BaptistWay Bible Series for May 9: Sarah: Laughing at God’s promise

God appears in multiple ways (Genesis 18:1-10)

It is not a departure from the point of the lesson to examine first the appearance of the Lord to Abraham and Sarah. After all, whether or not Sarah laughs at the word she hears is not important unless she knows the speaker of the word is the Lord.

The writer of Genesis is clear that “the Lord” appears in the form of three men. There are other examples of God’s appearing to Abraham (Genesis 12:1; Genesis 26:2), but this is the only place where we are told the form God takes. Is God one of the three? Do the three of them together embody God? It is imprecise to call the “three men” angels, since Genesis quotes them as “the Lord.” There may be more questions than answers about the details of God’s appearance, but the writer leaves no doubt that God has arrived.

The Lord’s appearances in the Old Testament often are unexpected. He appears as a wrestler (Genesis 32:24-30); a burning bush (Exodus 3:4); a pillar of fire and a cloud (Exodus 13:21); and a vision in a dream (1 Kings 3:5).  

God comes to us in many forms. A key to faith is to understand the word of God when we hear it. Before we examine and overly criticize Sarah’s response, it is worthy to remember she understood she was hearing the word of the Lord.

Along these lines (and while it is a departure from the story of Sarah), it does not take much holy imagination to find Christ himself throughout the Old Testament: as the lamb with Abraham and Isaac; the cities of refuge of Numbers; the kinsman-redeemer of Ruth; the good shepherd of 1 Samuel; the loving husband of the Song of Songs; the suffering servant of Isaiah; the tears of Jeremiah; the Son of Man of Daniel; Hosea buying back his rebellious bride; and many, many other places.

Laughing at God (Genesis 18:11-15)

Let’s not be too hard of Sarah. She has two very good, very natural, completely understandable reasons to be skeptical of her future as a mother. First, she is old—too old to give birth. Second, she is barren—even when she had been young, she had not been able to have children. Too, Abraham is old. The likelihood of a pregnancy in their future is, in a word, laughable.

Sarah’s response is not unlike our own. We hear God’s plan, and it does not compute in our brains. Perhaps we do not recognize the plan as God’s. Perhaps we are not looking for a word from the Lord. Maybe we are rebellious, not wanting or even caring what God has for us.

Maybe, though, we do know it is God’s plan. We desperately are longing for God’s direction. We often are found in prayer for God’s will. We diligently read our Bible. Then the word comes, and we simply don’t believe it.

We are like King Saul, presented with a boy with no armor and only five smooth stones, when there is a Goliath ahead of us (1 Samuel 17:33). We are like Elisha’s servant, not seeing the chariots of fire bringing help from God all around us (2 Kings 6:15-17). We are like Zachariah, preparing our whole life for a special service to God, only to be struck dumb with unbelief when God actually shows up at our altar and lays out his plan (Luke 1:20).

Sarah’s laughter comes not from a failure to know God or an unwillingness to follow. Sarah’s laughter is the laughter of disbelief. God says he will do something with our life, and we simply do not believe it can happen. We are not equipped. We are not able. We are not the right person. We are not good enough.

The answer, of course, lies not in our ability, our equipment or our goodness. The answer lies in God. Nothing is too hard for God (v. 14). Things that are impossible for humans are possible for our omnipotent God (Matthew 19:26) (Luke 1:37) (Jeremiah 32:17) (Psalm 115:3). It is far less important that Sarah believe the “what” —that she can become pregnant—than it is crucial that she believe the “who”—God has willed it.

Laughing with God (Genesis 21:1-7)

Time passes, but God’s promise is sure. The promised pregnancy comes. The child is born. The beginning of a line that will be as countless as the grains of sand on the shore begins with the advent of Isaac.

And Sarah laughs again. Not in disbelief, but in joy.

Isaac means “he laughs.” Sarah no doubt has influence on her husband when Abraham names the child. Sarah remembers her own moment of disbelief. She knows God’s plan has come to fruition despite her own inability to see the power of God. She gratefully recognizes her faith failure has not derailed God. She laughs not only as any new mother laughs with the joy of new life, although that certainly is there. Sarah laughs also with appreciation at the delicious irony of God, who has opened the womb of the old, barren, unbelieving one to bring forth a son.

If ever there was a picture of grace and resurrection, it is here. Life from death. Grace in the face of unbelief. Deliverance out of hopelessness. Growth from barrenness.  

Not only does Sarah laugh, but also everyone who hears about this will laugh with her (v. 6). So it is with the wonder of God. We may laugh at the very idea, but God’s work carries on. One day, we laugh with God. We tell those around us, and they laugh with us and with God.