Advent 5: Who’s Laughing Now?
Genesis 21:12
“through Isaac shall your offspring be named.”
Genesis 21:12
All Kinds of Laughter
There are all kinds of laughter. We have all been in a situation where you are not supposed to be laughing… but you do… and that makes it worse. Why is it that things are so much funnier when you’re not allowed to laugh?
When we look at the events surrounding the promise and birth of Isaac, we see everyone laughing, but not in the same way. And let’s not forget that Isaac’s name, itself, means “laughter.” So what is going on here? Let’s look at this in detail to see the way God is working out his plan for our salvation.
Abraham Laughs
The first person we see laughing at this is Abraham. As you remember, in chapter seventeen (verse seventeen), God told Abraham he would have a son and his first response was to fall on his face and laugh.
But why is he laughing?
First, notice that he falls on his face before God in worship. Whatever else he is thinking, he is giving honor to God. Then we see him laugh, but it looks like this is just a good-hearted laugh. After all, he’s nearly one hundred years old, and his wife is way past the age for women to have children. He’s laughing… because this is funny and because he believes that this super old married couple is going to have a baby. You have to laugh at that imagery. Do you know a ninety-year-old lady? Can you picture her in the hospital room holding a tiny newborn baby? It’s a really funny picture.
Busted
Next, we see that Sarah laughs. In chapter eighteen, Sarah overhears God tell Abraham she will have a baby in the next year, and she laughs. This time, it isn’t well received. Why is that? Isn’t this the same thing Abraham did a chapter earlier? Not necessarily. Sure, they both laughed, but it was a different kind of laughter. When Abraham laughed, he laughed out of faith, believing God would do the impossible. When Sarah laughed, it was out of disbelief. Look at the response her laughter gets from God. When she laughs, God asks her a question that exposes her lack of faith, saying, “Is anything too hard for the Lord?”
Sarah was a bitter woman. She wanted children her whole life and couldn’t have them. When God said this, it sounded like a cruel joke. You can picture her in her tent scoffing, “Oh, now you want me to have a baby?…. sure, right…”
Joy to the World
Now that we are caught up, let’s look at chapter twenty-one. Sarah indeed becomes pregnant, and when Abraham is one hundred years old, they have a son named Isaac. Sarah is bursting with joy that she cannot contain. The only way to express it is with laughter. She proclaims,
“God has made laughter for me; everyone who hears will laugh over me.”
GENESIS 21:6
This is so exciting! It’s so easy to get drawn into this scene and laugh with her. This is a contagious sort of laughter. She realizes the humor in this and rejoices in it. Everyone who hears about this will laugh alongside her and be filled with joy.
Pushed Aside
Finally, the last person we see laughing is Hagar. Remember her? She isn’t happy with this situation at all. Until now, her son, Ishmael, was Abraham’s heir. But now that Sarah has a son of her own, neither she nor Ishmael are needed anymore.
Abraham throws a huge party for Isaac, and everyone rejoices— everyone except Hagar. Sarah looks over and sees that Hagar is laughing at her. This situation looks like the classic example of laughing at someone instead of laughing with someone. Sarah can’t handle it and tells Abraham to send her away.
Whoa! That’s a pretty big deal. Ishmael is still Abraham’s son, but God tells him not to worry about it and to do as Sarah says. Then, God tells Abraham he will still bless Ishmael and make him into a great nation, it just won’t be the nation that he promised to Isaac.
So, even in this, we see God’s amazing grace in the middle of failures. Sarah and Abraham tried to shortcut their way to help God fulfill his promise and disobeyed him. Yet God, in his grace, still blesses the son that Abraham had out of disbelief.
Reflection
Today, we looked at four different types of laughter surrounding the birth of Isaac: good-hearted laughter of faith, laughter of disbelief, joyful, contagious laughter, and mocking laughter. How is this supposed to help us focus on the Christmas season? All of these represent different ways someone could respond to the Word of God. We need to make sure we are responding properly to what God said to us, even when it seems impossible.
As we continue on this Old Testament journey to the Messiah, we will see God working in completely unlooked-for ways. This should strengthen our faith in him. God will always keep his promises. We have overwhelming testimony confirming this truth throughout the Bible and in our own lives. Let’s stop and thank God for working in ways we could have never anticipated and marvel at his total sovereignty over all things: past, present, and future.
Let’s Talk About It:
- When things around us seem like God might be out of control, we need to ask ourselves the same question God asks Sarah, “Is anything too hard for the Lord?”
- Along these same lines, we know that Scripture says that, “for those who love God, all things work together for good” (Rom 8:28). We can be tempted to have a mocking laughter and not trust what God is doing. What are some things we can trust God with today?
Order the Snowbird Advent Bible Study
Let’s stand back and marvel at God’s grace and sovereignty, and focus on God this Christmas. May we join with the angels singing, “Glory to God in the highest” (Luke 2:14).
Order your printed copy of our 25-Day Advent Bible Study and join this annual journey as we worship Christ and celebrate his coming.
Zach Mabry is the worship pastor and one of the main teachers at Snowbird. He also directs our year-round Snowbird Institute program. He has a Master of Divinity from The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary and serves as an adjunct professor for Liberty University. Zach is a teaching pastor at Red Oak Church, a local church in the Andrews area.