Laughter because a promise is kept

LAUGHTER BECAUSE A PROMISE IS KEPT
EDITED BY GLENN PEASE
Genesis 21:6 6Sarah said, "God has brought me
laughter, and everyone who hears about this will laugh
with me."
BIBLEHUB RESOURCES
Pulpit Commentary Homiletics
Birth, Circumcision And Weaning Of Isaac
Genesis 21:1-8
R.A. Redford
Here, is -
I. THE FAITIIFULNESS OF JEHOVAH. "As he had spoken. At the set time."
"God hath made me to laugh."
II. THE FAITH OF HIS SERVANT, which was evidenced in waiting, hoping,
naming the son born unto him, obeying the commandment.
III. THE GIFT of God was THE REVELATION of God: his love, his power, his
purpose, his patience.
IV. Taken TYPICALLY, the foreshadowing of the miraculous conception, the
kingdom of God, as originating in the sphere of human infirmity and
helplessness; as being the introduction of bright hope and cheerful promise into
the gloomy barrenness of human life; as the lifting up of man's state into the
covenant of God, sealed with his appointed ordinance, surrounded with the
promised blessings. Isaac was the type of Christ, Sarah of Mary, Abraham of the
people and Church of God.
V. SARAH'S SONG, the first cradle hymn of a mother's thankful joy,

representing the Divine delight in the pure and simple happiness of those who
are children of God. Abraham rejoiced to see the brightness of the future (John
8:56).
VI. THE WEANING FEAST. All called in to share in the joy. Household joy
should be widespread. We may suppose that such a banquet was religious in its
character so, not only is it a sanction of religious festivals, but it reminds us that
we should connect the events of the family life immediately with the word and
ordinances of God. - R.
Biblical Illustrator
Sarah said, God hath made me to laugh.
Genesis 21:6, 7
The rejoicing of Isaac's birth
T. H. Leale.
I. IT WAS THE REWARD OF FAITH AND PATIENCE.
II. IT WAS HAILED WITH A SONG OF GRATITUDE.
1. There was an element of amazement and wonder.
2. There was an element touchingly human.
3. There was a confident expectation of universal sympathy. "All that hear will
laugh with me."
4. There was an acknowledgment of the Divine source of the joy. "God hath
made me to laugh."
(T. H. Leale.)
STUDYLIGHT RESOURCES
Adam Clarke Commentary
God hath made me to laugh - Sarah alludes here to the circumstance mentioned
Genesis 18:12; and as she seems to use the word to laugh in this place, not in the

sense of being incredulous but to express such pleasure or happiness as almost
suspends the reasoning faculty for a time, it justifies the observation on the
above-named verse. See a similar case in Luke 24:41, where the disciples were so
overcome with the good news of our Lord's resurrection, that it is said, They
believed not for joy.
Copyright Statement
These files are public domain.
Bibliography
Clarke, Adam. "Commentary on Genesis 21:6". "The Adam Clarke
Commentary". https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/acc/genesis-
21.html. 1832.
return to 'Jump List'
John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible
And Sarah said, God hath made me to laugh,.... This she said on occasion of the
name of her son Isaac, which name her husband had given him by divine
direction, and to which she assented. This doubtless brought to her mind her
former laughing, when she first heard that she should have a son, which was in a
way of diffidence and distrust; but now God having given her a son, laid a
foundation for laughter of another kind, for real, solid, joy and thankfulness:
so that all that hear will laugh with me; not laugh at her, and deride her, as
Piscator interprets it; but congratulate her, and rejoice with her on this
occasion, as on a like one the neighbours of Elisabeth did with her, Luke 1:58.
Copyright Statement
The New John Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible Modernised and adapted for
the computer by Larry Pierce of Online Bible. All Rightes Reserved, Larry
Pierce, Winterbourne, Ontario.
A printed copy of this work can be ordered from: The Baptist Standard Bearer,
1 Iron Oaks Dr, Paris, AR, 72855
Bibliography

Gill, John. "Commentary on Genesis 21:6". "The New John Gill Exposition of
the Entire Bible". https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/geb/genesis-
21.html. 1999.
Wesley's Explanatory Notes
And Sarah said, God hath made me to laugh, so that all that hear will laugh with
me.
And Sarah said, God has made me to laugh — He hath given me both cause to
rejoice, and a heart to rejoice. And it adds to the comfort of any mercy to have
our friends rejoice with us in it, See Luke 1:58.
They that hear will laugh with me — Others will rejoice in this instance of God's
power and goodness, and be encouraged to trust in him.
Copyright Statement
These files are public domain and are a derivative of an electronic edition that is
available on the Christian Classics Ethereal Library Website.
Bibliography
Wesley, John. "Commentary on Genesis 21:6". "John Wesley's Explanatory
Notes on the Whole Bible".
https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/wen/genesis-21.html. 1765.
John Trapp Complete Commentary
Genesis 21:6 And Sarah said, God hath made me to laugh, [so that] all that hear
will laugh with me.
Ver. 6. God hath made me to laugh.] "A wise son maketh a glad father".
[Proverbs 10:1] Monstri autem simil est, quando pro risu sunt fletus, sunt
flagellum . And yet this is many a good man’s case. How many parents are put
to wish Moses’ wish, [Numbers 11:15] "Lord, if I have found favour in thy sight,
kill me, that I behold not my misery!" Had he lived to see what ways his
grandchild Jonathan took, what a grief would it have been unto him! [ 18:30]
"Jonathan, the son of Gershom, the son of Manasseh," &c. In the best Hebrew

copies, Nun is suspended in that name: whereupon the Hebrews descant, that
this Gershom was the son of Moses; but because he and his posterity walked not
in the ways of Moses, but rather of Manasses, [2 Kings 21:1-9] and did his
works: therefore the penman of this book would not so far disgrace Moses, as to
make him his son, as indeed he was, [Exodus 2:1-2; Exodus 2:10 1 Chronicles
23:14-15] but rather of Manasses, whom he imitated and resembled. (a) How
much better and happier had it been for them both if they had expressed their
father’s manners, as Constantine’s sons did: of whom it is said, that they had
put on whole Constantine, and in all good things did exactly resemble him. (b)
Copyright Statement
Text Courtesy of BibleSupport.com. Used by Permission.
Bibliography
Trapp, John. "Commentary on Genesis 21:6". John Trapp Complete
Commentary. https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/jtc/genesis-
21.html. 1865-1868.
Thomas Coke Commentary on the Holy Bible
Genesis 21:6. God hath made me to laugh— Sarah, alluding to the laughter of
herself and her husband, whence their son had his name, observes, that God had
now caused them to laugh indeed, or in such a manner as not only expressed
their own joy, but would occasion all her friends, all who should hear it, to
rejoice with her, and to congratulate her felicity.
Copyright Statement
Bibliography
Coke, Thomas. "Commentary on Genesis 21:6". Thomas Coke Commentary on
the Holy Bible. https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/tcc/genesis-

21.html. 1801-1803.
Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible
Before, my own distrustful heart made me to laugh, now God makes me laugh,
not through diffidence and irreverence, as before, Genesis 18:12, but through
excess of holy joy.
All that hear will laugh with me; or, at me; some through sympathy rejoicing
with me and for me, laughter being oft put for joy, as Isaiah 54:1 Galatians 4:27,
&c.; other’s through scorn and derision, as at a thing which well may seem
incredible to them, because it did so to me. See Genesis 17:17 18:12,13,15.
Copyright Statement
Bibliography
Poole, Matthew, "Commentary on Genesis 21:6". Matthew Poole's English
Annotations on the Holy Bible.
https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/mpc/genesis-21.html. 1685.
Whedon's Commentary on the Bible
6. Sarah said — This is the magnificat of Sarah, and may be compared with
Luke 1:46-55. Never before had Sarah felt such thrills of joy, or uttered
language of such prophetic fervour. The passage may be put in poetic form as
follows:
And Sarah said,
God has made me to laugh;
All who hear will laugh with me.
And she said,
Who would have told to Abraham,

Sons shall be nursed by Sarah.
For I have begotten a son to his old age.
Copyright Statement
Bibliography
Whedon, Daniel. "Commentary on Genesis 21:6". "Whedon's Commentary on
the Bible". https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/whe/genesis-21.html.
1874-1909.
Joseph Benson's Commentary of the Old and New Testaments
Genesis 21:6. Sarah said, God has made me to laugh — Not through diffidence
and irreverence, as my own distrustful heart before made me to laugh; but
through excess of holy joy. He hath given me both cause and a heart to rejoice.
And it adds to the comfort of any mercy to have our friends rejoice with us in it,
Luke 1:58. They that hear will laugh with me — Will rejoice in this instance of
God’s power and goodness; and be encouraged to trust in him.
Copyright Statement
Bibliography
Benson, Joseph. "Commentary on Genesis 21:6". Joseph Benson's Commentary.
https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/rbc/genesis-21.html. 1857.
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible - Unabridged

me.
God hath made me to laugh - literally, God hath prepared laughter (joy) for me;
i:e., as Havernick paraphrases it, 'That at which I formerly indulged a sceptical
laugh has now been so turned by God as to become to me the subject of laughter
or joy.'
All that hear will laugh with me , [Septuagint, sungchareitai moi] - will rejoice
with me; congratulate me. These words carry us back to the first announcement
of Sarah's child. 'In our record,' continues Havernick, 'there is no thought of a
proper strictly so-called derivation of the name of Isaac: it is the simple naive
oriental mode of narration, which delights in a pregnant style of expression. This
might come about the more readily, since, because of the first laugh of
Abraham, God had commanded him to call his son [ yitschaaq (Hebrew #3327)],
laughing.'
The Hebrew language delights in paronomasia, or playing upon a word; and this
alliterative tendency appears in this case on three occasions-namely, Abraham's
smile of gratification (Genesis 18:17); Sarah's sneer of incredulity (Genesis
18:13; Genesis 18:15); and, lastly, her laugh of realized satisfaction and joy.
'Sarah's laugh was immortalized in the name of her son; and wherefore the
sacred historian dwells on a matter so trivial, whilst the world and its vast
concerns were then at his feet, I can fully understand. For then I see the hand of
God shaping everything to his own ends, and in an event thus casual, thus easy,
and thus unimportant, telling forth His mighty design of salvation to the world,
and working it up into the web of His noble prospective counsel (Blunt's
'Scripture Coincidences').
Copyright Statement
Bibliography
Jamieson, Robert, D.D.; Fausset, A. R.; Brown, David. "Commentary on
Genesis 21:6". "Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible -
Unabridged". https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/jfu/genesis-
21.html. 1871-8.

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
me.
God
17:17; 18:12-15; 1 Samuel 1:26-28; 2:1-10; Psalms 113:9; 126:2; Isaiah 49:15,21;
Isaiah 54:1; Luke 1:46-55; John 16:21,22; Galatians 4:27,28; Hebrews 11:11
to laugh
Sarah most likely remembered the circumstance mentioned in ch. 18:12; and
also the name Isaac, which implies laughter.
will laugh
Luke 1:14,58; Romans 12:15
PRECEPT AUSTIN RESOURCES
NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: 21:1-7
1Then the Lord took note of Sarah as He had said, and the Lord did for Sarah
as He had promised. 2So Sarah conceived and bore a son to Abraham in his old
age, at the appointed time of which God had spoken to him. 3Abraham called
the name of his son who was born to him, whom Sarah bore to him, Isaac. 4Then
Abraham circumcised his son Isaac when he was eight days old, as God had
commanded him. 5Now Abraham was one hundred years old when his son Isaac
was born to him. 6Sarah said, "God has made laughter for me; everyone who
hears will laugh with me." 7And she said, "Who would have said to Abraham
that Sarah would nurse children? Yet I have borne him a son in his old age."

The Joy and Pain of a Life of Faith (Genesis 21:1-21)
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A couple was expecting their first child. The wife was given a test that would
reveal the baby’s sex. The doctor asked the mother-to-be if she wanted to be
called with the news. “Just mail it,” she said. “My husband and I want to share
this moment together.” A few days later an envelope from the doctor arrived.
The couple made a special evening of it and dined at their favorite restaurant.
Finally they opened the letter. It was the doctor’s bill (Reader’s Digest [5/93]).
We’ve all faced the disappointment of unfulfilled expectations. It’s a main
reason people drift from the Lord. They came to Christ because they heard that
He could solve their problems, but their problems have only grown worse. They
heard that the Christian life would give them peace; but they have inner
conflicts that they never knew before.
Isn’t the Christian life supposed to be one of great joy? Yes, it is! There is no joy
greater than that of knowing Jesus Christ, of being assured that your sins are
forgiven and that you’re going to heaven. There is great joy when God answers
prayer, or uses you to lead a person to Christ or to help him with his problems.
But while the Christian life results in great joy, the path to that joy often leads
us through great pain. We need to be realistic in our expectations of what the life
of faith entails.
A life of faith in God yields ultimate joy, but involves great pain.
The pain comes as God prunes from our lives the things that do not honor Him.
We all bring into the Christian life the baggage of the old life, what the Bible
calls the flesh. The flesh is what I can do in my own power, apart from
dependence on God. It includes sins, such as pride, immorality, anger, and
selfishness. But the flesh also produces things that are outwardly good--deeds of
service, giving money, helping the needy, etc. But if those good deeds stem from
my flesh, they are offensive to God because they feed my pride and often are an
attempt to balance out my sin and guilt, which can only be dealt with at the
cross. So God has to tear away those deeds of the flesh, both good and bad, so
that I learn to depend totally on Him for all that I do. It’s a painful process.

In Genesis 21 Abraham experiences the joy and the pain of the life of faith. Isaac
is finally born in fulfillment of the promise, and Abraham and Sarah laugh for
joy. But the birth of Isaac threatens Ishmael, Abraham’s son by Hagar. For 13
years, he has been the sole heir, the focus of his father’s attention, the hope of his
father’s dreams. But now he is set aside in favor of this newcomer. So the tension
in Abraham’s family begins to grow. It climaxes at the feast held for the weaning
of Isaac, probably when he was about two or three years old. Ishmael mocks
Isaac and Sarah lays down an ultimatum: “Drive out this maid and her son
[Sarah won’t even use their names], for the son of this maid shall not be an heir
with my son Isaac” (21:10). Abraham is plunged from the heights of joy to the
depths of grief because of his love for his son.
After all, Abraham loved Ishmael. He was every bit as much Abraham’s son as
Isaac was. He would now be 15 or 16, on the edge of manhood. Abraham had
spent years teaching him the skills of life. They had spent many happy hours
together, watching over the flocks, talking about life’s questions. And Abraham
had a fond spot in his heart for Hagar, the boy’s mother. Even if they had only
had relations that once, still they had produced a son together. Hagar had been
in the family for years. But now Sarah was insisting that Hagar and Ishmael had
to go. Abraham was torn as these competing loves fought on the battleground of
his heart.
He faced the most difficult decision of his life. Should he make Sarah face reality
and learn to live with Hagar and Ishmael? Or should he consent to her request,
which clearly was based on jealousy, and send Hagar and Ishmael away? At this
point the Lord intervened and told Abraham to do what Sarah had said (21:12).
Frankly, this is a bit startling. From Hagar’s and Ishmael’s perspective, it
seemed unfair. Hagar had not had a choice in the matter of conceiving Ishmael
with Abraham. Ishmael hadn’t asked to be born into that situation. His jealousy
toward Isaac is understandable for a teenage boy. While Sarah’s attitude was
also understandable, it was not commendable. So why did God take Sarah’s
side?
God’s reason is stated: “for through Isaac your descendants shall be named”
(21:12). God wasn’t endorsing Sarah’s jealousy, but in His sovereign purpose,
God had chosen Isaac to be the one through whom His blessing would flow to all
nations. Since He is God, He has the right to make such sovereign choices
without giving us His reasons (see Romans 9). But in this case, I think we can
discern the reason behind God’s choice.
Isaac represents that which only God can do. Sarah had always been barren.

Now, due to age, Abraham and Sarah were physically unable to produce a child.
So Isaac was the result of God’s power, apart from human ability. But Ishmael
represents what man can do without God. Abraham and Hagar produced
Ishmael by natural means. In Galatians 4:21-31, Paul says that this story has a
spiritual lesson behind it. Ishmael was born according to the flesh, but Isaac was
born according to the Spirit (Gal. 4:23, 29). Abraham and Sarah could not boast
in Isaac, but could only glorify God for him. But Abraham could boast in
Ishmael, because he produced him.
God chose Isaac so that we would know that the life of faith requires total
dependence on God, so that all the fruit comes from Him. That which stems
from our flesh, which we can do apart from God, can never please Him. It exalts
human pride and robs God of His glory. That which the Spirit produces in and
through us brings God the glory due His name. So even though it seems unfair
that Hagar and Ishmael be expelled, it was necessary for God’s purpose and
glory.
This story teaches us that the joy of the life of faith comes from obtaining what
only God can do; the pain comes from separating from what I can do in my own
power. Let’s first look at the joy and then at the pain.
1. The joy of a life of faith comes from obtaining that which only God can do
(Isaac, 21:1-7).
When Isaac was born, there was great joy and laughter. God told Abraham to
name the child Isaac (17:19), which means, “he laughs.” While Abraham
laughed in shock and Sarah laughed in unbelief when they were told that Isaac
would be born the next year, their laughter was changed to the laughter of joy as
they held the child of promise in their arms.
Sarah said, “God has made laughter for me; everyone who hears will laugh with
me” (21:6). When God does great things for you, you laugh with joy and others
rejoice with you. Laughter ought to be a part of every Christian home and
church, as we see God do great things for us and as we enjoy His gifts to us. The
poet, Thackeray, said, “A good laugh is sunshine in a house.” I hope you enjoy
your children as God’s precious gifts to you and laugh often with them.
Too often Christian homes and churches are uptight and rigid. The great British
preacher, Charles Spurgeon, used humor in the pulpit, which wasn’t often done
in his day. Once when a woman objected to some humorous remark, Spurgeon
replied, “Madam, if you had known how many others I kept back, you would
not have found fault with that one, but you would have commended me for the

restraint I had exercised.”
There are three aspects to the joy that comes from obtaining what only God can
do:
A. There is joy in knowing that what God promises, He does.
Note verse 1: “Then the Lord took note of Sarah as He had said, and the Lord
did for Sarah as He had promised.” God always keeps His promises! The
Christian life is a process of discovering, unwrapping, and enjoying the many
promises of God that are scattered throughout His Word. It’s like looking for
hidden treasures. The apostle Paul wrote, “For as many as may be the promises
of God, in Him [Christ] they are yes” (2 Cor. 1:20).
Do you fear death and judgment? God promises eternal life to those who put
their trust in His Son. Do you struggle with guilt? God promises forgiveness of
all our sins in Christ. Are you anxious about some situation? He invites us to
cast all our anxieties on Him because He cares for us. Are you fearful? He
promises His protection. You can count on these promises and more and have
great peace and joy, knowing that what God promises, He does!
You may be thinking, “Well, that’s nice to say. But I’ve been asking God for
some things for years, but He hasn’t come through.” That’s the second aspect of
this joy:
B. There is joy in knowing that what God promises, He does in His time.
Note verse 2: “So Sarah conceived and bore a son to Abraham in his old age, at
the appointed time of which God had spoken to him.” God doesn’t work
according to our timetable, but His. With us, 25 years (the time Abraham and
Sarah had to wait for Isaac) seems like forever. With God, a thousand years is as
a day. Clearly, God is not in any hurry to bring about His plan!
It would be 2,000 years until the promised seed of Abraham, the Lord Jesus
Christ, would be born. That’s a long time! Many generations went to their
graves longing to see the fulfillment of God’s promise of the Savior. Was God
late in bringing Christ into the world? The Holy Spirit writes through Paul,
“But when the fulness of the time came, God sent forth His Son ...” (Gal. 4:4).
Maybe you’ve been waiting on God for years to fulfill some promise. You may
even go to your grave without seeing it fulfilled. But you can have great joy in
knowing that what God has promised, He will do in His time. You ask, “Why
does He make me wait?” There are a number of reasons, some of which we may

never know. But one reason is clear in our text:
C. There is joy in knowing that what God promises, He does when we reach the
end of ourselves.
Verse 5 mentions Abraham as being 100 years old. Verses 2 and 7 repeat the fact
that it was in his old age. The point is that God provided Isaac for Abraham and
Sarah when they had reached the end of their ability to produce a son. If they
were going to receive the promised son, it would have to be totally God’s doing.
It was, and they rejoiced in seeing God do the impossible on their behalf.
God wants each of us to come to that point of casting ourselves completely on
Him so that He gets all the glory for the results in our lives. That doesn’t mean
that we are passive. Here we see Abraham actively obeying God by naming the
boy Isaac and by circumcising him (21:3-4), as God had commanded (17:9-12,
19). Coming to the end of ourselves doesn’t mean that we passively sit back and
do nothing. It means that we actively obey God, depending totally on Him for
the power and the results.
I experience something of this each week in my ministry. I feel totally
inadequate to be a pastor and to prepare sermons that will feed God’s flock.
That’s a great place to be, because the minute I start thinking I can do it, I’m
relying on myself. Paul put it, “Not that we are adequate in ourselves to consider
anything as coming from ourselves, but our adequacy is from God” (2 Cor. 3:5).
But at the same time, I don’t sit around waiting for a sermon to float down from
heaven. I work hard to understand the biblical text and to know how to apply it,
but I’m aware that if God doesn’t come through, I’m in big trouble!
Our independent, fallen nature makes us prone to fall back on our own schemes
and power. Abraham had trusted the Lord for Isaac. But he still had Ishmael. If
anything happened to Isaac (as in chapter 22), Abraham could always fall back
on Ishmael as the standby. So God said that Ishmael would have to go. That’s
where the pain of the life of faith comes in, when God knocks out those human
props we’ve been leaning on or keeping in storage.
2. The pain of a life of faith comes from separating from that which I do in my
own power (Ishmael, 21:8-21).
This was the most difficult thing God had told Abraham to do in his 100 years.
Although the text doesn’t say, I don’t think I’m off base when I picture
Abraham with tears streaking down his weathered cheeks as he sends Hagar
and Ishmael into the desert. As far as we know, this was the last time Abraham

saw his son whom he had loved for 16 years. I don’t care how much you trust
God, something like this hurts deeply. And you don’t get over it in a few days or
even in a few years. Even though there was great joy over the birth of Isaac,
Abraham suffered ongoing pain over the loss of Ishmael.
I can’t begin to cover these verses in detail. But I want to point out three lessons
which stem from the separation from Ishmael:
A. There will always be conflict between what I can do in my own power and
what only God can do.
The birth of Isaac not only resulted in joy; it also resulted in conflict. Ishmael
mocked Isaac. Paul applies the spiritual lessons of this event: “But as at that
time he who was born according to the flesh [Ishmael] persecuted him who was
born according to the Spirit [Isaac], so it is now also” (Gal. 4:29). The Judaizers,
who gloried in their own “righteousness,” persecuted those who gloried in Christ
and put no confidence in the flesh (Phil. 3:3). And, as Paul says in Galatians
5:17, “The flesh sets its desire against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh;
for these are in opposition to one another, ...” The Christian life involves
conflict, both with those who are religious, but do not understand dying to self
and living to glorify God; and, conflict within, as my prideful self dies a slow
death as I learn to trust more fully in God.
B. The only way to resolve the conflict is to put away that which I can do in my
own power.
Peaceful coexistence is not possible. Whatever stems from my old life has to go.
Ishmael had been Abraham’s pride and joy, his hope. When God promised to
give him Isaac, Abraham said, “Oh that Ishmael might live before You” (17:18).
But God said that Ishmael had to go.
In practical terms, this involves the painful obedience of saying no to myself and
yes to God. It means denying my pride, my sinful desires, and all that stems
from my old self, and consciously depending on God’s Spirit to produce His fruit
in me. It is an ongoing process of submitting to God’s pruning my flesh so that
He can accomplish His purpose through me. It hurts, and often I won’t
understand. But my part is to obey. I’m sure Abraham didn’t understand God’s
reason for sending Ishmael away, just as later he didn’t understand God’s
reason for sacrificing Isaac. But he obeyed without questioning God.
Elisabeth Elliot, whose first husband, Jim Elliot, was one of the five missionaries
killed by the Auca Indians in 1956, and whose second husband died of cancer,

tells of visiting a shepherd in the mountains of North Wales. One by one, he
would grab the rams by their horns and fling them into a tank of antiseptic.
They would struggle to climb out, but the sheep dog would snarl in their faces to
force them back in. Just as they were about to climb up the ramp, the shepherd
would catch them by the horns with a wooden implement, spin them around,
and force them under again, holding them completely under for a few seconds.
The sheep didn’t have a clue about what was happening.
Mrs. Elliot observes, “I’ve had some experiences in my life that have made me
feel very sympathetic to those poor rams--I couldn’t figure out any reason for
the treatment I was getting from the Shepherd I trusted. And He didn’t give me
a hint of explanation.” (World Vision, 4/77.)
There will always be conflict between my flesh (what I can do in my power) and
the Spirit (what only God can do). The only way to resolve the conflict is
obediently to put off the deeds of the flesh.
C. When we obey, God graciously softens the pain of parting with the old life.
Even as God tells Abraham that Ishmael must go, He tenderly reassures him,
“And of the son of the maid I will make a nation also, because he is your
descendant” (21:13). God takes us through painful times, but He always does it
with compassion. We also see His compassion toward Hagar and Ishmael. She
has abandoned him, thinking that he’s about to die. She begins sobbing. But in
verse 17, it says that God heard, not Hagar, but the lad crying. He then calls to
Hagar and points her to the well of water which she had not yet seen.
The point is, we often think we’re the only ones who care for our loved ones who
are in distress. We cry out to God. But God has heard their cry before He hears
our cry! He cares for them more than we do! Even in those difficult times of
pain, God graciously softens the pain for those who call out to Him.
Conclusion
We all enjoy watching the Olympics. The high point is watching the beaming
faces of the winners as they stand to receive their medals. We vicariously rejoice
with them. But we sometimes forget the years of pain that led up to that moment
of joy. Behind the scenes they spent the better part of the last few years going
through grueling daily work outs. Many days they didn’t feel like practicing, but
they did it anyway. Why were they willing to endure the pain? Because they
were going for the ultimate joy of winning the Olympic medal.
The life of faith yields great joy, but the path is often through great pain. Some

of you are going through painful trials. You may be confused and disappointed
and grieving. You didn’t expect the Christian life to be like this. God may or
may not let you understand why He’s doing what He’s doing. But He does want
you to submit obediently to his pruning process and to trust Him that by
yielding to the pain, you’ll ultimately experience the joy of obtaining that which
only God can do with your life.
Discussion Questions
How would you have felt if you had been Abraham? Sarah? Hagar? Ishmael?
Who had the hardest time trusting God?
Why didn’t Abraham supply Hagar and Ishmael with plenty of supplies and
servants?
How can we know if our efforts for God stem from the flesh or from His power?
Does His power make it easy?
Was God unfair to choose Isaac and send Ishmael away? Did His choice show
approval of Sarah’s jealousy? Why/why not?
Copyright 1996, Steven J. Cole, All Rights Reserved.
BOB DEFFINBAUGH
Don’t Ever Say Never (Genesis 20:1-18)
Introduction
Many Christians are concerned about their “testimony” before the world, but
perhaps for the wrong reasons. While it is important for Christians to live a life
which is consistent with the will and the Word of God (cf. Romans 6:1ff;
Ephesians 4:1ff; Colossians 3:1ff, I Peter 1:13ff), we sometimes misapply this
truth so as to avoid our responsibilities. For example, I know that others, like
myself, are inclined to keep silent about our faith in Jesus Christ because we fear
that our testimony has been so poor others will not want to trust in Christ. Since
the message of our life fails to conform to that of our lips, we keep silent about
our faith in Christ.

While we should strive to live in such a way as to create an interest in that which
makes us unique as Christians (Matthew 5:13-16; Colossians 4:5-6; I Peter
3:13ff), our failures do not necessarily prevent others from being drawn to Jesus
Christ as their Savior. I know of a man in our church who was saved through
the testimony of a drunken sailor. My friend, then an unbeliever, rebuked a
drunken Christian for his conduct. The drunk protested that even though a
discredit to his Lord, he was nonetheless eternally saved and secure. My friend
could not imagine how such a thing could be so. Because of the certainty of this
drunken Christian about his spiritual security, my friend studied the Scriptures
for himself to see if this could be true. As a result, he was saved as well, to some
degree through the “testimony” of the drunken sailor.
While this kind of conduct as a Christian is in no way recommended or smiled
upon, the Bible indicates that even at very low points in our Christian
experience God can use His saints to draw others to Himself. Such was the case
in the life of Abraham as described in Genesis 20.
God had disclosed to Abraham that he would be the father of a son born
through Sarah (17:15-19; 18:10). Abraham, upon hearing of the coming
destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, interceded for the cities on behalf of the
righteous who dwelt in them (18:22ff). God assured him that if only ten
righteous could be found, the cities would be spared (18:32). While the righteous
were not to be found and the cities were not spared, Lot and his daughters were
delivered from destruction (chapter 19). The devastation of Sodom and
Gomorrah took place under the watchful eye of Abraham, looking on from afar
(19:27-29).
Chapters 17-19 of Genesis have depicted a high point in the life of the patriarch.
Here is the man of faith and intercession we expect to find in the pages of holy
writ. The man in chapter 20 is a far cry from our expectations for a patriarch
and a prophet. He is a man compared to whom Abimelech looks saintly. In spite
of this sad state of affairs, the grace of God is seen for the marvel it is, not so
much in spite of Abraham’s failure of faith as because of it. Abraham is an
unwilling witness to the wonderful grace of God Who saves and sanctifies men
and women in spite of themselves.
Abimelech Is Restrained
(20:1-7)
For an unspecified reason185 Abraham left Mamre, wandering southward near
Kadesh and then northwest to Gerar, not far from the Mediterranean Sea in the

land of the Philistines.186 At Gerar, Abraham repeated a sin committed very
early in his life as a follower of God (cf. 12:10ff). Once again, he passed off his
wife Sarah as his sister, which resulted in her being taken into the harem of
Abimelech,187 king of Gerar.188
Liberal critics hasten to classify chapters 12, 20, and 26 as three different
accounts of the same event. Such a position cannot be taken seriously : the text is
considered reliable. The similarities are striking and purposely underscored.
Nevertheless, the differences between chapters 12 and 20 are significant. Some of
these are:
Chapter 12
Chapter 20
Place: Egypt
Place: Gerar
Time: Early in Christian Life
Time: Late in Christian Life
King: Pharaoh
King: Abimelech
Abraham’s response to rebuke: Silence
Abraham’s response to rebuke: Excuses
Result: Abraham left Egypt
Result: Abraham stayed in Gerar
We have every reason to conclude that there are three events, similar in some
details but decidedly different in many particulars. The similarities are intended
to be instructive. Even mature saints are plagued with the sins of younger days
(chapter 20), and “the sins of the fathers” surely are visited on the sons (as in
chapter 26).
The situation here is far more critical than in chapter 12. First, God has clearly
revealed to Abraham and Sarah that together they will bear a son through
whom the covenant promises will be realized. More than this, the conception of

the child must be near at hand, for he was said to have been born within the
space of a year (17:21; 18:10). Human reasoning would have considered the
dangers in chapter 20 to be minimal since Sarah was long past the childbearing
age (17:17; 18:11,13). But the eye of faith would have seen the matter in an
entirely different light. Was Abraham’s faith at a low ebb? It must be so.
Abimelech was restrained by God in a two-fold fashion. First, God warned him
in the strongest terms: “Behold, you are a dead man because of the woman
whom you have taken, for she is married” (Genesis 20:3).
It becomes clear that death will only follow if Abimelech’s actions are not
reversed and Sarah returned, untouched, to Abraham. God told Abimelech he
was as good as dead if he did not act decisively and according to God’s
directions.
Secondly, Abimelech and all of his household were physically restrained from
sinning against Sarah, even if they had wished to:
Then God said to him in the dream, ‘Yes, I know that in the integrity of your
heart you have done this, and I also kept you from sinning against Me; therefore
I did not let you touch her. Now therefore restore the man’s wife, for he is a
prophet and he will pray for you, and you will live. But if you do not restore her,
know that you shall surely die, you and all who are yours.… And Abraham
prayed to God; and God healed Abimelech and his wife and his maids, so that
they bore children. For the Lord had closed fast all the wombs of the household
of Abimelech because of Sarah, Abraham’s wife (Genesis 20:6-7, 17-18).
By means of some undisclosed physical malady, no one in the royal household
was able to conceive. Further, it seems that sexual activity was prohibited
altogether. This would ensure Sarah’s purity, as well as prevent the birth of a
child by Abimelech. The revelation Abimelech received in the dream thus
explained the reason for the plague which had fallen upon his household. This
also sheds light on the great fear of the male servants in Abimelech’s household.
They, too, suffered from this affliction which prohibited normal sexual activity.
In a culture that placed a high value on many offspring and virility, the situation
would have been taken as critical. And so it was.
While the imminent danger for Abimelech and his household is emphasized, so
also is his innocence:
Now Abimelech had not come near her; and he said, ‘Lord, wilt Thou slay a
nation, even though blameless? Did he not himself say to me, ‘She is my sister’?

And she herself said, ‘He is my brother.’ In the integrity of my heart and the
innocence of my hands I have done this’ (Genesis 20:4-5).
Abimelech, unlike Abraham, was guiltless in this matter. His actions were based
upon purity of motive and upon the untrue statements of Abraham and
Sarah.189 God acknowledged the innocence of the king but made it clear that
apart from divine intervention he would have committed a grave offense. The
way Abimelech handled this matter now would determine his destiny. To delay
or disobey meant certain death.
Strange as it may seem, Abimelech stood head and shoulders above Abraham in
this passage. We must admit that there is no sin into which the Christian cannot
fall in times of disobedience and unbelief. At such times, unbelievers may put the
Christian to shame by their integrity and morality (cf. I Corinthians 5:1ff).
The wonder of this passage is not the fact that Abraham could regress so far in
his Christian growth and maturity. From my own experience I am ashamed to
admit that this is entirely believable. While the faithlessness of Abraham comes
as no surprise, the faithfulness of God to Abraham at this time of failure is
amazing.
Had I been God, the last thing I would have considered would be to reveal my
relationship to Abraham. Even if my own character demanded that I remain
faithful to my promises, I would not have disclosed to Abimelech that Abraham
was a believer, albeit a carnal one. And yet God disclosed the fact that Abraham
was the object of His special care. More than this, Abraham was identified as a
prophet (verse 7).190 He was God’s representative and the intermediary
through whom Abimelech must be healed.
This must have left Abimelech shaking his head. How could Abraham be a man
of God at the same time he was a liar? Abimelech, however, was not given any
opportunity to take punitive action in spite of the problems Abraham’s
disobedience had brought upon the king’s household. Abraham was the source
of Abimelech’s suffering, it was true, but he was also the solution. Abimelech
and Abraham both found themselves in a very awkward position.
Abraham Is Rebuked
(20:8-16)
Abimelech wasted no time making matters right before God. He arose early in
the morning and reported the substance of his dream to those of his household.
Because they were affected along with Abimelech, they greatly feared (verse 8).

They would see to it that the king’s orders were followed to the letter.
After informing his servants, Abimelech summoned Abraham. It was not a
pleasant situation, and Abraham was sternly rebuked for his deception:
What have you done to us? And how have I sinned against you, that you have
brought on me and on my kingdom a great sin? You have done to me things that
ought not to be done (Genesis 20:9).
Abimelech had been wronged by Abraham. He had not only done what was
wrong in the eyes of God, but also in the eyes of pagans. Abraham, who was to
be a source of blessing (12:2,3), had become a proverbial pain in the neck to
those in whose land he sojourned.
Twenty-five years before this, Abraham had committed a nearly identical sin. In
that case, we do not know how Pharaoh learned the truth, nor are any of
Abraham’s excuses recorded. Pharaoh seemed interested only in getting
Abraham as far from his presence as possible. Abimelech did not ask Abraham
to leave, perhaps out of fear of what God might do for such lack of hospitality.
Abraham’s excuses, weak as they are, are reported to us:
And Abraham said, “Because I thought, surely there is no fear of God in this
place; and they will kill me because of my wife. Besides, she actually is my sister,
the daughter of my father, but not the daughter of my mother, and she became
my wife; and it came about, when God caused me to wander from my father’s
house, that I said to her, ‘This is the kindness which you will show to me:
everywhere we go, say of me, “He is my brother”’” (Genesis 20:11-13).
Three reasons are stated for Abraham’s deception, but none of them
satisfactorily explain his actions in Gerar. First, Abraham acted out of fear. He
feared that because of Sarah’s beauty he would be killed, and she would be
taken as a wife by violence. This fear was based upon a faulty theological
premise: God is only able to act when men are willing to obey. God could save
Abraham only in a place where He was known and feared by men. The inference
is that where ungodly men are, God’s hand is shortened and unable to save.
Such theology was due more to unbelief than to ignorance. It was the same fear
Abraham had twenty-five years before. According to Abraham’s theology, God
could not save him from the hand of Pharaoh either, but He did! Abraham
failed because of unbelief, not because he was uninformed.
Incidentally, this unbelief had to disregard specific revelation, for shortly before
this incident God had twice told Abraham that Sarah would become pregnant

and bear a child within the year (17:19,21; 18:10). Could Abraham willingly
encourage Sarah to go to bed with Abimelech, believing that she soon was to
become pregnant and have a child? I think not. If Sarah was thought to be “over
the hill” and unable to have children, her becoming a part of the king’s harem
might not be taken so seriously. Abraham might have thought the laugh would
be on Abimelech for taking as his wife a woman who was old enough to be his
mother.
One more observation must be made concerning Abraham’s fears for his own
safety. His conduct differs little from that of Lot in Sodom and Gomorrah. Lot,
by inviting the two strangers under his roof, assured them of protection. Rather
than break this commitment, he was willing to sacrifice the purity of his two
virgin daughters and give them over to the men outside his door. Abraham,
fearing for his own safety, was willing to give over his wife to the king (or any
other citizen of Gerar) to protect himself from harm.
The second reason for Abraham’s deception is even less satisfactory. His
statement, though a lie, was technically factual. Sarah was, indeed, his sister, the
daughter of his father, but not his mother (verse 12). Facts can be and often are
used in such a way as to convey falsehood. Statistics are sometimes employed in
this way: You have your head in the freezer and your feet in the oven, but, on
the average, you are comfortable. His sister, indeed. She was his wife. Abraham
tried to defend himself by technicalities but not by truthfulness.
The third reason I have labeled “tradition.” When all else fails to justify the way
we have acted, we can always fall back on these well worn words: “But we’ve
always done it that way before.” That’s what Abraham was saying in substance.
His actions before Abimelech were not to be taken personally—they were merely
company policy. This policy had been established many years ago. Why should it
be set aside after so many years?
Having looked at each of the three lines of Abraham’s defense, let us consider
his arguments as a whole. There is absolutely no indication of acceptance of
responsibility for sin, nor of sorrow or repentance. While his arguments fail to
satisfy us, as they did not impress Abimelech, they did seem to satisfy Abraham.
This observation did not come to me immediately. In fact, one of my friends
suggested it to me after I delivered this message in the first service. But he is
absolutely right. Abraham here is like one of our children who is caught dead to
rights. They are sorry they are caught but not repentant for the wrong they have
done.

It also explains the repetition of this sin by Abraham and, later, by his son Isaac.
Abraham never said to himself, “I’ll never do that again,” either in Egypt or in
Gerar. In both cases Abraham escaped with his wife’s purity and with a sizeable
profit to boot. So far as I can tell, Abraham never saw his deceptiveness as a sin.
Consequently, it kept cropping up in later generations.
I do not think that Abimelech was impressed with Abraham’s explanation.
Nevertheless, God had severely cautioned him, and he knew that Abraham was
the only one who could intercede for him to remove the plague which prohibited
the bearing of children. Because of this, restitution was made.
First, Sarah was given back to her husband Abraham along with sheep, oxen,
and servants (verse 14). Then, to Abraham the invitation was extended for him
to settle in the land wherever he chose (verse 15). Finally, a thousand pieces of
silver were given to Abraham as a symbol of Sarah’s vindication (verse 16). Her
return to Abraham, therefore, was not because she was found to be
unacceptable or undesirable.191
Abimelech Is Restored
(20:17-18)
What a humbling experience it must have been for Abraham to intercede on
behalf of Abimelech. A deep sense of unworthiness must have (or at least should
have) come over him. It was surely not his righteousness which was the basis for
divine healing. As a minister of the gospel of Jesus Christ, I must confess to you
that I frequently experience feelings of inadequacy and unworthiness. Prophets,
my friends, are not necessarily more pious, and neither are preachers! The
greatest danger that those in positions of prominence or power face is that they
begin to believe that their usefulness is based upon their faithfulness and deeper
spirituality. Any time that we are used of God, it is solely because of the grace of
God.
While this was a tragic time in the life of God’s chosen, it was necessary, for it
prepared the way for the following chapter in which the promised child is given.
God’s promise to Abraham was kept because God is faithful, not because
Abraham was faithful. “Every good and perfect gift,” in the words of Scripture,
“cometh from above” (James 1:17). Such was the case with Isaac.
When Abraham prayed, the wombs of Abimelech’s household were opened so
that they once again bore children. So Sarah’s womb was to be opened as well.
The promised son was soon to be born.

Conclusion
Abraham’s failure, to be sure, occurred in a culture and time that is foreign to
Christians today. In spite of this, his problems were no different than ours (cf.
James 5:17), and the principles found in Genesis 20 are as true today as they
were centuries ago. God has not changed, and neither have men. Take a few
moments to consider the lessons we can learn from this incident in the life of
Abraham.
(1) The fallibility of the saints. I know there are those who teach sinless
perfectionism, but I cannot fathom why. The old man, while positionally dead, is
very much alive and well for the time being. While we should be living out the
victorious life of Romans 8, most of us find ourselves continually in chapter 7.
Such was true of Abraham, the friend of God, also.
Privileged position does not preclude failure. Abraham was God’s elect, God’s
chosen, but he still floundered and failed. Abraham was God’s prophet, but that
did not make him more pious than others. Abraham prospered both in Egypt
and in Gerar, but it was not because he attained a higher level of spirituality.
The most dangerous doctrine for the Christian is that which suggests that
Christians can be above temptation and failure in their Christian lives, even
after years of service or in a privileged position.
(2) Our disobedience is often camouflaged by excuses transparent to all but
ourselves. Abraham’s three excuses are easily seen to be a sham, and yet
variations on these three themes serve as justification for much wrong that we
do.
The first is situational ethics, which is a system of ethics based upon the denial of
either the existence of God or His ability to act in man’s behalf. Situationalism
always posits a dilemma in which there is no alternative other than a sinful act.
In such cases we are forced to decide on the basis of the lesser of two evils.
First Corinthians 10:13 dogmatically asserts that the premise on which
situationalism is based is wrong. It teaches that God never places the Christian
in a circumstance where he or she must sin. The outcome which we dread is
always a figment of our fearful imagination, and not of reality. Abraham feared
that someone would kill him to take away his wife. It never happened, nor was
there any reported situation where this was even a remote possibility. Faith in a
God Who is sovereign in every situation keeps us from flirting with sinful acts
which allegedly will deliver us from emergency situations—ones in which
godliness must be put on the shelf.

The second is dealing in technicalities rather than truth. The information
Abraham gave to Abimelech was totally factual (verse 12). Sarah was his sister.
But what Abraham failed to report made it all a lie. She was his wife, as well as
his sister.
How often we allow people to draw the wrong conclusions or impressions by
withholding evidence. We want to give the impression we are spiritual when we
are not. We try to appear happy when our heart is breaking. We try to look
sophisticated when we are desperate and despondent. Faith is facing up to
reality and dealing openly with others, even when the truth may appear to put
us in jeopardy or may make us vulnerable.
The third, and very common, excuse is that of tradition. “We’ve always done it
that way.” That was Abraham’s excuse. All that it indicates is our persistence in
sin. As my uncle used to say of someone who always had a good word for
everyone, “She would say of the Devil, ‘He’s persistent.’” Tradition is not
wrong, but neither does it make any practice right.
(3) Our failures will not keep a person from coming to faith in our Lord. While
Abraham was not eager to talk about his faith to Abimelech, God was not
reluctant to own Abraham as a person and a prophet. Why didn’t God keep His
relationship to Abraham quiet? Wouldn’t the poor testimony of Abraham drive
Abimelech away from God?
We would have expected Abimelech to respond to Abraham’s sin as many do
today: “The church is full of hypocrites. If that’s what Christianity is, I don’t
want any part of it.” Such excuses are no better than Abraham’s.
Abraham’s failure provided Abimelech with the best reason in the world to be a
believer in his God: the God of Abraham was a God of grace, not of works.
Abraham’s God not only saved him apart from works (cf. Genesis 15:6; Romans
4) but kept him apart from works. Abraham’s faith was in a God Whose gifts
and blessings are not based upon our faithfulness but His. Men and women are
not looking for a fair-weather religion but one that assures them of salvation
regardless of their spiritual condition at the moment. The kind of faith Abraham
had is the kind which men desire, one that works even when we don’t.
(4) The grace of God and the eternal security of the believer. That brings us to
our final point: the Christian is eternally secure regardless of failures in faith.
Backsliding is never encouraged, never winked at, and never without painful
consequences according to Scripture. Nevertheless, backsliding will never cost
the Christian his salvation. The salvation which God offers to men is eternal. If

anyone should have lost his salvation, it was Abraham, but he remained a child
of God.
What a background chapter 20 sets for chapter 21. We would have expected
Isaac to have been conceived at a high point in Abraham and Sarah’s lives, but
it was not so. We would at least have expected Abraham’s unbelief to have been
exposed and finally conquered in chapter 20, but it did not happen. In fact,
Abraham never even acknowledged the sinfulness of his actions.
God blessed Abraham, He gave him wealth (Genesis 12:16,20; 13:1-2, 20:14-16)
and the son He had promised (Genesis 21:1ff). He also gave him a privileged
position (Genesis 20:7, 17-18). All those blessings were gifts of God’s grace, not
rewards for Abraham’s good works. By the end of Genesis 20 we must conclude,
in the words of Kidner:
After his spiritual exertions Abraham’s relapse into faithless scheming, as at
other moments of anticlimax (see on 12:10ff and on chapter 16), carries its own
warning. But the episode is chiefly one of suspense: on the brink of Isaac’s birth-
story here is the very Promise put in jeopardy, traded away for personal safety.
If it is ever to be fulfilled, it will have to be achieved by the grace of God.192
185 While no reasons for Abraham’s moves are given, I would think that
chapter 19 supplies us with a strong suggestion for Abraham’s departure from
Mamre. Somehow the devastation of the cities of the valley must have had some
effect on Abraham’s ability to raise his great herds of cattle. It is likely that the
availability of both grass and water may have affected his other moves as well.
186 The critics have pounced upon the mention of the Philistines in 21:32. This is
impossible and thus in error because the Philistines were not in the land until
after Moses, their dominion of Palestine being around 1175 B.C. It would appear
that the problem is best explained by viewing these early Philistines as those of
an early wave of migrants who paved the way for the later, more hostile
immigrants identified biblically as Philistines. For a lengthy discussion of this
problem, cf. Harold G. Stigers, A Commentary of Genesis (Grand Rapids:
Zondervan, 1976), pp. 181-182. Kidner concisely summarizes:
“The Philistines arrived in Palestine in force in the early twelfth century;
Abimelech’s group will have been early forerunners, perhaps in the course of
trade.” Derek Kidner, Genesis (Chicago: Inter-Varsity Press, 1967), p. 142.
187 Abimelech is thought to be a title of office, like Pharaoh, and not the given

name of a person. It is difficult to know for certain whether Abimelech is a
moral pagan or a true believer in the God of Abraham.
188 Some marvel at the fact that Sarah could still be so attractive at the age of
90 that she would be desirable as a wife (or concubine). We must remember that
the life span of men and women was longer then than now. Abraham lived to the
age of 175 (25:7), Sarah to 127 (23:1). Also, in order to bear the child the normal
aging process must have been retarded. The text leaves the impression that
Abraham feared for his safety because of Sarah’s beauty. I believe we should be
willing to accept this at face value. This does not mean that other reasons for
taking Sarah could not have been present. Abraham was a man of wealth and
power. Alliances were made by means of marriages, and thus Abimelech’s
reasons for marrying Sarah may have been numerous.
189 Some have suggested that Sarah had no guilt in affirming Abraham’s lies as
the truth. It is said that Sarah was merely being submissive and that Abraham
bore his guilt and Sarah’s also. I see no biblical evidence for such claims. Sarah
was commended in Scripture for her submissive obedience. The reference of
Peter to Sarah, however, is not to her lie in Genesis 20 but to her reverence
toward her husband in chapter 18 (verse 12). Here, late in life and at a time
when the promise of a child seemed incredible, she still referred to Abraham
with deep respect, evidenced by the word ‘lord’: “And Sarah laughed to herself,
saying, ‘After I have become old, shall I have pleasure, my lord being old also?’”
(Genesis 18:12). Furthermore, Peter, while commending Sarah’s obedience,
carefully defined the kind of obedience which is acceptable and pleasing to God:
“Thus Sarah obeyed Abraham, calling him lord, and you have become her
children if you do what is right without being frightened by any fear.”
Abraham’s lie and Sarah’s participation in it was based upon fear, and Moses
made it clear that it was not right, even in the eyes of a pagan. While Sarah’s
obedient spirit may be commended, her lie is not. We must always obey God
rather than men (Acts 5:29). Submission is the obedience we give when, in our
judgment, the action is unwise; it is not participating in what we know from
God’s Word to be wrong. In the biblical chain-of-command God’s revealed will
is supreme, and it overrules all other levels of authority if they are in direct
conflict.
190 While Abraham does not fit the usual conception of a biblical prophet, it is a
fitting designation. He did, consistent with the Hebrew word, nabhi, serve as a
speaker or spokesman for God (cf. Exodus 4:16, 7:1). Furthermore, a prophet
often interceded for others (cf. Deuteronomy 9:20; I Samuel 7:5). In both of

these senses Abraham was a prophet, although he did not foretell the future.
191 Stigers suggests that the 1000 pieces of silver was actually the value of the
cattle given:
“Herein are described the results of the incident presented in vv. 1-7. In v. 16
there is the peculiar circumstance of the money, which may be a value
paraphrase of the value of the animals and slaves given to Abraham, stated in a
judicial manner. The giving of the animals is, in effect, a pecuniary settlement to
guarantee that no legal recourse may be had by Abraham against Abimelech at
any future time.” Stigers, Genesis, p. 180. In his usual concise style Kidner
summarizes: “In offering the compensation Abimelech owned his error (though
the term ‘thy brother’ re-emphasized his innocence), and in accepting it
Abraham acknowledged the matter settled.” Kidner, Genesis, p. 139.
BOB DEFFINBAUGH
What Happens When Christians Mess Up? (Genesis 21:1-34)
Introduction
In one of her movies Julie Andrews sings a beautiful song, one of my favorites,
but its theology is abominable. The lyrics go something like this: “Nothing comes
from nothing, nothing ever could. So somewhere in my youth or childhood, I
must have done something good.” Many Christians seem to have the same kind
of theology. They believe that the good things which happen in life are the result
of some good thing they have done. So also, like Job’s friends, they think that
everything unpleasant is the result of some evil they have done.
I do not wish to challenge the fact that obedience brings blessing, for ultimately
it always does. However, God often brings tribulation into the life of a faithful
Christian in order to bring about growth and maturity. So also, God brings
blessing into the life of the Christian in spite of what he has done more than
because of anything good he has done. That’s grace—unmerited favor. Genesis
21 is proof of this kind of blessing in the life of the Christian.
The background to Genesis 21 is one that Abraham would have preferred Moses
not bother to record in holy writ. While sojourning in Gerar, Abraham once

again passed off his wife Sarah as his sister. The results were not very pleasant,
for Abraham was rebuked by a pagan king. The real tragedy is that there
seemed to be no genuine sorrow or repentance for the sin that was committed.
So far as we can tell, Abraham was not at a very high point in his spiritual life
when the “child of promise,” Isaac, was born to Sarah. It was at this low ebb in
Abraham’s spirituality that God brought one of the promised blessings to pass
in his life.
The Birth of the Promised Son
(21:1-7)
The events of verses 1 through 7 can be seen in three different dimensions. In
verses 1 and 2 we see the divine dimension in the birth of the son as a gift from
God. Verses 3 through 5 record the response of Abraham to the birth of this son.
Finally, in verses 6 and 7 we have the jubilance of Sarah over the arrival of the
long-awaited child, who is the joy of her life.
An Act of God (vss. 1-2)
I have a friend who is an insurance agent, and he would be quick to tell me that
an “act of God” in his line of work is a disaster over which man has no control.
Isaac was an “act of God” in a very different sense. He was the result of divine
intervention in the lives of Abraham and Sarah, both of whom were too old to
bear children. It was the fulfillment of a promise made long before the birth of
the child and often reiterated to Abraham (cf. Genesis 12:2; 15:4; 17:15-16;
18:10):
Then the Lord took note of Sarah as He had said, and the Lord did for Sarah as
He had promised. So Sarah conceived and bore a son to Abraham in his old age,
at the appointed time of which God had spoken to him (Genesis 21:1-2).
Several things are striking about this passage. First, we cannot miss the note of
calm assurance. There has been no suspense. The event comes without surprise,
reported as though nothing else could have happened than what did. And, of
course, this is precisely right.
Second, there is a distinct emphasis on the aspect of fulfillment. The birth of
Isaac came without surprise simply because that was what God had promised
would happen. Four times in these two short verses the element of fulfillment is
stressed (“as He had said,” “as He had promised,” verse 1; “at the appointed
time,” “which God had spoken,” verse 2). It was God who promised the child; it
was God who accomplished His word. And this was done right on schedule.

God’s purposes are never delayed, nor are they ever defeated by man’s sin.
God’s purposes are certain. What God has promised, He will accomplish.
Third, the son seems to be given almost more for Sarah’s benefit here than for
Abraham’s. “The Lord,” Moses wrote, “took note of Sarah … and … did for
Sarah” (verse 1). I do not think it too far afield to suggest that Sarah wanted
that son more than Abraham did. You will remember that Abraham besought
God on behalf of Ishmael, seemingly to accept him as the son of promise (cf.
17:18). Neither did Abraham seem to take the promise of a son too seriously
when he was willing to subject Sarah to the dangers of Abimelech’s harem at the
very time she was about to conceive the promised son (cf. 17:21; 18:14). And so,
even though Abraham may not have had the desire for this child as much as his
wife, God kept His promise.
Aloof Acceptance (vss. 3-5)
The next verses seem to confirm my suspicion that Abraham was not ecstatic
about Isaac, at least not nearly as much as his wife:
And Abraham called the name of his son who was born to him, whom Sarah
bore to him, Isaac. Then Abraham circumcised his son Isaac when he was eight
days old, as God had commanded him. Now Abraham was one hundred years
old when his son Isaac was born to him (Genesis 21:3-5).
His response to the birth of Isaac might be described as “dutiful.” In obedience
to the instructions given him in Genesis 17, Abraham named the baby Isaac and
circumcised him on the eighth day. Abraham thus followed God’s instructions
out to the letter, but perhaps without the joy that could have been experienced.
We are reminded that Abraham was now 100 years old. In a way, Abraham and
Sarah were more like grandparents to Isaac than parents. Who of us would have
been overjoyed at the birth of a child at this age? When Abraham could have
been drawing Social Security payments for 35 years, he became a parent. And at
the age of 113 he would enter into the teenage years with his son.
Sarah’s Ecstasy (vss. 6-7)
If Abraham’s response to the birth of this child is merely dutiful, Sarah’s is
delirious:
And Sarah said, “God has made laughter for me; everyone who hears will laugh
with me.” 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 21:6-7).

The name Isaac meant “laughter.” Both Abraham and Sarah, when they were
told of the son who was to be born to them, laughed (cf. 17:17; 18:12). More than
anything, their laughter was prompted by the absurdity of the thought of having
a child so late in life. But now the name Isaac took on a new significance, for he
was a delight to his mother, who experienced the pleasures of motherhood so
late in her life.
Ishmael Is Put Away
(21:8-21)
Abraham’s lack of enthusiasm about his son Isaac may seem very conjectural,
and we must admit this candidly, but the events of verses 8-21 certainly seem to
strengthen this impression about Abraham and his attitude toward his son.
On the day Isaac was weaned, Abraham prepared a great feast. This seems to
have provided the occasion for celebration in those days. We should bear in
mind that the weaning of a child often occurred much later than it would today.
Isaac could easily have been three or four years old, or even older.
The sight of Hagar’s son at the feast robbed Sarah of all of the joy she should
have had. By this time Ishmael would have entered his teens and would likely
have reflected his mother’s disregard for Sarah and her son. Whether Ishmael
was actually mocking Isaac or merely playing and having a good time is hard to
determine in the context since the word employed in verse 9 could mean either.
However, Paul’s commentary in Galatians 4:29 informs us that mockery was the
meaning Moses intended to convey.193 Sarah determined that something was
going to be done once and for all. Forcefully she gave Abraham an ultimatum:
Drive out this maid and her son, for the son of the maid shall not be an heir with
my son Isaac (Genesis 21:10).
How out of character Sarah seems at this moment. How different the description
of her in Peter’s epistle is from that described by Moses:
And let not your adornment be external only—braiding the hair, and wearing
gold jewelry, and putting on dresses; but let it be the hidden person of the heart,
with the imperishable quality of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is precious in
the sight of God. For in this way in former times the holy women also, who
hoped in God, used to adorn themselves, being submissive to their own
husbands. Thus Sarah obeyed Abraham, calling him lord, and you have become
her children if you do what is right without being frightened by any fear (I Peter
3:3-6).

Sarah is obviously not at her best in chapter 21, but then neither is Abraham.
Some have tried to applaud Sarah for her depth of spiritual insight concerning
the fact that Isaac would be the heir, not Ishmael. Personally, I think that her
primary motive was that of jealousy and a protective instinct to see to it that her
son got what was coming to him.
Sarah, like every Christian I have ever known, had moments she would just as
soon forget entirely. This is surely one of those times for her. Peter’s use of
Sarah as an example of humility and submissiveness overlooks this event as an
exception to the normal rule. In a similar fashion the writer to the Hebrews
spoke of Abraham and Sarah as those whose faith we should imitate. Their
mistakes and sins were not mentioned because they were dealt with once and for
all under the blood of Christ. Furthermore, their sins are not the point of the
author’s purpose in Hebrews, but rather their faith. Men’s sins are recorded in
Scripture in order to remind us that the men and women of old were no
different than we are and to serve as a warning and instruction to us not to
repeat their mistakes (cf. I Corinthians 10:11).
Abraham was deeply grieved by the decision that was being forced upon him
(Genesis 21:11). From chapter 17 we know that he was very attached to his son
Ishmael and that he would have been content for this child to be the heir
through whom God’s promises were to be fulfilled. This, however, was
impossible because Ishmael was the result of human effort, devoid of faith (cf.
Galatians 4:21ff).
The attachment of Abraham to this son, Ishmael, was so great that a crisis had
to be reached before he would come to grips with the situation. While we cannot
justify the motivation of Sarah for her ultimatum, I personally believe that such
a move had to occur in order to force Abraham’s hand in setting aside his
aspirations for this son.
God reassured Abraham that as painful and unpleasant as the situation might
be, putting Ishmael away was the right thing to do. In this instance he should
listen to his wife:
Do not be distressed because of the lad and your maid; whatever Sarah tells you,
listen to her, for through Isaac your descendants shall be named (Genesis 21:12).
We should notice that it is both Hagar and the boy who are close to Abraham’s
heart. Heretofore Hagar has been referred to as Sarah’s maid, but here she is
called “your maid” by God. Sarah, we recall, was intensely jealous of Hagar and
of her son (cf. Genesis 16:5). It is impossible for a man to enter into an intimate

relationship such as the one Abraham had with Hagar and then to simply walk
away. Sarah knew this, and so did God. In more than just a physical way
Abraham had become one with Hagar, and Ishmael was the evidence of this
union.
In chapter 17 God had refused to accept Ishmael as the heir of Abraham. Isaac,
He had insisted, would be the heir of promise (17:19). It was therefore necessary
for Ishmael to be sent away and forever eliminated from the status of an heir.
For this reason Sarah’s demands were to be met, and Ishmael was to be sent
away. Yet the promises God had made to Hagar (16:10-12) and to Abraham
(17:20) concerning Ishmael would be honored: “And of the son of the maid I will
make a nation also, because he is your descendant” (Genesis 21:13).
The sending away of the son of a concubine was not without precedent in that
day. In the Code of Hammurabi, Law 146, the children of slaves who were not
made heirs must be set free as compensation for this.194 Abraham’s sending
away of Ishmael fits very nicely into this practice. By giving him his freedom, he
indicated that Ishmael had no part in his inheritance, which was kept exclusively
for Isaac.
Abraham arose early to send off Hagar and Ishmael. This may evidence his
resolve to carry out an unpleasant task, as Kidner suggests.195 While it sounds
far less spiritual, I wonder if Abraham did not do so for other reasons. Surely an
early start would be wise in the desert, since travel should be done in the cool of
the day. Also, an early departure would make it easier to say their good-byes
without the interference of Sarah. I think that Abraham wanted to express his
deep-rooted love for both Hagar and Ishmael without a hostile audience.
Some have suggested that Hagar lost her way in the desert and that this explains
why she “wandered about in the wilderness of Beersheba” (verse 14). Why did
she not return to Egypt, as she seemed to be heading there when she first
escaped from Sarai (16:7ff)? Later, she would take a wife for Ishmael from
Egypt (verse 21). I believe that Hagar did not return to Egypt because she
believed that God would fulfill His promises concerning Ishmael in the place
where she chose to wander. In that sense she sojourned in the wilderness, much
like Abraham, trusting God to bless them there.
Eventually the provisions Abraham gave them ran out and death appeared to be
at hand. The boy was no infant here, as we might suppose, but a teenager, for he
was nearly fourteen years older than Isaac (cf. 17:25). Not wanting to see him
die, Hagar left Ishmael some distance from her under what little shade the

bushes would afford. She then lifted up her voice and wept.
It was not Hagar’s cries that arrested God’s attention, but the boy’s.196 As a
descendant of Abraham, Ishmael was the object of God’s special care. His cries
brought divine intervention:
And God heard the lad crying; and the angel of God called to Hagar from
heaven, and said to her, “What is the matter with you, Hagar? Do not fear, for
God has heard the voice of the lad where he is. Arise, lift up the lad, and hold
him by the hand; for I will make a great nation of him” (Genesis 21:17-18).
The solution to Hagar’s problem was already present. Through her tears she
could not see the well close by. More than likely, it was not a distinct structure
but simply a small source of water hidden among the bushes. God thus enabled
her to see things as they really were, and she and the boy were refreshed and
revived.
God’s working in Hagar’s life may seem harsh to us, but I understand His
dealings to be such that His promises were accomplished. You remember that
Ishmael was to be a “wild ass” of a man, hostile toward his brothers, and a free
spirit. This kind of man could not be raised in the city with all of its
conveniences and advantages. Learning to survive in the desert, to prevail over
hostile elements was just what it took to make such a man out of Ishmael. As
boot camp makes a good Marine, so desert survival made a man of Ishmael.
Abimelech Makes a Treaty with Abraham
(21:22-34)
Verses 22 through 34 describe a particular incident in the life of Abraham. The
agreement which was made between Abraham and Abimelech is significant for
both Abraham and for us. By implication it says a great deal about the fears and
the faith of Abraham.
The meeting between these three figures was one of great import. Abraham was
recognized as a man of influence and power. More than this, he was known to be
the object of divine love and protection. Abimelech and Phicol came to
Abraham; they did not invite him to the palace. They came to make a treaty:
Now it come about at that time, that Abimelech and Phicol, the commander of
his army, spoke to Abraham, saying, “God is with you in all that you do; now
therefore swear to me here by God that you will not deal falsely with me, or with
my offspring, or with my posterity; but according to the kindness that I have

shown to you, you shall show to me, and to the land in which you have
sojourned” (Genesis 21:22-23).
It is difficult to fathom the intense embarrassment this request should have
brought Abraham. Here was the king of the land where Abraham lived and his
prime minister coming to him seeking a treaty. They acknowledged that their
motivation was based largely upon the fact that Abraham was one loved by God.
In essence, these men were aware by their own experience of the Abrahamic
covenant:
“And I will make you a great nation, And I will bless you, And make your name
great; And so you shall be a blessing; And I will bless those who bless you, And
the one who curses you I will curse. And in you all the families of the earth shall
be blessed” (Genesis 12:2-3).
Abimelech sought a treaty with Abraham because he did not ever wish to go to
battle against him. To fight Abraham was to attack Abraham’s God and to have
to contend with Him. On the other hand, to have an alliance with Abraham was
to have God on his side. No wonder Abimelech was so anxious to negotiate such
a treaty.
But do you see the lesson this should have taught Abraham? Abraham had lied
to Abimelech about Sarah because he thought that there would be no fear of
God, and thus no protection of himself, in a land of pagans (cf. 20:11). God
rebuked the unbelief of Abraham by this testimony from the lips of Abimelech.
Furthermore, Abraham’s deception was rebuked. How would you feel if a king
and his prime minister flattered you by acknowledging that God was with you in
a very special way and then made you promise that you wouldn’t lie to him any
more? Abimelech respected Abraham’s God, but he was not so sure about
Abraham’s credibility. By putting Abraham on oath Abimelech sought to
remedy the problem of deception. Once before he had nearly lost his life because
of Abraham’s deception (20:3); he did not ever want that to happen again.
Once the treaty was made, Abraham brought up a specific grievance which
could be settled under the terms just reached. Abraham complained to
Abimelech about a well that his servants had dug, only to have it confiscated by
servants of Abimelech (verse 25). Abimelech not only denied knowledge of the
incident but seemed to mildly reproach Abraham for not bringing the matter to
his personal attention (verse 26). A specific covenant was then made concerning
this well, seven ewe lambs being a token of the agreement (verses 28-31).
Abimelech and Phicol went their way, and Abraham commemorated his

worship of the Lord in thanksgiving for this treaty by planting a tamarisk tree.
And so Abraham stayed on in the land of the Philistines for some time.
The lesson that Abraham learned from this was striking. He had feared for his
life and for his wife among these “pagans” (20:11). God showed him that
Abimelech recognized his favored status with his God and that Abimelech would
not have done him bodily harm on account of this. Not only would Abimelech
not take a wife that was not his, he would not even take a well that did not
belong to him. How foolish the fears of Abraham seem after this incident!
Conclusion
Several lessons emerge from this page of history from the life of Abraham. First,
we must conclude that God’s blessings continue to come into the lives of His
people, even at the times when their faith is at its lowest ebb. Neither Abraham
nor Sarah were seen at their best in this chapter; and yet God gave them the
promised son, He preserved the life of Hagar and Ishmael, and He brought
about an alliance with a pagan king which gave Abraham a favored position.
Lest we should conclude that holiness is therefore unimportant, it must also be
said that disobedience has its painful consequences. While it was years after the
union of Abraham and Hagar, a union which denied the power of God to fulfill
His covenant promises, Abraham had to face up to his wrong and send his
beloved son away. Sooner or later the consequences for sin will be reaped by the
sinner. So, here, the ugliness of Sarah, the tearful parting from Abraham, and
the brush with death in the wilderness resulted from Abraham’s impetuous act
with Hagar.
Second, we should be reminded that the right things sometimes happen for the
wrong reasons. I do not believe that Sarah was shown in the best light in this
chapter. I do not see a quiet and submissive spirit in her confrontation with
Abraham. Nevertheless, we must conclude from God’s instructions to Abraham
to obey his wife that the right thing to do was to put Ishmael away, once and for
all. This prepared the way for the “sacrifice of Isaac” in the next chapter, for
only now could God say to Abraham, “Take now your son, your only son, whom
you love, Isaac, and go to the land of Moriah; and offer him there … ” (Genesis
22:2).
Throughout the Bible we see that the right things are often the result of the
wrong reasons. For example, Joseph was sent to Egypt to prepare the way for
the salvation of the nation Israel, but he got there through the treachery of his
brothers, who thought they were getting rid of him by selling him into slavery.

Satan afflicted Job in order to demonstrate that believers only trust in God
because of the profit motive. God, however, allowed Job to be tested in order to
teach Satan (and us) a lesson in faith.
Are you in a difficult or painful situation? Perhaps you got there because of the
deceit or maliciousness of someone else. That doesn’t really matter, so far as you
are concerned. If you believe in a God who is truly sovereign, really in control,
then you must accept the fact that God has brought you to the right place for the
wrong reason. The reasons may not be praiseworthy, but you can be assured
that God has you in that place for a good reason.
Third, we learn that the greatest portion of our fears are totally unfounded.
Abraham feared for his life and for his wife. Abraham believed that God would
be obeyed and His people protected only where He was known and feared.
Abraham was to learn through this treaty with Abimelech that God cares for
His own. If Abimelech would not dare to take a well, he would not take a wife or
a life. All of Abraham’s schemes were for naught. Faith can rest upon the
covenant promises of God; fear has no basis at all.
Finally, God’s answer to our problem is often the solution which has been there
all along, but our anxiety has kept us from seeing it. I love the fact that Hagar
saw the well that had been there all along. Only her tears and her fears kept her
from seeing it. The cries of those who belong to God will reach Him, but the
answers need not be spectacular or miraculous, as we sometimes expect or
demand. Many times the answer will be that which, in time, is obvious.
Do you belong to Him, my friend? If you have come to trust in the saving work
of Jesus Christ on your behalf, then you do. And if you do, God cares for you.
Those who belong to God need not fear, for He is with them; indeed, He is in
them. And, wonder of all, He deals with us in grace. Even at our darkest hours,
He remains faithful and His promises true.
193 RSV’s ‘playing’ (implying that Sarah was insanely jealous) is unfair: it
should be translated ‘mocking’ (AV, PV). This is the intensive form of Isaac’s
name-verb ‘to laugh,’ its malicious sense here demanded by the context and by
Galatians 4:29 (‘persecuted’)! Derek Kidner, Genesis (Chicago: Inter-Varsity
Press, 1967), p. 140.
194 The Code of Hammurabi declares that children of slaves not legitimized,
though not sharing in the estate, must be set free [Law 171]. Harold Stigers, A

Commentary on Genesis (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1976), p. 185.
195 Kidner, Genesis, p. 140.
196 It is no coincidence that the name “Ishmael” means “God hears” (cf.
Genesis 16:11)
"Recipe for Joy"
Genesis 21:1-7...............June 6, 1999
There has been a lot of talk recently about recipes as the process began for
putting together a church cookbook. The great thing about cookbooks is that
you inevitably find some great recipe that you enjoy for the rest of your life. And
. . . if you enjoy it allot you will use that recipe long enough that it will eventually
become "your own" and someday you'll put it in a cookbook as your own.
This morning I want to share with you God's recipe for joy as it is written down
in Genesis 21:1-7. I hope that it is a recipe that you will eventually make your
own.
In this grand passage we see the long anticipated birth of Isaac to the 90 years
old Sarah and the 100 year old Abraham. It is a glorious day in Abraham's
household. Lest we read the passage quickly and miss the important lessons we
can draw, I want you to see that the joy that is experienced by Sarah is really a
joy similar to the joy you and I should be living in during our lives. Tony
Campolo has written,
Joy in Christ requires a commitment to working at the Christian lifestyle.
Salvation comes as a gift, but the joy of salvation demands disciplined action.
Most Christians I know have just enough of the Gospel to make them miserable,
but not enough to make them joyful. They know enough about the biblical
message to keep them from doing those things which the world tempts them to
do; but they do not have enough of a commitment to God to do those things
through which they might experience the fullness of his joy. (Seven Deadly Sins
p. 21)
Does this describe you? Are you miserable in the faith? Do you have only
enough of Christ to make you aware of your sin and not enough to bring you to
joy? If so, you need desperately to hear what this passage teaches us today.

TRUST GOD'S FAITHFULNESS
The first thing we notice in the very first verse are these words, "Now the LORD
was gracious to Sarah as he had said, and the LORD did for Sarah what he had
promised. Sarah became pregnant and bore a son to Abraham in his old age, at
the very time God had promised him." Do you notice that three times the
passage points out that these things happened as the Lord has promised?
God is faithful! What the Lord promises, he delivers. God promised Abraham
and Sarah that they would have a child . . . even in their old age. Abraham and
Sarah believed the promise. They put their faith in God's character, that He
does not lie and in God's ability, that nothing is impossible for Him. Joy is
anchored in God's faithfulness. It's a cute phrase, "Trust God" but what does it
mean?
It means to believe what He says; we must take Him at His Word
It means to calmly rely on Him in a crisis knowing that He will not lead us
astray
It means putting more confidence in His character than you put in your own
It means acknowledging God's authority and wisdom in every area of your life,
not just those we chose to open to Him.
REASONS WE FIND TRUST DIFFICULT
But as easy as it sounds, this is something that does not come easy to us. There
are several reasons for this. The first reason is our past disappointments. We
have all had people hurt us. We've trusted someone and they violated our trust.
We depended on them and they did not come through for us. They made a
promise and didn't fulfill it. And because of this we don't trust anyone. We don't
want to be vulnerable again. So, we don't trust God fully either.
We must overcome this distrust! God is not like everyone else. Focus on His
character! God does not lie. He does not disappoint. He does not forget us and
our needs. Our Lord can be depended on.
A second reason trust is hard for us is our pride. We are raised from an early
age to be self-reliant. Like Abraham we sometimes say we trust God but really
are trusting our efforts. If you remember, Abraham had a similar problem. He
thought He would "help" God when he sought to father a child through Hagar.
He thought He would help God when he asked Sarah to lie . . . twice. The Psalms
point to many things we tend to trust other than the Lord,

we trust in our military strength (44:6)
we trust our wealth (49:6)
we trust our schemes (62:10)
we trust our friends or our governments and systems (various see Psalm 118:8,9)
Trusting God's character means putting our faith in Him. It is not God AND
anything. This is why some never find salvation. They resist the idea that
salvation is a gift. The idea that God has offered us something we cannot pay for
and can never earn, is something they will not accept.
A third reason we have trouble relying on God is our limited perspective.
Because we live in an instant society we aren't very good at waiting on the Lord.
Abraham and Sarah had to wait decades for God to begin to fulfill the promise
He made to Abraham. God was building character into Abraham and was
waiting until Abraham would realize that it was ONLY by God that the blessing
was given.
God's timing is different than ours. Where we are primarily concerned with
results, God is concerned with the process as well as the result. Often God will
delay until He has prepared us to receive His blessing. We interpret delay as
disapproval. When God delays we quickly conclude that "it is hopeless", "God
doesn't care." When in reality God is at work preparing us or the
circumstances.
So how can we live more according to God's promises? I have several
suggestions.
Read and study God's promises. When you come across a promise in the Bible
ask some important questions: "Is this a promise for a specific individual or is it
a promise that is for all who believe. . . .including me?" Then ask, "Is there a
condition to this promise (If you abide in me and my word abides in you, ask
whatever you wish and it will be done for you.)?" If so, note the condition.
When you find a promise of God for your life, underline it. Some people
underline it in a unique color so they can find they easily as they page through
their Bibles
Look for God's faithfulness in your daily life. It is easier to trust God for the
promises of life when we notice the many times he is faithful. Pay attention to
the way He provides for us. Notice the times He brings us comfort. Notice how
he brings rain and sunshine as needed. Notice the strength He gives for difficult

times. When we look for God's faithfulness we will find it easier to trust Him.
FOLLOW GOD'S DIRECTIONS
In verses 3 and 4 we have the next ingredient to our recipe, "Abraham gave the
name Isaac to the son Sarah bore him. When his son Isaac was eight days old,
Abraham circumcised him, as God commanded him." Abraham and Sarah
called their son Isaac . . . as they had been told. And then they circumcised
him . . . as they were instructed. Sarah and Abraham followed God's directions.
In truth, this had been their practice for their life. God said leave the land you
are living in . . . and Abraham did. God said, "Trust me" and Abraham did.
God gave Abraham guidance in battle and Abraham followed God's guidance.
He told him to circumcise all the males in his household and he did it. Next week
we will see God tell Abraham to send his oldest son away . . .and he did it. In a
few weeks we will see that God told Abraham to surrender his son on the altar . .
. and he was willing to do even that.
It is one thing to know what God wants . . . it s another thing to do it. Over and
over the prophets urged the children of Israel to stop talking about loving the
Lord and to instead start showing their love by obeying the Lord. James tells the
church, "Be doers of the Word and not hearers only . . . deceiving yourselves."
At a certain children's hospital, a boy gained a reputation fore reeking havoc
with the nurses and staff. One day a visitor who knew about his terrorizing
nature made him a deal: "If you are good for a week," she said, "I'll give you a
dime when I come again." A week later she stood before his bed. "I'll tell you
what," she said, "I won't ask the nurses if you behaved. You must tell me
yourself. Do you deserve the dime?"
After a moment's pause, a small voice from among the sheets said: "Gimme a
penny."
Isn't this the way we like to serve the Lord? We want to give him a pennies
worth. We want to be part of his family but don't want to have to disrupt our
life any! We can't have it both ways. True discipleship is a matter of obedience.
It is trusting God enough to do what he says. All the pious words in the world do
not equal the faith of the one who does what God tells him to do.
But I must caution you here. God desires not just outward conformity. He also
wants our hearts to be involved. He talks about those who "honor Him with
their lips, but their hearts are far from him." So, it is not just a matter of doing
what God says. We must do so out of love for the Lord. There are many people

who obey the outward commands of God but are not serving God with their
hearts.
Some obey to quiet a guilty conscience. They are not seeking to honor God, they
are seeking to be guilt free.
Some obey out of a desire for acceptance. They want to be a part of the
Christian community and the only way to do so is to conform.
Some obey in an attempt to bribe God. They believe if they push the right
buttons they will be blessed. These people are not serving the Lord . . . they are
serving themselves! They are not seeking God's interests but their own.
Some obey in an attempt to earn Heaven! You've heard people say that they
think they are going to Heaven because of what they have done. That is not the
gospel. We are not saved because of what we have done (thank God!) We are
saved because of what HE has done!
True obedience then, is anchored in our love for and our trust in the Lord. We
obey because we love Him and trust Him. We obey because we know that God is
the Creator and knows what is best. We obey because we know that our hearts
and minds have been tainted by sin and therefore we don't always see things
clearly. We obey even though God's way is not the way we would normally
choose to go,
We want to get even . . . God says forgive
We want to accumulate . . . God says to give
We want to draw attention to ourselves, . . . . God says we are to draw attention
to Him
We want to be served . . . God says be a servant
We pursue what is best for us . . . God tells us to pursue what is best for the
Kingdom of God.
We want others to make the first move . . . God tells us to do so.
We pursue what will make us happy . . . God tells us to pursue what will make
us Holy
In Psalm 119 we read this wonderful prayer from David,
Give me understanding and I will keep your law and obey it with all my heart.

Direct me in the path of your commands for their I find delight. Turn my heart
toward your statutes and not toward selfish gain. Turn my eyes away from
worthless things; preserve my life according to your word. Fulfill your promise
to your servant, so that you may be feared. (119:34-38)
Trust and Obedience must go together. We must focus on God's character and
then trust His instructions. And the result will be joy.
RECEIVE HIS JOY
In our text Sarah's heart is filled with laughter. She had trusted, she had obeyed,
she endured, and the result was joy. And joy, when we find it is unlike anything
the world has to offer. Joy and happiness are different. Joy and exhilaration are
different. We can be happy about a promotion and exhilarated at a victory in a
game. But joy is much deeper. Happiness and exhilaration are largely
superficial. Joy is deep. Joy touches our soul and spirit. It is a satisfaction that
brings a "glow" to our lives. Joy can only come from the Father.
Now I suspect that there are some of you here who would say: "it doesn't work."
You have held on in faith. You've done what is right but life is still difficult. You
have believed but you still struggle.
Friend, I have a couple of things to say: First, if you are truly His you already
have more reason for joy than anything the world can give you. You have been
granted eternal life, when you deserved destruction. You have been granted an
audience with the Lord of the Universe when you deserved nothing. You have
been made an heir of the King, when you were a pauper. God has embraced you,
even though you had spurned Him. Your inheritance is beyond measure. Your
benefit is beyond description. Your joy should be constant. The great preacher
Charles Spurgeon understood this,
I would have all those that hear of my great deliverance from hell, and my most
blessed visitation from on high, laugh for joy with me. I would surprise my
family with my abundant peace; I would delight my friends with my ever-
increasing happiness; I would edify the Church with my grateful confessions;
and even impress the world with the cheerfulness of my daily conversation....The
Lord Jesus is a deep sea of joy: my soul shall dive therein, shall be swallowed up
in the delights of His society. Sarah looked on her Isaac, and laughed with excess
of rapture, and all her friends laughed with her; and thou, my soul, look on this
Jesus, and bid heaven and earth unite in thy joy unspeakable. [MORNING AND
EVENING - June 15]

I am suggesting that if you do not know joy in your life it is for one of two
reasons. Either 1) you do not know the Lord. Or 2) you have forgotten what
knowing the Lord means. It is possible that you have gone to church all your life
but still do not know the Lord. It is possible that you are living a decent life but
you still have not entrusted yourself to the Lord.
If that's the case, do something about it this morning. God's offer of forgiveness
and His extension of grace and life is available to anyone who would receive it.
You can't earn it. It's a gift. Jesus came to earth to point you to the Father and
to give His life as a payment for your sin. He rose from the grave to prove that
His sacrifice was accepted by God and that the life He talked about was real.
You can be His. The Bible tells us that "if we will confess with our mouth that
Jesus is Lord, and believe in our heart that God has raised Him from the dead,
we will be saved."
Now what that means in laymen's terms is this: If you will make Jesus King of
your life and trust Him as the one who rose from the dead . . . you will be saved.
You don't have to first become a better person (God will help you do that
through His Spirit that He will give you), you don't have to join a church first
(that comes afterward); you don't have to undo your past (that's what the cross
was about). What you do have to do is come with your hands and your heart
open. I urge you to do just that.
And if you have done this, but joy is far from you, I suggest you sit back and
count your blessings. Recall what your salvation means. Reflect on the one who
died for you. Recall the undeserved nature of His love. Meditate on where you
were headed compared to where you are going now. As you do, joy will again be
your companion.
But secondly, I know that when some of you say you don't have any joy, it is
because the journey is presently very difficult. You have prayed, you have cried,
you have stormed the throne of Heaven and God seems silent. Brother and
Sister in Christ, let me remind you: the story is not fully written yet.
Abraham and Sarah believed for decades without seeing anything. Don't you
give up. If it seems He has forgotten . . . He has not. Your friends may disappoint
you . . . but God will never let you down. What you call heartache here you may
call a blessing when you get to Heaven when you see God's purpose in that trial.
What you call a tragedy here may be seen as a necessary transition in Heaven.
Do not give up on Him! Wait for Him . . . He will be faithful. It is at the times
like these that we must remind ourselves of His Character and trust Him . . . .

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