Week 3 Reading Diary A: Bible Women

This week, I was excited to get the chance to take a fresh look at the stories of the women in the Bible! I grew up hearing most of these stories, and as I got older, loved reading Biblical fiction that expanded more on these stories! What a perfect inspiration for this class! Here are a few notes on new things that caught my eye, quotes that I think could be useful in storytelling, and general thoughts on some of my favorites!

Sarah:
Sarah's story is one that I had previously read about in an expanded version. The book I read (thats title I can't recall at the moment) focused mostly on her young life. I am most intrigued by the tiny details in rereading this passage. After the angel tell's Abraham that Sarah will bear children, Sarah laughs. I wonder, what was she thinking about that made her laugh instead of roll her eyes, be sad, or simply accept the message? Alternatively, we only really get to know about Sarah's adult life in relation to Abraham, her son, and briefly, Hagar. What is the rest of her story?

Hagar:
My opinions have always varied on Hagar dependent on my stage in life. She is easily portrayed as the antagonist to Sarah's protagonist. It's easy to understand how and why Sarah feels threatened and is tempted to treat her unkindly. However, as I have gotten older and especially while reading this passage, I have thought more about what it must really have been like to be in Hagar's position. What led her to leaving Egypt to be Sarah's maid? Was being sent into the desert not her life's first trauma? Although it's hard to imagine her, Abraham, and Sarah's arrangement in modern times when there are many options for children, was it not an act of loyalty to Sarah to carry the baby? I can't imagine the pain to have to cry out, "Let me not see the death of the child." I'd be interested in exploring a dual perspective look at these women after the birth of Issac.

Hagar and her son, Ishmael