Laughable

I. Introduction

Different types of laughter

The chuckle

The sarcastic laugh

The wheezer

The guffaw (White Sands Video)

Then there’s the laugh of disbelief

II. Text: Genesis 18:1-15

Context

The Covenant of Circumcision

Change of name from Abram to Abraham to symbolize the size of his future lineage.

Once again a son promised through Sarah.

Not Ishmael

Within the next year

The Visitors

Identity, likely two angles and “the angel of the Lord.”

Abraham appears to notice him quickly.

Not just bread, but killing of a calf along with the curds.

Obviously there for an important reason

Sarah’s laugh

Abraham receives the same promise he did in chapter 17… so evidently this convo wasn’t just for him.

Perhaps he hadn’t told Sarah.

Sarah was in a different room in the tent, for propriety’s sake, but by invoking her name, the Lord clearly meant for her to hear.

She was a necessary element in God’s plan.

The plan: in a year’s time Abraham and Sarah will bear the promised son.

Chapter 17 tells us that “in a year’s time” Abraham would be 100 and Sarah 90.

Stating the obvious, the text points out that “the way of women had ceased to be with Sarah.”

Sarah’s response

To herself, Sarah expressed the laugh of sarcastic disbelief.

“After I am worn out and my lord is old, shall I have pleasure?” Clearly Sarah thought the idea of her and Abraham even being intimate with one another was laughable let alone her bearing a child.

Lest you think too little of Sarah, read Genesis 17:17 to see how Abraham responded to the same promise, “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?’”

The Lord’s response

Why did Sarah say that? - The text presents this as emphatic. More like, “What does she think is so funny?”

She denies it, breaks protocol, and speaks directly to the Lord, showing her shock and embarrassment.

Doesn’t let her off the hook either, even after she tries to deny it. “No, but you did laugh.”

Surely she gets it now though.

The question the Lord asks.

Is anything too hard for the Lord?

Is it possible for the Lord to… (Bible)?

Is it possible for the Lord to… (Personal)?

III. Is Anything Too Hard for the Lord?

Relate to incarnation, crucifixion, and resurrection.

Walter Brueggemann says, “Once again, this story shows what a scandal and difficulty faith is. Faith is not a reasonable act which fits into the normal scheme of life and perception. The promise of the gospel is not a conventional piece of wisdom that is easily accommodated to everything else. Embrace of this radical gospel requires shattering and discontinuity.”

Personal Application

This is not a name it and claim it free pass.

Is it possible for the Lord to… you fill in the blank?