Have you ever stopped to consider how the Lord blesses our messes?
I wish I could say my life with the Lord has been marked with constant faith and consistent advance. I wish I could say that, but I’d be lying.
Even in the messes I’ve made, I’ve seen something amazing: the Lord blesses me anyway!
Two weeks ago, we witnessed the Lord suddenly appear. He reminded Abram of the covenant and renamed him to Abraham. The Lord also expanded the covenant. Last week, we saw the Lord’s sign of this covenant: male circumcision. We continue this interaction in Genesis 17:15-22.
15 God also said to Abraham, “As for Sarai your wife, you are no longer to call her Sarai; her name will be Sarah. 16 I will bless her and will surely give you a son by her. I will bless her so that she will be the mother of nations; kings of peoples will come from her.”
Genesis 17:15-22, New International Version
17 Abraham fell facedown; he laughed and said to himself, “Will a son be born to a man a hundred years old? Will Sarah bear a child at the age of ninety?” 18 And Abraham said to God, “If only Ishmael might live under your blessing!”
19 Then God said, “Yes, but your wife Sarah will bear you a son, and you will call him Isaac. I will establish my covenant with him as an everlasting covenant for his descendants after him. 20 And as for Ishmael, I have heard you: I will surely bless him; I will make him fruitful and will greatly increase his numbers. He will be the father of twelve rulers, and I will make him into a great nation. 21 But my covenant I will establish with Isaac, whom Sarah will bear to you by this time next year.” 22 When he had finished speaking with Abraham, God went up from him.
Until now, the covenant and its promises were focused on Abraham but now, the Lord makes specific promises to Sarai. “Sarai” and “Sarah” both mean “princess.” Fitting that kings would come from one named “princess.”
Yet, there’s more: the Lord renames her. Do you remember what naming implies in the Bible? Ownership and responsibility. So, for the first time, the Lord claims Sarah by renaming her and giving her specific promises.
In her old age (remember, she was 90 by this point), she was chosen for a remarkable demonstration. God alone could fulfill his covenanted promise through her. As with Abraham, Sarai’s new name was to be a sign of her part in the covenant. What a blessing from the Lord!
What was Abraham’s response to all this?
He fell down and laughed!
Not quite the response you would expect from someone receiving this message from the Almighty! So far, the author’s portrayal of Abraham in Genesis suggests that his laughter does not indicate a lack of faith. However, the text does seem to imply that impression.
Without comment from the Lord verse 17 uncovers the motivation of his laughter, “Will a son be born to a man a hundred years old? Will Sarah bear a child at the age of ninety?” Was it a lack of faith, shock, or incredulousness? The verdict is still out.
Sarah will bear Abraham the son of the promise and they were to name him Isaac (which means “he laughs.”)
Ishmael was not left out of the equation. This is an example of the Lord’s mercy to Hagar and the request of Abraham. The Lord did not have to bless the child of Sarah’s and Abraham’s impatience. Yet He did. Ishmael would be the father of 12 rulers and would also be a great nation.
There is a significant “but” in verse 21. It’s also there in Hebrew to demonstrate the marked difference in the blessings given to Ishmael and Isaac. Ishmael was the son of the presumption, while Isaac was the son of the promise.
The entire situation with Hagar created Ishmael. While every life is precious, the enmity between the sons of Isaac and Ishmael is still with us today. Yet, the Lord blessed the mess of Abraham and Sarah.
Like them, we find the Lord takes the messes we’ve made and works His glory into our story. Praise Him for the blesses in the messes!
Life Meets Theology 