GENESIS 21
The Lord visited Sarah as he had said, and the Lord did to Sarah as he had promised. 2 And Sarah conceived and bore Abraham a son in his old age at the time of which God had spoken to him. 3 Abraham called the name of his son who was born to him, whom Sarah bore him, Isaac. 4 And Abraham circumcised his son Isaac when he was eight days old, as God had commanded him. 5 Abraham was a hundred years old when his son Isaac was born to him. 6 And Sarah said, “God has made laughter for me; everyone who hears will laugh over me.” 7 And she said, “Who would have said to Abraham that Sarah would nurse children? Yet I have borne him a son in his old age.” – Genesis 21:1-7
GENESIS 21 THE BIRTH OF ISAAC
A poem inspired by these verses by ILMA
When the Lord visited Sarah, he was to fulfill his promise
So, Sarah conceived and bore Abraham a son in her nineties
Isaac was born when Abraham was a hundred years old
The Lord God made the impossible possible by giving them Isaac.
The birth of Abraham’s son Isaac is the start of God’s promise
A covenant between Abraham and God for man’s rescue
Abraham’s lineage will bring forth the promised Savior
God did what man isn’t able to do, He gave his Son to save us.
The birth of Isaac is a clear manifestation of the beginnings of salvation history. After the fall of Adam and Eve, we hear the account of man’s inability to resist sin and wickedness. Time and time again, humans have fallen into sin. The Lord God never failed to provide all the ways that man can follow his Spirit and walk the path he planned for humans. Yet, mankind proved to be very weak and carnal.
The Lord God designed a plan so that man will be able to fight his sinful nature and bring forth deliverance through the seed of Abraham. Because Abraham believed, it was counted as righteousness for him. Even though he is still sinful in nature, God chose to make a covenant promise with him. Isaac’s birth marks the beginning of the covenant promise God made after he destroyed mankind during the flood.
REFLECTION
- How is Isaac’s birth significant in salvation history and not Ishmael’s?
