Laughing at God
And God said to Abraham, “As for Sarai your wife, you shall not call her name Sarai, but Sarah shall be her name. I will bless her, and moreover, I will give you a son by her. I will bless her, and she shall become nations; kings of peoples shall come from her.” Then Abraham fell on his face and laughed and said to himself, “Shall a child be born to a man who is a hundred years old? Shall Sarah, who is ninety years old, bear a child?” And Abraham said to God, “Oh that Ishmael might live before you!” God said, “No, but Sarah your wife shall bear you a son, and you shall call his name Isaac. I will establish my covenant with him as an everlasting covenant for his offspring after him” (Gen. 17:15-19, ESV).
The LORD said, “I will surely return to you about this time next year, and Sarah your wife shall have a son.” And Sarah was listening at the tent door behind him. Now Abraham and Sarah were old, advanced in years. The way of women had ceased to be with Sarah. So Sarah laughed to herself, saying, “After I am worn out, and my lord is old, shall I have pleasure?” The LORD said to Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh and say, ‘Shall I indeed bear a child, now that I am old?’ Is anything too hard for the LORD? At the appointed time I will return to you, about this time next year, and Sarah shall have a son.” But Sarah denied it, saying, “I did not laugh,” for she was afraid. He said, “No, but you did laugh.” (Gen. 18:10-15).
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Have you ever laughed at God? No one reading this post will probably want to admit to something so absurd, so offensive to God. We might honestly think that we never have. Yet, like Abraham and Sarah, we have laughed at God, maybe more than we ever realized.
First of all, what preceded this shocking outburst before the Lord?
In Genesis 12, we read about God’s divine call of Abram from his homeland to a new land (Gen. 12:1). Here, God shares the promise to Abram to make him “a great nation,” to make his “name great,” and to bless “all the families of the earth” in him (Gen. 12:2-3). Later, in Genesis 15, the Lord confirms this promise through covenant (Gen. 15:8-20) and later ratifies this covenant (Gen. 17:1-14). Through these interactions, God continually reaffirmed His plan for Abraham, his family, and his descendents.
Yet, once we arrive at the back half of Genesis 17, God specifies one part of His plan and promise to Abraham that leads to Abraham laughing (Gen. 17:17). This same part of God’s plan and promise leads his wife Sarah to laugh as well (Gen. 18:12). Why?
Abraham and Sarah both questioned God’s promise to give a son to them, by them, in their old age (Gen. 17:17; 18:12). Was it wrong for them to make this assessment about their inability to conceive? No, they were not mistaken in their assessment of their situation (Gen. 18:11). From a human standpoint, it wasn’t possible for them to have a son. It seemed like a laughing matter.
Herein lies the problem. It wasn’t their assessment of their situation that was wrong, but their assessment of God in their situation. While in their own power conception may not have been possible, nothing is too hard for the Lord (Gen. 18:14). They underestimated the ability of their God. They underestimated His faithfulness. They counted God out of the equation and laughed in unbelief. And God knew it. Even in denial, Sarah couldn’t hide her response from the Lord (Gen. 18:15).
Have you ever laughed at God? Have you ever underestimated His ability? His faithfulness? The entire Bible lays out the testimony of a God who is able, who keeps His promises. In spite of their laughing disbelief in His power and faithfulness, God kept His promise to Abraham and Sarah (Gen 21:1-2). God has made promises to us, His children, too. Will we laugh in His face?
It's a sobering thought to know that God sees our laughing disbelief, but He does. He knows our hearts. Yet, God does not make a promise that He can’t keep. He has done it before, and He will do it again.
Do you doubt God’s promises, His ability to carry them out, and His faithfulness to you in them? Stop laughing at God. Reflect on His past faithfulness and His proven ability. The God who fulfills His promise to laughing Abraham and Sarah can and will fulfill His promises to you.