Genesis 21:1-21 - God Makes us Laugh

Genesis 21:1-21

Isaac Is Born (Hebrews 11:11)

1 And the LORD visited Sarah as He had said, and the LORD did for Sarah as He had spoken. 2 For Sarah conceived and bore Abraham a son in his old age, at the set time of which God had spoken to him. 3 And Abraham called the name of his son who was born to him—whom Sarah bore to him—Isaac. 4 Then Abraham circumcised his son Isaac when he was eight days old, as God had commanded him. 5 Now Abraham was one hundred years old when his son Isaac was born to him. 6 And Sarah said, “God has made me laugh, and all who hear will laugh with me.” 7 She also said, “Who would have said to Abraham that Sarah would nurse children? For I have borne him a son in his old age.”

Hagar and Ishmael Depart (Galatians 4:21–30)

8 So the child grew and was weaned. And Abraham made a great feast on the same day that Isaac was weaned.

9 And Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian, whom she had borne to Abraham, scoffing. 10 Therefore she said to Abraham, “Cast out this bondwoman and her son; for the son of this bondwoman shall not be heir with my son, namely with Isaac.” 11 And the matter was very displeasing in Abraham’s sight because of his son.

12 But God said to Abraham, “Do not let it be displeasing in your sight because of the lad or because of your bondwoman. Whatever Sarah has said to you, listen to her voice; for in Isaac your seed shall be called. 13 Yet I will also make a nation of the son of the bondwoman, because he is your seed.”

14 So Abraham rose early in the morning, and took bread and a skin of water; and putting it on her shoulder, he gave it and the boy to Hagar, and sent her away. Then she departed and wandered in the Wilderness of Beersheba. 15 And the water in the skin was used up, and she placed the boy under one of the shrubs. 16 Then she went and sat down across from him at a distance of about a bowshot; for she said to herself, “Let me not see the death of the boy.” So she sat opposite him, and lifted her voice and wept.

17 And God heard the voice of the lad. Then the angel of God called to Hagar out of heaven, and said to her, “What ails you, Hagar? Fear not, for God has heard the voice of the lad where he is. 18 Arise, lift up the lad and hold him with your hand, for I will make him a great nation.”

19 Then God opened her eyes, and she saw a well of water. And she went and filled the skin with water, and gave the lad a drink. 20 So God was with the lad; and he grew and dwelt in the wilderness, and became an archer. 21 He dwelt in the Wilderness of Paran; and his mother took a wife for him from the land of Egypt.

God made Sarah laugh at the prospect of the promise to have a child at their old age while she trusted by faith (Hebrews 11:11), and so named their son Isaac meaning, “he laughs.”  When we likewise trust the Lord for what is impossible for man but is possible with God (Job 42:2, Jeremiah 32:17, Mark 10:27), the we can express our joy and wonder with laughter as well in faith for His awesome and unbelievable work.  Abraham was one hundred years old when this miracle child was born and so he obeyed the Lord to circumcise Isaac on the eighth day as a seal of God coven promise to him for the line of promise to bring salvation into the world for all God’s children to come.  This seal was symbolic of the spiritual cleansing of the hearts of men and women (Romans 2:29) who exercised their God-given faith (Ephesians 2:8-9) in God’s work and promises fulfilled in the Messiah, Jesus the Christ.  The joy of this immediate promise fulfilled in Isaac at the time made Sarah laugh with reverence and joy unspeakable (1 Peter 1:8) and others who heard were able to join in with her as we do in his descendant according to the flesh.  The child grew and increased in strength as a forerunner of Jesus as we read in Luke 2:40.  The bond woman who had previously given birth to Ishmael saw Isaac with Sarah and scoffed at them; then Sarah had her husband cast out the son of the slave to make way for the son of God’s promise (Galatians 4:28-29, 30-31) to free the people of God by that promise through him and the faith of Abraham.  We are heirs of that faith in God’s Son given as a sacrifice like Isaac almost was by Abraham’s faith to raise him from the dead if necessary (Hebrews 11:17-19) when he would be told to offer his only son of promise to God in trusting obedience.  Yet though the promise was through Isaac, the son of the slave, Ishmael, was to be made a great nation on the earth even if not by promise in eternity because he was also a child of Abraham.  Abraham sent Ishmael and Hagar away from the place of promise into the wilderness where they almost died of thirst and hunger.  God provided for them, however, and told them of the earthly promise to make a great and powerful nation from Ishmael which ended up as the Arabs we now know.  The LORD therefore provided a well of water and they survived and thrived.  He even married an Egyptian wife while living in the wilderness.  We see then that God’s plan includes physical and spiritual prosperity according to His promises.  We who are in Christ inherit the spiritual promises of heaven while the world outside of the promise, especially the descendants of Ishmael, prosper only with life on this earth.  God makes us laugh with joy (Luke 2:10) inexpressible and full of glory in our deliverance from sin and the inheritance of the promise according to the faith like Abraham into Him who died to save us and bequeath the eternal promise of glory in Him to us!