And
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?” Genesis
17:17 (NIV)
God can do anything.
He had just
finished giving Abram and Sarai new names to reflect His promise of an heir in
their old age. Abram meant Exalted Father. It is probable Sarai meant Princely.
Abraham was now Father of nations and Sarah was Princess. She
would be the mother of future princes and kings. Changing her name demonstrated
God’s favor and acceptance of her into the Abrahamic Covenant.
What greater thing could God do for the one He had chosen to be the progenitor of the people to
represent Him to all the earth? He had promised Abram that he would father a
great nation and be a blessing (Gen. 12:2). At that time, Abram was around 75
years old, and Sarai 65.
In His
promise God stopped their play clock for another 25 years, but both judged Him
faithful who had promised (Heb. 11:11-12). Could God do that for a man and
woman who were far beyond their abilities for childbearing? Abram thought so. When
he received the good news, he fell facedown before the LORD and laughed in joy.
To
commemorate God’s power and fidelity, Abraham named his son and heir Issac
which means He Laughs. Each time he called Isaac by name, he would be
reminded of the great God who had given him this dear son and how His promise had
made him laugh with delight.
Later, Sarah
would overhear this same word from the LORD and laugh too, but it would be a laugh
of skepticism. When He called her on it, she denied it (Gen. 18:12-14).
He graciously overlooked her momentary lapse of faith and prophesied that the
following year she would deliver a baby boy when Abraham would be 100 years old, and she
would be 90. It was so, according to the sure promise of God—who gives life
to the dead—and calls those things which do not exist as though they did. (Rom.
4:17).
They were
grateful to God who gave them this precious gift and how he brought laughter and
joy into their household. This son of promise would in turn bless the nations
with the laughter and joy of salvation that would come through his offspring
(John 4:22). It would find its finished work in God’s Son Yeshua whose name means
Salvation (Matt. 1:21, Jn. 19:28-30).
Yes, God can
do anything. He promised a virgin
would conceive a Son of Promise without a human father and call Him Immanuel
(Is. 7:14), meaning God with us. This was seven hundred years before it
happened! The angel Gabriel proclaimed it at the appointed time, and we have
history’s witness to its fulfillment.
The Father
has given us the greatest reason to laugh by giving us His own Son of Promise,
a promise He first declared at the fall in Eden (Gen 3:15). He is a God in whom
all power and authority exists, who can do abundantly above all we ask or think
(Eph. 3:20). As the God of all flesh He asks, “Is there anything too hard for
Me?” (Jer. 32:27).
His loving
kindness and personal relationship with us can easily cause us to bow in
amazement before Him laughing with joy and thanksgiving as He fulfills His word
to us. And as we look up, we can even find He is laughing with us for He is for
us. He is that kind of loving Father, faithful and true. That is good enough to
bring laughter to any heart.
Maranatha,
Ken
