Sarah Laughs; Sarah Lies: Genesis 18:9-15

God’s promise is dependent upon His righteousness, not our ability to earn it.  This is a good thing.  Who among us can earn our salvation?  Who among us can keep ourselves from sin?  Thankfully, God keeps His promises regardless of how well we keep ours.

After Abraham and his visitors ate their meal, the Lord inquires about Sarah.  It could be that the Lord knew how Sarah was going to react and He wanted to alert Abraham to her presence.  It could be that He inquired of her so she would hear her name and be sure to listen in.

Either way, Sarah is crouched by the door and listening into the conversation as much as possible.  She’s eavesdropping.  She wants to know what is going on between Abraham and the visitors.

The Lord tells Abraham – and Sarah – that He will return in a year and she will have a son.  Given that it takes nine months for a baby to go from conception to birth, that means Sarah would conceive in the next three months.  At this point, Sarah and Abraham are more than eighty years old.  Imagine being eighty years old and being told that you would be responsible for raising a child!

Sarah laughs.  There’s nothing wrong with Sarah’s laugh.  Truthfully, there’s nothing wrong with Sarah’s doubt.  She’s already quite old.  She knows her time to carry a child has long since passed.  Her laughter and her doubt are completely understandable.

God isn’t offended by her laugh.  He understands Sarah’s position.  He knows Sarah cannot see the world as He does.  He knows Sarah struggles to understand what God can truly do because she can only see life through her human experience.

God asks Abraham why Sarah laughed when He gave the prophecy about His return.  Somehow, Sarah gets pulled into the conversation and she denies laughing.  This is where she goes off the rails.  Her doubt was one matter; now she is lying to God.

God knows we doubt.  God knows we cannot possibly understand His plan.  So long as we are open with Him and acknowledge our inability to keep up with Him, He can work with us.

When we lie to Him, though, there is an issue.  He cannot work with us if we deny our failings.  He cannot help fix our understanding if we are in denial about what we’ve done and think.  Sarah’s laughter isn’t bad; but when she lies, she transgresses against the Lord.

Thankfully, God is a God of second chances.  In past stories, Abraham sinned and went against what the Lord desired and God forgave him when he repented.  God can and will forgive Sarah, too.  Her lie was wrong, but God is gracious enough to still uphold His end of the promise and give her the son He promised.  God’s promise is dependent upon His righteousness, not our ability to earn it.