God Makes Good on His Word: Genesis 21:1-7
God may surprise us with His handiwork; when He does our job is to join in. We cannot know God’s plan all the time because we don’t see with the same clarity as He does. That’s why we are surprised. But when He decides to make His plan known to us and invites us in to participate, all that remains is to join in!
God lives up to His promise. At the appointed time, God came, opened Sarah’s womb, allowed her to conceive a child, brought the child to term, allowed the baby to be born with no harm to Sarah or the baby at her age, and then allowed them to continue as a family together. He lived up to every letter of his promise.
There is more to this promise than appears at first glance. Even at a hundred years of age, Sarah was beautiful and spry enough for Abimelech to want her in his harem. At a hundred years of age, Sarah was young enough to nurse her own child and raise him. She ultimately lives to see her son reach adulthood. God may have taken His time fulfilling the promise, but He was also generous in how Sarah aged. There can be little doubt that Sarah – and Abraham – struggled with patience waiting for God to make good on His promise. But there can also be little doubt that God was also generous during that time.
When Abraham names the child Isaac, which literally means “He laughs,” there is no need to read the connotation of mockery in the word. The name Isaac can also be interpreted to mean “He brings unexpected joy.” Most people, when surprised unexpectedly in a good way, give off a startled laugh. This is what the word Isaac means. It represents the laugh of disbelief when God told her she would bear a son at the age of a hundred. It represents the laugh of pleasant disbelief when other people hear that a hundred-year-old woman gave birth to a healthy boy.
These verses illustrate the unexpected nature of God’s handiwork. He can do the unthinkable. He can make dreams come true long after we’ve given up on them. He can surprise us with hope after the shroud of doubt has long been in our company.
In the midst of the surprise, Abraham and Sarah remember God’s covenant. When Isaac is eight days old, Abraham takes his son and circumcises him. Abraham knows Isaac is the beginning of God’s promise. Isaac is the way that Abraham will become the father of a nation. Abraham knows that God has chosen Isaac for this. This doesn’t diminish Abraham’s and Sarah’s choice. They choose God’s calling for Isaac. They choose for Isaac to be a part of God’s people. They have Isaac circumcised as evidence of their desire for him to live in relationship with God. God may surprise us with His handiwork; when He does our job is to join in.
