GENESIS 18
9 They said to him, “Where is Sarah your wife?” And he said, “She is in the tent.” 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?” 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.” – Genesis 18:9-15
GENESIS 18 SARAH’S LAUGHTER AT HAVING A CHILD
A poem inspired by these verses by ILMA
When the Lord visited Abraham to announce his coming child
Secretly, Sarah was listening by the tent door and laughed
Abraham and Sarah were in their nineties so she was amused
She couldn’t believe how her old body could still conceive.
Then the Lord confronted why Sarah laughed
Out of fear, Sarah automatically denied she did
The Lord asked her “Is there anything too hard for the Lord?”
The promise of the Lord to Abraham was to give him a son through Sarah.
Previously, when announced to have a child at their very old age, Abraham laughed too. His laughter was more of rejoicing because he believed that there was nothing impossible with God. In this account, Sarah’s laughter was not like Abraham’s. It was more of disbelief She couldn’t fathom how her ninety years old body could still get pregnant. It was more of a doubt than rejoicing. When confronted with that unbelief, she automatically denied it. Don’t we do that all? We are automated to defend our doubts when it is exposed and justify and reason out. That is just par of our sinful nature.
REFLECTION
- Share an occasion of you or someone close who laughed at some impossibilities.
