In Genesis 18:10, YHWH told Abraham, “I will surely return to you about this time next year, and Sarah your wife will have a son.” At the time that promise was made, Abraham was ninety-nine years old, and Sarah eighty-nine.
Since Abraham died at 175 (25:7), and Sarah at 127 (23:1), we can shave almost a half off their ages to fit our ages today, so imagine having a child in your eighties as a father, and giving birth to a child just after you got your old age pension.
Understandably, then, when YHWH first made that promise in Genesis 17:17, Abraham couldn’t help laughing to himself. How embarrassing, then, when YHWH told him that the name of the son would be Isaac, meaning “he laughs” (19). So every time Abraham looked at his son he’d be reminded of laughing to himself when YHWH made his promise, knowing that YHWH knew he was laughing too.
And the same for Sarah, because she’d had a good snicker behind a tent flap too on hearing YHWH tell her husband she’d have a son in a year’s time (18:10, 12). It was even more embarrassing for her, though, because she lied to YHWH about laughing, and he told her, “Ahem, my dear, yes you did laugh” (15).
A year later, Genesis 21:1, God visited Sarah exactly as he said he would and “did for Sarah exactly what he’d promised.” Sarah’s reaction was priceless: “God has brought me laughter. And everyone who hears about this will laugh with me” (6). Actually, it’s maybe more like laughing at you, dear Sarah, because how could you have thought YHWH was joking? YHWH is YHWH. When he makes promises, he sticks to them.
Like the promise he made to us to birth us into a new person, a new creation, transforming our old dead self into something resembling Jesus. But now it’s my turn to ask, “Are you kidding?” – because I know me, and I’m about as capable of producing anything remotely resembling Jesus as Sarah was having a child at age ninety. But that’s what YHWH promised, that he’ll “sanctify us through and through, keeping our whole spirit, soul and body blameless until the the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ,” 1 Thessalonians 5:23 – because, verse 24, “The one who calls you is faithful and he will do it.” He sticks to his promises. Which explains why he told Abraham, when upsets happened in his life: “Do not be so distressed”….(next blog)
