Genesis 18:1-5 The Lord appeared again to Abraham while he was living in the oak grove at Mamre. This is the way it happened: One hot summer afternoon as he was sitting in the opening of his tent, he suddenly noticed three men coming toward him. He sprang up and ran to meet them and welcomed them.
“Sirs,” he said, “please don’t go any farther. Stop awhile and rest here in the shade of this tree while I get water to refresh your feet, and a bite to eat to strengthen you. Do stay awhile before continuing your journey.”
“All right,” they said, “do as you have said.”
6-8 Then Abraham ran back to the tent and said to Sarah, “Quick! Mix up some pancakes! Use your best flour, and make enough for the three of them!” Then he ran out to the herd and selected a fat calf and told a servant to hurry and butcher it. Soon, taking them cheese and milk and the roast veal, he set it before the men and stood beneath the trees beside them as they ate.
9 “Where is Sarah, your wife?” they asked him.
“In the tent,” Abraham replied.
10-15 Then the Lord said, “Next year I will give you and Sarah a son!” (Sarah was listening from the tent door behind him.) Now Abraham and Sarah were both very old, and Sarah was long since past the time when she could have a baby.
So Sarah laughed silently. “A woman my age have a baby?” she scoffed to herself. “And with a husband as old as mine?”
Then God said to Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh? Why did she say ‘Can an old woman like me have a baby?’ Is anything too hard for God? Next year, just as I told you, I will certainly see to it that Sarah has a son.”
But Sarah denied it. “I didn’t laugh,” she lied, for she was afraid.
It might be one of the greatest jokes God has ever shared with anyone. Here’s Abraham, who is still shocked that he has succeeded in fathering Ishmael. Now God is sending three angels to confirm what He has already told Abraham: Abraham and Sarah are going to become parents, and all the blessings God has promised will come through the promised son Isaac. But in the beginning, Abraham is only concerned about the advent of visitors, not about their mission.
As the patriarch of the compound, Abraham is engaged in providing for these guests. Notice that Abraham runs out to meet the visitors, even though it’s the middle of a blistering hot afternoon and Abraham is ninety-nine years old. But visitors are always welcome, and Abraham is a kind and thoughtful man. Next, observe how Abraham cares for these strangers, urging them to sit and enjoy the shade of the spreading oak tree, listening to the wind rustle through its leaves. In a land where travelers must walk over dusty rocky roads, few things are more soothing than having someone bathe one’s feet, and Abraham immediately assigns a servant to do that for his guests. Abraham also arranges for freshly cooked veal and bread, most likely the flat bread we call pita bread. Finally, Abraham STANDS before his visitors as they are eating-why? Standing is a sign of respect, indicating that Abraham is prepared to fetch anything else his visitors might require to make their stay as pleasurable as possible. What God knows is that Abraham would make these preparations for any visitors gracing his camp; Abraham is a genuinely good man with a heart of kindness.
At first, Abraham just assumes these men are normal travelers, for their clothing and their equipment don’t mark them as anything special. But as Abraham continues to chat with these men, he slowly realizes that he is entertaining messengers of the One True Living God, another reason for standing. And then, the visitors deliver their message from God, and it’s a shocker: God promises that by this time next year, Sarah will bear a son.
Well! This news is too much for Sarah. True, Abraham has already shared God’s promises with Sarah; however, Sarah is skeptical, for she has never gotten pregnant before. Why now, after all these years of begging God to remove her shame? Sarah’s problem is that until now, Abraham has been giving her all God’s messages, and frankly, Sarah hasn’t believed them. Even now, Sarah is back in her tent bitterly laughing, but God hears those giggles, and God confronts Sarah. Now Sarah is caught in a lie, for she suddenly realizes that these men must truly be from God; otherwise, how could they possibly know that she was laughing?
As a barren woman in a culture that values fertility, Sarah has suffered agonies of shame her entire life. When Abraham and Sarah have lived in places where there were public wells, Sarah has had to trudge to the well alone while other women have walked, accompanied by their children, particularly their daughters. No matter how gorgeous Sarah has been, other women have always gossiped about her, feeling superior for their ability to produce children. Frankly, it’s a lot easier to be barren when living away from cities and towns, for then the only other women around are the servants. Little wonder that Sarah is back in her tent, laughing bitterly.
But God is about to remove Sarah’s shame and do it miraculously. While Sarah struggles to value herself, God loves her deeply and has something glorious in the offing. Jumping ahead, we know that Sarah DOES give birth at age ninety, that Isaac grows up to be a strong man who fathers sons whose descendants will eventually fulfill every promise that God has made to Abraham. Until the end of time, Sarah will be revered as the mother of Isaac, the miracle baby, given to fulfill God’s promises. Until the end of the ages, Sarah will become the inspiration for every woman struggling with infertility and the shame of barrenness. And there’s also something else: Isaac’s miraculous birth foreshadows the miraculous birth of God’s son, Jesus Christ, to a virgin mother into whose body God puts His Holy Spirit.
Sarah doesn’t laugh because she finds God’s news funny, but because she can’t believe that she really will become pregnant. Sarah laughs out of bitterness and shame, but God turns the joke on her, ordering Abraham to name the coming baby Isaac, which means “laughter.”
Perhaps you can sympathize with Sarah. You have longed for something for years, only to have your hopes dashed repeatedly. Now that things appear hopeless, God seems to be promising to intervene. Don’t make the same mistake as Sarah. God is still on the throne, and God is still Melech HaOlam, Lord of the Universe. If God gives you a promise, hang on to it! Don’t hide somewhere laughing bitterly! Trust that God has an infinite number of ways and means by which He can make good things happen in your life. Take courage from the words of this old hymn:
1 God is working this purpose out,
as year succeeds to year;
God is working this purpose out,
and the time is drawing near;
nearer and nearer draws the time,
the time that shall surely be:
when the earth shall be filled with the glory of God
as the waters cover the sea.
2 From utmost east to utmost west,
where human feet have trod,
by the mouth of many messengers
goes forth the voice of God:
“Give ear to me, ye continents,
ye isles, give ear to me,
that the earth may be filled with the glory of God
as the waters cover the sea.”
3 Let us go forth in the strength of God,
with the banner of Christ unfurled,
that the light of the glorious gospel of truth
may shine throughout the world.
Let us all fight with sorrow and sin
to set the captives free,
that the earth may be filled with the glory of God
as the waters cover the sea.
4 All we can do is nothing worth
unless God blesses the deed.
Vainly we hope for the harvest-tide
till God gives life to the seed.
Yet nearer and nearer draws the time,
the time that shall surely be,
when the earth shall be filled with the glory of God
as the waters cover the sea.
PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and caring for us. Lord, many of us are frustrated and discouraged. For years, we have longed for You to work in our lives, and we are still waiting. Help us to trust where we cannot see. Help us to remember that You still bring miracle babies to ninety-year-old mothers and fill their mouths with laughter. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.
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