Genesis 17:15-16 (NIVUK)
15 God also said to Abraham, ‘As for Sarai your wife, you are no longer to call her Sarai; her name will be Sarah. 16 I will bless her and will surely give you a son by her. I will bless her so that she will be the mother of nations; kings of peoples will come from her.’
Because of the patriarchal society from which this story comes, I guess it’s not surprising that we tend to see it and tell it as if it’s Abraham’s story. It’s easy to miss that it’s Sarah’s story too. To show this, her name is changed by God as well. Sarah means ‘noblewoman’ or ‘princess’. God has made her the mother of a royal family, a royal family that we have been adopted into by Jesus. This puts an interesting spin on 1 Peter 2:9, ‘But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.’ We are called to be priests for the royalty, God himself, representatives of the King of kings. You could also read this as meaning we are priests who are royal!
What a privilege to represent you, Lord, and what an astonishing gift, to be invited to be part of your royal family!
Image used with permission from www.lambsongs.co.nz
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