This blog will focus on Genesis 21:1-7. I titled this The Big Event. The reason I did that is because everything that has happened to Abraham and Sarah, from Genesis 12 to Genesis 21, has been leading up to this point. It is a passage of God’s faithfulness to Abraham and Sarah over a period of 15 years, and I hope this passage encourages you as it did me.
What we’ll do is break this passage down by going verse by verse to understand the weight of this text. There are nine observations that are important to see to really understand the significance of what is taking place. Then, we’ll conclude by making three applications from this text that I hope will give you encouragement of God’s faithfulness.
The first observation we see is Sarah gets a visit from God.
In verse 1, Moses writes, “The LORD visited Sarah as he had said…” What does this tell us? It tells us that God had told Sarah beforehand He was going to visit her at this time. It tells us this meeting was planned. When, in the past, did God say He would visit Sarah? In Genesis 18:10, God said to Abraham, “I will return to you about this time next year.” Genesis 21:1 is the fulfillment of that statement. Which also tells us from Genesis 18:10 to Genesis 21:1 has been one year. So, one year ago God set up a meeting to visit Sarah.
Now we don’t know how God visited Sarah, if it was physical or spiritual, nor is that the main point here. The real question is this: Why did God visit Sarah? That leads us to our next observation.
God did not only visit Sarah, but God did to Sarah as He promised.
In verse 1 Moses writes, “and the LORD did to Sarah as he had promised.” So God is visiting Sarah because He promised to do something. In other words, God made Sarah a promise one year ago, and now that promise has been accomplished or fulfilled. Now the question becomes: What was that promise? And that leads us to our next observation.
The next thing we see in the text is that Sarah became pregnant and gave birth.
In verse 2 Moses writes, “And Sarah conceived and bore Abraham a son in his old age…” According to Genesis 18:10, the promise God made to Sarah was that she and Abraham would have a son in a year. Now, if you remember, Genesis 18:10 was not the first time God promised this. This promise goes back 15 years ago when Abraham was 75 years old and God called Abraham to leave his home in Haran to go to Canaan in Genesis 12:1-9. And since then God re-iterated this promise to Abraham and Sarah at least three more times in Genesis 15, Genesis 17, and Genesis 18. So in all, over a span of 15 years and at least four times, God made this promise and fulfilled it.
Also notice that God not only kept His promise, but God was not late in keeping it.
In verse 2, Moses writes, “And Sarah conceived and bore Abraham a son in his old age at the time of which God had spoken to him.” What does this tell us? It tells us that fifteen years ago, when God called Abraham from Haran to Canaan at age 75 and promised Abraham a child, God had a plan as to when He would fulfill that promise. I am even confident that before God called Abraham at age 75, He knew and had already planned for Abraham and Sarah to have a child. Which leads us to our next observation.
I want you to notice the sex of the child.
Notice again in verse 2 that Moses writes, “Sarah…bore Abraham a son…” This might not seem like much of an observation, but I believe this is very significant. Why is this significant? I believe it is significant for three reasons.
My first reason is this: I believe this is significant because the promise God made to Abraham has always been that Sarah would birth a boy. For example, in Genesis 18:10 and 14, God said to Abraham these exact words: “Sarah will have a son.” Never did God promise a little girl. So, if Sarah conceived a little girl it would show God as a liar; it would show God as unpowerful to uphold His own Word. If Sarah bore a girl after He had been promising a little boy for 15 years, it would be as if God made a mistake ( it would be like God saying: oops, did not mean that to happen or how did that happen or didn’t see that coming). But that is not what happened, which shows God’s faithfulness and His power over fertility.
My second reason is this: if Sarah conceived a girl, the great nation that God promised Abraham in Genesis 12 and Genesis 15, would not come to pass, because it is through the male family lineage continues. This means, if Sarah conceived a girl, there would be no Israel; and if there is no Israel, there is no Messiah; and if there is no Messiah, there is no salvation! Or, God would have to change His plan. Either way, it would show God’s powerlessness in achieving His own plan; it would show God is not in control at all. But that is not the case, God is powerful and He is able to achieve what He sets out to do. Everything that happens, happens according to His sovereign plan. Abraham and Sarah bore a male child, because that was God’s plan for them and nothing or no one could prevent it.
My third reason is this: This shows God makes no mistakes in regards to the sex you were born with. If you are a male, God meant you to be a male. If you are a female, God meant you to be a female. We do not get to choose our pronouns, and cannot if we tried.
I also want you to notice the name of the child.
In verse 3, Moses writes, “Abraham called the name of his son who was born to him, whom Sarah bore him, Isaac.” Why is this important? It shows Abraham and Sarah’s obedience to God. Remember in Genesis 17:19, God told Abraham to name the child Isaac.
Do you remember why God wanted the child named Isaac? Two reasons. First, it’s because Abraham, in Genesis 17:17, laughed at the very thought he and Sarah would have a child at such an old age. Secondly, according to Genesis 17:19, it’s because through Isaac God would establish His covenant with Abraham. In other words, God made a promise to Abraham in Genesis 12 that Abraham would become a great nation and Isaac was the first step for God in fulfilling and establishing that promise. Thus, Isaac would always serve as a constant reminder for Abraham for the day he laughed at God’s plan.
Our next observation is of Isaac’s circumcision.
In verse 4, Moses writes, “And Abraham circumcised his son Isaac when he was eight days old, as God had commanded him.” Do you remember why God had Abraham to circumcise his children? According to Genesis 17:10 and 12, circumcision was a sign of the covenant God made with Abraham that God would make him into a great nation. Like the rainbow was a sign of God’s covenant with Noah to never flood the world again.
Do you remember the significance for circumcision waiting till the 8th day? In the Bible, the number eight represents new beginning, new order, and new creation. Isaac, being a new creation, was to be circumcised on the 8th day.
Now we see the age of Abraham.
Moses writes in verse 5, “Abraham was a hundred years old when his son Isaac was born to him.” Remember, when God first told Abraham that Abraham was to have a child, Abraham realized he would be 100, and laughed at the idea and even questioned God’s plan. Genesis 17:17 says, “Then Abraham fell on his face and laughed and said to himself, ‘Shall a child be born to a man who is hundred years old (he was actually 99 at the time)? Shall Sarah who is ninety years old, bear a child?” Abraham, in Genesis 17:18, even pleaded for God to work his covenant through Ishmael instead of this promised child by Sarah, and God said no; it was God’s will for Sarah to bear this child. I wonder how Abraham feels now that all this has come to pass?
I bet his emotions are mixed between joy and worry. I bet he is recalling those times God told him what was going to happen and he responded with laughter. And I don’t think Abraham’s laughter was a sign of his doubt that God could do it. I believe Abraham had faith that God could in fact do as God spoke, according to Romans 4:19. I think Abraham found humor in the fact that God was doing this great work at such an old age when God could have done this miracle any time He chose.
Our last observation is Sarah’s response to all this.
In verses 6 & 7, Moses wrote, “And Sarah said, ‘God had made laughter for me; everyone who hears will laugh over 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.” Remember, in Genesis 18:12, Sarah also laughed when she heard she would have a child in her old age.
I do not take verses 6 and 7 as mockery. I take her statement as joyful, delightful, and amazement. I think she is finding humor in God’s miracle-working power. She is laughing because it actually happened. She is laughing because who would have ever thought she would bear a child at her and Abraham’s age. She is laughing because she knows no one will believe this story – that Isaac’s birth was all God’s doing, and will laugh with her in absolute awe that something like this could actually happen.
Now, with all that in mind, I want to make three concluding points that I think will bring you some encouragement, that is based on these observations.
Know that God is faithful in keeping His promises.
If God did for Abraham and Sarah as He promised them, He will do as He has promised you. There are 8,810 promises in Scripture, 7,481 of them are from God to mankind, and He will not fail to uphold every single one of them.
Namely, to save you from an eternity separated from Him in hell. God’s promise to save mankind goes like this: “everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day” (John 6:40). And Jesus will not fail in keeping that promise, for he said, “I should not lose nothing of all that he has given me” (John 6:39). That’s a promise that Jesus will see to it that those who have put their faith in him, will be saved and be with him in the kingdom of God, and he will not fail in keeping this promise.
Know that God is never late in keeping His promise.
Just as God fulfilled His promise to Abraham and Sarah at His appointed time, so God will do for us. 2 Peter 3:8 says, “The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness.” Everything that God does, He does according to His plan. And even though it does not always feel like it, He is never late nor is God too early in doing what He aims to do in your life and in the world. God is always right on time.
Keep the faith that God is faithful to keep His promises, even when it doesn’t feel like it.
The Bible tells us that Abraham and Sarah never lost their faith in believing that God was able to do what He said He was going to do, even though, unbeknown to them, it would be 15 years before God fulfilled His word to them. For Abraham, Romans 4:19 says, “He did not weaken in faith when he considered his own body, which was as good as dead (since he was about a hundred years old), or when he considered that barrenness of Sarah’s womb.” For Sarah, Hebrews 11:11 says, “By faith Sarah…even when she was past the age…she considered him faithful who had promised.”
Like Abraham and Sarah, God knows the plans He has for you (Jer. 1:5). He will work His plan in your life in His own time and in His own way. Proverbs 16:9 tells us, “In their hearts humans plan their course, but the LORD establishes their steps.” We don’t know how or what our life will become, but we can take comfort in the fact that we know the One who does, because it is He who establishes our every step.
And like Abraham and Sarah, we might even laugh at God’s timing, but what we have to learn to do is wait for God to act. Lamentations 3:25 says, “The LORD is good to those who wait for him, to the soul who seeks him.” We also must be willing to trust and submit to His plan above our own. Proverbs 3:5-6 says, “Trust in with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.”
Someone once said, “God is making things happen for you. Even when you don’t see it. Even when you cannot feel it. Even if it’s not evident…” That’s my encouragement to you all: stay faithful when you don’t see and don’t feel God working, because He is, but in ways you do not see and do not understand. God will accomplish His plan for your life, because He cannot fail, just like He did for Abraham and Sarah. You and I just have to trust His plan, His ways, and His timing. God is always working for the good of those who love Him and are called according to His purpose (Romans 8:28).