Sarah is sensible, brave, and beautiful. She’s been married seven times and is also seven times a widow, for each time on her wedding night, a demon kills her new husband. When falsely accused of murdering all seven, she plans to commit suicide.
However, wishing to spare her father the grief, she doesn’t. Instead, she prays, giving God the option to take her life if he is displeased with her conduct.
God hears her prayer but has another solution in mind. He sets in motion the events to rescue her.
Meanwhile, Tobias embarks on a quest of epic scope. At the prompting of an angel, he stops by to ask Sarah’s father for permission to marry her. Though he’s never met her, he’s her closest living relative and next in line to marry her, according to Jewish custom.
When Tobias finally meets her, it’s love at first sight. Despite the risk of the demon-killing him on their wedding night too, Tobias still wants her. Sarah’s father agrees. They sign the wedding contract.
That night Tobias mixes a potion and burns it. The smell chases away the demon. Then Tobias and Sarah ask God to protect them through the night. He does. For the first time in eight tries, Sarah’s husband is still alive at daybreak.
Sarah’s family then celebrates for two weeks before the happy couple leaves. When they reach Tobias’s home, there’s a grand reunion and another weeklong wedding celebration.
Sarah’s life was a mess and her future, bleak. No one could fault her for giving up. But instead of suicide, she sought God. He rescued her, removing the curse and protecting her new husband.
When life overwhelms us, do we quit or seek God?
[Discover more about Sarah in Tobit 3:7–16, Tobit 6:10–18, Tobit 7:9–16, Tobit 8:1–21, Tobit 10:10–13, and Tobit 11:15–18 in The New Jerusalem Bible, Common English Bible (CEB), and New American Bible (NAB). For more information, see “Bonus Material: The Full Picture.”]
Learn about other biblical women in Women of the Bible, available in audiobook, e-book, paperback, and hardcover.
A lifelong student of the Bible, Peter DeHaan, PhD, wrote the 1,000-page website ABibleADay.com to encourage people to explore the Bible. His main blog and many books urge Christians to push past the status quo and reconsider how they practice their faith in every area of their lives.
