be able to understand the fears/hopes and dreams of all concerned so that not
one of the family / tribe is left behind (this does not mean that we agree with everything
being said).

(d) A father’s role-model of emotional connectedness

One of the realities of this fast paced world, is that we have all become so very busy. Not
only do we have the opportunity to do many and diverse things / activities, we are also
faced with the communication era of computers / smart phones / and software that
connects people such as Facebook.

In this fast paced world, its very easy not to be aware of the emotional status of some of
your family and friends.

In one sense, it’s wonderful not be see / be aware of any problems - simply because you
don’t have to worry about it.

But if you are a parent who is determined to follow their calling, then you will want to be
very tuned in to their fears / concerns / expectations and so on, so that you can
react timeously and can offer the support needed.

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Once you are aware that a problem exists, then you can set in motion the action which can
work towards a healing.

Importantly, these problems will manifest on many different levels … it is not only
spiritual .. it can also be physical and emotional…

For example:

It can be a perceived weight problem for girls,

It can be a poor muscle structure for a boy,
It can be a lack of ball sense …

In other words, it can be any thing that the world will use to judge and benchmark
someone against as unacceptable.

One of the features of a great parent is the ability to encourage despite the
circumstances – and note the words are: ➛ “let us …” …and not “you go and try on your
own”.

Fathers, who are emotionally connected, will strive to delegate responsibility to others in
order to challenge them to grow.

Such Fathers will never be afraid to give up power, because they know that seeing others
take up the challenge and succeed is far more significant that being successful at
something yourself … simply because you know that the feat can be multiplied dozens of
times even when you are absent.

A Biblical example is Jethro telling Moses what you doing trying to keep the entire
leadership role for your self ➛ is NOT GOOD (Exodus 18:14-17).

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(e) A father’s role-model of revealing Godly influence

The world system speaks of a system of “command” and obey … these days the world
system tries to modify this by implying that consultation before decision making is an
inclusive system.

In fact, this façade creates more unhappiness as people soon realise that there is a hidden
agenda at play; the people can then become either:

a group that is happy to be disengaged,

or a group who is actively seeking to move on.

Influence is the ability to convince others of a need to change - either a burning platform or
a common better goal.

Both David and Joshua best display this ability by getting TWELVE tribes of different
thinking people to work together.

An influencer thinks of “you” … not “me”

This can only be true if you truly believe in the people whom you lead
They may make mistakes that you have to correct
They may disappoint you sometimes,
BUT you know that they are mainly giving of their best.

(f) A father’s role-model of releasing creativity

Innovation has become the name of the game.

People have dreams that are based on the exploits of others that have gone before them.

There was a time when – to run the mile in under 4 minutes was a huge feat. Today, new
records get set at regular intervals.

Fathers are empowered to discern exactly what talents and gifts have been implanted in
each child.

To develop those talents requires a concerted effort to plan, not only in the timing - how
do we expose people to challenges, but also the pace at which we do so … in this case its
important to set stiff enough goals without discouraging the individual.

And YHVH knows what the best time is … listen carefully to the Holy Spirit!! (Numbers
27:16-17)

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(g) A father’s role-model the art of Strategic planning

We live in a world that is constantly changing. Consider the fact that 100 years ago most
people still used the horse or the donkey / camel, while today any trip of some distance
can only be done in an airplane. Think about the concept of the old landline telephone and
the new portable cell phone.

But more critically, is the change in the distribution and control of information.

Shops that sold books are now obsolete as people purchase these over the Internet.

You must be prepared to investigate strange things!!! (Exodus 3:2-3)

It’s this type of change that can radically make or break a fantastic plan.

For this reason, fathers must teach children the art of scenario planning.

The ability to take note of changes in the environment, of new developments, of new
evolving trends, and then commit this to a scenario plan to identify possible alternatives to
be investigated.

A father who puts his child on a single track destination without this kind of training, is
failing dismally in his leadership role as the likelihood of a dead-end, or a cliff without a
bridge.

What do we want to do?

We need to empower the next generation to have the foresight to see various outcomes
from a difficult situation and to be able to plan various alternative solutions so that they are
not stuck.

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What we need is to repeat the lessons of old - every single mistake or Biblical forefathers
made, we need to help them identify the current realities for what they are – we need to
take the Land (and not what we would want them to be), and we need to build an
appreciation for estimating the cost / consequence of any action taken (as for me and my
house we will serve the LORD).

We need to teach others to look up and around, while at the same time looking down at
the job at hand (Joshua 2:1).

(h) A father’s role-model of function of Stewardship

The Book of Genesis describes clearly … we have been given a mandate – to keep and
guard the Garden; to have dominion over the earth and all that is on it (but not on fellow
humans), and we have to be accountable to YHVH for what we accomplish with this calling
(Genesis 1:28).

Stewardship speaks to an understanding that we have a responsibility … to leave the

Garden in a better state than how we found it, that we have to build more than we utilise.

To this end, the perpetual use of

farm land without rest is contrary
to YHVH’s Principles and the use
of water without a care in the world
reflects a belief that we can call on
YHVH anytime that we like bring
more rain … that a undesirable
level of arrogance and shows that
we do not value the gift of the
Garden. Nor the Giver of the gift!!!

It is within this domain that many

of our most precious values are to
be discovered.

Integrity

How many of us remember the day when, if two people shook hands on a deal, then it was
irrevocable , and everybody understood that.

This concept is a fundamental building block of the principle of Covenant.

The bond of my word was enough to live or die by.

A similar thought is contained in the salt covenant idea, Once we had broken bread,
together with salt , you as my guest are completely safe from all harm.

You simply cannot be a good steward if you do not have integrity.

Honesty

Honesty, as a value follows closely on that of integrity.

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However, honesty includes the understanding that you will make right all possible
damage / harm caused under your roof, even if no claim is laid.

Honesty includes the application of fairness, diligence, and justice.

A wonderful quote by RL Stevenson …

“Don’t judge each day by the harvest that you reap, but by the seeds that you
plant,”

(i) A father’s role-model of Community building / citizenship

The world has created large corporations / huge companies that own a great deal of
resource or governmental organisations that attempt to control mankind via their influence
in the media and the minds of the masses.

The best structure from the Bible is the family; in a clan, in a tribe, and in a community.

Community come together for common purpose i.e. religion / welfare / celebrations; and
sometimes to go to war when the group is under attack.

Within this context, the community either grows together or suffers together, and we do not
get the huge differentials of wealth, health, etc, that we do today!

While leadership can be stressful and demanding … (Numbers 11:11-15)

… the rewards are great when you see a community respond and start to function for
themselves!

(j) A father’s role-model of how to be leaving a legacy

The moment that you accept that:

every individual is “equal and unique”,

that people should never be oppressed by anyone,
that you realise that you are called to be accountable for your stewardship of the
Garden,

… then you will believe in and work towards leaving a legacy.

Legacy empowers OTHERS in your lifetime – legacy does not equal inheritance.
Legacy is described in these strange words ‘It’s better to teach a man to fish than to
feed him everyday’

But then you will understand that legacy equals hard work and sometimes, for a neighbour
that does not even think or believe as you do … we call that loving your neighbour.

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LEADERSHIP IS NOT EASY

We see many examples of Biblical men who thought that they did not have what it takes:

Moses ➛ who am I?
Isaiah ➛ I am not a man of words!
Jeremiah ➛ I am a man of unclean lips!
Jonah ➛ I cannot speak!

The highest accolade ➛ Moses is a servant … he is called YHVH’s Servant.

THE WAY FORWARD

The point of this short description is not to do an in depth study of Biblical leadership, but
to define some of the Godly characteristics of such a role.

We will look at various individuals during this Torah cycle study.

I do not intend to discuss their shortcomings, but to focus on their Godly leadership
qualities so that we can learn from these and start to emulate these attributes.

As such, I also do not intend to allocate their attributes under each of the heading
described above, merely to reflect on their revealed lifestyle.

LET US RETURN TO THIS WEEK’S PORTION…

What a privilege to discuss / study one of the matriarch’s – Sarah of the Bible.
Not only is she an outstanding character study, but it is equally important to look at the
women servant-leaders presented to us in the Bible

Early on in the Bible we find the use

of the words “Ezer Kenegdo” as a
description for a Godly woman

The translation given for this phrase

is:

OPPOSITE EQUAL

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In Proverbs 31, we again see the use of this type of description.

Proverbs 31:10 “Who can find a capable wife?

Her value is far beyond that of pearls.”

Translated as an “excellent / capable wife”.

The Hebrew words are “chayil ishah”

And is translated as:

CHAYIL= strength, wealth, and army

ISHAH = woman

IN OTHER WORDS – “warrior woman”

So, the simple statement to make is this:

women are EQUAL to men…they are
different, they have a different purpose or
calling but are EQUAL

No wonder Paul says: there is no distinction

between male / female, Jew / Gentile – he
fully understood the position of a woman in
the society.

So having set the scene, let us take a look at

her leadership attributes.

(a) Sarah understands and implements YHVH’s Strategic plan.

She is described as a princess. Yet when Abraham tells her that they must move to
another land - she packs up to move.

Most people would want to know why, when, how, and is the accommodation world-class
in the land that we are moving to?

Acts 7:2 and Stephen said:

“Brothers and fathers, listen to me! The God of glory appeared to Avraham avinu in
Mesopotamia before he lived in Haran and said to him, ‘Leave your land and your
family, and go into the land that I will show you. So he left the land of the Chaldeans
and lived in Haran. After his father died, God made him move to this land where you are
living now.”

Sarah just packs up and goes with Abraham.

We see a woman who will love without end, will selflessly support her husband through
countless tribulations, will truly reflect the “opposite equal” status that she is called to
function in.
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Genesis 12:5 “Avram took his wife Sarai, his brother’s son Lot, and all their possessions
which they had accumulated, as well as the people they had acquired in Haran; then they
set out for the land of Kena‘an and entered the land of Kena’an."

(b) Sarah reflects the attribute of Justice / healing.

On their journey, Abraham will make some detours - visiting the Philistine kings as well as
going on down into Egypt.

On occasion, Abraham becomes afraid of these foreign kings, and asks Sarah to pretend
to be his sister. The king decides that he wants her as part of his harem.

Sarah has the faith in God to believe that she would be protected - HER COMPOSURE
through this trauma is unusual - but we will recognize as we study her life, that she has
strength of character

Sarah will reflect this attribute of justice and healing in another strange way.
She is barren. They have waited years for the evidence of the promised son.

As the days / years go by, she decides to (in the traditions of the time) offer up her
handmaiden Hagar to Abraham in order to achieve this promise.

Some part of this is a sacrifice - some part is desperation…but she understands the
concerns of Abraham and the need to believe that the promise will come to pass.

Her offer, although not part of God’s plan, has the desire to bring healing to the wound
between them.

Genesis 16:2 “Now Sarai Avram’s wife had not borne him a child. But she had an
Egyptian slave-girl named Hagar; so Sarai said to Avram, “Here now, ADONAI has kept
me from having children; so go in and sleep with my slave-girl. Maybe I’ll be able to have
children through her.” Avram listened to what Sarai said.”

Genesis 16:3 “It was after Avram had lived ten years in the land of Kena‘an that Sarai
Avram’s wife took Hagar the Egyptian, her slave-girl, and gave her to Avram her husband
to be his wife.”

(c) Sarah reveals the attribute of LEGACY.

Sarah will reveal this attribute again, when it comes to defending the son of promise -
namely Isaac. She will look at the abuse of her son at the hands of Ismael, and insist that
Abraham takes steps to secure the rights of the first born to Isaac

Genesis 21:9 “But Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian, whom Hagar had borne to
Avraham, making fun of Yitz’chak; so Sarah said to Avraham, “Throw this slave-girl out!
And her son! I will not have this slave-girl’s son as your heir along with my son Yitz’chak.”

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(d) Sarah reveals the same level of Compassion that Abraham does.

We see regularly that she is quick to provide hospitality to strangers that will stop off at
their tent.

And it’s because she is ready to serve, that she will hear the good news of the promise of
her own son.

Genesis 18:9 “They said to him, “Where is Sarah your wife?” He said, “There, in the tent.”
He said, “I will certainly return to you around this time next year, and Sarah your wife will
have a son.” Sarah heard him from the entrance of the tent, behind him. Avraham and
Sarah were old, advanced in years; Sarah was past the age of childbearing. So Sarah
laughed to herself,”

(e) Sarah reveals an understanding of Stewardship.

She had been handed over to a foreign king.

She had had to work through the rejection from Abraham, and the fear of what
could possibly happen to her.
Her faith in God carries her through.
Her attitude, and her composure impress the foreign king so much that he makes
restitution with HER.

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Genesis 20:16 “To Sarah he said, “Here, I have given your brother a thousand pieces of
silver. That will allay the suspicions of everyone who is with you. Before everyone you are
cleared.”

(f) Sarah reflects the attribute of Humbleness.

Her walk on earth is one of sacrifice - of serving others - of being prepared to move every
time Abraham says so. There is this quiet support - Her attitude: “it is not about me, its
about the community.”

1 Peter 3:1 “In the same way, wives, submit to your husbands; so that even if some of
them do not believe the Word, they will be won over by your conduct, without your saying
anything, as they see your respectful and pure behavior. Your beauty should not consist in
externals such as fancy hairstyles, gold jewelry or what you wear; rather, let it be the inner
character of your heart, with the imperishable quality of a gentle and quiet spirit. In God’s
sight this is of great value. This is how the holy women of the past who put their hope in
God used to adorn themselves and submit to their husbands, the way Sarah obeyed
Avraham, honoring him as her lord. You are her daughters if you do what is right and do
not succumb to fear.”

1 Peter 3:7 “You husbands, likewise, conduct your married lives with understanding.
Although your wife may be weaker physically, you should respect her as a fellow-heir of
the gift of Life. If you don’t, your prayers will be blocked.’

With the exception of her disagreement with Hagar, she is always there supporting this
man of God – giving to all who would pass by.

Even in the tent, when he hears that the promise would be fulfilled, she laughs to herself -
could it be true?

Hebrew 11:11 “By trusting, he received potency to father a child, even when he was past
the age for it, as was Sarah herself; because he regarded the One who had made the
promise as trustworthy. Therefore, this one man, who was virtually dead, fathered
descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky, and as countless as the grains of
the sand on the seashore.”

And this humbleness is evidence of her commitment to the marriage, her dedication to the
one man in her life; her love for Abraham is sustained by God’s faithfulness that protects
her when Abraham is unable to do so.

As a result, God BLESSES her - as mother of the nations!

Genesis 17:15 “God said to Avraham, “As for Sarai your wife, you are not to call her Sarai
[mockery]; her name is to be Sarah [princess]. I will bless her; moreover, I will give you a
son by her. Truly I will bless her: she will be a mother of nations; kings of peoples will
come from her.”

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A FINAL THOUGHT

Sarah dies shorty after Abraham leaves to sacrifice Isaac.

We are not told if she heard that he came home safely

We are not told whether she could understand the test and could forgive Abraham

BUT

We are told that Abraham, would go out and buy the cave, at an exorbitant price,
in order to bury Sarah with dignity in this Land of promise.

Genesis 23:17 “Thus the field of ‘Efron in Makhpelah, which is by Mamre — the field, its
cave and all the trees in and around it — were deeded.”

Genesis 23:19 “Then Avraham buried Sarah his wife in the cave of the field of Makhpelah,
by Mamre, also known as Hevron, in the land of Kena‘an. The field and its cave had been
purchased by Avraham from the sons of Het as a burial-site which would belong to him.”

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PRIESTLY BLESSING

“Y’varekh’kha YHVH v’yishmerekha.

May YHVH bless you and keep you.

Ya’er YHVH panav eleikha vichunekka.

May YHVH make His Face shine on you and show you His favour.

Yissa YHVH panav eleikha v’yasem l’kha shalom.

May YHVH lift up His Face toward you and give you peace.

In this way they are to put My Name on the people of Israel, so that I will bless them.”

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