Genesis 17b-18a (Sarah Laughs)
Notes
Transcript
Intro- What is faith?
Intro- What is faith?
ME
ME
YOU
YOU
GOD
GOD
RECAP
Abram follows God partly, stops in Haran. God gives him grace and he continues to the promised land.
It gets tough, Abram goes to Egypt and gives his wife away to protect himself. He is given grace and protection from God. He is granted spoils from Egypt, including a maid for his wife.
He comes back to the promised land and trusts God a bit more, let’s Lot choose the best land. Lot is captured and Abraham actually believes God will protect him. His faith is stronger. God’s grace has strengthened his faith. He is offered the spoils this time and refuses, instead he praises God.
Process of faith, failure, God’s grace, maturity or new obedience.
God begins to drill down on this big promise of not only land but descendants.
Faith, Failure, Grace, Progress/maturity.
Sarai, on the other hand, isn’t brought along yet. She still has major doubts. She has seen everyone getting circumcised and seen Abraham’s name change and faith, but she is still feeling left out. She doesn’t seem to be in this promise except as a side character. God has grafted in Ishmael and Hagar. So now God is going to address Sarah’s faith.
English Standard Version (Chapter 17)
15 And God said to Abraham, “As for Sarai your wife, you shall not call her name Sarai, but Sarah shall be her name. 16 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.” 17 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? 18 And Abraham said to God, “Oh that Ishmael might live before you!” 19 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. 20 As for Ishmael, I have heard you; behold, I have blessed him and will make him fruitful and multiply him greatly. He shall father twelve princes, and I will make him into a great nation.
15 And God said to Abraham, “As for Sarai your wife, you shall not call her name Sarai, but Sarah shall be her name. 16 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.” 17 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? 18 And Abraham said to God, “Oh that Ishmael might live before you!” 19 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. 20 As for Ishmael, I have heard you; behold, I have blessed him and will make him fruitful and multiply him greatly. He shall father twelve princes, and I will make him into a great nation.
Issac- Laughs. This name is a reminder of the absurd power of God. God’s way doesn’t even make sense to Abraham.
So Abraham has faith, but he is still thinking Ishmael. He presumes it is a done deal. There are miracles and there are miracles.
EX. I pray for a job and get it. God certainly moved (a miracle). But it wasn’t supernatural in the sense that God broke the natural order. We can wrap our heads around that. We can understand God healing someone from the flu quickly, we can’t wrap our head around a man walking on water or bringing the dead to life. We don’t even pray for God to supernaturally heal a broken leg immediately. We pray for God to work in the natural order quickly. Sarah giving birth will be supernatural. Oldest known mother is 74 years old in india. (show pic) This will this is gonna be a work from God. Natural bodily processes are going to start again and be reversed. Not normal.
21 But I will establish my covenant with Isaac, whom Sarah shall bear to you at this time next year.”22 When he had finished talking with him, God went up from Abraham. 23 Then Abraham took Ishmael his son and all those born in his house or bought with his money, every male among the men of Abraham’s house, and he circumcised the flesh of their foreskins that very day, as God had said to him. 24 Abraham was ninety-nine years old when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin. 25 And Ishmael his son was thirteen years old when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin. 26 That very day Abraham and his son Ishmael were circumcised. 27 And all the men of his house, those born in the house and those bought with money from a foreigner, were circumcised with him.
21 But I will establish my covenant with Isaac, whom Sarah shall bear to you at this time next year.”22 When he had finished talking with him, God went up from Abraham. 23 Then Abraham took Ishmael his son and all those born in his house or bought with his money, every male among the men of Abraham’s house, and he circumcised the flesh of their foreskins that very day, as God had said to him. 24 Abraham was ninety-nine years old when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin. 25 And Ishmael his son was thirteen years old when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin. 26 That very day Abraham and his son Ishmael were circumcised. 27 And all the men of his house, those born in the house and those bought with money from a foreigner, were circumcised with him.
Why is Issac so important. He will be the heir to the Messiah. God is saying, I am working a plan throughout history and it is going to be through faith and through miracles- That is only I can do it. You can’t manipulate or try to make it happen. I’m gonna do it beyond what you can do.
This is the Gospel- It is all about what God does for us. His grace. We give a little faith and go until we fail or doubt or lose hope. God gives us grace in the midst of our failure and He still shows up! He still blesses! He still makes a way when we can’t. And our faith increases. Our obedience increase. Our trust increases. It is a process of maturing.
Chapter 18:1 And the LORD appeared to him by the oaks of Mamre, as he sat at the door of his tent in the heat of the day.
Chapter 18:1 And the LORD appeared to him by the oaks of Mamre, as he sat at the door of his tent in the heat of the day.
As soon as (or likely after a few weeks to heal) Abraham takes the big step of faith to trust God and circumcise all of his household and servants, God appears. This is a big deal. This is all caps LORD. That means YHWH. This is a theophany. Some would say it is the pre-incarnate Jesus. How awesome is this! This is the clearest example of God appearing since Genesis 3. God is walking the earth. He has to angels with him who will stay a bit longer as we will see next week.
2 He lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, three men were standing in front of him. When he saw them, he ran from the tent door to meet them and bowed himself to the earth 3 and said, “O Lord, if I have found favor in your sight, do not pass by your servant. 4 Let a little water be brought, and wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree, 5 while I bring a morsel of bread, that you may refresh yourselves, and after that you may pass on—since you have come to your servant.” So they said, “Do as you have said.” 6 And Abraham went quickly into the tent to Sarah and said, “Quick! Three seahs of fine flour! Knead it, and make cakes.” 7 And Abraham ran to the herd and took a calf, tender and good, and gave it to a young man, who prepared it quickly. 8 Then he took curds and milk and the calf that he had prepared, and set it before them. And he stood by them under the tree while they ate.
2 He lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, three men were standing in front of him. When he saw them, he ran from the tent door to meet them and bowed himself to the earth 3 and said, “O Lord, if I have found favor in your sight, do not pass by your servant. 4 Let a little water be brought, and wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree, 5 while I bring a morsel of bread, that you may refresh yourselves, and after that you may pass on—since you have come to your servant.” So they said, “Do as you have said.” 6 And Abraham went quickly into the tent to Sarah and said, “Quick! Three seahs of fine flour! Knead it, and make cakes.” 7 And Abraham ran to the herd and took a calf, tender and good, and gave it to a young man, who prepared it quickly. 8 Then he took curds and milk and the calf that he had prepared, and set it before them. And he stood by them under the tree while they ate.
He has servants, but he wants to do this himself. He recognizes that this is not ordinary men. A 99 year old man, fresh off a circumcision, is running. This has to be the greatest display of Godly passion- even more that Peter and John running to the tomb! He makes the meal, he washes their feet, he tells his wife, so she knows something is up. She knows special guests are here. She is going to be eves-dropping like any of us would do. He stands by and attends to them. This is a picture of how we can respond to God! Just stay close! Serve personally! Get excited! Abraham’s faith is at an all time high! Sarah is simply watching her husband go crazy. Her interest is peaked, but not soaring.
9 They said to him, “Where is Sarah your wife?” And he said, “She is in the tent.”
9 They said to him, “Where is Sarah your wife?” And he said, “She is in the tent.”
Maybe the most important thing said yet. How do they know her name? Not even her old name- her new name! Abraham gets serious and Sarah is really listening now!
10 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. 11 Now Abraham and Sarah were old, advanced in years. The way of women had ceased to be with Sarah. 12 So Sarah laughed to herself, saying, “After I am worn out, and my lord is old, shall I have pleasure?”
10 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. 11 Now Abraham and Sarah were old, advanced in years. The way of women had ceased to be with Sarah. 12 So Sarah laughed to herself, saying, “After I am worn out, and my lord is old, shall I have pleasure?”
Abraham laughed- He Issaced. And now so does Sarah. She Issacs. Under her breath or to her self she mutters about the impossibility. Notice that God hasn’t addressed her directly yet.
13 The LORD said to Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh and say, ‘Shall I indeed bear a child, now that I am old?’ 14 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.” 15 But Sarah denied it, saying, “I did not laugh,” for she was afraid. He said, “No, but you did laugh.”
13 The LORD said to Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh and say, ‘Shall I indeed bear a child, now that I am old?’ 14 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.” 15 But Sarah denied it, saying, “I did not laugh,” for she was afraid. He said, “No, but you did laugh.”
Is anything to hard for the Lord. You may doubt. You may struggle to believe, but the God who created the universe from nothing can do anything he wants in it. This isn’t even a challenge to him though it is impossible for her to even imagine. He admonishes her. Not out of anger- but solemnly. He doesn’t let her laugh her way out of the tension. He doesn’t let her excuse her disbelief, but He gives grace knowing that this is the process of maturity.
English Standard Version (Hebrews 11:11–12)
11 By faith Sarah herself received power to conceive, even when she was past the age, since she considered him faithful who had promised. 12 Therefore from one man, and him as good as dead, were born descendants as many as the stars of heaven and as many as the innumerable grains of sand by the seashore.
Sarah was built up by God’s admonishment. The first time God directly speaks to her is to remove her doubts- not chastise them- remove them.
You.
You.
You may be going through a time of doubt.
WE
WE
Our memory verse this week- is anything too hard for the Lord?