Sarai (Jill Eileen Smith) (45 page)

A slight commotion near the edge of the tent made him look up. Hagar caught hold of Ishmael’s hand and pulled him against her as the boy tugged her nearer to watch. Abraham met his son’s gaze with a smile and a nod. The servants nearby made room for them both, and Abraham didn’t miss the guarded look of relief in Hagar’s dark eyes. She had no reason to fear. Abraham could love both sons with ease.

Stepping closer to Eliezer, he nodded to his trusted steward to unwrap the boy’s body, exposing his soft flesh. Abraham marveled again at the perfection in one so small, then quickly, so as to cause little pain, he removed the foreskin from his son’s future manhood.

The boy’s lip quivered, followed by a lusty cry. Abraham smiled at Eliezer even as tears filled his eyes, knowing the covenant had been given to humble men and remind them where their dependence must lie. He held up a hand to Sarah as she moved forward, intending to bandage and comfort her son.

“Wait for the blessing, beloved.”

She paused mid-step, clearly distressed with each pitiful cry, but she did not move again. He looked from her to their son again, blinking at the image the boy made. How like a sacrifice—so helpless, so dependent on those who cared for him. Was this what circumcision was to show him? He’d been a grown man during his own circumcision, as had all of the men in his household, all old enough to feel the pain and understand the reasons. But this child, only eight days old, did not know the reason such pain had been inflicted on him, did not understand the covenant, the obedience and surrender this sacrifice required.

Oh, Adonai, my heart yearns that Isaac should know You. Set Your blessing on him. Make Your face shine upon him.

He glanced up, catching Sarah’s impatient look and hearing Isaac’s cries, and looked beyond them both to the edge of the trees where the Lord had come last year to renew the promise. And there He stood again. As He had promised to return, so He waited beneath the shade of the oak’s spreading limbs. Abraham felt the pull of Adonai’s gaze as warmth and love poured through him, invigorating him with sudden, overpowering joy.

“Blessed are You, Adonai our God, ruler of all things great and small, who has sanctified us with Your goodness, who has given us Your righteousness.” He held his hands aloft toward the angel of the Lord. “And you, my son, shall be named Isaac, for God has kept His promise and blessed your parents with laughter.”

Sarah stepped forward and touched his upraised arm. “God has brought me laughter, and everyone who hears it will laugh with me.” She hurried forward then, laid strips of linen over Isaac’s exposed, bleeding skin, then quickly bound him and lifted him from Eliezer’s knees.

“Behold our son, Isaac!” Abraham said, smiling.

“Amen!” The crowd spoke as one and then burst into laughter, some cheering, others dancing.

And Abraham and Sarah laughed.

Note from the Author

In Sarai’s story, Sarai and Melah lived in similar circumstances and faced similar problems, but when it came to how to live in faith, they made opposite choices. One followed after the gods made with human hands. The other followed the God she could not see. The Bible commends Sarah for her faith, and I have no doubt she believed. But as with each one of us, sometimes doubt creeps in and our faith wavers. In those moments, we might make choices we live to regret. I think Sarah understood regret most deeply, especially when she gave Hagar into her husband’s arms.

But as Sarah discovered at the end of the story, God remains faithful whether we believe Him or not. This faithfulness was clearly shown in the covenant God made with Abraham—when the firepot moved between the carcasses of the animals Abraham had sacrificed. In a covenant, normally both parties would pledge to keep their side of the agreement. But God’s covenant with Abraham was one-sided. God alone would keep His promises. Abraham could add nothing to them. He was given the choice to believe God or not. He chose to believe, and God “credited it to him as righteousness” (Gen. 15:6).

In the end, it comes down to choice. Abram and Sarai made some hard choices to leave their father’s household and follow God into the unknown, looking for a city whose architect and builder is God. He blessed them for their obedience. Abraham became the father of many nations, and he is the father of all who believe. Kings and princes came from Sarah’s line.

He who promised is faithful.

May our choices lead us to the same obedient faith in Him.

In His Grace,

Jill Eileen Smith

Please note: As with all of my biblical fiction, I strive to follow the Scripture as best I can. Where there is room for interpretation or scholars have disagreed, I have made an educated choice based on research. Portions of the story not in Scripture are purely from my imagination. Any errors are my own.

Acknowledgments

“Thank you” never seems like enough, and each year my gratitude rises for the wonderful people God has put in my life. I wish I could include each one, but because of space I am limited. Please know that you all are greatly appreciated.

Special thanks to the talented team at Revell for another great experience in bringing
Sarai
to print. You all make my job a joy!

To my agent, Wendy Lawton—I sure do appreciate you!

To my editors, Lonnie Hull DuPont and Jessica English—the stories are always better after you edit them!

To my critique partners, Jill Stengl and Kathleen Fuller—brainstorming sessions are more fun with a friend. Thank you for all of your wise suggestions.

To my son Jeff—for brainstorming the initial plot and for the great suggestions regarding Sarai’s and Melah’s character arcs.

Special thanks to Pastor Cliff Johnson for the use of his Jewish library. The books you pointed my way were most helpful and appreciated.

To my readers and influencers—thank you for loving these stories and writing to tell me so.

To my family, friends, and prayer team—you are a precious, priceless gift.

Randy—you are my inspiration. There is no better man than you.

Jeff, Chris, and Ryan—you are gifted writers in your own right, and I can’t wait to see what God does with your work!

El Roi, the God who sees me—thank You that You watch me still.

Jill Eileen Smith
is the bestselling author of the Wives of King David series. When she isn’t writing, she enjoys spending time with her family—in person, over the webcam, or by hopping a plane to fly across the country. She can often be found reading, testing new recipes, grabbing lunch with friends, or snuggling one or both of her adorable cats. She lives with her family in southeast Michigan.

To learn more about Jill or for more information about her books, visit her website at
www.jilleileensmith.com
. You can also contact Jill at
[email protected]
. She loves hearing from her readers.

Books by Jill Eileen Smith

T
HE
W
IVES OF
K
ING
D
AVID

Michal

Abigail

Bathsheba

W
IVES OF THE
P
ATRIARCHS

Sarai

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