I have read our passage in Genesis many times; at least three times since July 2002. But I noticed something today that I had not noticed before. Genesis 17: 15-17 God is giving Abraham his promise of a son once again, it reads; God also said to Abraham, “As for Sarai your wife, you are no longer to call her Sarai; her name will be Sarah. I will bless her and will surely give you a son by her. I will bless her so that she will be the mother of nations; kings of peoples will come from her.” Abraham fell facedown; he laughed and said to himself, “Will a son be born to a man a hundred years old? Will Sarah bear a child at the age of ninety?”
Abraham laughed; and then God said he would really have a son and name him Isaac. We have all heard and/or read the passage where Sarah laughed, but I had never seen the laughter of Abraham. And this verse says more than that Abraham laughed, it says he fell down on his face and laughed. In my minds eyes I see Abraham on the floor rolling in laughter, you know like the emoticon for rolling on the floor laughing, [rofl]?
And our Heavenly Father has a marvelous sense of humor; for the name Isaac means 'he laughs.' God named Abeaham's son after his act of unbelief - his laughter - so that Abraham would never forget God's promise, or his very response to it. How wonderful is God's love toward us, and His patience, too.
It is later in today's passage, when God and two other men of heaven [angels?] visit Abraham that Sarah laughs. Genesis 18:8b-15; While they ate, he stood near them under a tree. “Where is your wife Sarah?” they asked him. “There, in the tent,” he said. Then one of them [GOD] said, “I will surely return to you about this time next year, and Sarah your wife will have a son.” Now Sarah was listening at the entrance to the tent, which was behind him. Abraham and Sarah were already very old, and Sarah was past the age of childbearing. So Sarah laughed to herself as she thought, “After I am worn out and my lord is old, will I now have this pleasure?” Then the LORD said to Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh and say, ‘Will I really have a child, now that I am old?’ Is anything too hard for the LORD? I will return to you at the appointed time next year, and Sarah will have a son.” Sarah was afraid, so she lied and said, “I did not laugh.” But he said, “Yes, you did laugh.” Words in parenthesis I have added for clarity.
I think we can take comfort in the sense of humor our Lord has and that he may even smile a bit when we try to hide from the truth in some small matter. But He always points out our errors and and brings us back to the truth.
Keep God grinning with all your child-like antics!
~ Until Next Time! ~
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